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Phillips Park Zoo

4.3 (103 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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Sheilisa D.

My first time attending and it was a great experience. We took the trolley around the park for the first 30 minutes. It was very nice and relaxing. You can tell they take great care of the landscaping and animals. The zoo is free which is a bonus! They have beautiful birds, cattle and reptiles. If you have kids there's even a splash pad near the front for them to enjoy!

Angie M.

It's always a great time at Phillips Park. The animals that you see it depends a lot on weather on what you can see that day. Check out the visitors center to learn about the history of phillips Park. Also, the reptile house is super cool to see, although we do miss the alligators that they used to have there. Check out the splash pad, sunken garden or the playgrounds. Ride the tram around also, so much fun to be had.

Timber Wolf
Caryl H.

This was the only 4-legged animal we saw today. We saw about 4 white turkeys and a brown one, a bald eagle, some hawks , a beautiful macaw and that's about it. The paths to the baboon was closed off as was the one to the amphibians. Very disappointing. I was here pre-covid and it had many more animals. I don't know the reason for what's happening now, but my grands and I were very disappointed.

Tortoise
Dave C.

This small zoo is a surprise in Aurora, dating back over 100 years It only takes about 30 minutes to see everything if you're on your own, probably an hour with small children. Easy for small children to navigate. They have elk, bald eagles, a turkey vulture, an owl, a handful of reptiles, a wolf, a cougar, tortoise, alpacas, goats, a red-tailed hawk and peacocks. There's also an indoor section near the front featuring Mastodon fossils found when the park was created. It continues to be upgraded and is well-maintained - and FREE to the public.

Alligator's
Brittany E.

It's FREE!!! This is a great activity for kids especially if you live in the area. My kids had a great time and it was nice not to have to fight a crowd to actually see the animals. We will definitely be back!

Puma
Orest S.

This is a great zoo, free of charge. Also there's a nice park around it. Definitely recommended.

Sandy K.

Love rolling through the light show each year. One of the best in the area. Takes donations but no fee to enter. Keep up the great work Rotary Club.

My favorite! Byrnes Python
Very H.

Phillips Park Zoo is a modest wildlife park that is a perfect outing for the kiddo's or a date out with your partner. They have a small reptile house with two alligators, turtles, frogs, snakes and a beautiful enormous Byrnes Python. My favorite! They house birds of pray that have been injured and are not able to be released; from Eagles, to owls and various hawks. They have two beautiful white wolves and a few other amazing animals to watch. It's a small park so you can do a lap for a second or third time. There's also a park next door for a picnic and a visitors center. This park is FREE to enter; however, you can easily give a donation through their website to support the animals in their care.

Mastadon skull
Shannon M.

This mini zoo is an interesting novelty in Aurora, hearkening back to an older time (founded in 1915) and nice if you don't want to haul it all the way to Brookfield or Lincoln Park. You won't really see lions, tigers and bears: the highlights were things like the peacocks (which you can hear screaming from all over the property!), elk, river otter, bald eagles, wolves, alpacas, and reptile house. I feel bad for some of the animals which seemed to have rather small spaces. Be sure to check out the Mastadon gallery featuring fossils found when they created this park (also a penny smashing machine in this building!) There's a lovely sunken garden and a big shady picnic area too. Best of all, it's free! A nice little half day adventure in Aurora.

Picnic tables out front
Sarah S.

Phillips Park Zoo was the last of the Chicagoland free zoos that I wanted to hit up and finally got the chance a few weeks ago. I have mixed feelings on everything at Phillips Park Zoo. Some animals I felt had completely adequate habitats and plenty of space, whereas others I felt needed a bit more in their living arrangements. Upon first arriving at Phillips Park Zoo, I wasn't quite sure where to go. I was one of just two cars in a parking lot so didn't know if I was in the right place or not. The zoo is a bit out of the way and you have to just start walking through the grass & picnic tables to hit the entrance. There are a ton of picnic tables and I imagine it could be a nice place to pack a lunch for. The zoo is open 9am to 5pm each day with free admission. . A beautiful mute swan was the first animal I encountered at the zoo. This was one of the animals I felt needed some more space. Also, it's swimming area was a child's pool. I took a photograph but I felt so sad for this gorgeous creature. I go to nature preserves and see these beauties swim in pairs on ponds to themselves and just felt sad that his space to float around was a plastic kiddie pool. Other animals I saw seemed completely content - peacocks, adorable river otters, different kinds of chickens, bald eagles, hawks, owls, tortoises, iguanas, snakes, crocodiles & other lizards and truly magnificent gray wolves. My favorite little guys of the zoo were the river otters. They seemed the most happy in their little pair. They were playing in their area, chasing each other through the water and laid our sunbathing in the shine. Overall, I liked this zoo but didn't love it as much as the Cosley Zoo. I don't think I'll venture there again unless I happen to be in the area.

Entrance
Misty S.

There's a zoo in Aurora? I had no idea until I googled "Things to do in Aurora" and saw it listed in the search results. It's free and open daily year round 9a-5p! There's a Reptile House that is open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm daily. There's a nice garden as you walk towards the entrance of the zoo filled with flowers and statues. The first few exhibits are the peacocks, sea otter and bald eagles. Unfortunately, there were no sea otters in the exhibit when I was there. Other animals in the zoo includes Red Tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owls, Barred Owl, Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Gray Wolves, Mountain Lions, Elk herd, Turkeys, and a Muted Swan. The mountain lion was paces back and forth in the cage for a while before retiring to lay on one of the roof tops looking forlorn. I didn't really get to see the swan because it was sitting under the deck out of sight. The reptile house is nice and warm and has 2 huge alligators in it. They were just sitting there in their cage like statues. I didn't see them move once. All along the walls are various frogs, snakes, an iguana and turtles. There are no food/beverage vendors and they have portable bathrooms.

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3 years ago

Kinda a quiet place to take family or just to walk and relax around the day.good place for kids.

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4 years ago

A nice small free zoo! Plenty of places for kids to play and explore. Don't forget to make a small donation to support the animals

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5 years ago

Clean, organized and well kept zoo! Family friendly, and there's plenty of parking as well. I love it

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Ask the Community - Phillips Park Zoo

Is there an entrance fee or a membership pass? I have tried looking on the website and can't find it.

It's completely free. The reptile house has a donation box though.

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Review Highlights - Phillips Park Zoo

Also, the reptile house is super cool to see, although we do miss the alligators that they used to have there.

Mentioned in 18 reviews

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Phillips Park Zoo - zoos - Updated May 2026

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