MADE is a paid partnership with Little Lake County.
Welcome to MADE in Lake County! MADE introduces you to the people and stories behind local Lake County businesses. This month we are going a little farther behind the trike to introduce you to Jessica from Animal Quest.
Today we are featuring the business that Jessica and her husband run, Animal Quest. Animal Quest provides on-location animal education and entertainment for birthdays, schools, daycares, and more.
Best Animal Parties in Lake County
I am finding that the older my kids get, the harder birthday parties are to plan. I have two kids close in age, and we {have to} invite the whole class. So I am always trying to find parties that can accommodate at least twenty kids and be appealing to boys and girls over a wide range of ages, which won’t cost the same amount as my wedding.
For my son’s 9th birthday he wanted to do something “cool” and the only “theme” he would agree to is no theme. The kid killed my Pinterest party planning mojo! My son’s class is 99% boys and he has a love of science and animals. We had been looking at Animal Quest’s Facebook page one day and he agreed that having an animal show at his party would qualify as “cool”.
We rented a room at the Libertyville Civic Center so I wouldn’t have to deal with 19 boys in my house. The center is a great party option if you are hiring entertainment or having a plan of your own for games. It was a clean, affordable space and perfect for our event.
Animal Quest brings everything they need for the show, a “Screen” to block off their cages and staging area, a sound system, and tarps for the animals to be on. They also clean up any messes the animals may leave behind, so no worries about that!
The show is based on education, not solely entertainment, so that the kids will be wowed by the animals and learn something. Our kids’ age was 7-10, so the presenter – Steve – focused on the pet aspect. Would this animal make a good pet? Why not and give the kids ideas on making a good pet. It was great, especially if you have a kid that always comes home from these shows wanting an iguana, tarantula, snake, dragon, etc.
The kids get an up-close and personal look with each animal and choose to pet them if they want to. Jessica keeps the animal in one hand and a bottle of sanitizer in the other, and each kid gets squirted after they pet to keep germs at bay. Animal Quest currently has over 75 animals, and we ask everyone to give us a “wish list” of the animals they would like to have at their party. They bring as many as they can from the list. Most of our animals can be touched, except for the tarantula, parrots and macaw, coatimundi, and raccoon. You can find the current list of animals Animal Quest offers on their webpage.
Birthday party shows are 45 minutes long, so it’s the only entertainment you need! Animal Quest will bring out ten animals, and while you can request certain ones, they don’t guarantee it. The animal’s health and safety are Steve and Jessica’s main priority, and you can see how much they love and care for their animals. If an animal isn’t up to a crowd or needs a day off, they won’t bring them. The animals may be entertainment for us, but Jessica and Steve treat them like family, and it shows.
Included in the birthday party package is a chance for all the kids present to take a picture with an animal. My son chose the python for their pictures, and the kids loved it! You are sent digital files of the images, which make perfect party favors or thank you notes! The kids loved the show, and it’s one of the only parties my son has asked to do again. If you are looking for a birthday party experience that is fun and educational, you definitely want to check out Animal Quest:
Animal Quest
847-504-7036 | [email protected]
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Find more birthday party options on our new birthday party page!
Disclosure: Animal Quest is our featured Business of the Month. This series is part of a paid promotion partnership with Little Lake County. If you are interested in featuring your locally-owned business in our series, please contact the sales team.
Leave a Reply