Starting Sunday, Nov. 1, the price at the Brandywine Zoo window drops from $9 to $7 for adults. By December it hits zero and stays there through February. The zoo states its reason on its own website. In the cold months, some animals stay in temperature-controlled buildings and may not be visible, so the zoo stops charging until February 28, except for events.
In other words, winter has always been free because you might see less. This year that changes a little. In July the zoo opened Hidden Falls, its first habitat with an indoor viewing building that's heated, air-conditioned and humidity-controlled for use all year. It's the first exhibit there built for the months the zoo used to give away, and 2026 is its first winter.
The price falls as the view gets thinner
The zoo's Visit page lists admission by season. The schedule shows how the zoo values a visit across the year.
| Season | Adults 18 to 61 | Seniors 62+ | Ages 3 to 17 | Members and children under 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 to October 31 | $9 | $8 | $7 | Free |
| November 1 to 30 | $7 | $6 | $5 | Free |
| December to February | Free except special events | Free except special events | Free except special events | Free |
| March 1 to 31 | $7 | $6 | $5 | Free |
The year-round hours stay the same. The zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last admission at 3:30. It's closed on Christmas Day and may close for bad weather or construction.
The zoo's Winter Visits page lists the animals that may not be visible in winter:
- Eastern box turtle
- Golden lion tamarins
- Lemurs
- Radiated tortoise
- Saki monkeys
- Scarlet ibis
Most of those are the warm-weather animals people come to see. The lemurs come from the Madagascar exhibit, which the zoo counts among the major upgrades of the past decade. The same page also lists two animals as "inside this winter," the honeybee colony and the red-footed tortoise. The red-footed tortoise matters for what comes next.
Hidden Falls was built for the cold months
According to the state's July 23 announcement, Hidden Falls has five species: common squirrel monkeys, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, Patagonian mara, a green iguana and red-footed tortoises. The exhibit pairs a 320-square-foot outdoor yard with a climate-controlled indoor building. The release says that building is meant for "year-round use and animal observation." Inside are real and artificial climbing trees, plus a waterfall and a stream with filtered water.
The red-footed tortoises spent last winter on the "inside" list. Now they share a heated building designed for people to watch from. Squirrel monkeys are new to the zoo. In the release, DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said the zoo expects them to be "a fan favorite." Before Hidden Falls, the zoo's free winter mostly meant shorter visits with fewer animals in view. This is the first winter with a heated indoor habitat at the center of the grounds that's meant to be seen from the inside.
The project cost $2.5 million. William Montgomery, president of the Delaware Zoological Society board, said in the state release that fundraising started four years earlier. Money came from the volunteer board, the City of Wilmington, private foundations, donors, zoo patrons and $600,000 from the state bond bill. The foundations named include Longwood, Laffey-McHugh, Crystal Trust and Rockford Woodlawn. Hidden Falls is part of the Our Zoo Re-imagined campaign. Over the past decade that campaign has also paid for the Andean condor habitat upgrade, an animal hospital, the honeybee hive display, a children's nature play area and the barnyard.
The zoo covers less than five acres of Brandywine Park. An indoor building adds more to the cold-weather experience at a zoo that small than it would at a large one. When the outdoor yards are quiet, one warm room you can walk into covers a real share of the visit.
November costs $7 and has the most on the calendar
November is the last paid month before the winter break. It's also when the zoo's calendar is fullest. The events calendar and special events page list:
- Keeper Talks on Sunday, Nov. 1, Saturday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 8.
- Scout Night on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. It's $10 per person for ages 3 and up, and the zoo recommends preregistering.
- A trash cleanup on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Nov. 1 is also when tickets go on sale for Santa at the Zoo, the first big December event. If you've been meaning to see Hidden Falls while the outdoor exhibits are still busy, November gives you a few more weeks of fall weather at the reduced price.
December's only paid events share one weekend
Free admission doesn't cover special events, and both of the zoo's December events fall on the first weekend.
Santa at the Zoo runs Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $4 for members and $8 for nonmembers. Children under 3 are free. Tickets are sold online and at the door, and members have to register.
Winter Wonderland starts as Santa ends on Saturday, running 12:30 to 4 p.m. Tickets are sold at the window starting at 12:30. They're $5 for nonmembers and free for members and children 2 and under. A separate listing on IN Wilmington mentions local vendors, food, activities and a Wilbur Choir performance.
So the first Saturday of December has ticketed events from morning to close, and Sunday has them until 12:30. Those are the only December events the zoo lists, and the rest of the month falls under free winter admission.
January is quiet, so bring lunch
The Winter Visits page mentions one detail that changes how you plan a January trip. The snack bar closes from January to mid-March, and visitors are welcome to bring their own food while it's closed.
The zoo's calendar shows nothing for January. The next listed event is Birds & Bees Trivia Night on Friday, Feb. 19 and Saturday, Feb. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It's for ages 21 and up and costs $30 per pair or $55 for a group of four. Free admission lasts through Feb. 28. Then March brings back the $7 adult price.
That leaves January and most of February as free months with no events and no snack bar, the stretch the old pricing was designed for. Hidden Falls is the newest reason to go anyway. On a cold weekday, it's a free stop with a heated room in the middle.
The rest of Brandywine and Rockford parks this winter
The zoo isn't the only thing in these parks that runs on a seasonal schedule. Rockford Tower, which opens to the public on select days, held its afternoon hours on Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. Delaware State Parks runs the Wilmington parks, and its November calendar lists one evening program at the tower, A Night at the Tower, on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. Beyond single programs like that one, the zoo is the attraction in these parks with fixed daily hours through the cold months.
Some well-known stops near Rockford Park are El Diablo Burritos, Columbus Inn, Southeast Kitchen, Frank's Wines and Kid Shelleen's in Trolley Square. One more is on the way. In August, Delaware Online reported that Bardea Restaurant Group, which has opened nearly 10 places downtown in eight years, is opening its first spot outside downtown at 1624 Delaware Ave., at Trolley Square's busiest intersection. In its September Bites column, Out & About described it as a bakery serving house-baked goods, specialty coffee and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. The column said it was "coming later this year," with no name or opening date announced. If it opens on that schedule, Trolley Square will have a new breakfast and lunch stop by the time the zoo's snack bar closes in January.
If you want aerial photos of Brandywine Park after the leaves drop, or a frank read on how a winter listing near the park should be timed, Will Webber knows these blocks well and is happy to talk. Let's Connect.
