Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center
The Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center is growing into an even more adventure-packed experience! You’ll still find exhibits like the Tropical Rainforest, Black Bear Woods, and Camp Cowabunga, alongside the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden and Giraffe & Friends habitat. Coming June 2026, Tiger Trails & Den Academy will bring you face to face with majestic Sumatran tigers and introduce King vultures to the zoo.
Upcoming Events & Experiences
Visit year-round to watch the Zoo’s continued growth. New behind-the-scenes Encounter Experiences offer intimate animal interactions while supporting conservation efforts. Keep an eye out for returning favorites like Zoo Lights (starting late November), Boo at the Zoo, Earth Day Party for the Planet, and more family-friendly events.
Carousel & Mini Train
Hop aboard a piece of history and let the fun begin! The grand carousel in Gage Park has been delighting riders since 1908, spinning to the tunes of its original Wurlitzer band organ. After your carousel whirl, climb into the Gage Park Mini-Train for a breezy ride through the park. Tracks for the original diesel-powered train were laid in the late 1960s, and it ran for over 55 years before retiring. Today’s fully electric engine keeps the charm rolling for riders of all ages.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center
The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center is a hands-on museum where play fuels imagination, creativity, and learning. With the new Building Discovery expansion, the museum now offers more than 30,000 square feet of interactive indoor exhibits, classrooms, and galleries designed for children of all ages.
Highlights include the Sunflower Gallery, home to the world’s tallest climbable sunflower, a Hall of Bright Ideas celebrating Kansas innovation, rotating national traveling exhibits, learning labs, a makerspace, and a café. Outside, families can explore a 4.5-acre Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom featuring trails, gardens, and nature-based play.
Loved by families across the region, the Discovery Center is a place where kids can explore, build, and discover through hands-on experiences that grow with them. Learn more at KansasDiscovery.org.
A New Era at the Discovery Center
The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center completed its $10 million Building Discovery expansion in 2025, doubling the size of the museum. The expansion adds 11 new exhibit experiences, three learning lab spaces, a traveling exhibit gallery, and the world’s tallest climbable sunflower, creating even more opportunities for hands-on learning and play.
