News and Stories

Visitors May See Tulips Soon Due to Mild Winter

After a mild Cincinnati winter, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is ready to bloom with more color and tulips than ever before! Zoo Blooms, dubbed “Tulip Mania”, sprouts in April and will showcase more than 100,000 tulips and solidify the Zoo’s standing as one of the largest tulip displays in the Midwest.  As one of two accredited Botanical Gardens in Ohio, the Zoo will also display over one million daffodils, hyacinths, flowering trees, bushes other spring bulbs exploding with color throughout the Zoo.

“Due to the mild winter, I would expect the tulips to bloom a little earlier than normal,” said Steve Foltz, Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo.  “Typically mid April is the perfect time to see everything in full bloom.  This year, we seem to be a week or so ahead of schedule, so we may see the color explosion Easter weekend.”

To accompany the beautiful backdrop, the Cincinnati Zoo will also feature FREE concerts to rock the garden every Thursday evening during Zoo Blooms from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Admission is free after 5 p.m. (Parking not included).  The Tunes & Blooms concert series is a compilation of Cincinnati’s finest and most-respected music veterans playing together in the Zoo’s beautiful gardens.  This year’s concert series kicks off on April 5 with performances by The Newbees and The Seedy Seeds, followed by the Comet Bluegass All Stars and Magnolia Mountain (April 12), The Tillers and Shiny and the Spoon (April 19) and Jake Speed and the Freddies and The Turkeys (April 26).

On Saturday, April 7 from 10 am – 2 pm, hop on over to the Zoo for the Easter Celebration. This egg-citing event will feature treat stations, children’s activities, popular animal egg hunts and visits by the Easter Bunny.  Back by popular demand, “The Hunt for Golden Eggs”, four Special golden eggs will be hidden around the Zoo for you to discover! Find one and you could win amazing prizes provide by the Cincinnati Zoo.

On April 14 & 15, the Southwest Ohio Daffodil Society will present the annual Daffodil Show, “Daffodils in the Treetops.” This spring show will showcase hundreds of daffodils in various shades and colors, varieties, shapes and sizes. On April 18, you can dine amongst the tulips at our “Tip-Toe through the Tulips Luncheon”. This event features guided tours through the garden, lunch, dessert, and a presentation by a member of the Zoo’s horticulture department. Proceeds will benefit the Zoo’s botanical collection and educational efforts. Tickets for the Tulip Luncheon are $75 a person. Those who would like to attend or would like more information contact Allison Gibbs at (513) 487-3327 or at [email protected].     

Zoo Blooms is FREE with general Zoo admission.