{"id":342667,"date":"2026-06-19T10:09:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/342667\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:09:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:09:26","slug":"join-the-fun-at-critterfest-with-elephants-and-reptiles-in-lubbock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/342667\/","title":{"rendered":"Join The Fun At CritterFest With Elephants And Reptiles In Lubbock"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve ever wanted to see an elephant, pet a goat, ride a camel, and stare down a crocodile all in the same day without leaving Lubbock, your chance is almost here.<\/p>\n

\"93.1<\/p>\n

CritterFest is back at the Science Spectrum<\/a>, and once again, the museum is transforming into what can only be described as the biggest zoo in town.<\/p>\n

From July 16th through July 19th, CritterFest 2026 will bring four days of animals, shows, rides, and family fun to one of Lubbock’s most beloved attractions.<\/p>\n

\"ScienceScience SpectrumScience SpectrumIt’s A Zoo In Here<\/p>\n

For four days, the Science Spectrum will be packed with animals from all over the world.<\/p>\n

Visitors can get up close to elephants, camels, alligators, crocodiles, tortoises, giant snakes, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, and plenty of other creatures.<\/p>\n

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Honestly, if your kids have ever asked to visit a zoo, CritterFest may be the closest thing you’ll find without leaving the South Plains.<\/p>\n

The event’s popular petting zoo returns along with pony rides, camel rides, reptile encounters, and opportunities to learn about animals from experts who work with them every day.<\/p>\n

\"JennyJenny Evans, Getty ImagesJenny Evans, Getty ImagesTwo Crowd-Favorite Shows Return<\/p>\n

One of the biggest draws every year is the live entertainment, and this year’s lineup looks fantastic.<\/p>\n

JUMP! The Ultimate Dog Show<\/a> will be performing multiple times each day. If you’ve never seen these incredible dogs in action, imagine athletic stunts, frisbee catches, high-flying jumps, and plenty of laughs. The show has been entertaining audiences across the country for more than 36 years.<\/p>\n

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Also returning is Crocodile Encounters<\/a>, an educational reptile show featuring American alligators, Nile crocodiles, and other fascinating reptiles. It’s a chance to get a close-up look at some animals most of us only see on television.<\/p>\n

Your Ticket Includes More Than You Think<\/p>\n

One of the best parts about CritterFest is that your admission includes access to the Science Spectrum Museum itself.<\/p>\n

That means visitors can also explore Texas Alive: The Brazos River Journey, Lubbock’s only public aquarium exhibit. The massive exhibit features freshwater and saltwater fish along with native Texas wildlife.<\/p>\n

\"LeonLeon Neal, Getty ImagesLeon Neal, Getty ImagesPlan Your Visit<\/p>\n

CritterFest runs Thursday through Sunday, July 16th through July 19th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n

Tickets are available only at the door. Adult admission is $16, while children ages 3 through 12 and seniors are $13. Kids two and under get in free.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a family-friendly event this summer that combines education, entertainment, and a whole lot of animals, CritterFest might just be the wildest ticket in town.<\/p>\n

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Gallery Credit: Landon King<\/p>\n

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With Lubbock\u2019s scorching summers, surprise cold snaps in winter, and dry-but-dusty windstorms blowing through, our garages basically become mini-saunas or meat lockers, depending on the time of year. And while we may not deal with the deep Southern humidity, temperature swings and invading critters still pose a serious threat to anything you\u2019re trying to preserve out there.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Landon King<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you’ve ever wanted to see an elephant, pet a goat, ride a camel, and stare down a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-342667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}