HANNA CITY, Ill. — Wildlife Prairie Park has broken ground on 14 elevated cabins that will let overnight guests watch bison and elk wander just feet from their back decks, according to an Associated Press report.
The cabins headline a $2.4 million capital campaign led by the nonprofit Forest Park Foundation, which operates the 2,000-acre park west of Peoria. The foundation is offering up to $1 million in matching grants, with the Forest Park Foundation adding two dollars for every dollar donated by the community, up to a total of $1 million, and a $250,000 gift from the Forest Park Foundation itself is already covering engineering and planning costs. “The heart of this campaign is moving the park to a sustainable structure,” said foundation President Mark Spenny. For outdoor-hospitality operators, the plan illustrates how upgraded lodging can steady revenue without straying from conservation goals.
New fencing will let bison and elk walk right up to the rear of each unit, giving guests unobstructed views while keeping the animals safely separated from living spaces, the report notes. Industry-standard safeguards—such as a two-barrier system and 42-inch non-climbable railings—can help any park replicate the excitement without inviting liability.
Operators considering similar projects may also want to install in-room orientation videos delivered via QR code, post friendly no-feeding rules, and add motion-activated cameras that alert staff if a large animal lingers near a structure. An animal-specific rider on the park’s liability policy and twice-seasonal fence inspections can hold down insurance premiums while protecting wildlife and guests alike.
Construction in Hanna City will roll out in phases, with at least two cabins slated to open within a year and the remaining units built as donations arrive, according to project details in the AP coverage. The Forest Park Foundation will add two dollars for every dollar donated by the community, up to a total of $1 million—a template other nonprofits can borrow to shorten capital-raising timetables.
Wildlife Prairie Park’s existing mix of vintage cabins and rail cabooses draws about 1,400 stays a year, the article adds. To maximize return on the new build, operators could layer in dynamic pricing—charging weekend and calving-season premiums—bundle sunrise photo tours or keeper chats, and seed social media with reliable Wi-Fi and discreet hashtag signage on each deck.
Advance-purchase gift certificates, corporate retreat blocks and a lightweight CRM that tracks guest preferences can further lift occupancy and ancillary spend. Partnerships with local tourism boards or drive-market influencers often boost direct cabin bookings while amplifying a park’s conservation message at little cost.
Separately, the same campaign will modernize the park’s event center and several 1970s-era buildings, moves expected to position Wildlife Prairie for more weddings and corporate gatherings, the report states. For destination parks, refreshed venues can command higher margins while cross-selling lodging and group programming.
Wildlife Prairie is also pressing ahead with its accessibility-focused Park for All campaign. Planned upgrades include three ADA-accessible playgrounds, a wheelchair-accessible railcar debuting Aug. 9, 2024, and hayracks retrofitted for wheelchair lifts, along with scooters and an accessible fishing dock—improvements that broaden the guest pool and can unlock grant funding for any outdoor attraction.
Park founder Bill Rutherford’s oft-quoted mission still guides the work: “It is a privilege to preserve wilderness areas for the children of distant generations.” The new cabins, leaders say, provide a fresh way to underwrite that mission while immersing visitors in the prairie ecosystem the park was created to protect.
Taken together, the bison-view cabins, facility upgrades and accessibility push offer campground, RV-park and glamping operators a real-world case study in pairing memorable guest experiences with long-term financial sustainability and conservation stewardship.
The new projects are expected to draw additional visitors to the park and demonstrate strategies other outdoor destinations can adapt, whether they manage wildlife enclosures, glamping tents or vintage rail-car suites.