Enjoy Family Fun This Summer at the Philadelphia Zoo!

The Philadelphia Zoo always makes for a great visit, especially if you have kids. Whether you are a regular visitor at the Zoo or (improbably) have never been, this summer will be a great time to attend, for several reasons.

Come meet Grom, the Zoo’s new Amur tiger!

First up is the brand new “You360ShotSpot.” Have you ever seen one of those optical illusion works of art where it looks like the sidewalk is crumbling into a giant sinkhole? The ShotSpot is like that, a picture painted on the pavement that makes it look like a precipitous ledge is the only thing standing between you and falling into the Zoo from the sky. If you lie down on the ledge, it looks like you are balancing from a great height! But the Zoo didn’t put the art there just for great photo ops: for every 50 people who take a picture and tag it #sendakid on social media, Xfinity will send a low-income child to the Zoo for free.

Uploading those great shots to social media will be easier than ever this summer now that Comcast has installed more than 100 Xfinity hotspots throughout the Zoo, ensuring near-total wi-fi coverage. Who doesn’t love free wi-fi, right?

Free wi-fi means that you can send adorable pictures to your friends and family of the Zoo’s newest residents. These include Lincoln, Theodore, Quincy, and Madison, the presidentially-named ruffled lemurs that were born at the Zoo in February. The black-and-white babies are the children of Kiaka and Huey, a lemur couple. Then there’s Grom, the 300 lb. 8-year-old male Amur tiger who arrived at the Zoo from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado in January and made his public debut on March 18.

Also returning to the Zoo this summer? The Summer Ale Festival, which combines delicious brews with fun times. For just $60, zoo visitors get admission to the Zoo, unlimited beer tastings, a souvenir cup, “live music, games, and much more.” The Summer Ale Festival is on July 16th from 6:30 pm until 10pm.

All in all, it seems like it’s going to be a great summer at the Philadelphia Zoo!