Where-To-Go Wednesday - The Year of Flaco

We received complimentary tickets to the New York Historical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: The Year of Flacco

Where: The New York Historical 

             170 Central Park W.

              New York, NY

Who: All ages

When: Through July 6, 2025

Flaco was an owl who escaped from his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo after someone cut his netting in February 2023. After his escape, he roamed around the Central Park area for about a year until his eventual death. The plight of the little owl really captured the attention of the press and public. After his death, there was an outpouring of affection. People left letters, pictures, stuffed animals, and more at the site of an oak tree he frequented. Others were driven to action and worked to pass laws to protect wild birds like Flacco from pesticides, collisions with windows, and more.

The exhibit follows Flaco's journey from his escape to his eventual death. It also examines his legacy.  In addition to numerous pictures, it includes many items left after his death. It also discusses subsequent efforts to pass laws protecting wildlife. Plus, it briefly discusses the stories of other famous wild birds that previously roamed the Central Park area. They include Geraldine, the great horned owl and Pale Male, the red-tailed hawk.

The exhibit is good for all ages. Children and animal lovers will particularly enjoy it. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures, drawings, and stuffed animals. Parents or caretakers can choose to use Flaco's death as a learning experience or ignore it altogether, depending on the developmental phase of the child. Animal lovers may particularly enjoy learning about Flacco's legacy and the efforts he sparked to create new legislation on behalf of birds like himself. However, anyone who is so sensitive to the plight of animals that even hearing about an animal's death is triggering may want to skip the exhibit or just look at the pictures and not read the accompanying signage. 

And that's our view. For more about The Year of Flacco, visit www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/the-year-of-flaco. For more about the New York Historical in general or to purchase tickets online for a visit, go to www.nyhistory.org

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own. If there is a problem with any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter.