Dane County owns these 28 acres of the Henry Vilas Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It welcomes over 750,000 visitors each year. The land has a story: in 1904 the city received 50 acres from former U.S. senator William Freeman Vilas and his wife Anna, given to be used "for the uses and purposes of a public park and pleasure ground.
The park was named for the Vilases' son Henry, who died in 1899 at age 27 from complications related to diabetes; the family stipulated the park always be admission-free. By 1911, 28 acres of that park were partitioned into an animal exhibit, marking the creation of this zoo. The Madison Zoological and Aquarium Society formed in 1914, became the Henry Vilas Park Zoological Society in 1926 and continues today; in 1964 the society incorporated as a non-profit corporation.
For the hundredth anniversary, the society operated a Zoo Century campaign to support a $27 million redevelopment over the next 10 years, including plans for a new Arctic Passage exhibit. Each year more than 750,000 visitors pass through these gates.