By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Jan 28, 2021 at 10:30 AM

A little over a month since its free week of admission, the Milwaukee County Zoo is offering a family free day on Saturday, Feb. 6.

As is always the case, regular parking, concession and rental rates still apply.

I visited the zoo for one of my weekly Milwaukee Walks strolls Facebook Live videos in December and you can watch that video here.

As I noted then, free admission means you can bundle up and social distance in one of the safest places you can be ... outdoors!

You’ll may see the polar bears (though I didn’t when I was there) and even 8-month-old snow leopard Milja, whose body is perfectly adapted to weather the Wisconsin winter.

Some of the animals, like the hippos and rhinos, aren’t outside, but you can view them through the windows of their winter quarters.

You can bet the otters will be going crazy, having fun, as always, out in the Otter Passage exhibit on the zoo’s western edge.

The zoo will host four more free days in 2021: March 6, Oct. 2, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. I’d also bet the free week between Christmas and New Year’s might return, too.

Brush up on your zoo history before you go with this Urban Spelunking story about the building of the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.