The St. Louis Zoo has started construction of its $51 million Destination Discovery, a children’s-focused attraction that will feature animal habitats, play exhibits and an educational building.
When it opens in 2026, the center will house Tasmanian devils, prairie dogs, otters and other animals. Its interactive design will include tunnels and climbing structures to allow kids to get close to the animals.
St. Louis Zoo director Michael Macek said those features aim to connect young children to nature through play and teach them empathy.
“The terrible twos — it’s all about me, me, me, me, me, me. Well, at some point [they] start to care about other things. It could be other people, it could be plants, it could be animals, and that’s why I think places like Destination Discovery are so important.”
The 2.8-acre center is being built with environmentally friendly designs, zoo officials said. The expanded educational building will run on energy generated from solar panels, and the landscape will be planted with native plants.
Sustainable designs can present additional costs, but the zoo is committed to building with the environment in mind, said David McGuire, vice president of architecture and planning.
“We really want to do these things and be able to show our guests what we’ve done, and maybe make some suggestions about similar things they can do at home,” McGuire said.
The zoo also is building an upgraded stormwater system that would filter water and reuse it to fill the zoo’s lakes and ponds. The underground system will also help prevent flooding issues in the area, said Wanda Kolo, the zoo’s director of sustainable operations and construction management.
“We’re just really excited about having this space serve as a place to really inspire young minds and older folks to see what it’s like to build something in a sustainable way for the future,” Kolo said.