Lincoln Park Zoo brings the best alongside free. Let me say that again. Free…read more But you think free meant sub par or weak. Lincoln Park zoo has lions, monkeys, gorillas, polar bear and more. Great spots outdoors and indoors. It's not the biggest park, but pound for pound it can carry it's weight especially because of the price tag. I'd give it a solid half day if you are with kids who can't walk the entire time. However, this can be a great spot for half day and then get some food around the area.

Lincoln Park Zoo is a good free zoo. I've only been to... 2? 3? zoos. I can compare it with St…read more Louis, which isn't fair. Instead, the best of the things I saw. Variety of animals: Decent Favorite buidling: The bird house had a few species per exhibit Improvement needed: Penny flattening machine was not working and needed an out of order sign/service Best animal exhibit: Giraffes and zebras are together and something about the staging made the giraffes really "pop" Honorable mention: Lions (easier to see these lions than the lions at the St. Louis Zoo) I saw a number of signs about exhibits being empty of occupants because of animals sometimes needing privacy. We didn't see the farm area. One of my companions ordered a Chicago (hot) dog and seemed to like it.

YMCA Field Trip with 4-6 year olds -- 7/10 County Line…read moreOrchard We went on a field trip with our local YMCA. Process was simple: wristbands, then separate lines for each instructor. You rotate through sections about bees, apples, and how they are processed. For 4-5-6 year olds it was easy to follow and they understood it. Then you load the trams to go pick. That's when they told us on the tram that we would NOT be picking directly off the trees -- we'd be picking out of a large skid box. They said it was due to early/late frost and bees not being able to pollinate, plus a very wet spring/summer. They should have notified us beforehand. The kids were expecting to pick off the tree, and it was disappointing to find out once we were already on the tram. After the tram ride back you can roam as long as you want. We went to the animals first -- you can't feed them and there wasn't anyone there explaining, so it's self-explanatory. We did the little motor trike bike track, which the kids enjoyed. We ate in The Kitchen. Good selection for kids. Prices were a little high but not too bad. You order, get a number, and wait in line -- it gets really packed and could use a better system, but the cooks and cashiers were doing their best. There's a nice table of samples -- chutney, mustard, aiolis and other things they sell. Gift shop area has honey, coffee, canned goods, candles, pumpkins, and a toy area (we tried to keep the kids away from that one!). Prices felt high compared to the other 5-6 orchards/pumpkin farms we've been to around here -- only one further south is more reasonable. Kids had fun. We hadn't been in about 3 years. Would we go back? Maybe -- it's questionable for us because there are cheaper, more hands-on options for little kids nearby.

10/12/26 A trip with the family...we were all disappointed,…read moreabout the money we spent on food was a waste...tables and chairs were uncleaned. (Inside where the restaurant was). Sample toppings had one spoon to sample the variety of toppings that you place onto your food. Ladies restroom floor was wet with urine, had to roll my pants up to potty! Fries was refried please never do that again, just disappointed and a waste of my money all four of our fries was awful. We all order the chicken nuggets...was way over cooked, dry and taste like box nuggets. The baked apples was the best of my meal! The jams, toppings, donuts, popcorn etc., were the best!!! You been warned!

The Washington Park Zoo is a relatively small city-owned zoo in Michigan City, Indiana on the…read moreshores of Lake Michigan. I typically head up to Lake Michigan about once a year for my trip to the lighthouse, but this zoo is relatively close so there's typically a visit here when it's open. The zoo opened in 1928. and has pretty limited hours with typical closure for the season in December. In addition to the varied zoo hours, features within the zoo can also have limited hours. For example, the observation tour is only open 10am - 3pm daily. Animal buildings close 1/2 hour before the zoo closes. The safari train is closed for the 2026 season. Other features vary. So, if you've got your heart set on a specific area, it may be best to check. This entire part of Michigan City is somewhat iffy in terms of accessibility. This includes the zoo. It's not dreadful - I can typically maneuver around, but there are definitely some inclines, stes in places, and other accessibility concerns. As one other review notes, they do have wheelchair rental for free, however, wheelchair users who have difficulty on inclines will want to make sure support is nearby. There's a discount for Michigan City residents. Prices otherwise include Adults ($12), Seniors 62+ ($10), Children 2-11 ($10), and Children 1 and under are free. The zoo, which encompasses 15 acres and is set on a hill, is also a wildlife sanctuary. It offers outreach, camps, pollination, etc. Overall, I'd call the Washington Park Zoo a solid local zoo and wildlife sanctuary. I'd be unlikely to call it a destination zoo of any type, however, it's a nice addition to a visit to the Michigan City area. I always like hitting the zoo when I'm at the nearby lighthouse. I'm a big fan of the Michigan City coastline, and while I wish Michigan City would build this up more (and make it more accessible) it's still a beautiful area. Again, in terms of of accessibility this is one of those features best experienced with a companion and I'd say due to the historic nature (like the tower) of certain areas you should probably expect not being able to do quite everything here. I'd still return and frequently do. If you do make it up the tower, definitely check out the views. Pretty amazing.

This place is not worth the drive. The cost to enter is…read morehigh. The parking is very unpleasant. Will never return again. Very disappointed by the recreational department that runs this area. There is something mentally deficient with these folks. A V O I D - at all costs.

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.

Quiet, clean and well maintained museum. The building looks really beautiful from the outside and…read morelooks well-kept from the inside. I saw a small play area for small kids in one of the rooms.

Great place mainly for small kids. There's an area to walk around that has a hawk, turkey vulture,…read moreand an owl (I'll add pictures). There's a play area in front of the building with lots of fun activities for kids. Inside the building - which is a 150-year old former mansion, there are 4 rooms with some exhibits, animals like snakes and turtles, and a good-sized play area. Outside, one can walk around the pond - which took me about 20 minutes. It is tree-lined and also goes along the Des Plaines River.