Get ready to hear the phrase “Can we go again?” before you’ve even reached the parking lot.
The Detroit Zoo’s eagerly awaited Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails will open Saturday, May 23, on Memorial Day weekend, and families across metro Detroit are already buzzing.
Spanning 7 acres in the zoo’s southwestern corner, the new Discovery Trails are designed to turn a day at the zoo into a hands-on, kid-friendly adventure.
Opening day: What families can expect
The grand opening May 23 will give families a perfect excuse to start summer early. The Discovery Trails will be free with regular zoo admission and free for zoo members, making it easy to add the experience to an already-planned visit.
Zoo officials describe opening day as the start of an all-new way to experience the Detroit Zoo, one focused on play, movement and up-close encounters. No separate ticket is required, but some optional experiences may have an additional fee.
The Erb Discovery Trails were created with children in mind. Think kid-height viewing areas, sensory-friendly spaces and winding paths that encourage families to slow down, wander and wonder together.
Along the trails, kids can:
Animals living along the trails include alpacas, anteaters, bush dogs, miniature donkeys, chickens and goats. They’re a mix of familiar farm favorites and fascinating new faces.
“The site is split into three different areas,” said Emily O’Hara, senior director of guest experience for the Detroit Zoological Society. “The westernmost area is our connect zone, and that’s where we really focus on the animal habitat. That’s where you can get up close and interact. There are 10 species within the Erb Discovery Trails site altogether.
“The central area is where we gather, so there’ll be a new food kiosk there. There’s a pavilion that is available for rentals, there are restrooms there. … That’s where we really want you to be able to gather (to enjoy) our main amenities. Then, the eastern portion of the site is for play; that’s where you’re physically engaging. There are two different aerial climbing activities that you can do. There’s Little Sprouts, a play area for those 5 and under, and we have a couple of other hands-on, interactive areas in that zone, as well.”
O’Hara said having the animal habitat and play zones on opposite sides of the site is important for animal welfare.
“So kids can be kids,” she said. “They can yell, they can play, and then the animal areas can be a little calmer and quieter.”
Learning that feels like play
While the Discovery Trails are undeniably fun, they’re also deeply rooted in the zoo’s conservation mission. Interactive elements and playful signage help kids learn about habitats, animal behavior and caring for the natural world — all without feeling as if they’re being taught a lesson.
“Our education department has worked really diligently on what kinds of engagement are going to happen in the space,” O’Hara said. “They were focused on the social and emotional interactions as far as ensuring that guests understand and build empathy through that interaction.
“So you’ll see next to the goat yard, there is a life-size model of a goat, so that guests can practice interacting with that goat before they go into the yard with the goats themselves. Same thing for Stingray Cove, where you can see and potentially touch the stingrays, as well. There’s another model of a stingray outside of that building before you interact with the animal itself.”
O’Hara said the zoo is hosting a members-only preview of the Discovery Trails on Friday, May 22. People interested in purchasing memberships can get one on that day and gain admission to the preview event. The trails will then be open to the public on Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit detroitzoo.org/discovery-trails.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Zoo will open new kid-friendly, hands-on attraction May 23
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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