'Cold front' on Dallas Zoo's Dollar Day brings milder weather, packed crowds and lots of traffic
DALLAS - The cooler-than-average temperatures Thursday brought out the masses to Dollar Days at the Dallas Zoo.
Despite a cap on ticket sales, traffic Thursday morning came to a crawl exiting I-35 and along South Marsalis and South Ewing avenues.
Since the Dallas Zoo started requiring advanced reservations for Dollar Days, a lot of people are known to snag the tickets.
When the triple-digit forecast comes out, some ticket buyers stay home. But with Thursday's high in the lower 90s, a whopping 18,000 people turned out. That's 6,000 more people than last year.
it appears all 27,000 people turned out.
For once, Dollar Day at the Dallas Zoo was less than scorching.
Brandy Berendt makes the two-hour trip from Daingerfield to Dallas each year with her family and friends.
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"Last year, I think the high was 101. This year, it’s much cooler and cloudier but a lot busier," she said.
The better-than-usual weather for Dallas did come with a price tag: lots of traffic circling every street around the zoo.
Anthony McCray came with a group from his church.
"It was very busy," he said. "It took us a minute to get in here, but I’m glad we did."
"We always pray for good weather, and the Lord came through," said zoo attendee Staci Holloway. "He sent rain and brought cooler air."
Dallas Zoo spokeswoman Kari Streiber says people start asking about Dollar Days in January.
"Education. We try to sneak it in in fun ways so you don't think you are going to get an education," she said. "But a lot of kids walk away and adults walk away learning something new."
The next and last Dollar Day this year at the Dallas Zoo will be August 6.
Reservations are required to be made online in advance. There are still 12,000 tickets remaining.