With massive expansion plans ahead, Great Plains Zoo to make smaller upgrades for 2025 season

Even in the animal world, big moments can take time.

After almost a year of looking at each other across cages and glass, Simba and Amahle met face-to-face at the Great Plains Zoo.

“They are officially together,” CEO Becky Dewitz said. “Amahle and Simba have been introduced, and so far all is well. Our team worked so hard to get the animals ready for that point.”

The new lion exhibit served as a centerpiece for a strong 2024 at Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, which saw 376,000 visitors total at the Great Plains Zoo and Butterfly House & Aquarium campuses, along with the opening of four new habitats between them.

“We really felt it (the attendance growth) between having new attractions at the zoo as well as Eastern Shores, the new touch tank at the Butterfly House,” Dewitz said.

Active memberships now total 6,580 — up 1,000 year over year, and a new Monarch membership allowing access to both campuses is proving popular.

“More and more families are going for Monarch versus standard, so it shows families are buying in, they’re seeing the value and the vision of that combined experience,” chief operating officer Audrey Otto-Pepper said.

A key driver of new memberships has been the splash pad installed last year at the zoo, helping generate repeat visits.

“I think parents are really pleased with having a safe environment like this that’s highly controlled and safe to play in, with amenities for parents, big shady chairs and snacks available,” Dewitz said, adding that a restroom with an adult changing table, including a hydraulic lift, has been so well received that there are plans for a second one in the new aquarium.

This season will bring pizza delivery to the splash pad as well as an exclusive “zoo brew” beer in partnership with Fernson Brewing Co. that guests can purchase while their kids play.

“They’re also kicking off South Dakota margaritas and pickle lemonade, so the team is getting creative with new offerings for summertime beverages,” Otto-Pepper said. “We kind of reinvent the menu every year to find new things for guests to try.”

A new coffee bar at the gift shop also will serve espresso beverages and sodas that can be taken around the zoo.

This year will bring more improvements to the zoo campus, along with continued work toward a $50 million renovation that will add an aquarium and butterfly rain forest to the main zoo campus.

The project kicked off last year with a lead matching gift from Denny Sanford and has continued into early this year with a Community Appeal campaign through the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. The goal was $1.3 million, and the effort far surpassed it, exceeding $2.3 million in donations.

“Our focus right now is matching Denny Sanford’s gift, so with the $25 million gift, each dollar we raise is matched by Denny through the end of 2025,” Otto-Pepper said. “We’ve got funds we raised from the Butterfly House campaign, our partnership with the city for dollars toward the project, Community Appeals, as well as work with private donors and individual gifts to get us to our goal.”

Construction manager at risk Hausmann Construction has been hired for the project. Hausmann has built a number of exhibits for the children’s zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has a Sioux Falls office.

“We are complete with our schematic design phase and are in the detailed design phase and hope to have that completed later this year,” Dewitz said, adding that the project remains on track for a late 2028 opening.

The Brockhouse taxidermy collection remains in the building, and the zoo is working to coordinate transportation to the three nonprofits being gifted most of the mounts.

The hope is to have the space open by Sept. 1, though it hasn’t been determined if it will be used for anything.

In the meantime, other smaller projects will be taking shape on the zoo’s campus this season.

The endangered American red wolves will receive an upgraded habitat, with construction beginning in early June. The habitat was built in 1994 and will receive new exterior fencing, some upgrades within the building and two viewing panels to increase separation between people and the animals. There will be two large yards for the wolves, which will “dramatically increase the size,” Dewitz said.

“We are able to put in an alternate pathway for guest flow, so we will not be blocking off as much of that area for construction. We can really isolate it in its own construction fence without disrupting visitor flow.”

It’s expected to be done in November.

To create temporary space for the red wolves, the African painted dogs have been moved to the south yard of the lion building.

“African painted dogs really like to interact with people,” Dewitz said. “They also like to be up on that high perch in the yard.”

The zoo’s farm, home to Nigerian dwarf goats, Jacob sheep and Vietnamese potbelly pigs, received a new coat of paint last year and will see new exterior and interior fencing this year, including a walkover pathway for the goats to replace an aging bridge.

Hands-on experiences with the animals, including feeding, will be offered during the peak season with staff availability.

“Long term, we are looking to add some garden beds, and I could see us growing vegetables in the future,” Dewitz said.

The zoo’s cafe also has added an option to order by QR code from around the campus, and for the second season, the zoo will not allow coolers or outside food, instead encouraging guests to use the adjacent Sherman Park for picnics.

Behind the scenes, the zoo recently had a midcycle accreditation inspection followed by a hearing from a team at the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and “it went really well,” Dewitz said. “We continue to achieve the standards related to accreditation set forth by AZA, and our next upcoming cycle will be in 2027.”

The season ahead will bring more special events too. The annual Zoofari fundraiser will be June 26, and there will be three adult-only Friday nights with themed activities, offering access to the zoo for those 21 and older. Click here for a full event schedule.