Editor’s Note: This holiday season, please support your Zoo with a gift of $30 or more in honor of our 30th anniversary and your most treasured Zoo memories from the past three decades. Your support will help this special place stay special for the next 30 years and beyond. 

Brevard Zoo was the backdrop of much of Allison Greene’s childhood. She remembers field trips, playing on the playground, hopping onto the giant stone tortoise in Paws On, and more.

“I think I have a dozen photos growing up over the years on that turtle,” Allison shared.

Her husband, Justin, also shares his own memories at the Zoo as a child growing up in Brevard County, including making his own brick for the Zoo’s pathways. When the couple were planning their wedding years ago, one place came to mind.

“We just kept coming back to the Zoo,” Allison said. “We loved being able to go out into the Zoo for pictures and to see the giraffes.”

As Zoo members, the couple now bring their own sons and daughter to the Zoo. While the splash pad is always a favorite, they make sure to also visit and feed the giraffes and kangaroos, enjoy events like Boo at the Zoo, and grab a photo of their youngest with Capone.

“It feels like family,” Allison said of the Zoo. “I love talking to all the volunteers and the zookeepers and learning about the animals.”

Born and raised in Brevard County themselves, Allison and Justin plan to raise their family in the same places they grew up in.

“It’s very important to both of us to show them the same things we loved growing up like Brevard Zoo,” Allison said.