Zoo's Cub Club preschool program starts September 22 at Gulf Shores zoo

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is starting a preschool program called Cub Club, and the first session lands on September 22, 2026. If you are on the island with a little one that week, it is an easy add-on to a beach morning: the session runs 9:30 am in the zoo's Classroom, next to the Gift Shop, and it costs nothing beyond your regular zoo admission.

What Cub Club actually is

Cub Club is a preschool program offered by the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, part of the zoo's Growing Wild Minds education program. Sessions fall on the fourth Tuesday of each month and begin at 9:30 am.

The format is simple: story time, arts and crafts, and a meeting with one of the zoo's animal ambassadors. The zoo describes the program as all-inclusive and sensory-friendly, which matters for families with children who need a quieter, more predictable setting.

Every child must be accompanied by an adult. Zoo members get in at no cost; everyone else pays normal admission, and Cub Club is included with it.

The opening session is September 22, 2026, and the schedule runs monthly through the following spring: October 27, November 24, December 22, January 26, 2027, February 23, March 23, and April 27, 2027. All sessions are at 9:30 am in the Zoo Classroom.

What this means for visitors

Most family trips here run on a weekly rental rhythm, and a Tuesday morning program slots neatly into it. The zoo is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm, so arriving at opening puts you in position for the 9:30 session and leaves the whole afternoon for the beach.

Budget-wise, adult admission (ages 13-61) is $23.95, seniors (62 and older) pay $20.95, children ages 3-12 are $15.95, and kids 2 and under are free. That admission covers Cub Club, so there is no separate program fee to plan for unless you want to become a member, which makes attendance free.

When and where

Cub Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 9:30 am in the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo's Classroom, next to the Gift Shop. Confirmed dates are September 22, October 27, November 24 and December 22, 2026, and January 26, February 23, March 23 and April 27, 2027.

Before you go

Arrive at or shortly after the zoo's 9 am opening to be settled before the 9:30 start. Plan to stay with your child for the whole session, since an adult must accompany them. If you expect to come more than once, membership pricing may beat paying single-day admission each trip; the zoo has not published membership costs in the materials announcing Cub Club, so check with the zoo directly.

Make a day of it

Cub Club wraps up before lunch, which leaves the afternoon open. The obvious pairing is a few hours on the sand at Gulf Place, or you can point the car toward Gulf State Park for its trails and beach access. More ideas are in our roundups of family activities and attractions around Gulf Shores.