We went back at the end of the season last fall. We were interested in picking apples, but there…read morewas a $10 minimum to purchase access to the orchards - per person. If we could have just paid for one small bag or just based on the weight we picked, we would have done it. But we honestly just didn't need $20 worth of apples, so it didn't seem worth it. We ended up just grabbing some food there - their delicious donuts and the GOAT Float, which was amazing!

If you're willing to drive a bit out of the city of Chicago, then this place is 100% worth it! I…read morehad no idea County Line Orchard was SO big. It is very organized. You pay for your apples/bag ahead of time and then you can pick them by yourself - just a short walk or hayride away. They had so many different varieties. It was so fun to wander the aisles and find the best apples. After picking, we snagged a ton of goodies from their large market - soup mixes, apple crisp mix, and pickled veggies. They aren't dog friendly, so keep your furry friends at home.

The variety of animals was nice and it's a good size for a quick trip. It took us about 45 minutes…read moreto go through the whole thing. It's accessible, but I would say not easily accessible. They have signage for an accessible route through the zoo but it was blocked and closed in several places. The free wheelchair rental was awesome but the ground was potholey in a lot of places and the grade of the hills made it nearly impossible to use. It was $12 for adults which I guess is reasonable. I wish that price included something else like parking as well.

I just got back from the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, and it is a total five-star hidden…read moregem tucked right into the lakeside sand dunes. The workout is real with all the steep dune trails, but climbing the limestone tower rewards you with a crazy panoramic view of Lake Michigan. For a smaller zoo, the animal encounters are incredibly close up; I got right near grizzly bears, wolves, a lion, and an awesome lynx that was acting like a giant housecat, bouncing around and playing with branches. It only takes about one hour to explore, completely skips the exhausting crowds and high prices of big city zoos, and sits right across the street from the beach, making it the perfect kickoff for a lake day.

It's always so much fun going to the zoo. This is one of the more bigger shoes here in Chicago. And…read moreI think it's the first time I've been here again in like 8 years. I was so happy that I was able to experience feeding the giraffes and that they actually feed them a whole Leaf of lettuce it's a bit of a on the pricey side $15 you get about half of a bunch of lettuce but to be able to feed them the whole Leaf it was amazing because other places you would only get like strips of carrots. We were there a bit early and so most if not some of the animals were all out and that was so nice to see so I did enjoy it a lot. The only downside was the food the food trucks were closed and so the only choice we had was the outdoor one in the cafeteria until we did choose the outdoor one and the line wasn't even that long but the two boys that were there I guess they were new and it was a part-time thing it was so disorganized that we waited almost an hour for our food. The food was okay for Zoo food but I would eat it again it's just the long wait. But this suit was amazing I highly recommend feeding the giraffes I wish they also offered more animal encounters like feeding the goats and whatnot but I would definitely be coming back. Happy exploring!

Having visited zoos in various parts of the USA, I would rate Brookfield Zoo somewhere in the…read moremiddle. It has both strong and weak points. The wide scope of their collection is impressive. The newer and recently refurbished habitats, particularly Tropic World, The Living Coast and The Swamp, display animals in remarkably naturalistic settings that have been enhanced and updated through the years. I visit Brookfield Zoo maybe every 5 or 6 years, and what frustrates me the most is the significant percentage of attractions that always seem to be closed for renovation. Or, for whatever reason, some categories of animals might not be available for public viewing. How odd that this zoo has not had any elephants since 2010 (also, they no longer breed baboons). During our most recent visit, roughly one-third of the attractions were unavailable and some of the public areas appeared neglected, e.g. cracked pavement and uninspired landscaping. The Roosevelt Fountain centerpiece may look impressive from the air, but at ground level the tall weed-like growth pretty much obscures the view. By comparison, the flora at the Milwaukee Zoo is more attractive. A long-overdue overhaul of food services was completed since my previous visit. Graze Kitchen offers a varied menu which includes - surprise! - healthy options. A chicken salad wrap, although not cheap, was actually one of the better meals I've experienced at a zoo. But this venue should have been centrally located; instead, it's an arduously long hike from any entrance gate. Other options, albeit with limited menus heavy on junk food, are more accessible. Outside vendors include The Original Rainbow Cone, which has two food trucks stationed inside the park this summer (ask for directions). The gift shops with their generous play areas for children are very inviting. Although subsidized by tax dollars and private donations, this zoo is expensive. Parking runs $17-$20 on top of admission, which ranges from $24 to $33 (much of the pavement is in deplorable condition). Once inside the park, there are additional fees for special attractions such as the butterflies, the dolphin show, and the Hamill Family Play Zoo. Scooter rental costs $35. Considering that portions of the park are in less-than-pristine condition and several attractions might be closed for whatever reason, the cost of spending a day here is excessive. We rode on the 30-minute Motor Safari tour ($6). We had hoped this tour would include the furthest reaches of the park, but the route was shorter than we anticipated. The aging trams put out a noxious exhaust; replacement with battery-powered vehicles is long overdue. Moreover, the tour guide misinformed visitors by stating that camel humps contain water. Egad, no, they contain fatty tissue (Google it)! Given the great distances that have to be covered on foot, I think it would make much more sense to replace the Safari tour with shuttles that operate on a fixed route every 15-20 minutes, with step-on/step off stations throughout the park (included in the admission price).

Big man outside smoking BBQ outside, and in the general market you'll see the little old lady…read morerunning the cash register, note: takes cash only. Pick up a whole pie to go home, chocolates, jams/jellies or a few old fashioned candies. Looks like the big business is the orchard in the autumn, but if you just need a quick pit stop it seems like just as good a place as any.

Love Miss Kitty's! She had fresh watermelon slices out when we went. Great produce, cute animals…read more(we didn't do the petting zoo but looked at them over the fence), and super delicious canned goods. Also everyone working there was so friendly!

My GF and I purchased a Groupon for the Chicago Photo Safari and we chose to shoot at Millennium…read morePark. Unfortunately, about 15 minutes into the session, it started to rain so the group (around 10 of us) fled into the Chicago Cultural Center for the remaining time. I thought the CCC was interesting for about an hour but definitely did not have enough interesting areas to fill up a 3 hour photo shoot. This brings me to one of my complaints-the safari was supposed to be 3 hours, but it was only about 2 hours and 20 minutes. I'm sure it would be a better experience in Millennium Park but if you are planning to make the safari rain or shine, you should have a better back up plan. Also, b/c the CCC isn't brightly lit, this limited the settings people could use while taking pictures. Our instructor - Scott - is a student at Columbia and he had a good personality and did his best to engage the students and help them. I thought it was helpful that he had an iPad that allowed him to pull up a picture that illustrated the concept that he is explaining. He also was knowledgeable re photography. The one complaint regarding Scott is he clearly was out late the night before and still smelled like stale beer. Not a big deal to us, but I can see how that might bother some people. I think this class would be useful for someone that has a DSLR and only shoots in automatic mode or in program mode without understanding what is actually happening in the program mode. I'd say the majority of the class fit into this description. But, if you have a basic idea of how to set the exposure, what depth of field and what ISO are, I'd skip the safari and just walk around Millennium Park. The 3 stars is based on the Groupon price and if you are an absolute beginner. If you paid full price the rating would be a 2 stars.

My Mom and I bought a Groupon and did the Millenium Park daytime safari. I live out of town, and…read morethought this would be a fun way for us to spend time together while I was visiting for the holidays, and it was! The MP safari was beginner level, which worked well for my mom who was borrowing one of my DSLRs for the first time. As a more intermediate DSLR photographer, I got more familiar with my new camera and was able to talk lenses and other advanced topics with the instructor and students with the same DSLR Rebel I had. But the most beneficial thing for me was the fact that we spent so much time photographing the same subject (the Cloud Gate) over and over. Other yelpers lamented that there wasn't enough subject matter to photograph, and although that is true, the real benefit to the repetition is that you can take the same shot over and over and adjust your settings each time. Then when you go home, you can load the shots into the computer and compare the settings for each picture, and try to learn more about what settings work in which conditions. "Setting intuition" is something that I struggle with and having a slow tour through MP has already helped me to better predict how to set my camera for different lighting conditions. I would certainly recommend Chicago Photo Safaris to (1) beginners who own or have access to a DSLR camera or (2) intermediates who are either looking to become more familiar with their DSLR or use the safari as a way to experiment with settings, take home the shots, and critically evaluate them. The MP safari was NOT for folks who (1) want to take a bunch of pictures of different things, (2) don't own a DSLR or other digital with shutter speed and aperture controls, or (3) are easily bummed out by being outdoors on one of Chicago's many less-than-perfect days or indoors in one of our many old, under-lit buildings. As for me, I would seriously consider another Chicago Photo Safari when I'm in town in the future.

Friendly people/staff Although the llamas spit a lot :) its a good time for toddlers!!read more

Such a fun little find!! This is a zoo, a park, a little history lesson and an overall great place…read moreto visit!! Best part, FREE!! Now, this is not a huge zoo, but man do they pack a lot of love into a little spot. Food selection of animals, very friendly staff and cute well maintained facilities! Then, there are multiple large parks on site!! Perfect picnic spot for place for large family gatherings!

I took an injured bird I found in my yard there. They heal many types of animals. It is a great…read morecommunity resource.

Agree with Rob H. This place is so sad now. It used to be among our top five favorite places, but…read morethey need to tear down that waste-of-space building and make the full-grown trees and nature come back right now! We don't need more strip-mall crap! We need trees, flowers, grasses, meadows, creek, and pond. This place used to have them all, but now you might as well go to chucky cheese.

Who would have thought in middle of North West Indiana you would find this Gem tucked away they…read moreoffer both a walk and drive thru experience to enjoy the animals it's a Great Spot for kids they can explore and they won't get lost

From the owner: Sandy Oak Ranch is Northwest Indiana’s only exotic wildlife adventure! Escape to the quiet country…read moreand embark on a journey through captivating exhibits from the comfort of your own vehicle. The driving path will end in the parking lot where you can enter our walk-thru exhibits and enjoy the natural landscape that surrounds you.