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Detroit Zoo announces ‘immersive’ Discovery Trails project for 2026

Matte Jr
Detroit Zoo announces ‘immersive’ Discovery Trails project for 2026

Royal Oak — The Detroit Zoo will open an “immersive” trails project in 2026 that will include new animals, habitats and experiences, allowing visitors to directly interact with some animals for the first time, the zoo’s CEO announced Tuesday.

The Discovery Trails project, a 7-acre experience that will cost $20 million to build, will be spread out along the zoo’s southwest corridor, from Buddy’s Pizza to current bison and wolverine habitats.

“When it opens, it will be a new and important experience here at the zoo,” said Hayley Murphy, executive director and CEO of the Detroit Zoological Society. “I predict it will be a real destination because it’s right next to our members’ gate, right next to the Ford Education Center. And so it will also attract school groups, and we will have a kind of informal classroom out there.”

The Discovery Trails project is the last major part of a 20-year master plan. In-depth planning for the $20 million project began before 2020 but was put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Murphy said.

Uses of the area have changed over the years and ranged from habitats for vultures, storks and cranes to South American camelids, Murphy said. In preparation for this project, they kept everything quiet as different species left the zoo, she explained.

Murphy hopes the project will increase attendance and community engagement at the zoo, where attendance has not fully recovered since COVID, according to the Detroit Zoological Society. Zoo officials estimate the new attraction will increase visitation by 12 percent and membership by 11 percent, bringing 13,000 additional children to the zoo annually.

“I think it will be one of those destinations in our community where people know they can go and there will be something for all ages and abilities in this space,” Murphy said.

Discovery Trails will be installed atop one of the oldest parts of the zoo campus. Necessary improvements to underground infrastructure are nearly complete, Murphy said. Vertical construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Interactive exhibitions

For the first time in its nearly 100-year history, the zoo will allow visitors to interact directly with some animals, Murphy said.

“We’re going to have a really immersive experience… where kids can really experience animals and nature up close and personal,” Murphy said.

There will be a new corral area where children and adults can pet and brush animals, such as members of the zoo’s goat herd. There will also be a new pavilion where visitors can touch and feed stingrays and bamboo sharks.

“We are a zoo that is completely committed to animal welfare as well, so in all of these experiences, the animals will have the choice to participate or not,” Murphy said.

The goats, for example, will have a connected yard that is inaccessible to the public, while the stingrays and bamboo sharks will have plenty of hiding places, Murphy explained.

The zoo has always had a corral, but the interactive element is new, Murphy said. The corral’s miniature donkeys were relocated to a temporary exhibit during the renovations, but will also be included in the Discovery Trails upon completion.

Familiar furry faces

In addition to the miniature donkeys, the zoo’s giant anteaters and prairie dogs will be transferred to the new Discovery Trails experience.

“We have a new prairie dog habitat where kids can go up there and see the world from a prairie dog’s point of view,” Murphy said.

The burrowing owl’s habitat will be right next to the prairie dogs, so zoo-goers can witness their symbiotic relationship in the wild, Murphy said.

The wild dogs, which the zoo has had for many years, will also return, Murphy said.

Non-animal characteristics

Several recreational, educational and rest areas will be interconnected with the new exhibits, Murphy said. There will be an animal house area where children can experience how animals live and a “sprout” playground where young children can play in a protected space while learning about metamorphosis and growth.

“We really strive to make this a welcoming space for everyone,” Murphy said. “So we have a sensory trail where you can touch, smell and hear different things. We have areas that are very quiet, or you can rest.”

Discovery Trails will also feature rain gardens to help the zoo manage storms and teach visitors how to build their own, Murphy said. A mock farmers market highlighting Michigan crops will give kids the opportunity to learn where produce comes from.

“We were really intentional about designing…all seven acres, to be an immersive zone where you really feel immersed in nature,” Murphy said. “We were really intentional about the science behind learning and the data that tells us how, especially children, learn.”

Spanning the zoo’s main walkway to the Rackham Fountain, there will be a canopy trail, allowing visitors to view the exhibits from a height of 14 feet, Murphy said.

“I think it will be a unique opportunity for people to get a different perspective on the environment,” Murphy said. “The fact that we’re dedicating seven acres to it, which is a very large space, I think, really speaks to our investment in the community and our investment in the future of our community and our children’s education.”

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