The Montgomery Zoo in Montgomery, Alabama, got the funding green light for renovations to its infrastructure. Montgomery City Council members approved a $4.2 million plan to renovate the zoo’s entrance, which includes its administrative offices, ticket windows, gift shop and restrooms. The zoo is owned and supported by the city government.
Zoo Director Marcia Woodard says the entrance facility and gift shop have needed updates for a while.
“The gift shop is 30 years old along with the entrance and front gate,” she explains. “We want to give it all a more modernized look. This area is the face of the zoo when you get here and sets the tone when people enter. It’s starting to show its age, so putting money into it and renovating seemed like the right thing to do.”
Woodard says the zoo will begin construction on the renovation project in mid-June. Once construction starts, she notes that the gift shop and zoo entrance will be moved to a temporary space outside the attraction’s Mann Wildlife Learning Museum entrance.
“We’ll have a temporary trailer that will serve as admissions, a point-of-sale kiosk and gift shop during construction,” she says. “During construction, we’ll be more limited on gift shop items that are for sale since we won’t have as much space.”
Woodard notes that the renovated gift shop will have a clean, modern look.
“The gift shop footprint is staying the same, but we’ll be adding more modern fixtures and streamlining some admissions processes in that building,” says Woodard. “We are also increasing storage space in the facility so we can have more merchandise in there.”
She adds that the renovations will also include a walk-up admissions kiosk for guests, administrative staff offices, employee breakroom, a mother’s nursing room, family restrooms and some regular restrooms as well as a gated area for stroller and wheelchair rental.
The Montgomery Zoo expects the project to be completed by early 2026. Woodard says she say she’s hopeful a renovated gift shop will help enhance product displays and the guest experience.
“Our gift shop is great, but it looks dated, which is why we wanted to make a change,” she says. “I think with the new space, we’ll be able to provide fixtures that will help us enhance the look and product displays in a modern way.”
