All the hustle and bustle at the Brevard Zoo on October nights is warranted. The annual Boo at the Zoo packs in loads of Halloween entertainment into one night.

"A really fun night with the contest and candy at a zoo," said Kyle Hollenbeck, while holding a plastic pumpkin bucket full of candy.

Here, superheroes in training and even super parents come complete with bacon socks. Boo at the Zoo attracts the young and the old. It's bring-your-own anchor-desk when staying classy like movie character Ron Burgundy.

"Something Boo at the Zoo is known for is our safe trick or treating," said Andrea Hall, the marketing manager at the Brevard Zoo. "But, also that it is a family event."

Visitors will find spooky animals, like lizards and snakes, ready to be touched. There are more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, a magic show, games with prizes, a small haunted house and a large costume contest.

"I was originally going to be a devil, but then my friend's father brought me here, and he had these ribbons, so I decided to be a ninja devil," Hollenbeck said.

The weekend ninja joined several others who lined up for the costume contest that takes center stage.

"It isn't so much about the kids as it is the parents who just beam," Hall said of the contest that is broken down by age division. "Their child (is) all dressed up and they get to walk across the stage."

Hall offers a hint if you're planning on participating in the costume contest: "Our judges are always looking for that sort of homemade opportunity."

While most of the haunts here at the zoo are family friendly, there is one designed for brave, older children.

"At first, we walked in and we didn't think it was scary," Hollenbeck said. "But then when we got halfway past, we tried to turn around. And they said we had to keep going."

Inside, visitors will find an adult dressed like an oversized baby, a broken down ice cream truck and a radioactive kitchen.

"I think for the adults, it's a chance to remember Halloween, and family is a big deal here at the zoo," Hall said about the spook shack.

Now able to laugh about the haunted house, Hollenbeck learned haunted houses are like bad Halloween candy: If you don’t like it, you have to go back for a second helping.

"I am not going to make that mistake again," Hollenbeck said.

Note: The Brevard Zoo's Boo at the Zoo only takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights through Oct. 25, 2015.

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