From the outside, the Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana seems like many of the small zoos we all know and love: a city-owned facility for the enjoyment of the town’s residents and the surrounding rural area, usually located inside a park, sometimes in the rougher part of town. An unassuming (read: underwhelming) entry sequence with barely visible signage and an undersized parking lot. Check, check, and check.

But once inside (and past the entry / gift shop / administration building), the Zoo reveals herself. A historically successful, 30+ acre zoo with triple the penetration of its local city’s population, the zoo has been able to invest deeply in immersive, thematic and deeply layered and complex exhibit experiences. With this high level of guest experience implemented historically the Zoo faces a challenge for its future—continuing to present this high level of immersion within a diminishing budget of a small town.