October 21, 2025

Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium (SFZA) is breaking ground on a new butterfly garden on the Great Plains Zoo (GPZ) campus on Tuesday, October 21 at 4:30 pm. This groundbreaking kicks off phase one of a plan that will transform the zoo grounds, bringing SFZA from a two-campus organization – GPZ and Butterfly House & Aquarium (BHA) – to one campus encompassing elements of land, sea, and sky.

In preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony, the zoo will close at 3 pm and BHA will close at 3:30 pm on Tuesday.

The butterfly garden is made possible through the We Can’t Wait campaign, which aims to raise $25 million to match a lead gift made by businessman and philanthropist Denny Sanford. In addition to dedicated SFZA staff, more than 100 community members have volunteered their time to the campaign.

Construction of the butterfly garden will occur over the next year, with a projected grand opening during the winter of 2026-27. Advise to Build is providing consulting services and Hausmann Construction is the construction manager on the butterfly garden project.

SFZA is now pivoting into the Fill Our Tank phase of We Can’t Wait, which endeavors to push us across the fundraising finish line and allow the next phases of construction to begin next year. When we reach our fundraising goal, work will begin on the new Joe H. Floyd Education Center and a world-class aquarium, which will bring all SFZA staff and resources fully to the zoo campus, and create a true year-round destination for our community and tourists from across the region to enjoy.