MILWAUKEE — For Zack Bobeck, a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo on Father’s Day was a family affair, with his wife Molly and two sons.

“It’s a beautiful day, gotta be outside with the weather, just enjoying the animals and walking around,” Bobeck said. 

They’re no strangers to the Milwaukee County Zoo. In fact, they go pretty regularly.

“Oh, 10 times a year probably, if not more,” Bobeck said. 

But the chance to be able to spend time with his wife and kids, who are two-and-a-half-years-old and six-months-old, is so important to him.

“As a new father for the most part, it’s always nice to see when they see something new, or experience something new, you just see a light bulb go off,” Bobeck said. “That’s probably one of the greatest things about being a father and a parent in general. So, to be able to see animals outside of the normal everyday pets they normally see, I think, is a great experience. Plus, it helps inspire them to maybe in the future learn about them to become vets, or maybe go on a safari or go explore the world.”

Laura Pedriani, the Milwaukee County Zoo’s Marketing Director, said that’s one of the reasons why on Sunday, the zoo gave free admission to dads — as they do for moms on Mother’s Day, and for other family members throughout the year. 

“We really want to make it accessible to everybody. If we offer free admission to moms or dads or however it is, we just make it so much easier for families to enjoy time here at the zoo,” Pedriani said. “We also like to think of ourselves as a family destination, and so inviting moms and dads and their families out here is something that we strive and hope to do.”

Troy Tomczyk spent the day with his wife, and two-and-a-half-year-old-son, Ethan. He said he loved seeing so many families out celebrating this valuable time — together.

“I think that’s always important,” Tomczyk said. “Allowing fathers to spend time with their family and their loved ones, allowing that free admission, allows everyone to enjoy the day. It’s a great gesture on their part.”

And it’s fun for the kids too.

“He had a great time feeding the giraffes,” Tomczyk asked his son. “You liked the giraffes, right? Yeah? Yes? I think he said yes.”

And like Bobeck, Tomczyk said there’s nothing better than being able to spend that quality time with his family.