A host of changes, renovations and improvements are in store at Wildlife Prairie Park over the next year, topped by a $1.5 million addition of a 40-space RV campground along Taylor Lake on the park’s west side.
“If you’re going to come out, wear your construction hat because there’s lots of construction going on at the park,” said Roberta English, CEO of the 1,800-acre not-for-profit zoological park 10 miles west of Peoria.
“Most people don’t see the whole park when they’re there, and that’s really what we’re trying to do, is expand what people can see of Wildlife Prairie Park.”
English said the notion of adding an RV park has been under consideration for a while, and the possibility seemed to fit the current window of opportunity.
“Now it’s just timing. It’s been on our last two or three strategic plans, investigating the usefulness of an RV park,” she said. “But really, since COVID, it’s just been coming more and more to the head as RV traveling has become more popular. So this just seems to be the right time for us to pursue it.”
The RV campsites on the 9½ lakefront acres on the “Parkside” area west of Taylor Road will consist of concrete pads with individual electric, water and sewer connections.
“There’s going to be a fully renovated camp recreation center with showers, bathrooms, a store, place where people will hang out. It’s going to be a really nice facility,” English said of the events venue that will also add a kitchenette, laundry and recreation space. “We don’t have anything like that around here, and it’s going to really draw people to the area.”
Last week, the Peoria County Board approved a special-use permit for the planned RV park. English says that allows them to move forward in seeking additional approval from other agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Health and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“We’ve got a few more steps to go and permits to do, but so far we’ve got a green light and we’re going to keep moving,” she said.
The park opened nearly 47 years ago, originally presented by philanthropist Bill Rutherford as a birthday gift to his wife, Hazel. The park offers a range of recreational activities, from camping, hiking and biking to fishing, kayaking and paddle boats.
“It’s different from most zoos, because we don’t just have animals in wonderful, large enclosures,” said English. “We also have lots of things for humans to do, including staying in cabins, which most zoos don’t have. We have laser tag, we have disc golf. So we’re a mix of a zoo, a state park and all kinds of fun wrapped up in one.”
English said the addition of the RV campground will allow them to improve an underutilized part of the park and provide year-round offerings for overnight guests.
“We are going to revitalize that area and put it to use and make it revenue-generating, not just for the park, but for the area,” she said. “This is going to bring in people from across the country – we already get people from all over the country coming to visit – but they’re going to stay in this area and visit these restaurants, these cafes, these bars.”
Other aspects of the Parkside expansion project include the addition of a swimming beach, exterior renovation of an existing stone house from the 1800s, and a relocation of the Bison Hump pump track.
English said funding for the project will come from a mix of bank financing, fundraising, and “anything else we could do,” including the possibility of grants. She said they hope to break ground in July, with an opening targeted for March 2026.
Some of the other upgrades at Wildlife Prairie Park have already started. English notes that they’ve already renovated several of their existing cabins, with makeovers to the grain bins and train cabooses.
“We’re also building more ADA-accessible cabins, because ‘Park for All’ has really been a focus for us, being a park that’s accessible for all,” she said. “So we’re building new, completely accessible cabins for people in wheelchairs. We’re also going to be building an on-site veterinary clinic, because the park is going to have a dedicated vet coming to the park.
“Last year, we got new TVs in all the cabins, and many of the cabins got new flooring. So we’re just doing the renovations to our existing cabins as well as building new cabins.”
As they continue to try and expand the park’s reach, English said they’re planning to start offering adventure tours where guests can ride in a five-seat utility terrain vehicle and view parts of the park not often seen.
English said other construction at the park includes upgrades in the Merrill Woods area, where several of the park’s 60 different species of animals are housed.
“Our big five, of course, are bears, elk, bison, cougars and wolves, and we have quite a lot of them,” she said. “We have been spending, really for the last five years, a lot of time and money updating our enclosures, making them better for the people viewing, but also for the animals.
“We’re going to be moving some animals around to make for better viewing pleasure and also just better habitats for the animals.”
