Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) Reviews

Clean, quiet walk with animals. Great for kids, indoor restrooms and kids play area when gross out. They have been redoing many parts of the zoo so it's very nice.

You can get right up next to almost every animal, I loved it. Definitely more than expected for a free zoo

Great zoo different animals and they are kept really well and fed really well too.

Fun place to go, very clean. I like the atmosphere and its almost never incredibly packed. Very child friendly and not too many vendors asking for your money.

Night out at the Zoo was the bomb, I had a great time.

It was a short visit but it was a great day! We all had a good time!

The best place to spend a sunday with the family. The animals and their cages seem in pretty good condition and the staff is pretty kind and friendly.

Good for a free zoo. Make sure you look for the hidden cats not on the maps - snow leopard, lynx, puma, etc.

One of our favorite places to go even in the cold there is so much to do!
Our grandsons love so many of the exhibits! Also enjoyed Fall Fest and Zoo Lights! Thanks for all you do for the community!

I went on a very warm February day and no big animals were out. Disappointed but the zoo looked nice.

Free Zoo in Chicago's downtown, great place to visit. Very well kept grounds.

Kids had fun plus FREE please make a small donation the animals need food too to survive.

Lots of exhibits for all variety of animals. The free entrance makes a place to visit. Don't drive there and take the el and the CTA and enjoy the stroll in the park.

Unique Zoo embedded in a park. No entrance charge the day we went. Activities for kids, ferris wheel, corn maze, 5D ride, etc.

This Zoo it s wonderful nice staff and very big and organized. And the special thing about it it s free. But you will have difficulty finding a parking..

A wonderful zoo that is free to the public! Remember to go see the gibbons!

Take public transportation and have minimal stress at this free to experience zoo!

The zoo is free but parking isn't very beautiful and bathrooms weren't too bad. Everyone was very friendly.

This is a wonderful zoo! I love that it is free but has not been skimped on at all.

Beautiful zoo small has many animals free to the public

Beautiful, free of charge and well maintained zoo in the city of Chicago. A good place to spend a day especially with kids since there is a huge variety of animals, birds and reptiles. It also has some very good spots for special occasion photography. Zoo lights are worth a visit in December.

Love the light displays and food and beverage options during the Zoolights.

A lot of renovations underway. Very excited for the lions. The polar bear looks happier. Awaiting what they do with this chicago gem.

One of the best hangout places in the city for kids and parents. My kid loves it. And it s free. Donate if you like it like us.
Monkeys, Rhinos, Polar bears, Zebras, Penguins, Reptiles, Camels, Llamas, Kangaroos, Flamingos, Gorillas, Ostriches, Deer, Wolves, Bears, African Painted Dogs, Crocs, Hippos, etc.

One of the most fantastic zoos in the country. Lincoln Park Zoo has something for everybody! Lots of science-based exhibits to learn and expand knowledge. They also have excellent Food Service during the summer. I love the cafe stop above their main gift shop by the main entry excellent salads and you can even get a alcoholic libation there if you so choose. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because there is lots of walking. But I also appreciate that this dude has plenty of places to sit down and rest and take it all in. Lincoln Park Zoo gets 5 stars from me!

What a treat to enjoy this clean, family friendly zoo

Really good place for kids, it is free, zoo is having great exhibitions

It's free! Plus, free parking! Great place to spend a few hours. Needs some updating, but they have quite a few animals to look at. There's also a great gift shop and farm area.

Place was packed to the gills and parking was a nightmare and expensive

Beautiful and free. Great location and wonderful staff.

Simply the best....Bring your kids & granny too! ...And it's free! Some areas closed due to construction but that only means it will be even better next time. Elegantly lovely gift shop with something for every taste and budget.
There even is a farm zoo next door.

The Christmas lights experience at the zoo was awesome! If you have the season spirit you will enjoy it!

The zoo is fun and free all year round. If you want to go inside any of the houses to see animals such as reptiles and monkeys, I'd recommend getting there no later than two hours before closing time.

Outdoor exhibits are available for you to walk through after the posted closing time since no tickets are needed.

If you want to see the polar bears, be sure to look up when their feeding time is. They like to hide, especially in warmer weather since they get overheated easily.

I always enjoy coming here. come here to see the zoo lights. They are always amazing. Always feels nice to come here because you see so many animals. Some gorillas are funny to watch. I would recommend to come here by public transportation to avoid parking fees.

Lots of animals, amazing city views, beautiful flowers and it's all FREE! A must-see in Chicago!

The Lincoln Park zoo is the quintessential inner city zoo. The zoo is beautiful, very open and a great place for families and individuals to come and enjoy a little nature and see some animals. It is free, but I always drop money in a collection container because you should support the things you enjoy.

Wonderful evening after hours adult pumpkin event.
Lincoln Park Zoo is such a gift to the neighborhood!

Zoo light are always fantastic. Enjoyed this year. Less people. We really enjoyed smore and fire event. Long wait for that but worth it. Really liked the 3d glasses.

My friend and I unexpectedly visited this zoo and it was remarkable. Couldn't believe it was free, the souvenir shop was pretty cheaper than other places, there were decent amount of animals! Seals, bear, wolf, .... So glad that we visited. The most impressive part was the scenery and landscape gardening. The landscape with flamingo was.. just so pretty. I highly recommend to visit with family / children.

This is a really nice zoo (free!), and they have been working really hard to update in recent years, which has continued to improve it. One downside is parking if you are driving. It's either pretty pricey or you have to fight for one of the free street spots (which can take awhile and be a bit frustrating).

Still, the zoo is clean and easy to navigate, ensuring a pleasant experience.

Also, in the winter, the lights are a blast to see alongside the animals.

What an amazing, donation-based zoo. Overheard a guest saying "This is one of the best zoos I've ever been to!" and I agree. It's very well-done. Loved seeing the animals looking quite content in their sunny, sufficiently large enclosures.

Noy many animals really dirty none to ask anything otherwise it's a beautiful zoo also parking 2xpensive

The zoo is beautifully landscaped & the boardwalk is pleasant. It's neat that the zoo is free so that families from all sorts of income levels can come & see the wildlife - this also means it can be extremely crowded when the weather is nicer & tourist season is upon us. It can still become an expensive day if you have to pay for parking, decide to eat there, and splurge on extras like carousel rides & souvenirs.
The thing I like least about this zoo is how small most of the enclosures are - it's kind of depressing. While it means you get a fairly up close view of the animals it can't be ideal for their well being.

Good place for education for kids there is a small area only for livestock.

One of the last great FREE zoos in the US. After you take in the sights here, walk around the neighborhood or head over to the lake.

After San Diego, this is my favorite zoo. Casual and easy to navigate, great for kids.

great family trip. A lot to see and mu kids enjoyed it.

Great zoo that seems very well managed,. I was shocked that it was free of charge. Highly recommend

I've visited the LPZ in the winter time after sunset so I wasn't expecting to have much to experience, however, I was wrong. It's beautiful in the winter nights too, at least it was during January first week, with beautiful light sculptures all over the zoo. It was a splendid experience, minus the animals. Although I did get to see a few that were inside the building.

Considering this is a free zoo, my husband and I were very impressed! It is very well kept and the employee s we're great! We especially loved the monkeys

This is my all time favorite place in Chicago. I love the layout and the fact that it's free. They have a ton of activities here. There are summer and winter animals so you'll see animals any time of the year you go. Be sure to leave a donation as this entire zoo runs solely on donations.

One of the best time pass places with wildlife and beautiful nature with Chicago Skyline as backdrop . Best place for kids

Best time ever, this Zoo is definitely world class...
Pete and Veronica were fantastic, the two volunteers are full of knowledge and very helpful. Thanks for all your help.

Wow. What a great zoo. Whisks you away from the hustle of a busy concrete city and into the arms of nature.

You really can't complain when it's a FREE zoo. My family enjoyed the exhibits and its location was nice since it's only a mile from the beach.

Great place to visit kids and adults alike would like this zoo and it's free. The staff is friendly and it's very clean.

I absolutely appreciate you all. Thanks so much for the wonderful #ZooLights #LincolnParkZoo #Chicago #Illinois #TheBest #HappyNewYears from Ms. Diandra @ #DsDreamieDessertsandEvents

Free zoo. Nice enclosures and displays. Animals were very active. Restrooms were clean.

I love this place!! Has allot to do while there with a great sovereign shop. My daughter loves this Zoo as well. She also loves the petting zoo as well!!

I like the place the animals there are the best, if you want to a good seal show

A nice variety of animals. The animals seem fairly active around midday and were easy to observe. Parking on the street is difficult to find, there is a paid parking area, but it starts at $17.

Zoolights is a wonderful visit but super crowded. What do u expect for free

It was fun there! there is lots of sights and animals to see! You should try going the week before Christmas! They have amazing zoolights!

A Chicago jewel. Free world class zoo is open all year long. Go early in the morning for the best chance to see animals being active. Daily enrichment activities for animals allow up close looks at polar bears, apes and seals. Be sure to ask the staff what is happening that day!

They are doing a great job with trying to keep folks spread out. It would help if people could follow arrows. Pretty sure everyone knows what an arrow is. All in all a good trip.

I had forgotten what a great place Lincoln Park Zoo is. My girlfriend and I took our kids there for the day and I can honestly say they weren't bird for a single moment.

Great place to visit with the kids. Best part it's free! They have lions that come out and play. (Not close to people lol) the seal show is pretty cool. Overall it's amazing to have something free for visitors

We had a great time, the ice carving was amazingly beautiful. The lights were so bright & beautiful the family wants
to return again for some more fun!

Free for all which was really neat for tourists! All the animals are normally visible so they have a good set up for all of the pens.

Best free local zoo ever!! Also check out the Arboretum next door!

For a free Zoo, it was awesome!! Well kept, and some cool exhibits.

A favorite FREE thing to do in Chicago! Lincoln Park zoo is the best! It started snowing when we were there but it was still fun! All the buildings are heated so we kept nice and warm. Of course the beer garden wasn't open! The gift shop has tons of great souvenirs and really great sales!

Nice way to spend the day. All the animals cages are really small. Plus side is you can see them up close but I felt bad for the animals.

A Positive was that although all primate exhibits were closed, there was still plenty to see. A negative was that available restrooms were limited. We walked the entire zoo twice and on both instances noticed that the only restroom open was located new the Clark Ave. entrance.