ENTRY & WANDER
A Warm Welcome to the Zoo
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Valley Zoo Development Society
The Valley Zoo Development Society (VZDS) is a registered charity and friend of the Edmonton Valley Zoo (EVZ). The VZDS is proud to take a lead role in the EVZ’s stunning transformation into a special place that inspires love and learning of the natural world.
Impact of Your Support
Children are fascinated by the natural world, especially by animals. By providing them with a fun setting where they can learn about animals & nature, we can create life-long ambassadors for the long-term health of our planet.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION!
Entry & Wander
Status: COMPLETE!
Budget: $34-million
Opened: 2014
The Entry & Wander together create a great first impression and improve flow at the Edmonton Valley Zoo and create a seamless transition from the city to the natural world. Designed as both a welcome and a journey, these interconnected spaces invite guests to slow down, explore, and connect with Alberta’s diverse ecosystems. The Entry establishes a sense of arrival—warm, open, and rooted in place—while The Wander leads visitors through a living landscape that tells the story of Alberta’s natural history, from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the rolling prairies. Blending art, nature, and interpretation, this project transforms the Zoo into an immersive experience that celebrates the province’s beauty and biodiversity.
The Entry
 The arrival experience at the Edmonton Valley Zoo changed dramatically with the construction of the new Entry. The Entry Plaza provides easy and direct access to all of the zoo’s exhibit precincts.
Included in the plaza is a new EdVenture Lodge, with interpretive classrooms and multi-purpose spaces. The Entry Plaza also contains guest services: information, washrooms, ticket purchase windows, the Wild Neighbours café, Zootique store, administrative offices, and the new otter exhibit.
In line with Edmonton’s vision to build smarter and with sustainable principles in mind, the zoo’s building takes advantage of natural light and air ventilation. Its features celebrate and harness green technologies that leave a small ecological footprint on the natural systems and wild places that the zoo is working so hard to conserve.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Zootique Shop
- Ticket Windows
- Information Kiosk
- Washrooms
- Wild Neighbours Café
- Winter Hearth
- EdVenture Lodge
- Administrative Offices
- Rest Area
- Otter Habitat
The Wander
The Wander is the Edmonton Valley Zoo’s new central corridor that houses and interprets the plants and small animals of Alberta’s North Saskatchewan River Valley while providing opportunities for pubic education, shelter, transportation, and relaxation. The Wander serves as the main public pathway to new exhibit areas such as the recently completed Arctic Shores exhibit.
A water feature allow children to interact with glacial melt-water and play features along the river’s path.
The Wander was built as the cornerstone of the zoo. As it moves from the great heights of the Rocky Mountains, falling swiftly from stone-filled mountain streams and pools, through wetlands and cobbled rivulets, to the gentle meanders of the Aspen Parkland’s and prairies of Alberta, this trail is framed by the imposing story of Alberta’s natural history and the flora, fauna that have come to live in and shape this region.
The Wander provides ample room for guests to unhurriedly stroll through great mixed species native landscapes, enjoy engaging sculpture and art, picnic in the shade of large groves of Aspen trees, and observe free-range live animals. As construction continues, each thematic area of the zoo will be differentiated not only by the plantings and the interaction with water but also through the use of interpretive elements.
