ROYAL OAK, Mich. – If you got plans to go to the Detroit Zoo this summer, chances are your trip just got a little more adventurous. it’s helping you unlock nostalgic memories with the return of Zoo Keys.
It’s been 20 years since adventure seekers got the thrill of turning an elephant-shaped key, hearing that click and being drawn into a story that made the world feel a little wilder.
“Guests share their memories of Zoo Keys all the time, so we knew it was time to bring them back and make them better than ever,” said Emily O’Hara, senior director of guest experience for the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS). “There’s a deep sense of nostalgia tied to these keys in our community, and we wanted to honor that legacy while giving them a fresh, modern twist that adds excitement to every Zoo visit.”
The Detroit Zoo says Zoo Keys lets you connect deeper with animals who call the zoo home. Each key unlocks a story telling box at more than a dozen locations around the zoo, revealing powerful poems crafted by local poets – many of them teens from Zoo Corps Volunteen and Thriving Together programs.
Each Zoo Key features a gorilla or rhino design, providing a unique souvenir for guests that’s educational, meaningful and fun – and guests who held onto their old Zoo Keys can use certain types of them in the new boxes as well.
Zoo Key Locations
- Ron Kagan Wildlife Interpretive Gallery
- Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat
- Holden Reptile Conservation Center
- National Amphibian Conservation Center
- Camels
- Devereaux Tiger Forest
- Great Apes of Harambee
- Lions
- Rhinos
- Giraffes
- Grizzly bears
- Arctic Ring of Life
- Australian Outback Adventure
- Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness
- Bison
Zoo Keys cost $4 each and can be purchased at the Detroit Zoo Shop, main gate ticket booths and other attractions around the Zoo, including the Tauber Family Railroad Chrysler Main Station and African Train Station, 4D Theater, Dragon Forest and carousel.