Zoo Brew; Brew Lights at Hogle Zoo

 During the warmer months, one Wednesday each month Hogle Zoo holds an adults only zoo experience with beer and wine called Zoo Brew. In October they combine the Zoo Lights experience and call it Brew Lights. It’s also the last Zoo Brew of the year. Its a fun trip to the zoo with no screaming kids, and well, beer is always a plus as well. And in October you get to see their fun Halloween decorations as well. Now that we have done it, I don’t think we will ever do the October one again. It was really too dark to see much of anything. Last time we did it in September and were able to see a lot more.

Note: Archive post. I didn't love the pictures (still don't) so I didn't post it back in 2024. Posting now January 2026.

Quick Details:

Normal Summer Hours: (Mar 1st – Oct 31’s) 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Normal Winter Hours: (Nov 1st – Feb 28th) 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Zoo Brew Hours: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Normal Admission: Adults and Children: “Price varies based on season” $6.00 - $21.95 (under 2 free)
Zoo Brew Admission: $18.95. Drink tickets are $8.00 each and get you a beer or a glass of wine Cash used to be preferred but now cards are the preferred method of payment.

See the Hogle Zoo website for current prices and additional information.

To Get Here:

From i15 take either 6th South of 9th South (depending on what direction you are coming from). Once you have exited, make your way over to 8th South. Head east. After 13th East 8th South will curve slightly to the south, then back east and become Sunnyside Ave. Continue heading east for about 2 miles, and the zoo will be on the right.

The Trail:

Nearing the entrance. Holy crap the line was super long to get in! I swear it is busier this time than it was last time.

Fun group dressed as the Addams Family. I am not sure if they are working for/with the zoo, or if they are just random cosplayers haha. But I did ask permission to take a photo.

Last time we were here they closed the small Animal house before we finished exploring it, so that was first on my list today!

But first a quick stop in the Great Apes area.

The first bar we found was next to the Zebras. See, not great lighting.

We finally made it to the Small Animal Building. Both last time and today it closed at 8:00 PM.

I don’t remember what this is but he’s cute.

Black footed cat. He’s super cute too.

Tortoise.

Bats.

I love them.

Rhinoceros iguana.

Boa.

Titi monkeys.

Turkey vulture. We see these guys in the wild usually in spring soaring around the foothills.

Sand cat. I didn’t see it, but apparently there was a mouse outside that was causing it to pace.

Von der Decken’s Hornbill.

The central area of the Small Animal Building has this little aviary.

Lit up tree.

The big bridge. I guess they decorated it like a shipwreck this year. I think I liked how it looked last time better. But hey, it’s still fun.

More lit up trees.

Little lighthouse.

Pirates.

Fun owl and bear carving.

More pirates.

Neat spooky room.

Not a great shot, but these fun lion fountains have been here since I was little.

More lights.

The newest exhibit, Wild Utah.

Neat old bridge.

I didn’t get a shot, cause it was too dark but they had a big ol porcupine. I swear this guy was twice as big as the ones I have seen in the wild.

I then correctly identified which animal out of 4 was crepuscular and earned a sticker haha. It was the cottontail rabbit. I only knew that because I read up on some wild rabbit I saw a few years ago and figured it might apply to this rabbit as well.

Bobcat. It was a bit smaller than I was expecting. Like, just a bit bigger than a house cat. I have never had the pleasure of seeing one of these in the wild. Probably for the best, but it would still be neat.

Another not great shot, but Emigration Creek. My friends poked a little fun about my "weird ability to know random bodies of water" but I mean, we are right at the mouth of Emigration Canyon so of course it is Emigration Creek. It was all in good fun though.

Giant inflatable pumpkin.

Giraffe statue.

Last time we got to feed the giraffes.

Light up Hogle Zoo sign.

Fun bridge.

More lights.

Meh. I’m not particularly thrilled with my pictures today. Plus, other than the Small Animal Building we really couldn’t see much today with it getting dark as early as it does now. If we do Zoo Brew again, we will definitely do it earlier than October. But we all still had a good time, so it wasn’t a total waste of money. Definitely very crowded event too. Eh. 7 out of 10 squirrels today.

As for difficulty, its paved, with gentle climbs. DR2.

Dogs are not allowed.