Celebrate Halloween at Ascarium: A Pirate Adventure at the NY Aquarium!

    This Halloween season you can celebrate with your family at the NY Aquarium's range of pirate themed, kid-friendly, not so scary festivities.  They are a part of Ascarium: A Pirate Adventure and continue the tradition of providing families in New York City with a wholesome destination to enjoy their Halloween celebration.     Ascarium combines the fun of this holiday with the NY Aquarium's mission of connecting people to wildlife.  It runs the last three weekends in October (October 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28).  Families can enjoy this season's festivities and not worry as their children engage in various safe activities throughout the park.     This year's activities will include: Haunted Seafari; The Tragic Tale of Captain Paul Looter o   This year’s seafari adventure takes guests into the sunken ship of Captain Paul Looter, an awful pirate captain and a deep-sea criminal.  Guests will enter the quarters of Captain Looter, where he still guards his gold coins, gold objects … [Read more...]

“Boo At The Zoo” Returns To The Bronx Zoo!

    The month of October is a very exciting time at the Bronx Zoo.  This month, Boo at the Zoo returns for five full weekends of Halloween packed family fun and activities.  All of these activities follow the Halloween theme but also highlight wildlife and conservation which are very important at the zoo.     Boo at the Zoo festivities run five weekends on the following dates, Sept. 29-30; Oct. 6-8, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28.  Some of the activities include a haunted walk-through adventure-The Haunting at Habitat Mansion-and the Spooky Hayride Through Creepy Hollows.     Families can also enjoy magic shows, musical performances, and costume parades.  Don't forget that you can still enjoy traditional favorites such as the hay maze, haunted extinct graveyard, and special seasonal craft workshops.  There is definitely a little something for every member of your family this Fall at the Bronx Zoo!     Any children ages 12 and under who are wearing a Halloween costume will receive a free … [Read more...]

LEGO® Wildlife Forest Exhibit and Building Zone At The Bronx Zoo Giveaway

      In a previous post, we shared with all of you the opening of the LEGO® Wildlife Forest Exhibit and Building Zone at the Bronx Zoo.  We are now very excited to offer you this giveaway sponsored by the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society.     The details of the giveaway contest are as follows: *  2 separate winners will be chosen for this giveaway. *  Each reader of Tough Cookie Mommy has to guess how many Lego bricks were used to build the Lego Penguins at the Bronx Zoo and/or how many hours it took to build them by looking at the photo below. *  Readers must leave a separate comment below in order to enter the giveaway. *  One winner will be chosen who comes the closest to guessing the correct amount of Lego bricks from the comments below. *  One winner will be chosen who comes the closest to guessing the amount of time it took to build the penguins from the comments below. *  Make sure you leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if … [Read more...]

Visit the LEGO® Wildlife Forest Exhibit and Building Zone This Summer At The Bronx Zoo!!

      There are some exciting things happening at the Bronx Zoo this Summer!  Visitors can journey to the Wild Forest and see giant Lego sculptures of tigers, flamingos, gorillas, and other unique wildlife while visiting their real-life counterparts around the zoo.     Your kids can also build your own Lego sculptures in the Construction Zone and view Wildlife Theater performances including the hit musical puppet show, Avenue Zoo.  They will be presented with thousands of colorful Lego bricks to choose from that they can use to create their own sculptures of animals.         Every visitor's own Lego creation will be displayed on bookshelves for everyone to see and enjoy and each child will have the chance to help complete the Mystery Mural display at Dancing Crane Plaza.     Through the Lego Family Challenge, families can join Lego Master Builder Dan Steininger as they compete with other families to see who can build their favorite animal out of Lego bricks … [Read more...]

Visit A-Maze-Ing Water At The New York Aquarium!

      As many of you know, I am a Blog Ambassador for the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium.  This is a great source of pride for me because these are two institutions that my family visits frequently every year and we support their many programs to educate people about the wonders of animals and marine life.     This summer, the New York Aquarium is launching an exciting and interactive experience that will demonstrate the importance of water to sustain life and to perpetuate the survival of our planet Earth, and how it connects all of us on a daily basis.       Visitors will learn how to be more proactive in caring for our local and global waterways and the wildlife habitats that depend on them.  This will be accomplished through exploration, scientific inquiry, artistic expression and action.     This unique exhibit is highlighted by Water's Extreme Journey, a 3,000 square foot maze that transforms all visitors into a tiny drop of water and sends them on a … [Read more...]

Animal Tales Extravaganza Returns to the Bronx Zoo!

      If you have never been to the Bronx Zoo, you are surely missing out on a wonderful experience for you and your family.  It is one of the most magical places that you could ever possibly visit and is truly a treasure for those of us who live in the Bronx.     This year is the third year that the Animal Tales Extravaganza is returning to the Bronx Zoo every weekend from Saturday, April 21st to Sunday, June 30th.  Each weekend, you and your family can enjoy a variety of activities for you and your children.     These include a story time corner in the zoo's Dancing Crane Pavilion.  Your children can even stage their own animal tale with the puppets that they create at the Bright Horizons Early Education Preschools crafts area.  Even the adults can have fun and read some animal-themed books.     Another exciting addition to the Extravaganza this year is a special production called Avenue Zoo which features a guest appearance by Kate Monster, the famous puppet star of the … [Read more...]