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Ochsner Park & Zoo

3.9 (27 reviews)
Open • 8:30 am - 7:30 pm

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Alice K.

Great little zoo, many animals. Check out the schedule to see a list of programs. I enjoyed the bear.

Lindsay D.

We were exploring Baraboo and ran into this little gem! It took less than an hour to go through, but my little one could have spent half the day feeding the goats!

Dan P.

Thank you for all those sponsee who help fund this free zoo. I'm glad we stopped to see all the beautiful flowers and many animals all for FREE. It was an experience to see the bear enjoy eating from the tree and the wolves being protective of their dens. And they had a BALD EAGLE! How cool.

Annette B.

Not a particularly glamorous or large zoo, but free is nice. It's awkwardly placed in a pretty residential area and almost has a park feel to it. The prairie dog exhibit is pretty cute.

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Nessie V.

I'm always torn on zoos, as they are essentially jails for animals convicted of no crimes. But I love seeing animals and if I don't pay for it than I feel somewhat absolved of any moral culpability. The animals seemed to be in good shape. The zoo is tiny, and thus the cages could be bigger, but you can see they are working on that. The animals seem adapted to these conditions, like how the deer and wolves come right up and follow you around. Course maybe I was visiting around feeding time. The only animals that aren't adapted to Wisconsin winters are the monkeys, but they were either inside or offsite when I visited. They have a machine that will sell you some food for the goats and such, so you can get some farm animal petting action too. There is a parking lot and street parking available. I think I'll return on my next Dells trip, and visit my homies on the inside.

Big bad prairie dog, 7/21/08
Booda B.

This is a tiny, free zoo that sometimes has more animals on display than others. The animals include a goat, timber wolves, capuchin monkeys, a couple of llamas, a black bear, some birds, and a bunch of deer. The prairie dogs, of which there are many, are a highlight - check out the bad boy in the picture. As you might guess from that image, there are grain dispensers throughout the zoo that accept quarters. The bear seems like a nice guy, but the goat wasn't accepting visitors when I tried to stop by. There's a little snack bar on one side of the zoo. The habitats are OK - unlike many, these don't make me overly sad. It's a nice place to visit, but you don't need to spend more than 15-20 minutes here because there's really not all that much to see.

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I love this little zoo. The animals seem content. Very walkable zoo. Friendly people. I've been here twice when visiting Wisconsin.

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Henry Vilas Park Zoo - Children's Zoo

Henry Vilas Park Zoo

4.4(264 reviews)
33.4 mi•Vilas

I think my last review was 9 years ago, when I came with some of my adult family. Fast forward to…read morebringing a three-year-old this month and it was the same lovely experience with even more fun activities. My kiddo and her friends were in awe of the animals, most were out and about. The encloses are large and you're able to get (safely) close to the animals for fantastic views. It's hard to believe the zoo is free, so definitely worth it to spend a tiny bit more to go on the little train and carousel with whoever you're going with for thr cause! Lots of shaded benches for taking a break and really detailed information at each enclosure about not just that type of animal in general, but the ones loving there. There are plenty of areas for photo opps. Very up-to-date bathrooms with a ton of stalls/sinks to keep the lines little to none. If you've got kids and need a second for them to get the wiggles out in a fenced area, there is a giant 3-story jungle gym to enjoy. Not huge but reasonable amount of parking. We'll keep coming back, such am amazing day!

One of approximately 43 zoos and aquariums that don't charge admission in the U.S., the Henry Vilas…read moreZoo is part of the bigger Vilas Park in Madison, WI, and was a great quick stop for my wife and daughter (during her toddler years) when growing up in Madison. The park land was gifted in 1904 by Sen. William Vilas, naming the park for his son. One of the conditions of the grant was to maintain public access to the park without admission charges. The zoo opened in 1911, with the City of Madison getting ownership in 1937. In 1983, the ownership was gradually handed over to Dane County. There was a non-profit fund raising arm for the zoo (Henry Vilas Zoological Society), but that relationship ceased in 2019 with a dispute with no distinct replacement. Thus, operational costs are borne by the county government for now (with a small endowment). An important ongoing goal is to maintain accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for operational excellence. It was a hot weekday, so the zoo was pretty empty (of both visitors and animals), and none of the snack/food areas were open. The American Flamingo exhibit was a colorful stop, and the Aviary building was a good place to observe parrots and bats, along with aquariums.

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Henry Vilas Park Zoo
Henry Vilas Park Zoo - Ring tailed lemur

Ring tailed lemur

Henry Vilas Park Zoo

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Timbavati Wildlife Park - The only animal that should be in a zoo -- a Statue of a frog!!!

Timbavati Wildlife Park

3.0(191 reviews)
10.4 mi

We visited Timbavati in late summer of 2026 with our family…read more On a scale of Tiger King to your local Metropolitan Zoological Society, I would say this ranks somewhere in the middle. The property was definitely larger than I was expecting and a lot of the exhibits exceeded the very low expectations I had set for them based on the curb appeal of the Park. I genuinely thought what I was looking at was out of business based on our first few passes by in the car. Worth a trip if you have some kids or animal fans in the travel party. There were several interactive exhibits for better or worse, some of which had an additional cost and some did not. We did not need any food or drink while we were visiting but I noticed multiple options and good amount of space to sit and enjoy. Tip - entrance was covered for us due to the package we purchased with our stay at Kalahari so be on the lookout for that!

Neat zoo located within the Wisconsin Dells…read more Some of my favorite exhibits there were the white tiger and penguin habitat. The baby animal building was also very cute. The red panda was unfortunately not out much and the glass was too reflective to see it well. Admission is a bit high for the size of the zoo, but they have deal days (ex free for Father's on Father's Day). There's several paid attractions like a zoo train, camel rides and animal encounters. They also have some good discount coupons for nearby attractions in the rack outside the gift shop.

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Timbavati Wildlife Park - Feeding the giraffes

Feeding the giraffes

Timbavati Wildlife Park - Sloths

Sloths

Timbavati Wildlife Park

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International Crane Foundation

International Crane Foundation

4.9(32 reviews)
5.2 mi

We are so lucky to have the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin. Home to the most amount of…read morecrane species in the world! The park is accessible to all with wide, cement pathways. For those wanting to go on trails, they also offer loops off their paths. There are a few covered areas for viewing the cranes and lots of areas to sit and observe the cranes. Admission is $12 or you could buy an annual pass. They have a video you can watch first about their work prior to checking out the cranes. This is a great place to spend a morning, afternoon or even the whole day.

What I can say about this place is that if you're a fan of endangered species you would definitely…read morelike checking out the Crane Foundation. It's not exactly like a zoo either but it does have all the crane species here and the experiences feel up close and personal. Me and my wife came here to experience this place since this is kind of part of our Wisconsin Dells visit. The admission fee is fair for what you purchase. What I like about this place compared to your typical Zoo is that it's not full of people at all. There's limited parking and a money goes towards helping the cranes and helping their population grow. There's a lot to learn about the rich history of this species also there are plenty of short Trails too there's not any concession stands for food here at all which isn't a big deal at all either it's not a place that you need to check on every exhibit it's probably a hour hour to a hour and a half visit typically. They even have a little movie theater and a gift shop as well. The bathrooms are also very clean this place is a unique find so give this place a visit if you have the time

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International Crane Foundation
International Crane Foundation
International Crane Foundation

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Ochsner Park & Zoo - zoos - Updated October 2026

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