Project Chimps’ Easter Egg Hunt 

By Morgan Kelly

What better way to celebrate the coming of spring than with an Easter egg hunt? Maybe with an egg hunt at a chimpanzee sanctuary! 

On April 12th, we held our first annual Easter Egg Hunt at Project Chimps. Visitors spent the morning joining in on some spring-related fun, learning about the sanctuary and the 95 former research lab chimpanzee who call the Blue Ridge Mountains home.  

Spring Activities  

The Egg Hunt was the main attraction but certainly not the only one! Guests had plenty of other activities to choose from as well including rock painting, lawn games and even information stations where they could learn all about Project Chimps and our mission.  

The one-of-a-kind Chimp Trailer was available to tour and our brand-new Banana Bus was also out! Guests got to see how we transport chimps via the Chimp Trailer and how we transport humans around the sanctuary via the Banana Bus!

The Easter Egg Hunt 

Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the main event! We separated the hunts into groups of ages 3-8 and ages 9-13. The younger hunters took over the large field behind the main cabin while the older kids searched the area by the koi pond.

Staff and volunteers spent a lot of time preparing for the first-time event. Lucy Grubb, our Education & Event Coordinator, stuffed 700 eggs full of fun prizes for the guests participating. One lucky kid in each age group found the top prize: a private tour of the sanctuary!

2026 Easter Egg Hunt 

Missed this year’s Easter Egg Hunt? Not to worry! Our staff and volunteers are already preparing for the next one! We’ve purchased hundreds of more eggs and have started to lay out plans for March 28, 2026! Just as this year, admission is free but make sure to RSVP on our website. We can’t wait to see you there!

You don’t have to wait until next spring, check out all of our upcoming events now!