Installed May 2006

Carousel Details:
21 Section – 4 Row Carousel
52’ Platform (54’ Overall Diameter)
72 Figures
3 Chariots (2 ADA/Wheelchair Accessible Chariot with Companion Seat)

The Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, IL outside of Chicago, and is one of the nation’s largest zoos. The Carousel at the Brookfield Zoo is the largest non-restored wooden carousel in the country. The fully accessible carousel, which took approximately 15 months to create, features seventy-two (72) figures and three (3) stationary animal chariots that are ADA/Wheelchair Accessible with a Companion Seat.

The Brookfield Zoo placed their one-of-a-kind carousel to serve as a focal point inside the zoo’s main entrance. The ride has four rows figures on each section representing a variety of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. The Brookfield Zoo staff also sought the assistance of guests to choose favorite animals that they would like to see on the new attraction. The top five animals chosen were the dolphin, elephant, giraffe, lion, and tiger. In addition, The Carousel has everything from anteaters to zebras, including flamingos, ladybugs, tortoises, penguins, gorillas, seahorses, hippopotamus, polar bears, and much more! Each animal figure is meticulously handcarved from sustainable basswood and then intricately painted.

Additional detailing has been applied to The Carousel’s “center surround,” which features a beautifully handpainted mural highlighting animals native to the continents of Asia, Africa, and North America. Twenty-one (21) rounding boards are positioned at the top of the outer perimeter of The Carousel. The boards, each separated with a three-dimensional peacock carving, also are handpainted works of art that illustrate various Brookfield Zoo exhibits.

Proceeds from The Carousel, which costs $2.50 per ride ($1.50 for zoo members), will support conservation and education programs at Brookfield Zoo and sustain the Chicago Zoological Society’s international conservation efforts for endangered animals in the wild. In addition to charming guests of all ages, The Carousel will inspire riders to want to learn more about the animals—the ones that live at Brookfield Zoo as well as those that do not but are endangered in the wild.

The Carousel at the Brookfield Zoo has had an amazingly successful first year of operation with 28% of their zoo’s approximately 3,000,000 annual visitors are riding the carousel.