ABQ BioPark Unveils Design for Reimagined Children's Fantasy Garden
The renovation will honor what generations of guests have loved while creating a more accessible, vibrant, and inspiring space for years to come.
ABQ BioPark is thrilled to reveal the design for the reimagined Children's Fantasy Garden, a beloved family destination that has sparked wonder and imagination since 2001.
Guided by the voices of hundreds of Albuquerque families, children, and community members, the new design transforms the garden into an immersive mythical world filled with dragon lore, sparkling treasures, sensory discovery, and enchanted forests!
The Children’s Fantasy Garden renovation project, estimated to cost $5.5 million, is a planned part of the ABQ BioPark facility plan funded by the voter-approved 1/8-cent gross receipts tax (GRT) which continues to transform the BioPark for the animals in our care, and for families and guests.
Construction on the remodel is expected to be completed by summer 2028.
Learn more about the design, community outreach results, and project timeline in this summary!
A dreamland concept born from community voices
The new design, developed by local architecture and planning firm Dekker, civil engineers Bohannan Huston Inc., and nationally recognized immersive arts organization Meow Wolf, centers around the theme "Dreamlands: Exploring a Mythical World."
The concept emerged from an extensive public engagement process conducted last summer. During which, the project team gathered meaningful input from over 1,500 survey respondents, thousands of website visitors, and hundreds of families at in-person pop-up events and BioPark summer camps.
At one of Dekker's public outreach events at the Botanic Garden, children use play dough to bring their ideas to life of what they would like to see in the new Children's Fantasy Garden.
The feedback was clear and consistent: community members wanted the redesigned garden to feel whimsical, magical, and deeply immersive while preserving the imagination, wonder, and sense of discovery that have made the Fantasy Garden a beloved Albuquerque destination for generations.
Families expressed strong interest in expanded opportunities for exploration, climbing, sensory interaction, and nature-based experiences, alongside improved accessibility, refreshed infrastructure, and additional shade and comfort throughout the garden.
What the reimagined garden will feature
Guided by a vibrant rainbow path, guests will journey through immersive environments inspired by the legend of the garden’s mysterious dragon.
Along the way, guests will encounter a rainbow vortex, giant butterfly canopies that scatter kaleidoscopic shadows across sensory gardens, and musical sculptures that fill the landscape with movement and sound.
A conceptual rendering illustrates the Fantasy Garden arrival experience, featuring a vibrant rainbow pathway that guides visitors through the garden. Graphic courtesy of Dekker.
Deeper within Dreamlands, giant woodland trolls emerge and invite climbing and interaction, while hidden treasures and giant gemstones hint at the dragon’s forgotten story. At the heart of the experience, the former pumpkin structure is transformed into a giant, walk-in crystal geode, filled with shimmering light, reflective crystal walls, and shifting color designed to inspire wonder day and night.
Beyond the geode, a twisting path climbs past a series of vines up to a castle ruin at the pinnacle providing sweeping views across the mythical landscape below. The journey concludes with the Courtyard of Light, a vibrant gathering space for exploration, discovery, and play.
Throughout the garden, native planting, immersive shade structures, sensory-rich environments, and accessible pathways are woven seamlessly into the landscape to create a welcoming experience for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Together, these spaces transform the Children’s Fantasy Garden into a living storybook where every visit offers something new to discover.
A conceptual rendering illustrates the Crystal Geode, the dramatic centerpiece of the garden. This monumental walk-in geode features faceted crystal walls, prismatic light effects, and rotating elements that create an ever-changing play experience. Graphic courtesy of Dekker.
One Last Chance to Play Before the Magic Transforms
The Children's Fantasy Garden will close for renovations September 8, 2026 after Labor Day weekend. Before the closure, the BioPark invites all families to come play one last time in the space they have loved for over two decades.
Bring the kids, bring the grandparents, snap a photo with the dragon, run through the bamboo maze, and soak in every magical moment, because something even more incredible is on its way.
Your memories, your ideas, and your voices made this redesign possible. Now, one last adventure awaits before a new era of the Fantasy Garden begins.