Kids will now be able to travel along exciting new paths at the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. The Children's Adventure Trails will open Friday.
The new $27.5 million exhibit will focus on learning through play in nature and is located near the North Entrance and Red Barn Park. The highlight of the trail is a 40 foot wide, three story tall tree house.
Zoo Director Dennis Pate says kids can get closer to animals than they ever have before. "Rather than kids walking between animal exhibits, we're bringing the animals to them. When you have a snake that you're looking through glass at, that's one thing. When you have a snake that you're holding in front of a kid that he can touch, that's quite another. And the opportunities for learning just go up exponentially."
The project also features pop up clear plastic domes overlooking a prairie dog colony and a 240 foot long creek that kids can play in.
Children can also climb aboard wooden rafts and cross a pond using pull ropes. It's a place where zoo officials say parents can let their kids go and explore and play in a safe environment.