We took advantage of the zoo's "Picnic at the Zoo" event for our family reunion dinner. They offer day passes to the zoo along with a catered meal (we chose a late luncheon since they're not open late on Saturdays) for one flat price per person. My whole family loved it! I got compliments on both the venue (choosing the zoo) and the food (catered by Cosentino's) from everyone ranging from the oldest relatives to those with young children. The caterer was also able to accommodate special diets for the few family members who required them. I gave the zoo 4 stars instead of 5 just because my zoo contact was easier to get hold of via phone than email (I'm an email person; I like to have details in writing), and I thought we would have a sound system with the LCD projection system, but they don't offer that, which wasn't made clear to me when I was making the plans. On the other hand, when I needed help with their system, the staff was VERY responsive. I grabbed a zoo employee who just happened to be in the area as I was setting up, and she immediately contacted the person who was in charge of my event, who came as soon as she could, bringing the IT guy to help out. In short, everyone was friendly, helpful, easy to work with, and responsive to special requests. I'm hoping I can convince my family to keep holding our family reunions there!
I just held my sororities dance at the Kansas City Zoo. The room we used was the perfect space and size for our dance. I really enjoyed the space because the DJ and caterers had separate spaces that did not take away from the dance floor. Our dance had about 100 people, and we still had 8 cocktail tables and 3 large round tables. The zoo worked wonderfully with us every step of the way too! All of the girls in my sorority have been raving about the location since the day of the dance! I definitely recommend the Kansas City Zoo for your next event!
I attended a summer wedding at the zoo and it was so much fun! The bride and groom had an animal theme which fit perfectly with the surroundings. They even had zoo keepers walk around with animals like birds and snakes for people to see and pet. It was so unique and interesting. Perfect for someone who doesn't want the typical wedding.