Saginaw Children’s Zoo, officially the Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square, has been a staple of Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region since 1929, when Parks and Cemeteries Commissioner George Phoenix first established it on a corner of Ezra Rust Park. What began with a handful of animals like a beaver, a coyote, and a few timber wolves has grown into an AZA-accredited zoo spread across 10 shaded acres along the Saginaw River.
Today the zoo is run by the Saginaw Zoological Society, which took over operations from the city in 1996 and continues to oversee the grounds with support from a county millage. The zoo opens daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during its main season, from May through September, with part-time hours in April and October before it closes for winter.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Saginaw, Michigan
- Opened: 1929
- Size: 10 acres
- Animal Count: About 150 animals
- Hours: 10 AM-5 PM daily, May-September (part-time in April and October)
- Accreditation: Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
- Famous For: Region’s only hand-carved carousel
What to See at the Zoo
The zoo’s animal collection spans mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, with species such as wolves, African penguins, alpacas, sloths, and American alligators among the residents. The Children’s Zoo ties its small-town charm to broader conservation work coordinated through the AZA’s Species Survival Plans for several of its animal groups.
Alongside the animal exhibits, visitors can ride the hand-carved carousel, completed on July 18, 1998, after roughly 40,000 volunteer hours went into carving and assembling its figures with the Tri-City Wood Carvers. The Iberschoff Special Train, a miniature locomotive first opened in 1967 using funds from the Carl H. Iberschoff estate, still carries guests around the grounds after being rebuilt in 2008.
A Nearly Century-Old Community Fixture
Few zoos in Michigan can trace their roots back as far as 1929, and Saginaw’s has leaned into that history rather than erasing it. Additions like the Fossil Find exhibit, opened in 1998, and the Wetland Experience, opened in 2006, were built to expand on the zoo’s original mission of hands-on, family-scale wildlife education without losing its intimate footprint.
Because the zoo operates seasonally, tied to the warmer months at Celebration Square, families planning a visit should check the current hours before arriving in early spring or after the season winds down in fall, since the schedule shifts to weekends-only or special events outside the May-through-September window.
Explore more: Explore more Zoos & Aquariums.
A stick means no greasy hands. Reapply quickly between the penguins and the giraffes.
Let them photograph their own favorite animals — and keep your phone in your pocket.
Hauls kids, coolers and souvenirs across a big zoo or park, folds flat for the trunk.
Saginaw Children’s Zoo FAQs
When did Saginaw Children’s Zoo open?
The zoo was established in 1929 by Parks and Cemeteries Commissioner George Phoenix on a corner of Ezra Rust Park in Saginaw, Michigan.
What are the zoo’s hours?
During its main season, from May through September, the zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with part-time hours in April and October before it closes for the winter.
Who operates the zoo today?
The Saginaw Zoological Society has managed the zoo since 1996, taking over from the city of Saginaw, and the zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
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Photo: Saginaw Future Inc. / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.