Miller Park Zoo
add photosMiller Park Zoo offers many exhibits and Zookeeper interaction opportunities that are enjoyed by the whole family. Some highlights include: sun bears, reindeer, Sumatran tiger, sea lions, river otters, red pandas, lemurs, Galapagos tortoise, bald eagles, Pallas cats, Amur leopard, gibbons, and red wolves. The Zoo features many large indoor and outdoor exhibits such as a Tropical America Rainforest, ZooLab, Katthoefer Animal Building, Wallaby WalkAbout, Children's Zoo, and Animals of Asia.
Children under 3 enter free.
9 Reviews for Miller Park Zoo
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"The perfect zoo for little kids"
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this zoo. I was in Bloomington for a hockey tournament, and decided to check this zoo out. I didn't expect it to be much (with such cheap admission!) It was awesome!! It is pretty small, but that's good if you have little kids. There are a lot of animals that you can actually interact with and touch. It wasn't very crowded, so it was perfect for little ones to run around without having to worry about them much. You may not even need a stroller!
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"pretty cool / small zoo"
as a memember of the Peoria Zoo this zoo is also free of charge. So I have gone on several ocassions and wow is it neat, its a nice small zoo that have tons of animals you get an upclose experience with kangaroo and they even have bears, they also have a merry go round which my kids love !!!!
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"Miller Park Zoo"
Oh I LOVE taking my daughter to MPZ. We bought the family membership. THe only bad thing is we really don't use it from November-March because it is so cold outside and much of the exhibits are outdoors. Otherwise we go a few times a month. They have a nice variety of animals. The gift shop is nice as well. One real benefit is the carousal which is always a hit with the kiddos! They have special programs for kids and special feeding times for the animals you can view. I believe their website has all this info!
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"Miller Park Zoo"
This park is a great park for young children. I took my two 2 year olds to this park and we had a fantastic time. It is definitely not a huge park, but that is what I liked about it. There wasn't the stress of trekking through a huge area with tired little ones. It is a little difficult to get to from out of town. The park where the zoo is located also has mini golf, a beach and an area to fish!
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"Miller Park Zoo-unique animals and family fun"
Miller Park Zoo is in Miller Park in Bloomington and home to many animals you would not expect in a small zoo. Animals include bears, seals, otters, a reindeer, wallaby and more. The zoo also has a merry go round and small petting zoo area. There is a gift shop and vending machines. Outside of the zoo is a FREE splash park. Pick up a schedule for daily shows and animal feedings. Also get discount coupons on the Bloomington city chamber website.
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"Fun"
I took my two sons to the zoo. It was fun but because it was off season. It was getting cooler, not many animals were out. They had a few in hibernation. and lots of empty cages. I was disappointed at this because it cost so much to get in. The merry go round you have to pay to ride as well. to much for what the ride consists of.
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"Beautiful zoo for a small one!"
This zoo really surprised me on our first visit. It is small, but has a wonderful collection of animals. The indoor jungle/bird haven is top-notch. We also love the reindeer and the singing dogs from Africa. There is a neat indoor educational center with all sorts of critters and meerkats. They have a great store, too, and it's in Miller Park, so you can play and have a good time there and only park once!
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"Such a Variety"
Well-paved pathways make it easy for strollers to navigate this small, well-established zoo. It opened in 1891, but only the lion house looks anywhere near that old, and it’s in good shape. The big cats have large, rock-walled and fenced outdoor pens connected to the house, so they are in open air during temperate weather. Alas, the last of the zoo’s lions have died, but Miller Park claims to be the only zoo in Illinois with Sumatran tigers. These are majestic felines, yet when you see one lolling in a doze on its back with its paws up, it looks just like an oversize house cat. The zoo also has beautiful snow leopards. You’ll find sun bears in this area as well.
Glass cases containing amphibians and other small animals are placed low enough for little kids to see into them easily.
An indoor tropical rain forest exhibit is small but pleasant. Goats and sheep roam the contact area for youngsters to pet. Feeding schedules are posted at the entrance if you want to pick a time when you can watch the animals eat. They definitely perk up then; for example, the two lemurs go ape when the staffer comes in with their tray of fresh fruit and veggies.
The Miller Park Zoo has a number of unusual specimens in its collection: a reindeer; an endangered red wolf; a forest genet, a mammal that looks like a cat but is related to the mongoose and civet; and, from Papua New Guinea, a singing dog whose name is earned from its melodic howl.
The Wallaby Walkabout is a fenced-in area visitors can stroll through (staying on the pathway, mind you) to see free roaming wallabies and other small creatures from the Land Down Under. Zoo Lab has hands-on activities and a butterfly garden. The gift shop here is especially good, with jewelry and high-quality stuffed animals—including such offbeat ones as lemurs and platypuses—at prices that aren’t totally outrageous.
1 family found this helpful
"Great for small children"
Our family loves Miller Park Zoo and we have a membership but our children were only 18 months old when we got our membership! The zoo is small but well cared for and is improving the animal enclosures all the time! Our favorite is the Outback exhibit (that may not be the actual name my kids like to call it that because all of the animals in it are from Australia). They also have a children's petting zoo and children's building where the kids can do some fun zoo activities.
If you are there in the morning or the afternoon there is also a sea lion show (the otter feeding is RIGHT after) and you can watch them feed the tiger as well! There are a few shows that you should check when you enter the zoo to see if they are on as well, the shows are great for kids as well!
If you have younger children this zoo is perfect!
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