By Rachel Stevenson

Is it just me, or has date night become routine? My wife Fay and I have our favorite fallback dates. The standard is dinner, music, and cocktails. On special occasions, we might join friends for a show at the Colonial Theater in downtown Phoenixville. But like most couples, we often end up on the sofa with Sushi take-in, Netflix, and a bottle of wine.

On the hunt for a fun adventure and a memorable date night, I scanned through my Facebook events feed last week.

As luck would have it, a notification popped up with an invite to Elmwood Zoo’s Wine Safari in Norristown. That sounds fun, I thought!

I purchased two tickets at $75 a piece, and surprised Fay that evening with our plans. While pricey to some, we don’t usually spend a lot of money on date nights, so we never mind the once-in-a-while splurge.

On Friday evening, we arrived at the Zoo, located on Harding Blvd a few blocks from Route 202, around 6:00 PM along with dozens of other couples and groups of friends.  Zoo educator, Ashley, held a large iguana, greeted us, then directed us to the check-in table. We were each given a logo wine glass with a map of the zoo, pencil, and safari passport.

We started our safari in the giraffe exhibit and sampled wines from Paradocx Vineyard. A tall male giraffe loomed above us as we sipped Red Barn wine and nibbled on lamb shanks. Onlookers giggled behind us, convinced that all giraffes were named Geoffrey, a reference to the famous Toys-R-Us giraffe we all know and love.

Our next safari stop was to the carousel and swan lake, where Chadds Ford Winery served various wine samples alongside a pasta dish. We enjoyed music from a harpist as we dined.

The third stop – beer samples and buffalo wings at Zoobrew, the park’s beer vendor, featuring unique creations by Prism Brewery.

And our final stop was to the Bison Train, where we enjoyed wine samples by Karamoor Estate Vineyard & Winery and a savory curry dish. It was here that we made new friends and continued our evening feeding giraffes, listening to music, and attending a wine tasting demonstration and mixology class.

During our visit, I had the opportunity to speak with Elmwood Zoo’s Executive Director, Al Zone, who told us about plans for the park, including the upcoming Jaguar exhibit, the Tapped Philadelphia event on September 24^th, and the Flea Market and Craft Fair on October 1^st.

Al encouraged us to return soon and assured us that there are always lots of things to do at Elmwood Zoo for couples and families. So visit their event calendar often and keep them in mind when looking for a one-of-a-kind date night experience.