With a revamp of our website, a post on our blog is necessary! Over the past five years, the blog hasn't been at the top of our list of things to do. Without a post in 2017, it's obvious that it hasn't been high priority. I think it's because we post so much to facebook; however, it's a goal to post more. So, here we go! We're already on top of 2017 by posting this one.
We are less than one month away from OPENING DAY! Mark your calendar to come and see us for Spring Break! 

October is always an exciting month at Bradt's Menagerie!  We hope you'll make plans to come out and join us this fall. Jerad spent many hours putting the hay bales in place to make another epic maze!  We are open Thursdays from 8 to 11pm for our flashlight maze ($5 admission), Friday from 4 to 11pm for the Day Maze/Flashlight Maze ($5 admission), Saturday from 10am to 5pm for the Petting Farm and Day Maze ($6 admission/$4 maze add-on) and 8 to 11pm for the flashlight maze ($5 admission), and Sunday from 2 to 5pm for the Petting Farm and Day Maze ($6 admission/$4 maze add-on).

It would be an understatement to say that JoDe was excited when the groundhog saw his shadow at the beginning of February! The cold months are definitely not her favorite. Now, we know that the groundhog is not a meteorologist, but just the thought of an early spring was enough. That being said, we are busy getting ready to open back up from our winter hiatus.  If you follow us on Facebook, you know that even though we are closed for the winter, the animals still keep us busy. (If you don't follow us there, you should! www.facebook.com/bradtsmenagerie) With just a couple of weeks until we re-open for the spring, lots of little things are happening. Fixing a fence here. Moving an animal there. Removing a sign here. Hanging it over there. Regardless of the day, it's never a dull moment. 

​We hope that you will make plans to visit the animals when we re-open for the Spring!
Spring Break is just around the corner, so we hope you'll include us in your plans. Curious about the hours? Here they are!
Monday, March 14 - 10am to 4pm
Tuesday, March 15 - 10am to 4pm
Wednesday, March 16 - 10am to 4pm
Thursday, March 17 - 10am to 4pm
Friday, March 18 - CLOSED
Saturday, March 19 - 10am to 4pm
Sunday, March 20 - 2pm to 5pm

Our prices haven't changed! Admission is $6 per person which includes a small cup of feed. (Under 2 is free.) Additional large cups of feed are available in a commemorative cup for $2 each. Refills on those cups are $1. Rides on the camel or longhorn are $10 per person per ride.

If you have any questions, the best way to reach us is through sending us a message on our Facebook page. If you don't do Facebook, you can call us at 580.430.1269.

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to everyone who made our Band Day at The Menagerie a success! What is Band Day at The Menagerie? It's a day when half of our admissions, rides, and mazes go to support the AMS and AHS Band Programs through the Band Parent Organization.  We are so excited to be writing a check for $1241 to benefit the Band! Thanks again for everyone who participated!

It's been all over our social media, so we're sure you've seen it there, but if not, check it out! We're super excited to be offering our first large round bale hay maze this fall! If you walk it correctly with no wrong turns, it's one-third of a mile. If you take every wrong turn just once, it's a mile and a quarter.  Although, we had one group come in and show us their app that said they had walked almost four miles! So, put on your walking shoes and come get lost with us!
The Day Maze is available as an add-on feature during petting zoo hours on Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday 2pm to 5pm. If you're up for a bigger challenge, grab your flashlight and join us on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights for our FLASHLIGHT Maze. No matter your age, we're sure you're going to have a good time, so grab a friend and come make some memories at The Menagerie!

It's so fun to see our customers grow as we grow! When this sweet girl first came to visit The Menagerie, I'm not sure that she could even walk yet.  Every time she and her mama come to Alva to visit family, they put The Menagerie on their list of things to do. We are so thankful for all of our customers, especially our repeat customers who love our animals just as much as we do!

Did you know you can have your birthday party at The Menagerie?  You can use our pavilion for your cake and ice cream and, between the animal, games, and activities available here, you'll have built in entertainment for all of your party goers!  (Don't worry!  We have a hot water hand washing station for all of your guests to wash off the animal germs from their hands before they partake of your party goodies.)  Our prices are listed below.  Give us a call to check our availability. 

I always have BIG PLANS to stay up with a blog, and then, life gets in the way!  You know, feeding animals, gathering eggs, keeping new babies on the farm warm, watching peacocks spread their tail feathers outside of our kitchen window.  The basics.  There's always something to do.   Today, I'm making an update...after almost a year!

THE 2015 SEASON IS UPON US!
Our opening day will be on Saturday, March 14.  We will be open from 10am to 4pm that day.  On Sunday, March 15, we will be open from 2pm to 5pm.  Throughout the week of Spring Break, March 16-20, we will be open from 10am to 4pm.  Then our regular school year schedule will resume.  That is, Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and Sundays from 2pm to 5pm.   There may be a few days here and there that the hours will change (i.e. Easter weekend), so make sure that you give us a call (580.430.1269) or check our facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

If you are a school and would like to schedule a field trip, we have days set up during the week to schedule your class with special school pricing. 

We hope to see you during 2015...multiple times!  Lots of exciting plans are up our sleeves.  

We always tell people that we are a work in progress.  We are constantly adding and updating in order to make The Menagerie a more enjoyable experience each and every time you visit.  We have several field trips joining us in May at The Menagerie, so we wanted to add more entertainment.  That came in the form of old tires!

Before setting up our design, we let the guys jump around on top to see if it would hold up, and it did. Who knew they could have so much fun! Thanks to K&S Tires for letting us rummage through their worn out pile!

Next, we started setting up the design and digging holes. Calvin might have had too much fun digging holes with the track-hoe. Thanks to Joey Melton for letting us rent it. That made things go a lot quicker than just digging by hand.

Although, filling in by hand was necessary.

River thought that the big tires made the perfect shady spot.

Eventually, all of the tires were set up and the holes were filled in. It's not quite finished yet, but it's almost there!

Come on out and test it out! We'll be open this Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday from 2pm to 5pm. Admission is $6 per person with each person receiving a small cup of feed. Additional baggies of feed are available for $1 each. And don't forget about our gift shop that's now open! We look forward to seeing you!

Lots of people have been asking about our plans for Easter weekend.  We've been reluctant to answer because we weren't sure if we would be in the hospital having a baby or not.  At this time, it's looking as though that will not be the case, so we have finally made plans so you can make yours!

Join us on Good Friday, April 18, from 10am to 4pm and Saturday, April 19, from 1pm to 5pm to feed and love on the animals.  (We will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 20.)
When you come out during these open days, each child can choose an egg from the basket before they leave.  It may be filled with candy.  It may be filled with a prize like a free pass on your next visit to The Menagerie!

And don't forget that if you're in Alva on Saturday morning, we contributed filled eggs to the Chamber of Commerce Egg Throw to be held after the Easter egg hunt on the square.  The Egg Throw will happen between rounds of the Egg Drop.  Lots of businesses who are members of the Chamber contributed to these filled eggs, so there will be lots of goodies for kids and adults!  As a reminder, we will be opening at 1pm that Saturday so we can participate in all of the fun downtown!