School Field Trips!
Touring the Zoo
The Zoo consists of 65 acres of beautifully landscaped naturalistic exhibits, and is home to more than 100 species of animals. Many of these species are rare or endangered, including rhinoceroses, chimpanzees and Amur leopards.
Touring the Wildlife Museum
Opened in March 2007, this world-class Museum houses one of the largest collections of full-mount animals in the world. The mounts are displayed in naturalistic dioramas to better appreciate the varying cultures and creatures we share the earth with.
It also features “Hideaway Hollow”, a children’s education room equipped with a tree house, children’s library, cultural specific games, computer stations, hand puppets and more!
Another Museum highlight is the ADM Theatre, a 360-degree dome theatre which offers visitors an “out-of-this-world” experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the admission price for school groups?
Making your reservation.
What are the Zoo and Wildlife Museum hours?
How much time should I allow for my visit?
What about chaperones?
Are there guided tours?
What about tram tours?
Are there lunch facilities?
Can we pre-order group meals?
What about theatre tickets?
Payment Procedure
Cancellation policies
Tax exempt status
What about Education programs?
Will educational materials be available?
Souvenir Options
What is the admission price for school groups?
Rolling Hills offers the following special rates to school groups:
| $4.00 |
Zoo or Museum (per student) |
| $6.00 |
Combo (per student) |
This school group rate applies to students in pre-school, and grades K-12 in public, private and home schools. Day care and college groups do not qualify for school group rates.
These rates also apply to one adult chaperone per 10 students. Additional guests that are included in the payment from the school will be charged standard group rates as follows:
Zoo |
Wildlife Museum |
| $8.95 |
|
Adult (age 13-64) |
| $8.05 |
|
Senior (age 65+) |
| $5.35 |
$4.45 |
Child (age 3-12) |
Zooand WildlifeMuseum |
|
Adult (age 13-64) |
|
Senior (age 65+) |
$7.15 |
Child (age 3-12) |
Additional Guests paying as individuals will be charged regular rates.
Zoo |
Wildlife Museum |
| $9.95 |
|
Adult (age 13-64) |
| $8.95 |
|
Senior (age 65+) |
| $5.95 |
$4.95 |
Child (age 3-12) |
Zooand Wildlife Museum |
|
Adult (age 13-64) |
|
Senior (age 65+) |
$7.95 |
Child (age 3-12) |
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Making your reservation?
If you would like to receive the school group rate, you will need to submit a
reservation form in advance.
Please make every effort to make your reservation as far in advance as possible so that we can accommodate your requests to best of our abilities.
If you do not make a reservation in advance, regular admission rates will apply to your group (Admission Price).
To make a reservation, fill out and submit a School Group Reservation form (Online Registration) prior to your visit. Sorry, we do not accept reservations by phone.
Your visit date and group rates will not be confirmed until this reservation form is received by the group sales department at RHWA, at which time a confirmation packet will be mailed to you.
Please select the date that works best for you – we do not turn groups away from particular dates. Keep in mind that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are our busiest weekdays during the spring. If you prefer to visit on a quieter day, consider a Monday or Tuesday.
For more information on field trip reservations, call 785-827-9488 ext 114, or go to the Contact Us page and select Group Rates/Field Trips.
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What are the Zoo and Wildlife Museum hours?
The Zoo and the Wildlife Museum are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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How much time should I allow for my visit?
That is up to you and your group. The walk around the entire Zoo is approximately 1.5 miles.
We recommend a minimum of 1.5 hours to visit the Zoo, and a minimum of 45 minutes to visit the Wildlife Museum.
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What about chaperones?
School groups are required to have one chaperone per 10 students. Chaperones are expected to remain with the students throughout the entire visit!
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Are there guided tours?
Rolling Hills does not offer guided tours. Visits are self-guided to allow you greater flexibility so that your group can enjoy an appropriate pace.
Rolling Hills does offer private, narrated tram tours by advance reservations, based on availability.
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What about tram tours?
These are private, narrated tram tours available only by advance reservation, and are subject to availability:
Non-stop tram tour $3.00 per person: 45-minute tour through the Zoo, making no stops.
Extended tram tour $6.00 per person: 90-minute tour through the Zoo, stopping for
guests to explore major exhibits up close, with the
tram driver as their knowledgeable guide.
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Are there lunch facilities?
Yes. Situated adjacent to the Zoo, our covered picnic shelter seats 240, and is available free of charge to our guests on a first-come, first-served basis. It is equipped with concrete flooring, picnic tables, restrooms, soft drink machines, and a small playground.
This is the only location on the premises that guests are allowed to carry in their own food or beverage, with the exception of water bottles in the Zoo. All sack lunches and coolers must be kept in the picnic shelter or the parking lot.
Because April and May are our busiest school group months, we encourage groups of 50 or more to break into smaller groups and stagger lunch times if possible.
There is also the Overlook Restaurant, pop machines and water fountains inside the Zoo. The restaurant offers a variety of menu items for adults and children. Seating is available inside the Restaurant for 35 guests, or outside on the restaurant patio for approximately 150 guests on a first-come, first-served basis.
Groups may order from the restaurant menu on the day of their visit, but please be aware that service for large groups will take longer due to the smaller size of the restaurant. Thank you in advance for understanding.
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Can we pre-order group meals?
We highly recommend you pre-order your group meals if you wish to purchase meals from the Overlook Restaurant. This allows our staff to have your meals prepared when you arrive at the restaurant.
Meals range in price from $3.00 to $6.00 per person. Go to Pre-order Meal Options to view the list of pre-order meal packages available. There is a place on the reservation form to schedule pre-ordered meals when you make your reservation.
A special pre-order meal package available is the “Animal Pack” which is suitable for grade school ages. It costs $3.00 per person, and includes drink, chips, dessert snack and your choice of hamburger, corndog or PB&J sandwich.
Please remember that your group must pay for all meals ordered, even if they are not eaten.
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Payment Procedure
No deposit is required. Full payment for your group’s admission, tram and meal fees is due on the day of your visit in one form of payment (check, cash, credit card) for the entire group. You also have the option to have RHWA direct bill your school or USD office following your visit.
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What about theatre tickets?
A great addition to your field trip is a stop at the ADM Theatre in the Wildlife Museum! This is a unique 360-degree dome theatre that seats 55 guests, and is a separate ticket price. Cost with museum admission is $2.00, and without museum admission is $3.00
Tickets are available to groups by advance reservation, and are based on availability. Click here to see what is currently showing.
Click here to request theatre tickets and show time on your field trip reservation form.
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Cancellation policies
What about bad weather? The decision to cancel because of inclement weather is up to your group. Please call the Zoo as soon as the decision to cancel is made that you will not be arriving. You may reschedule your visit at that time.
If you need to reschedule your visit, please call the Zoo as far in advance as possible. Remember, April and May are busy times, so services such as tram rides may have limited availability.
Please remember, if you have paid for your field trip in advance, the Zoo is not able to issue refunds for students who are sick or otherwise unable to make the visit.
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Tax exempt status
All Zoo and Museum fees are subject to 6.3% sales tax. Organizations will be eligible to
purchase admission, trams, and restaurant food/beverage tax-free if the following
conditions apply:
a. The organization (not individuals) must make payment from an official source
(i.e. the group must have a check or credit card in the name of the
organization).
b. The organization has provided RHWA with a copy of their official tax
exemption certificate prior to their visit.
Many of the school districts have already sent copies of their tax exempt certificates. Be sure to inquire if your school is one of them. If not, you will need to request a copy be sent to Rolling Hills.
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What about education programs?
Education programs can be scheduled through the Education Department. A list of these programs can be found here.
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Are self-guided educational materials available?
Yes! Curriculum guides are available that contain ideas for pre- and post-visit activities that will enhance the educational value of your visit. In the meantime, detailed information on each species can be found on this Web site. Click on the Animals button to view our complete list of animals.
Rolling Hills Zoo also offers teacher training workshops through the SAFARI Program.
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Souvenir Options
Your visit to Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure will be a memorable one. As you can imagine, the Safari Station Gift Shop in the zoo & the Elephant’s Trunk Gift Shop in the museum are very popular, so please plan your shopping time accordingly. This will help avoid long lines and let your class enjoy most of their time in the park.
We offer a program that allows students & teachers to purchase items without entering the Gift Shops using our School Group Gift List. This list includes pictures of the items that can be purchased, along with the prices. The items are in even dollar amounts including tax, ranging from $1-$10. All you need to do is make copies of the School Group Gift List and send it home with your students.
Have the students return the sheets with payment before the day of your visit to the park. On the day of your trip, leave the order forms & payments with the ticket booth as you enter the park.
When you are ready to leave, all of the items will be bagged in individual bags with the students name on them. You can pass the bags out at your convenience.
Please note: The prices that are on the sheet are reduced from the prices in the Gift Shops, so if you do allow the students to enter the Gift Shops, the prices will be slightly higher.
As always, we hope this program will make this year’s trip even more pleasant. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact our Gift Shop Manager, at (785) 827-9488 ext. 135 or giftshop(at)rollinghillswildlife.com.
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Pre-Order Meal Options
To order one of the following meal packages. Go to pre-order group meals.
Animal Pack - $3.00
(smaller portions for grade school ages)
Choice of hamburger, corndog or PBJ Sandwich
Chips
Dessert
Snack
Beverage
Hot Dog Meal - $5.50
Hot Dog
Chips
Dessert
Snack
Beverage
Hamburger Meal - $5.50
Hamburger
Chips
Dessert
Snack
Beverage
Chicken Strip Meal - $6.00
Chicken Strips
Chips
Dessert
Snack
Beverage
