The Children's Zoo Barn

Henry Vilas Zoo's Children's Zoo Barn is a 3,500 square foot sustainable barn that uses geothermal technology, solar panels, radiant floors, and an integrated rain water collection system.

The barn is located in the Children's Zoo and is home to goats, alpaca, and other animals exhibited year round in both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Goat feeding is available seasonally.

Adjacent to the barn are outdoor exhibits featuring birds of prey and other birds and animals.

Zoo Train & Carousel Hours of Operation
The Zoo Train & Conservation Carousel are open in warmer months. Updates on opening/closing dates of the Train & Carousel will be available on the Hours page of the Zoo website at the link above.

The Electric Zoo Train

Alongside the calls of our white handed gibbons, Zoo visitors will hear the call of our Zoo Train in warmer seasons. The electric train holds about twenty passengers. It travels through a tunnel, around the perimeter of our children's zoo animal exhibits, and around our Children's Zoo Barn.

Chief engineer, Frank, says that if he blows the train horn near the gibbon exhibit, the gibbons come look at the train passengers. Gibbons also seem very interested in watching the human primates in the Children's Adventure Play area.

The Conservation Carousel

The crown jewel of the Children's Zoo, the
Conservation Carousel began spinning on April 8, 2006.
The Carousel begins operation, weather permitting, each March and runs daily from April through Halloween at the Zoo.


Children's Zoo Animal Exhibit

This exhibit is home to the Zoo's Indian Crested Porcupines, Red-necked Wallabies, White Handed Gibbons, White Cockatoo, Red Pandas and Meerkats.



The Tree House and Adventure Play Area

This exciting area will get the kids active and exploring as they discover all the neat places to climb, crawl, swing and jump.