Plumpton Park Zoo welcomes schools, daycares, camps and homeschool groups at discounted rates. More than 180 animals live here on a quiet rural site in Rising Sun, and the zoo is small enough that a class sees the animals properly rather than across a crowd.
What a guided zoo tour covers
A one-hour guided tour led by zoo staff can be added to any group booking for $45 per 20 people — $45 for up to 20, $90 for 21–40, $135 for 41–60, $180 for 61–80, $225 for 81–100. It is built around the animals your students are standing in front of, and it is pitched up or down to suit the age of the group. Topics include:
- Adaptations — why a giraffe’s neck and tongue are shaped the way they are, what a tiger’s stripes are for, how a two-toed sloth‘s claws work, what a porcupine’s quills actually do
- Habitats — savanna, rainforest, wetland and grassland species side by side, and what each one needs to survive
- Predator and prey — big cats, wolves and jackals alongside the kinds of animals they would hunt in the wild
- Diet and food chains — what we feed each species, and why it differs so much across the collection
- Conservation status — the zoo is home to endangered and vulnerable species, among them ring-tailed lemurs, African grey parrots and Aldabra giant tortoises
- Animal care and welfare — how a rescue zoo works, and what happens when an animal arrives from an owner who could no longer care for it
- Working with animals — what keepers, veterinary staff and zoo educators actually do all day
Curriculum connections
Maryland adopted the Next Generation Science Standards as its state science standards in 2013, and a zoo visit maps onto the life science strands without much stretching. These are the connections teachers use most:
- LS1, Structures and Processes — physical adaptations across the collection, from a giraffe’s tongue to a serval’s ears to a tortoise’s shell
- LS2, Ecosystems — habitats, food chains, predator and prey relationships, and what different species need from their environment
- LS3, Heredity — inherited traits and variation. Our white lions are a useful talking point: their colouring comes from a rare recessive gene rather than from albinism.
- LS4, Unity and Diversity — conservation status, endangered species, and human impact on wild populations
These are topic-level connections rather than a certified curriculum package. They are offered so you can slot the visit into work you are already doing.
Which ages the zoo suits
Groups come from pre-K through high school, along with daycares, summer camps and homeschool groups. Younger children tend to get the most out of how close they can get to the animals; older students get more out of the conservation and animal-care side of the tour. The same visit works for both, with the guided tour adjusted to the group.
Booking a school trip
- Minimum group size: 15 paying admissions to qualify for the group rate
- Group rate: $2 off regular admission for adults aged 13 and over, and $2 off for children 12 and under
- Guided tour: one hour, optional — $45 per 20 people ($90 for 21–40, $135 for 41–60, $180 for 61–80, $225 for 81–100)
- Teachers: up to four admitted free with valid identification. Larger groups should contact admissions about additional teacher passes.
- Parking: free
- Notice: reservations are required three weeks before your visit
How booking and payment work
Booking online reserves your date. No payment is taken when you book — school, daycare, camp and homeschool groups settle the whole balance on the day of the visit, at the admissions window, as a single payment for the group.
- Nothing is charged to you or to your school at the point of reserving.
- Collect money from parents and students beforehand so you arrive with one payment ready.
- The group rate applies to that single payment. Anyone paying separately at the window pays the regular admission price.
- The group rate needs 15 paying admissions, so tell us before the day if your numbers change.
Reservations are required three weeks ahead. If your school needs an invoice or has a purchase order process to follow, call admissions on (410) 658-6850 before you book.
On the day of your visit
- Keep your group on the bus at the group entrance while one representative comes to the admissions window to check the group in and pay.
- Once inside, anyone can have their hand stamped to leave and re-enter the zoo.
Planning work around the visit
Every species at the zoo has its own page giving size, weight, lifespan, diet, range and conservation status, which is useful for pre-visit worksheets or follow-up work back in the classroom. Browse the animals index to build your own materials.
Booking a scout troop, church group, senior group or other non-school party? See Large Group Visits instead.
Hours and admission · Directions · Contact admissions · Visitor FAQs