Summer Evenings at LA Zoo Are Coming Back Around

• July 8, 15, 22, 29
• Live music, beverages and bites for purchase, animal education
• $25 adult, $20 child, $15 for members

Communing with critters can be like boarding a carousel of cuteness, with each fresh turn delivering new animal-adorable delights.

But sometimes, if you're in the right spot, and the light is just right, and there's music playing just down the way, you really can ride a carousel that's brimming with beasties, the sorts of tigers and horses that were made for a merry-go-round.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is home to one of these ethereal attractions, a ride that will be sweetly spinning during an evening event in July.

Make that events, plural, for Zoo Friday Nights will take place over four furry, feathery, and fun summer Fridays.

The first Friday of the month, happening just days ahead of the Fourth of July, will not feature this after-hours soirée, but every other Friday shall, starting on July 8.

Educational stations, places to purchase libations and eats, live music (with a different band playing each Friday), and the thrill of being at the Griffith Park destination as the animals board the train to Snoozeville is all part of the excitement.

As is, yes, that picturesque carousel, which runs through 8:30 p.m. (so be sure to get your rides in on the earlier side).

Evening outings at the LA Zoo is a longstanding tradition, one that many Southern Californians have savored over the years.

The softer light, the sense that many of the residents are settling down at the end of the day, and the chance to quaff a cocktail while you stroll the tree-lined paths are all woven through the wonderful opportunity.

True, wintertime happenings like Zoo Lights give fans a chance to roam the property when night falls, but you're bundled up and behold bulbage.

Zoo Friday Nights boasts a different feel, one that's all about the warmer weather, get-moving tunes, and the peaceful sense that the Golden Hour may last all evening.