Welcome to Tunnel Park, an Ottawa County Park
In this park you'll find volleyball courts, a trail through the woods, a beach playground and a tunnel that will get you through the dune and to Lake Michigan.
Some fun history about this park, there used to be a zoo here!
An executive from Chicago named George Getz purchased the land in 1910. He opened Parkwood Farm and Zoo. At one point, Getz owned 250 acres. He had the big five animals of Africa — an elephant, a lion, a tiger, a rhino and an African buffalo and many more animals.
The zoo closed in 1933 and the 300 animals were donated to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
Imagine walking through the tunnel and at one point there might have been a kangaroo hopping, a tiger walking or a turtle crawling through it.
For more information and an article in the Holland Sentinel, check out https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/history/2024/08/03/rise-and-fall-hollands-first-tourist-attraction/7225715002/