a white logo with text at the bottom saying Helen Woodward Animal Center. There are two kids with dogs, a horse, a bird and cats under a tree.

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Family Seasonal Events

Celebrate the wonders of nature all year long! From springtime adventures at Spring Tails to spooky fun at Howl-O-Ween Harvest and festive joy at Wild Winter, each seasonal event offers unique, hands-on animal encounters, exciting crafts, and unforgettable family memories. Discover the magic, the fun, and the love that each season brings!

Click a button below to jump to your event and learn more.

Spring Tails
Howl-O-Ween Harvest
Wild Winter

Spring Family Festival

  • Looking for an egg-citing animal adventure for the whole family this spring? Then join us for Spring Tails Family Festival! Running on select dates and times, you won’t be-leaf all the fun things this festive event has to offer, such as hands-on animal encounters with several spring-time species, several cute crafts to make and take home, themed games to play, fun face painting, and more. Our animal ambassadors are eagerly awaiting to showcase their charming outfits, so dress in your most splendid spring attire and join the festivities. Smiles are sure to bloom on everyone’s faces at Spring Tails!

Private Adventures

  • Spring Tails is the perfect program for a class field trip, Scout outing, or play group activity because it makes science egg-citing! Hop on over for a 60-minute or 90-minute adventure that includes hands-on animal interactions, a STEM activity, and lessons about life cycles, baby animals and other changes that occur during spring.
  • Schools: Spring Tails incorporates STEM and meets Next Generation Science Standards for grades K-6th. We can also bring this program to your classroom, so cut down on bus costs and scheduling headaches and let us come to you!
  • Girl Scouts: this program can be customized to meet some of the “Between Earth and Sky” journey requirements for Daisies.

Dates, prices, and more details when you click on one of the “Book Spring Tails” buttons.

Book Spring Tails Family Festival
Book Spring Tails Adventure
Four small children sit on a grey and white striped blanket while one little girl with blonde hair pets a large white and grey bunny

Howl-O-Ween Harvest

Family Festival

  • Bring your little ghouls and goblins to this hauntingly delightful event where the Halloween spirit comes alive. The spine-tingling adventure at the Howl-O-Ween Harvest Family Festival includes hands-on animal encounters, trick-or-treat stations, and multiple spooky crafts. Face painting will transform your kiddos into their favorite creatures, and our mini pumpkin patch is perfect for picking a Halloween keepsake. Our animal ambassadors will be dressed in their best spook-tacular attire, so don’t forget to come in your Halloween best. This is one howl-ing good time you won’t want to miss!

 

Private Adventures

  • Treat your class, scout troop, or play group to a thrillingly fun adventure with Howl-O-Ween Harvest! With a 60-minute or 90-minute adventure, guests will have a boo-tiful time getting hands-on animal interactions with fluffy and scaly ambassadors, diving into a STEM activity, daring to enter our haunted house, picking a mini-pumpkin to keep, and lessons about discovering what makes our “creepy” critters not so scary!
    • Schools: Howl-O-Ween Harvest incorporates STEM and meets Next Generation Science Standards for grades Preschool-6th. We can also bring this program to your classroom, so cut down on bus costs and scheduling headaches and let us come to you!

 

Dates, prices, and more details when you click on one of the “Book Howl-O-Ween Harvest” buttons.

Book Howl-O-Ween Harvest Family Festival
Book Howl-O-Ween Harvest Adventure
Three little girls and their Mom, with their buckets of candy, are all dressed up for Halloween as a black and purple cat, an orange and black butterfly and a princess with a yellow dress.

Wild Winter

It’s time for some ho-ho-holiday cheer! Get into the Christmas spirit with your family as you celebrate the season with hands-on animal encounters, several cute crafts to create, an obstacle course to test if you have what it takes to be an elf, and a recharge station with cocoa and cookies you get to decorate and eat. Santa will be in his workshop ready to spend some personal time with you, and you’ll and receive an early gift from him!

Dates, prices, and more details when you click on the “Book Wild Winter Family Festival” button.

Book Wild Winter
A man in a red sweater and a woman in a grey turtleneck sweater sitting next to a Christmas tree while holding their toddler aged son.
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Your program fee helps support all of our adoptable animals, as well as the many human and animal services Helen Woodward Animal Center provides.

For more information:
Please contact us at education@animalcenter.org or 858-756-4117 ext. 406

Follow us online to get more humane education virtually including animal facts, cute animal photos and videos, and notifications about upcoming programs!

Due to Hurricane Hilary, all  departments will be closing at 3pm today.  Stay safe!