Opening day at Polk Penguin Conservation Center

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WJBK) - The largest penguin facility in the world opens Monday inside the Detroit Zoo.

The Detroit Zoo has provided a home for penguins since the 1970s, and when that facility was built it was state-of-the-art. Now, the penguins have a state-of-the-art home yet again -- it is a $30 million contemporary upgrade for a swanky new pad.

The new center features a 325,000-gallon, 25-foot-deep aquatic area where visitors can watch more than 80 penguins of four species explore their habitat. An underwater gallery and two acrylic underwater tunnels provide views as the birds swim.

You can take a look inside by watching FOX 2's Maurielle Lue's video report above. You can also click through a photo gallery of the new exhibit here. 

The center opens Monday, April 18. It is free to enter the new penguin center with your ticket to the zoo, however you'll be given a timed-entry pass when you buy your ticket to the zoo. Timed-entry passes are not available online.

The zoo is open today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Adult tickets are $14, child tickets are $10 and children under 2 years old are free. Today will be fairly sunny with temperatures reaching nearly 80 degrees. 

For more information on the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, visit www.penguins.detroitzoo.org.