Some exciting new things are coming to the Detroit Zoo and your kids are going to love it.

Word of the plans to invest $24 million for a new exciting "KidZone" came out this past week after Detroit Zoo CEO Hayley Murphy discussed the new venture at the Mackinac Conference of Regional Leaders according to the Detroit Free Press. Although no official press release has been made, officials at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak confirmed that ground-breaking is about a year away for KidZone, expected to cost around $24 million.

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The new KidZone will bring a whole new level of fun to the already popular zoo. According to reports the area includes a wheelchair-and-stroller-accessible “aerial trail” that will be 16 feet off the ground, a water feature where kids can splash about, a “treehouse play structure” with climbing challenges and slides, a “reimagined barnyard” and farmland area where kids can learn about Michigan’s agriculture while getting in petting range of friendly domestic sheep and goats. The new area will span over 7 acres at the zoo.

The Detroit Free Press provided other details about the project from a brochure they obtained, and the place looks pretty amazing. Other cool features will be:

  • A new and expanded prairie dog habitat that has a large underground viewing area to see the tunnels and nests of the colony;
  • A new and expanded habitat for anteaters with a private viewing area that will give visitors “the opportunity to feed the anteaters and learn about them from a staff member who provides their daily care.”
  • Improvements to an existing area will allow the return to the zoo of bush dogs, a threatened species of wild canines found in Central and South America.
  • A “Gathering Zone” where kids and adults can relax in the shade, recharge phones, and patronize concession stands, with “multiple family restrooms as well as an adult-sized changing table and lactation space.”
  • A tots area where kids can crawl "among larger-than-life elements that bring the natural world into focus."

The project is set to break ground in 2023, with completion expected sometime in 2024.

Courtesy Detroit Zoo
Courtesy Detroit Zoo
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