The Greenville Zoo broke ground on the new Phillips Family Farm exhibit Oct. 21.
The $3.6 million project will renovate the zoo’s existing farm habitat into an elevated exhibit showcasing farm animals from around the world. Bill Cooper, director of the Greenville Zoo, said Phillips Family Farm is the single largest project in the zoo’s 65-year history.
Phillips Family Farm will include a 6,600-square-foot barn with a second-floor event space and two smaller barns. The upgraded exhibit will house Flemish giant rabbits, highland cattle, alpacas, Kuenekune pigs, American barn owls and miniature Mediterranean donkeys.
“The Phillips Family Farm is more than just a new exhibit,” Cooper said. “It’s a vibrant space where education, conservation and connection come together. It’s a place where families can experience the joy of meeting animals up close, learn about the essential role agriculture plays in our world and understand the deep bond between people and animals.”
Rendering provided by WDM ArchitectsThe Greenville Zoo Foundation launched a capital campaign to raise funding for Phillips Family Farm. The project received public and private financial support, including $2.3 million from the state of South Carolina and $1.3 million from private donors.
Read more about the Phillips Family Farm’s funding support
“The Greenville Zoo is the epitome of success when it comes to like creating a place people want to come, that live here, that visit here,” said state Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville County). “This edition of the Phillips Family Farm exhibit will be an extraordinary step forward for the zoo.”
Construction of the Phillips Family Farm exhibit is expected to take about a year to complete. Cooper said the exhibit will likely open in late 2026 or early 2027.
