Facilities could include an event space set in an ‘African savannah’ / Photo: Mangolin Creative
The Sacramento Zoological Society and the City of Elk Grove have released renderings showing the vision for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ zoological park that’s planned for Elk Grove, California.
The designs – by SHR Studios and Mangolin Creative – show a multi-phased, modern zoo featuring expansive savannahs where African wildlife will roam, and guests will be immersed in the animals’ surroundings.
The drawings also illustrate a variety of possible options for zoo visitors to get up close and learn about threatened species such as the white rhinoceros and the Masai giraffe, feed a hippo or flamingo, and stay overnight in a luxury tent-cabin with views of the hippo lake.
Sacramento Zoo opened in 1927. Its current 14.7 acre site is too small for many of its animals, and it has lost many species over the past 30 years due to space constraints. Its current habitats and facilities also need major renovations and there is no visitor parking. In 2018, the Sacramento Zoological Society’s board of trustees voted unanimously to open a new zoo site, and in 2021, the Sacramento Zoo Society and City of Elk Grove entered into an agreement to relocate and expand the zoo in Elk Grove.
Next steps in the process include developing a schematic design, a financing plan, and completing an environmental impact review (EIR).
“The new zoo will be a destination amenity for all of Northern California and beyond,” says Sacramento Zoological Society board president Elizabeth Stallard.
“The new zoo is being designed to host more than a million visitors per year. The larger site will provide greater accessibility for visitors with its dedicated parking and future plans for mass transit. Of course, a larger site will also allow the Society to do even more to support its important mission, by providing more educational partnerships, greater support for conservation programmes, and larger and better spaces for the animals.”
“The new zoo will be designed to house populations of rare and endangered species,” said Sacramento Zoo executive director Jason Jacobs.
“Just as importantly, we’d tell the story of these species and encourage our guests to take action. The new site will serve as a head-start programme for propagation of local species, such as the western pond turtle and giant garter snake.
“The zoo serves as the studbook manger for thick-billed parrot, the only existing species of parrot native to the US that numbers less than 2,000 individuals in the wild. Sacramento Zoo cares for the largest flock of these birds under human care and has hatched nearly 100 from its flock. A series of aviaries for these parrots could tell the story of managing genetic populations of rare animals.”
On the subject of the new animal habitats and the visitor experience, Jacobs told Attractions Management: “Experience is impact. We’re just starting the schematic phase of design and throughout the whole process we want the animals to be the stars of the new zoo.
“Close encounters with animals are factored into the guest experience – these may include opportunities to safely interact with species such as giraffe, rhinoceros, and hippos.
“From a science perspective, Sacramento Zoo is proud of its long history of working with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In the new zoo you might see these vets performing surgery on an animal or talk with one of the team as they prepare the food for a favourite animal in the nutrition centre.
“We’re also looking at the potential of overnight lodging that overlooks habitats for species such as rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and lion.
Restaurants and snack bars will be located within habitats, and experiences could include a restaurant/events venue that overlooks an African savannah for giraffe, zebra, and antelope.
“Another restaurant is nestled into a hillside that’s home to a troop of gelada monkeys, a species of primate that’s only found within the highlands of Ethiopia.
Photo: Sacramento Zoo
Elizabeth Stallard, president, Sacramento Zoological Society
Photo: Sacramento Zoo
Jason Jacobs, executive director, Sacramento Zoo
Sacramento Zoo and conservation
“The zoo’s mission of conservation extends far beyond the borders of California – it dedicates a portion of its admission fees to help save animals in the wild,” said Jason Jacobs. “We’ve worked with the Wild Nature Institute over the past decade to monitor giraffe populations within Tanzania, and the new zoo is being designed to care for both a breeding herd and bachelor (all male) herd of Masai giraffe.
“Another species that would be featured prominently is the okapi – the zoo supports the Okapi Conservation Project which saves this species within the Democratic Republic of Congo. The planned zoo habitat would include interpretive graphics linking the zoo’s support to the care of the okapi in the wild while featuring African birds and primates.”
“The zoo is also involved with onsite projects to support Western pond turtles – the only aquatic turtle native to California – and the endangered thick-billed parrot.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
Facilities could include an event space set in an ‘African savannah’ / Photo: Mangolin Creative
The Sacramento Zoological Society and the City of Elk Grove have released renderings showing the vision for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ zoological park that’s planned for Elk Grove, California.
The designs – by SHR Studios and Mangolin Creative – show a multi-phased, modern zoo featuring expansive savannahs where African wildlife will roam, and guests will be immersed in the animals’ surroundings.
The drawings also illustrate a variety of possible options for zoo visitors to get up close and learn about threatened species such as the white rhinoceros and the Masai giraffe, feed a hippo or flamingo, and stay overnight in a luxury tent-cabin with views of the hippo lake.
Sacramento Zoo opened in 1927. Its current 14.7 acre site is too small for many of its animals, and it has lost many species over the past 30 years due to space constraints. Its current habitats and facilities also need major renovations and there is no visitor parking. In 2018, the Sacramento Zoological Society’s board of trustees voted unanimously to open a new zoo site, and in 2021, the Sacramento Zoo Society and City of Elk Grove entered into an agreement to relocate and expand the zoo in Elk Grove.
Next steps in the process include developing a schematic design, a financing plan, and completing an environmental impact review (EIR).
“The new zoo will be a destination amenity for all of Northern California and beyond,” says Sacramento Zoological Society board president Elizabeth Stallard.
“The new zoo is being designed to host more than a million visitors per year. The larger site will provide greater accessibility for visitors with its dedicated parking and future plans for mass transit. Of course, a larger site will also allow the Society to do even more to support its important mission, by providing more educational partnerships, greater support for conservation programmes, and larger and better spaces for the animals.”
“The new zoo will be designed to house populations of rare and endangered species,” said Sacramento Zoo executive director Jason Jacobs.
“Just as importantly, we’d tell the story of these species and encourage our guests to take action. The new site will serve as a head-start programme for propagation of local species, such as the western pond turtle and giant garter snake.
“The zoo serves as the studbook manger for thick-billed parrot, the only existing species of parrot native to the US that numbers less than 2,000 individuals in the wild. Sacramento Zoo cares for the largest flock of these birds under human care and has hatched nearly 100 from its flock. A series of aviaries for these parrots could tell the story of managing genetic populations of rare animals.”
On the subject of the new animal habitats and the visitor experience, Jacobs told Attractions Management: “Experience is impact. We’re just starting the schematic phase of design and throughout the whole process we want the animals to be the stars of the new zoo.
“Close encounters with animals are factored into the guest experience – these may include opportunities to safely interact with species such as giraffe, rhinoceros, and hippos.
“From a science perspective, Sacramento Zoo is proud of its long history of working with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In the new zoo you might see these vets performing surgery on an animal or talk with one of the team as they prepare the food for a favourite animal in the nutrition centre.
“We’re also looking at the potential of overnight lodging that overlooks habitats for species such as rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and lion.
Restaurants and snack bars will be located within habitats, and experiences could include a restaurant/events venue that overlooks an African savannah for giraffe, zebra, and antelope.
“Another restaurant is nestled into a hillside that’s home to a troop of gelada monkeys, a species of primate that’s only found within the highlands of Ethiopia.
Photo: Sacramento Zoo
Elizabeth Stallard, president, Sacramento Zoological Society
Photo: Sacramento Zoo
Jason Jacobs, executive director, Sacramento Zoo
Sacramento Zoo and conservation
“The zoo’s mission of conservation extends far beyond the borders of California – it dedicates a portion of its admission fees to help save animals in the wild,” said Jason Jacobs. “We’ve worked with the Wild Nature Institute over the past decade to monitor giraffe populations within Tanzania, and the new zoo is being designed to care for both a breeding herd and bachelor (all male) herd of Masai giraffe.
“Another species that would be featured prominently is the okapi – the zoo supports the Okapi Conservation Project which saves this species within the Democratic Republic of Congo. The planned zoo habitat would include interpretive graphics linking the zoo’s support to the care of the okapi in the wild while featuring African birds and primates.”
“The zoo is also involved with onsite projects to support Western pond turtles – the only aquatic turtle native to California – and the endangered thick-billed parrot.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
