It’s a new Sioux Falls holiday weekend tradition! The Creative Creatures art show, curated by Untitled.10, brings the work of local artists out of the gallery and into the butterfly house!
Explore the creative process as four unique artists showcase their craft, and find one-of-a-kind holiday gifts from on-site vendors.
There's fun for the whole family too with our Exploration Station for kids, where young artists can create their very own masterpiece to take home!
Four artists have been selected for this year's event, each one using different materials and having a style all their own. 2024 artists include:
This event is included with regular Butterfly House & Aquarium admission, BHA membership, or a Monarch membership.
Join us every Wednesday night this summer from June 5 through August 7 for two EXTRA hours of zoo fun!
Experience special activities like mini-horse walks, splash pad fun, and more. Plus, don't forget to treat yourself to a snack or adult beverage from the gift shop or Lily Pad concessions stand at Splash Pad.
Whether you're looking for family fun, a unique date night, or just a midweek escape, Wild Wednesdays have something for everyone!
June 5
All About Bears featuring Teddy Bear Clinic (3 - 7 pm)
June 12
Splish Splash Splashpad Party with special guest, Phil Baker (5:30 - 6 pm)
June 19
Pollinator Power - Pollinator Crafts in the Picnic Shelter
June 26
No Wild Wednesday as we prepare for Zoofari
July 3
Monkeying Around with juggling performance by Joey Colombi (5:30 - 6 pm)
July 10
Lizards, Snakes, & Scales with Face Painting station (5 - 7 pm)
July 17
All the Winged Things - Guided birding walks with Education Director, Leigh Spencer (5 pm & 6 pm)
July 24
Let's Roar!
July 31
Meet the Roos with a magical performance by Spellbound Entertainment (5:30 - 6 pm)
August 7
Giraffe Tall Tales - South Dakota Aerial & Arts performance (5:45 - 6:30 pm)
*Due to dangerous temperatures, Winter Wonder at Great Plains Zoo has been postponed to Saturday, January 27. Great Plains Zoo will be closed Saturday, January 20.
**Winter Wonder at Butterfly House & Aquarium will go on as scheduled.
Dive into the magic of Winter Wonder at Great Plains Zoo and Butterfly House & Aquarium campuses. Explore the wonders of land, sea, and sky in the winter!
Butterfly House & Aquarium:
January 20 / 10 am - 2 pm: Join us at Butterfly House & Aquarium for delightful winter crafts - plus, encounter our charming ambassador animals at 11 am and 2 pm.
Great Plains Zoo:
January 27 / 10 am - 2 pm: Head to Great Plains Zoo for captivating keeper chats, featuring special winter enrichment for each session, and say hello to your favorite ambassador animals during our Creature Features at 10:30 am and 1 pm.
Keeper Chat Schedule:
Romance can be wild in the animal world, and we’re here for it. Join the zoo team for an evening of shocking animal facts – and big laughs!
Guests aged 60 and above enjoy reduced admission of $9 plus tax!
Kick off the morning with coffee, donuts, and an insightful educational session led by our Director of Conservation. As the afternoon unfolds, savor coffee, cookies, and indulge in a delightful array of games like checkers and cards.
Learn all about our animals and what goes into their daily care during out animal care talks:
Please note: Discounted admission is valid only at Butterfly House & Aquarium.
Get ready for an egg-citing Easter celebration at our annual Egg-stravaganza, proudly sponsored by the Sioux Falls Canaries!
Join us for a day filled with delightful egg hunts, egg-themed facts and fun, animals, story times, photo ops, and endless fun for the whole family!
Egg Hunts Sponsored by Sioux Falls Canaries
Ages 4 and Below:
Ages 5 and Up:
We’re cleaning up the Big Sioux River, in conjunction with the city-wide cleanup! Choose to clean up at the Butterfly House & Aquarium (BHA) or Great Plains Zoo (GPZ) and help make a positive impact on our environment.
As a bonus, you'll get to meet some amazing animals, whose wild counterparts are directly impacted by river cleanups. PLUS, the first 200 people to join us will receive a take-home cleanup kit, so you can continue to beautify your environment all year!
At GPZ, you’ll check in at the front gate to get your supplies and bracelet. Once you’re done with the cleanup, visit our train station to turn in your trash bag and get your cleanup kit. At Sertoma Park, you’ll check in at the picnic shelter and join the city cleanup. Be sure to stop by at BHA afterward to visit the animals and grab your take-home cleanup kit.
Children 12 and under must be supervised by an adult. Let's make a difference together and show our love for the planet!
Come spread your wings and dive into an evening of delicious snacks, fun games, and magical performances at Butterfly House & Aquarium!
Spring Fling is our small way of saying "thank you" for being a part of our BHA and GPZ family, and for your continued support.
Your Great Plains Zoo believes an "all hands on deck" approach is needed to help save the critically endangered black rhino. One of the flagship animals of the Great Plains Zoo, the black rhino is critically endangered, with only approximately 3,000 mature adults left in the wild.
To help us continue to raise awareness of this important species, we invite you to join us for Rhinopalooza on Saturday, May 11.
We hope our two black rhinos (Jubba and Imara) will inspire you to join us and take action to protect Black Rhinos in the wild!
Get ready to leap into summer on May 25 from 9 am - 5 pm!
Immerse yourself in a day filled with bubbly delights and enchanting encounters with ambassador animals. Let your laughter soar with inflatables, games, and your favorite aquatic animals at the Ocean in Motion touch tank. Take a stroll down under in our Walkabout Australia exhibit, then cool off at our brand new Splash Pad!
We hope you'll join us for a sensational day under the sun!
Activities Schedule:
Keeper Chats & Animal Meet & Greets Schedule:
*Temperature and weather dependent. Backup area will be the main lobby.
Bring your cuddliest friend to the zoo for their annual checkup!
Great Plains Zoo Veterinary team invites you to bring one of your stuffed animals to the Zoo Clinic during our All About Bears Wild Wednesday on June 5. At the clinic, your stuffie will get a thorough checkup and will leave with a certificate of health - signed by the zoo vet team!
Thank you to everyone who signed up for our Teddy Bear Clinic. The event is now SOLD OUT. See you for our first Wild Wednesday!
Join us for World Ocean Day at the Butterfly House & Aquarium and Great Plains Zoo!
Butterfly House & Aquarium Campus:
Bring your thinking cap and participate in our Creature Cards Scavenger Hunt by exploring the campus and collecting 11 different creature cards hidden throughout the building.
Once you've completed the hunt, stop by the Conservation Alley to let your creativity flow with World Ocean Day coloring sheets! Want to color outside the lines? You can create your own ocean animal art using holographic stickers!
And finally, if you need a place to relax, we'll have Octonauts playing in the Discovery Den all day long!
10:30 am - Ray & Shark Dock Talk
2:30 pm - Coral Exhibit Expert Chat
Great Plains Zoo Campus:
Join us for special Penguin Keeper Chats at 11 am and 2 pm in front of the Penguin Exhibit!
Join us for a week of celebrating our pollinators!
Each day will feature education stations and a new pollinator activity!
As the grand finale to pollinator week, be sure to join us on Saturday, June 22 for Flutterfest at Great Plains Zoo!
As your Great Plains Zoo continues to focus on pollinator education and conservation, we wanted to introduce an educational event focused on pollinators, and specifically the butterfly.
Join us for this event (cost included in admission) to learn a little more about the conservation program for the Dakota skipper butterfly at your GPZ, and how YOU can help save pollinators in the wild!
Take a walk on the wild side and explore the Great Plains Zoo during this adults-only, after-hours expedition!
Your inner explorer will come to life as you:
Proceeds from Zoofari will support our efforts to bring all elements of land, sea, and sky to one campus.
Come one, come all... to Zippity Zoo Day!
Join us for a day of inflatables, zoo scavenger hunts, bubbles, and your favorite characters from Simply Ever After!
It all kicks off Saturday, July 13 at 9 am. The event ends at 5 pm (last event admission is 4 pm).
Special event pricing is in effect:
Join us at Butterfly House & Aquarium (BHA) from 10 am - 2 pm on July 24 for Scoops & Seahorses!
Enjoy a complimentary scoop of ice cream with toppings, participate in a fun seahorse-themed craft, and attend informative seahorse talks led by our expert aquarists!
Don't miss out on this delightful and educational event at BHA. See you there!
Get ready to celebrate the "little guys" that play a BIG role in our ecosystem at Bugapalooza!
Bring the whole family for an educational and exciting event that highlights the importance of bugs in our natural world. With interactive exhibits and engaging vendors, you'll learn why bugs are essential for our planet's health!
Join us in celebrating these small but mighty creatures during this FREE event at Butterfly House & Aquarium!
Immerse yourself in the magic of Books & Butterflies at the Butterfly House & Aquarium!
Join us for a delightful day filled with reading and creativity. From 10 am - 1 pm, Reach Literacy will be on site with books for kids to explore and take home, plus a chance to win a gift card to their store!
In addition, we'll have a special edition of Bookworms and a craft station where you'll be able to create your own bookmark available from 10 am - 2 pm.
We hope to see you for this wonderful blend of books and butterflies!
Dive into the spirit of Autumn at our Falling for Animals event on September 21 from 10 am - 2 pm!
Get ready for bubble parties, inflatables, lawn games, and watch as our animals enjoy special pumpkin enrichment! Don't miss the chance to capture your perfect fall photo at our strawbale photo op in the Plaza!
Join us at Great Plains Zoo and kick off the season in style!
This event is included with admission.
Join us on Friday, October 18 for this exclusive, one-night-only opportunity to explore our haunted zoo under the stars. Let your creativity shine and get into the Halloween spirit by coming in costume! It's a night of spooky fun for the whole family all while supporting our mission to create connection and inspire conservation of wild species and spaces.
Please note that the Candy Dash will replace vendor stations Friday night. Vendors will be on grounds Saturday and Sunday.
Not interested in racing? We welcome you to still join us for some hauntingly fun zoo experiences like the Candy Dash presented by Howe, Inc., DJ Dance Party, and Aerial Fire Show! Avoid the pre-race lines by arriving after 6:15 pm!
Your Great Plains Zoo works to be an inclusive place of fun, education, and discovery! This year we have added an additional hour to ZooBoo to allow those with sensory processing issues to experience the event. During this time, the capacity allowed will be low. We ask that you please not reserve a ticket for this time if you don't require it to allow others that do to have a ZooBoo experience to last a lifetime!
Move U will be on site from 9 - 10 am during Sensory Saturday providing sensory activities!
ZooBoo tickets are valid for the day of purchase only. Each ticket grants entrance for one individual on the night purchased. ZooBoo is held rain, snow, or shine and is completely outdoors – so be sure to dress for the weather. No refunds will be given.
While we want everyone to have a fun experience and feel free to express themselves, we value safety and offer a family-friendly environment for all. Please read our guidelines below:
Every year, the Great Plains Zoo thrills kids and adults alike with ZooBoo, a Halloween extravaganza! With plenty of spooktacular fun to be had, there's something for everyone.
Admission included with Monarch and Gold memberships. No ticket required, as long as everyone is named on your membership. Bring your membership card directly to the quick scan line.
Palm oil, which is grown in tropical rainforests, is an ingredient in many types of candy. The uncontrolled clearing of rainforests for palm oil plantations has led to the widespread loss of habitats for endangered species, including Orangutans and Siamang Gibbons.
Do your part to preserve wildlife by purchasing candy that is palm oil free, or made with sustainable palm oil. View our handy candy guide here.
Get ready for a hauntingly good time as we transform our aquatic world into a Halloween wonderland!
Join us at Butterfly House & Aquarium for a family-friendly event filled with thrilling crafts, sweet treats, and a special appearance by The Little Mermaid!
This eerie event is included with your admission (or membership), so come in costume and make a splash!
Schedule of Activities
