Admittedly, it IS a basement.
“I see it every day, so to me it’s just a basement,” says Melissa Spreda, supervisor of aquarium and reptile center at the Milwaukee County Zoo, as she prepares to show me around her workplace.
“But I guess it’s an interesting basement to some people,” she admits.
And it sure is interesting ... at least to me and, if previous similar events are anything measure, to lots of other folks, too.
The Zoo hosts what had been its annual Inside the Zoo Weekend (formerly called Behind the Scenes Weekend) on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, and this basement will surely be one of the most visited spots.
The event was canceled for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But now it’s back, and Zoo Pride volunteers will staff all kinds of behind the scenes areas that will offer visitors peeks at areas of the zoo, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., that are rarely seen by the public.
Sure, you know monkey island and the play area and the Family Farm like the back of your hand, but this event, which is free with regular zoo admission, will let you see the areas where animals are cared for, where equipment helps keep them safe, fed and sound, and where some beloved zoo attractions are maintained. Or should I say, maintained?
Some of what will be available for visits are the off-exhibit moose habitat that’s been home to Moose Robin since she got her own pad six years ago; the elk habitat; the service area behind the recently built Dohmen Family Foundation Hippo Haven; the zoo library; the elephant care center at the Northwestern Mutual Learning Loft, which also offers an aerial view of the indoor elephant habitat; and the South End Circle, hidden south of the I-94 freeway, where the zoo has its greenhouses, hay barn, train shop and more.
There will also be a chance to meet a zookeeper, vote for your favorite animal by making a donation, special talks and display tables, too, offering information about seals, yaks, big cats, gorillas and more.
One of the most anticipated stops will surely be the train maintenance shop in the South End Circle, where you’ll get to see the rows and rows of carriages, a number of engines – some of them actually undergoing maintenance work – and the workshop where a talented staff has worked hard to keep the trains coursing through the zoo grounds since 1958.
Visiting this area is a little like getting a peek into Santa’s workshop, offering a glimpse behind the magic of the beloved safari train.
Back at the Aquatic & Reptile Center (ARC), Spreda shows me the different kinds of filtration systems, including a relatively new ozone treatment setup which has an eerie blue glow like a spaceship, and the big concrete tanks full of sand that filter water for the Lake Wisconsin and other large tanks.
Note the tank float here to regulate the water flow ... it’s just like the one in your toilet tank at home.
Here you can also see the quarantine tanks that hold newly arrived species for a weeks to get them acclimated and tested to make sure they will not introduce any disease or other problems into the tanks.
There’s some hulking vintage motors and control panels that have been in the building since it was built in the mid-1960s, most of them bearing classic Allis Chalmers nameplates.
Other areas of the zoo – including other areas of the ARC – have been open for Inside the Zoo in the past, but this is the first time in a number of years that you’ll get to take a look down here.
It’s definitely worth checking out, and do not miss the opportunity to visit the train shop!
Staff members will be on hand, along with the volunteers, to answer your questions, too.
Please note that there may be occasional waits, changes or early closings due to health and safety guidelines.
Zoo admission is $14.25 for adults, $11.25 for ages 3-12, seniors (age 60 and over) are $13.25, and parking is $15. Milwaukee County residents with ID get $1.75 off regular admission.
Read a history of the construction of the Milwaukee County Zoo here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
