Brookfield Zoo

Chicago Illinois

#106 Among Things To Do in Chicago

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Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Overview

Brookfield Zoo or the Chicago Zoological Park is home to over 450 species and sees around two million guests every year. It is spread across 216-acres and is managed by the Chicago Zoological Society. The zoo has around 20 exhibits and it organizes various community and corporate events as well as family play programs. Some of the animals in the zoo are Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic walrus, African lions, Snow leopards, and many more.

Brookfield Zoo is situated in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It opened in 1934 to the public and was the first in America to have giant pandas. In 1980s, it became that time’s largest indoor zoo exhibit in the world. It is dedicated to provide immersive experience to the visitors while ensuring animal care and safety. The zoo offers membership programs and has some free visit days too. Visitors can also pre-book special experiences like feeding a giraffe, penguin encounters, tree trim, or some seasonal events. It also has a dining and shopping area to unwind and collect souvenirs.

Must Know Before You Visit Brookfield Zoo

Address : 8400 W 31st St, Brookfield, IL 60513

Timings : 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Daily

Entry Fee : Adults: USD 24.95
Seniors 65 and over: USD 19.95
Children 3 to 11: USD 17.95
Free Admission: Each Tuesday and Thursday in November, every Monday and Tuesday in December through 12/22.
Free admission for military personnel. ID needed.

Membership : Available

Parking : Cook County parking tax & Illinois Parking Excise Tax included.

For North Gate : Cars: USD 15.00
Buses: USD 21.00
Members: Free

For South Gate: : Cars: USD 15.00
Buses: USD 21.00
Members: USD 5.00

Brookfield Zoo Highlights

1. Hamill Family Play Zoo

Hamill Family Play Zoo is designed to educate kids about the animals by making it a fun learning experience for them. This exhibit houses Cockatiel, Domestic Rabbit, and Ring-tailed Lemur. The kids ca (Read More)n help build homes to these animals, track animal prints, and get close to them to have a sensory experience.

2. Big Cats

As is evident from the name, this exhibit at Brookfield Zoo is habitat to some of the biggest cats roaming the lands. It consists of the African Lion, Amur Leopard, Amur Tiger, and Snow Leopard. This (Read More)outdoor exhibit also consists of a stream to provide natural environment to these dangerous yet beautiful animals.

3. Tropic World

Tropic World was added to the zoo in 1980 and it became famous worldwide for the first fully indoor rain forest simulation. This exhibit houses the primate from across three continents. Asian small-cl (Read More)awed otters, orangutans, and white-cheeked gibbons represent the Asia. Then South American inhabitants are the black-handed spider monkeys, callimico, and cotton top tamarins, while colobus monkey and Western Lowland Gorilla are part of the African region.

4. Habitat Africa The Savannah

This part of the zoo takes the visitors to the lands of the Savannah and all the efforts have been put in to replicate the original environment. It is home to the Reticulated giraffes, African painted (Read More) dogs, Red River Hog, and the skillful klipspringer. It is in this exhibit that the visitors can experience feeding the giraffes in the summer, which, however, needs to be pre-booked.

5. Habitat Africa! The Forest

This exhibit is an extension of the African animals. This forest setup is a habitat to the beautiful Okapi, which is similar to a giraffe, and to the White-bellied pangolin. The visit to this exhibit (Read More)demands alertness and patience as it is easy to miss the inhabitants in their natural environment where they thrive to the fullest.

6. Hoofed Animals

This walk way in the Brookfield Zoo comprises of the pad-foots of the animal kingdom. The two-humped Bactrian camel, Przewalski's Horse, Addax, and Grevy’s Zebra can be seen strolling through th (Read More)is section. It is noteworthy that many adults too can distinguish and addax from an antelope and the zoo caretakers and staff guides one through such information and hence keeps the visit interactive.