Saturday at the James Museum: Menagerie Day ’24

Last August, the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art experimented with a new event for families, Menagerie at the Museum. A half dozen rescue or conservation organizations brought in live animals, most indigenous to Florida, to Mesa Hall for a safe and educational hands-on experience.

“It was extremely successful last year,” event director Stephanie Adamo. “It sold out, which was a pleasant surprise to us.”

The James is doing it again: The 2024 edition of Menagerie at the Museum, which includes admission to all art galleries, takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We knew that combining animal encounters and out Wildlife Gallery would be popular, but we didn’t realize how enthusiastic the community was going to be,” explained Adamo, who is the facility’s director of marketing. “And that was really exciting for us.”

Capacity, throughout the day, is 1,200.

This year’s participants are the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve,  Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures, Humane Society Pinellas, Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, Pet Pal Animal Shelter and others.

Returning from 2023: Balloon Twisters and Face Painting with Glitter and Giggles.

“After the success of last year, we had a lot of organizations reach out to us, that they wanted to participate,” Adamo said. “So it was really just a vetting process, who we’d worked with before, who might be a good addition to give something a little bit different this year. And which organizations were available.”

New this year is timed entry – to avoid overcrowding, groups of visitors will be allowed in to the animal room every 30 minutes.

“That’s so guests can really spend as much time as they want with the animals, and as much time as they want in the galleries,” said Adamo. “But not have that big rush at one time, where you might not get to see your favorite animal.”

Admission is $5 per person. At press time, several of the morning slots were already sold out.

A limited amount of walk-ups will be allowed, but pre-registration is recommended at the Menagerie at the Museum website.