Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has opened a major new attraction that gives visitors a closer look at primates, tropical wildlife and the importance of conservation. Primate Forest transforms the former RainForest area with expanded animal habitats, immersive technology, interactive learning spaces and a dedicated indoor play area for children. Visitors can watch orangutans explore a new outdoor environment, discover conservation projects and enjoy several family-friendly amenities under one roof. The attraction also introduces fresh ways to learn about the connections between forests, wildlife and people. Here are seven things visitors can see and experience inside the new Primate Forest.
The CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home Brings the Forest to Life
The experience begins with an entrance designed to feel like stepping into another world. The CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home welcomes visitors with forest-inspired sights and sounds, using floor-to-ceiling projections to create an immersive introduction to the attraction. Its centerpiece is a towering Mother Tree that responds to visitors and helps illustrate how trees communicate and how forests support interconnected ecosystems. The space also includes gathering areas, dining options and retail facilities, making it more than just an entrance. It sets the tone for the entire visit by showing how people, animals and healthy natural environments depend on one another.
Orangutans Can Explore an Expanded Outdoor Habitat
One of the most significant changes at Primate Forest is the new outdoor space available to the zoo’s orangutans. For the first time in Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s history, these great apes can move between indoor and outdoor environments. The expanded Orangutan Forest includes climbing structures, long ropes that encourage brachiating, and nesting opportunities that give the animals more ways to explore and express natural behaviors. A new two-story dayroom connects the indoor and outdoor areas, allowing orangutans to choose where they spend their time. Visitors can observe them from an elevated deck walk and gain closer views of their daily activities. The habitat also makes animal care more visible, with opportunities to watch training and voluntary health procedures supported by positive reinforcement.
The Care and Conservation Center Highlights Wildlife Protection
Behind the animal exhibits, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo carries out conservation work that can have an impact far beyond its own grounds. The Care and Conservation Center gives visitors a closer look at programs supporting threatened reptiles and amphibians, including Puerto Rican crested toads, spotted turtles and eastern plains garter snakes. These efforts include breeding and husbandry work intended to help strengthen vulnerable populations and support their survival in native habitats. The zoo has already reported successful breeding of Puerto Rican crested toads after moving them into their new space. Visitors can also encounter marine toads, a species newly introduced to the zoo. By bringing this work into the public experience, the center helps explain how professional animal care and conservation programs contribute to protecting wildlife.
The Tropical Forest Features More Than 60 Animal Species
The former RainForest has received a major renovation, creating the Samuel H. Miller Foundation Tropical Forest as part of the new attraction. The updated environment brings together animals from different forest ecosystems, including Bornean orangutans, Asian small-clawed otters, clouded leopards, giant anteaters, capybaras, monkeys, birds and reptiles. The zoo says Primate Forest is home to hundreds of animals representing more than 60 species, giving visitors plenty to discover across its indoor habitats. Familiar residents from the former RainForest remain part of the experience, while renovated spaces offer new ways to observe them. The emphasis is not simply on displaying a wide range of wildlife. The habitats are designed to provide greater complexity, flexibility and opportunities for animals to display natural behaviors.
The Learning Gallery Makes Conservation Interactive
Visitors who enjoy discovering how things work will find plenty to explore in Primate Forest’s second-floor learning spaces. The Michael Talty and Helen Talty Charitable Trust Learning Gallery focuses on the connections between people, animals and healthy environments. Within it, the Lubrizol Connections Studio uses interactive technology to introduce visitors to people who have turned personal interests into meaningful work in science and conservation. The Dr. Vasu and Lisa Pandrangi Family Forest Theater surrounds guests with the sights and sounds of healthy forests, while the Cleveland Foundation Sustainable Future Design Lab invites visitors to redesign Cleveland with nature-inspired features through interactive kiosks. These experiences make conservation easier to understand by connecting large environmental issues with individual interests and everyday choices.
The PNC Adventure Playspace Gives Children an Indoor Forest to Explore
Families with younger children have another reason to spend time inside Primate Forest. The PNC Adventure Playspace is Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s first indoor play area, offering a forest-inspired setting with accessible sensory, tactile and creative activities. Its naturalistic design connects with the wider themes of the attraction, encouraging children to explore through hands-on play. The space also overlooks the outdoor orangutan habitat, so families may get a glimpse of the great apes moving through their environment while children enjoy the play area. It is particularly useful during colder months or when the weather makes outdoor activities less appealing. The playspace gives younger visitors an engaging break while keeping the natural world at the center of the experience.
Dining and Shopping Make the Visit More Convenient
A visit to Primate Forest does not have to be limited to watching animals and exploring exhibits. The CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home includes upgraded dining and retail areas, giving visitors convenient places to grab food, take a break or browse merchandise. Guests can find grab-and-go options as well as made-to-order food, while the gift shop offers exclusive Primate Forest-themed products that are not available at the zoo’s other retail locations. The building also includes restrooms and a nursing station, making it easier for families to plan a longer visit. Outside food and nonalcoholic drinks are permitted, although glass containers are not allowed, and food is prohibited inside the PNC Adventure Playspace. The zoo recommends allowing approximately 60 to 90 minutes to explore the attraction.
