Zoo splash pad opens this week

The new splash pad at the Great Plains Zoo is ready to start cooling off young visitors.

The zoo will hold a ribbon-cutting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, and then it will be open for splashing.

An anonymous donor made the splash pad possible, and it’s designed for all abilities, Great Plains Zoo CEO Becky Dewitz said.

“There are areas designed for children in wheelchairs, and we have a smaller kid zone where toddlers have activities going on … and the older kids have the climbers and slides.”

The nature-inspired design includes a large frog, butterfly and palm tree, with lots of spray features and multiple slides.

The splash pad will be running from a half-hour after the zoo opens until a half-hour before it closes.

The zoo also installed new restrooms, plus two family-style changing rooms, so kids can wear swimwear to the zoo or change there. For $5, a body dryer will help users dry off. Family-friendly swimwear is required, and parents are allowed to use the splash park with young children.

Kids must be dried off to use the carousel, which is adjacent to the splash pad.

The zoo also is adding a kiosk nearby for grab-and-go items.

While it’s a new addition in Sioux Falls, “there’s a few zoos that have splash pads,” Dewitz said. “Because during the hottest time of the year is when people want to come to the zoo.”

In addition to kicking off the splash pad, the zoo will hold a Leap Into Summer Day on Saturday, May 25, beginning at 9 a.m. You’ll find zookeeper chats, watch the animals enjoy watermelon enrichment, plus get a chance to cool off at the splash pad. The activities are included with zoo admission.

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