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

Awful renovation No wildlife to see here anymore. What use to be a great place to visit with…read morekids is no more. Woods eliminated lake looks like a small pond now. No Crains outside. Nothing indide the large new building now except a class room Fake displays with recordings. Viewing windows for possible animal treatment if you get lucky to see something going on. Tree elimination seems to be the name of the game with DuPage County Forest preserve. I would say this was a huge waste of tax funds and negative progress

Good place to explore with children in Aurora. It turns out to be a bigger place than it looks…read more Phillips Park Zoo is the highlight of this big public park and one of the best things about the city as well. Best thing is there's no admission price. This makes it even more worth it for looking around once, and you can come back as often as you want if planning to come more times. Even though it's kind of small, it feels there's a lot inside and you can be here awhile. It's got an interesting history. The beginnings of the zoo started when it was established in 1915, and a birdhouse was built the next year. Over the following few years the animal collection grew. There were birds, black bears, buffalo, deer, elk, foxes, monkeys, and wolves. In 1933 the birdhouse was destroyed in a hailstorm, and the following year the Brookfield Zoo opened. They chose to refocus on native animals after this. A few years after this, mastodon bones and tusks were found in the park. These were put on display in the zoo. In 1950 a barn was built. The following years included the addition of a water wheel. Farm animals such as goats, as well as birds like swans have their exhibits around these. The more recent additions include cougars, as well as improvements to exhibits for reptiles and wolves. Also the zoo has a few resources for education. The ZooCiety has various activities and programs. Have to say it's a good zoo for the city. It's located in the middle of the park. This is particularly a good one for young children, but it's open for everyone, so it's also okay for adults or whoever.

If you're visiting Aurora when it's nicer weather, this is worth checking out. It's been a min…read moresince I was last here but I wanted to share some pictures and add another positive review. Admission is free. Parking is free and has more than adequate space available. The zoo is closed on Wednesdays. During the summer months, the hours are extended until 5 pm. Fall-Spring, the zoo is closed at 4 pm. Besides the zoo, they have a visitor center, sunken garden, veterans waterfall, etc. Inside the visitor center, they have mastodon bones along with information to read. They also have bathrooms that are clean and well kept.

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!

We took our son here for his first trip to the zoo during the week and boy was it crowded. It was…read moresuper hot and all of the indoor exhibits were super muggy I'm sure to remain temperament for the animals but it left for little places to go to break up the insane heat. The bathrooms were cleaner than most so we were super grateful for that! We loved that there were so many animals actually in their exhibits unlike other zoos we've been to. The animals were actually rolling around and running around playing so my son loved seeing them. The food is super expensive, and any souvenirs were even crazier. We wanted ice cream but various places had their machines not working, for the amount of kids and the heat it was a let down but we appreciated the zoo for being so clean and shady. Parking is $17 in the north lot and $20 in the south. There were tons of busses but still ample parking. Overall a great visit. Be sure to check your local libraries for museum and zoo passes!

Great Customer Service. The animals are well taken care of and we will definitely be booking again!read more

Had my 4 year old nieces party S brought baby goats baby sheep, chicken, bunny and little cow,…read moreamazing day such beautiful animals , very best experience higher recommend

For a free zoo, this one is surprisingly super nice! It's inside a large park in north downtown…read moreChicago, and you can quite literally just walk in. They have several large exhibits with animals including polar bears, penguins, various types of monkeys and apes, a reptile house, zebra/horse exhibit, bird enclosure, etc. It's really quite big -- even though I was walking pretty fast since I came late (4p, it closes at 5p) it took me the entire hour to walk through the whole place. And that excludes the indoor ape and bird exhibits, since those were already closed for the day! I still felt like I saw a lot, and there were a lot of families with kids etc. who'd clearly made a whole day out of it. I think that's a great idea since there are areas they can run and play while learning about animals etc. They also have a cafe that was already closed when I came but it's nice to have the option to get something if you're spending a lot of time here. Overall if you're in Chicago and have some free time/want to do something that's free, this is a great option to get some steps in and be in a nice park/see the animals!

The Lincoln Park Zoo is fantastic for being a FREE zoo! While I think there are a few more superior…read morefree zoos in the USA (like the St. Louis Zoo and the Smithsonian Zoo), the Lincoln Park Zoo still is a true gift for the Chicago community. I have a few quibbles I need to mention to explain why this is a 4 star Zoo, but overall, my boyfriend and I spent a wonderful 4 hours here in June 2026, despite it being a VERY busy and crowded visit. We both aren't massive fans of birds and generally zip through bird exhibits at zoos, but we were very impressed by the bird exhibits at the Lincoln Park zoo! The big central space is a great use of land and we think the organization and layout of the zoo are quite good. And of course, I fell in love with nearly every animal in the zoo! I could have stared at the chimpanzee exhibit all day in particular. Now for a few not-so-great things I noticed. Sadly, both times I used the bathroom at the zoo, they were dirty and stinky and messy. Also, we saw only like 5 caretakers the entire 4 hours we were there. And of course, the food and drink options are varied but everything is crazy expensive! So remember to pack your own food and drinks. We spent $20 on two generic chicago style hot dogs at one of the stands. That's wild, pun intended!

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!

Just visited their fall pumpkin patch and had a great time! It's free to enter but the children's…read morezoo is paid. There was a great selection of cute fall decor items and giant pumpkins plus mini gourds. They also had the fullest mums I have seen all year- gorgeous!! The fall treats were delish. We indulged in the apple cider slushie and donuts. There is also a section set up with several cute photo opportunities, it was a lot of fun for a fall activity! We spent a little over an hour but I'll be going back again in a few weeks!

AUTUMN INDECISION I…read morewant to like Johansen Farms, but the cynical part of me sees through their charade. To me, dunking on a small business is usually 'no bueno', but after two visits to Johansen's fall petting zoo I find myself wondering "THIS is what we paid for??" Very few things are truly free these days, and I get that, but admission to Johansen's does not fall in the realm of good value. Located along Boughton Rd in Bolingbrook, Johansen's is open during the spring/summer as a nursery and farm (April-July), during autumn as a pumpkin patch, and briefly in the winter to sell Christmas trees. On busy weekends in October, police have a lane blocked off to shepherd traffic in & out of the parking lot. On that note, parking is free, thankfully, as is walking around their pumpkin patch. I saw a review from 2017 - a mere seven years ago - that mentions admission was $13.50. It's nearly doubled since that time! $23 allows you to feed the goats, enjoy a small corn maze, hayride, a "train" (actually just a bumpy trailer pull with tiny, uncomfortable carriages), and rinky-dink mini golf. Kids have to be 42" to bounce on the myriad inflatables, however, anyone over 2yo is full price. How many 2-4 year olds have you met that are 42" tall?? Apart from Kareem Abdul Jabbar's kids, how about NONE. I'm sure Johansen's knows this, so they're screwing plenty of people with this sneaky little exploit. The pumpkin patch is nice; we found an orange specimen that was a solid 9/10, with everyone in my group agreeing it was the roundest and most picturesque gourd they'd seen in a long time. Apple cider donuts are decent and you can buy hot cider at their bake shop counter. * TL;DR * Johansen's fall festivities are cute, though you get shockingly little for the money. You'll have to pay full price for your 3-year-old, but due to height restrictions on their bouncy houses, they won't be able to go in. Adults aren't allowed on inflatables, ditto for the ponies. In fact, grown-ups will spend most of their time standing around, which I can do for free at home (or literally anywhere else). Oh, but don't despair, as you can join their fanclub for a whopping $1 off general admission! *sprays confetti* gee, thanks guys! My wife likes them because they're local, but sorry honey, I'm done-zo with Johansen's. We'll take our annual (free) picture on the hay bales, but if it's my money we're spending, next year we're making the trip to Bengtson's.

Colin came to our mosque this past weekend. We had the show outdoors and it was such a hit! He kept…read morethe kids engaged and it's very interactive. Also, his price seems pretty fair. Would highly recommend.

We had an amazing experience with Crosstown Exotics! Mike came to our high school class that works…read morewith preschoolers, and he was absolutely fantastic with both our little and big kids. He was incredibly educational while also being funny and engaging, which kept everyone interested the entire time. The kids loved getting to see and learn about the animals up close, and you could tell Mike is truly passionate about what he does. It was such a unique and memorable experience for our class. Everyone had a great time, and we're already looking forward to having him back next year. Highly recommend!