Lincoln Park Zoo
add photosLincoln Park Zoo is a world of wildlife in the shadow of skyscrapers. Located within a verdant park just minutes north of Chicago, the zoo has been a natural, free oasis for generations of animal lovers, who come to hear a lion’s roar echo off nearby apartment buildings, see gorillas climb trees as the Sears Tower looms in the distance, or forget where they are as they immerse themselves in tropical rainforests, dry-thorn forests or spacious savannas.
33 Reviews for Lincoln Park Zoo
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"Excellent zoo and free to boot!"
The Nitty Gritty: It is a short walk from the Peggy Notebaert Museum. We just paid for parking here and walked to both locations. Admission is free! Definitely bring the stroller if you need it.
The fun: Second part of my son's 1st birthday in May. We saw lions, monkeys, flamingos and more! They have finished the boardwalk and it has a magnificent view of the Chicago skyline.
Son's fav moment: Looking at all the animals
Parent's fav moment: The monkeys and the skyline view.
Bottom Line:A definite MUST see in Chicago. All children will enjoy this zoo. We plan to come here again since my son can now distinguish animals.
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"Lincoln Park Zoo"
Lincoln Park Zoo is a great trip for those who live in or are visiting the Chicagoland area, if you don't mind the drive downtown. Parking can be tricky sometimes, but the zoo itself is a great experience. It is very easy to see all of the exhibits in one day, since the zoo isn't very spread out. The animals appear well cared for and the zoo itself is very clean. The nice thing about the zoo being smaller is that you have time to see other sites in Chicago if you finish at the zoo early.
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"Great exhibits"
I have enjoyed visiting this zoo on several occasions and love to great selection of animals. I can spend hours looking through all of the neat exhibits. Some of the best exhibits are the indoor underwater exhibits. This is a great place to take kids of all ages! I would definitely recommend bringing a stroller for younger kids, because it is a lot of walking.
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"You can't beat free!! Totally worth it."
This is a great place to spend the day, and it's free! Sure you'll pay for parking, but if you don't mind walking much, it's very cheap. My kids went bananas over the Apes (oh yeah I just wrote that). The lions were very cool as well. This zoo is kept in great condition, especially for a FREE zoo. I love this zoo, and it's great that it's right in the middle of the city.
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"Zoo Lights "
We visted the Lincoln Park Zoo with our then 20 month old daughter. We had a stroller which was a just a little hectic when going into the animal 'houses'. We also went for Zoo Lights, which was pretty awesome. There are xmas lights all over which our daughter enjoyed. Since it was xmas, it was also snowy and cold outside. The animal houses were warm so we would go in and have to take our coats off in some, and then go out, and have to put them back on. A little cumbersome with a little one.
The park itself is free, but when visiting around the holidays and the zoo lights season, parking can be a little hectic. This was our first time to the zoo so we didn't know that they had there own parking lot. We tried forever to find street parking and then happened to go around the zoo towards the lake and see the parking lot.
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"Great zoo"
My family and I loved this zoo. Yes, there is a cost for parking but considering the fact that it is free admission, paying to park is not a big deal. I like how everything is arranged and we just really enjoyed everything they had to offer there. We will definitely be going back in the future.
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"Great Zoo"
As a visitor to Chicago, I'm always impressed by the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's free and held to higher standards than many zoos you pay to get into. It feels so open. They have a great variety of animals and even have a small petting zoo. It has easy access too.
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"A zoo "
This zoo in Chicago is FREE to all everyday the weather is permitting. There isn't alot to do for a whole day trip but you can make the best out of it. Its alot of walking to each exhibit but kids that are younger under 5 will enjoy it. I remember all I had to pay was for the food and some gifts. So If your in Chicago land here is a zoo for you.
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"Cheap Good Fun"
Lincoln Park Zoo is open year round and is free. We always found parking quite easily in neighboring streets. The zoo is much smaller compared to the Brookfield zoo so not a lot of walking involved. There is a grass lawn area where my daughter loves to run around and watch birds. My daughter's favorite areas are the feline area and the primate area. The lions in zoo were sleeping every single time we were there and the penguin area smells really bad. There is also a petting zoo for little ones. You can buy pop corn, ice cream and pretzels on carts or there are also a couple of stores but the prices are very high.
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"Awesome!"
We love taking our kids and friends to this zoo every year! Parking is a bit steap and they do not offer enough but admission is free! We love all of the animals and the picnic areas at the zoo! There is fun for all ages and I really like the history and that there is always a volunteer to ask questions if needed! The park is always clean and we love the childrens areas! So cool! A must see !
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"Pretty park "
Loved the location, very easy to get to and plenty of parking. Very roomy feel to the zoo, open and airy. Plenty to do with lots of animals (enclosures could be bigger for the animals) but other than that I really liked the atmosphere and people. I think kids would love it because there's lots of room to run around. It feels more like a park than a zoo which is more natural. I would recommend this free zoo to families because it of the ease of access and activities.
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"Hello, Lincoln Park Zoo"
Lincoln Park Zoo is in Chicago, IL. this zoo is open to the public and there are many bus stops near it. Best to go if there is a feeding or another specific activity there, but it's still tons of fun to just stop right in and have a look. Even if you only have a little bit of time it's a great zoo to walk through, do a long walk or short.
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"was okay..."
We took guests in the hot/summer/ 90% weather. There were hardly any animals there. Hardly saw visitors there. Hardly any directions on where to go next. we needed public transporation no directions on where and how to find the public transporation. We got very tired. We ended up going to a small store where we can buy ice cream/snacks. Everything was over priced. we still bought little snack food becuase we were starving. We wouldn't visit it again though.
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"cold out but fun outing"
In the winter months, some may ask what is there to do in the windy city....well all i have to say is that there is plenty to do like going to the zoo. Lincoln Park Zoo is free to get in and in the winter the zoo is still as lively as the summer, there are indoor activities and some winter months there is a holiday light show 3 times a week. Parking is the only drawback, but parking is ALWAYS a drawback in Chicago
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"5 month old visits zoo"
I took my 5 month old daughter to LPZ (Lincoln Park Zoo). There's a lot of space for strollers in the outdoor exhibits but the indoor exhibits can get a little crowded. Her favorite part was the children's zoo where she could see the river otters swimming around from behind a large glass. She also enjoyed the monkey antics, though this indoor exhibit was pretty dark and could be quite scary for some infants when you first enter. Food court was pretty affordable. Best of all, zoo is entirely free ! Go to website for special events!
1 family found this helpful
"Nice retreat in the heart of Chicago"
The big bonus here is location -- if you're site seeing in Chicago and want to let the kids explore, you can't beat Lincoln Park zoo.
Entry is free but parking can sometimes be tough to find. You may need to walk a bit but there are lots of places to stop and rest or have a snack.
If your little rabble rousers aren't tired out by running all over the zoo, let them climb on the indoor play structure in the Pritzker Family Children's Zoo... also a good place to head if the weather gets to be too much.
My kid's favorite area is usually the primate house (where they want to take one of the cute little teacup monkeys home) and the Farm-in-the-zoo area.
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"Always fun"
We live in the suburbs of Chicago so going to zoois always a treat. We make a day of it since it is an hour drive. We prefer Lincoln over Brookfield because it is cheaper, outdoors, great views of Chicago skyline and easy to get around. My daughter isn't old enough yet to care about seeing a dolphin show or special exhibits like at Brookfield. We venture into Lincoln Park for lunch at Five Guys (great burger & fries), Argo for the best tea! and Molly's cupcakes (a cute shop with the best cupcakes). Lincoln Park has a. carosaul ride too. A great time for the whole family
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"Great Zoo!"
Love this zoo! Its such a great place for a quick (FREE) outing! You may need to pay for parking but make sure to check out their website for public transit options.
If you're visiting Chicago, this is a great place to take the family! If you live in the area, this is a great place to visit multiple times to get the family outside and just relax and enjoy. The price is right.
Small and quaint. Family friendly.
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"A perfect Zoo!"
The kids loved it! We loved it! The animals cages were in great shape, even the restrooms were clean! I couldn't believe just how nice it all was! Plenty to see and do for everyone! The food court was priced fair as well! Not to mention the zoo is free!!
1 family found this helpful
"Free! "
I love that this zoo is free and so relaxing. It is right on the lake basically and you can walk around the zoo, children's farm, or even take a paddleboat ride. This zoo is very tightly packed together so you can see a lot quickly. Not a lot of walking and there are plenty of places to picnic. I think parking only costs $10 which is nothing when you figure admission is $0!
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