Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) Reviews

Not a lot of things to see. . Covid's got the best of us :(

So here's the deal, it's a small zoo but there are two in this city. With that being said, for being small, they have a wonderful selection of animals, many of them quite rare. It's free, one of only a handful in the US. It's easy to access by public transportation and centrally located downtown. It's clean and has reasonable prices for items inside the park.

Free Zoo? Yup if is Free is for me this was an awesome experience while in Chicago must go if yoir in town.

What a wonderful way to spend some time with your kids and get some exercise. Beautiful exhibits, plenty to learn, and tons of fun!

Loved it! The zoo itself is great and all of the animals are fascinating. But what truly stands out are the zoo lights during the winter season. A crazy amount of work is put into this place and somehow it is still free!

If you want to see the animals this is a great place year round, but the lights are truly a unique experience that you can get nowhere else!

Free entry. Great enclosures. Friendly staff. All around winderful experience.

Great free zoo with many different areas. The new penguin and polar bear exhibit is very good

Great place! Comfortable, clean and all the animals beautiful.

Very disappointed! Brought our 4yr old granddaughter and there wasn't a whole lot of animal's for her to see. We felt this was ridiculous considering its summer time when the kids are out of school and parents bring them to the Zoo. To see signs that said "These animals have been moved to another Zoo while we renovate" my daughter went twice last year and the same signs were there. No renovation is or has taken place. If money is an issue then maybe you should consider charging a small fee to get in, like most other Zoo's. The grounds an flowers were beautiful though. We won't be going back

A great zoo with a strong conservation focus and since it's free and based on grants and donations they do a fantastic job! A huge collection of animals to see.
It's always sad to see animals in captivity but they have many that are near extinction and are helping to repopulate

This is a great place to come often-- for short little visits, just to reset the mindset... and relax. If you have extra time, take a paddleboat ride and picnic near the swans. Even though it's free admission, buy something or make a little donation to help support the zoo.

Great place, but the children's zoo costs extra - too much for too little

Really nice, well landscaped, nice exhibits they've updated, good variety

Funding must be low. A lot of exhibits were out, maybe that time of year. Didn't cost anything to get in. What was on display was educational and appreciated.

This is a go-to for me each summer. It is always clean, welcoming, and affordable to a day of fun!

What a beautiful place! And the price is certainly right.

Excellent design and can't believe it's free. A great way to spend a free day.

Keyword: FREE!! I can t complain about something that is free. But seriously, it was such a great time and I got to see animals that I have never seen in real life such a Black Bear, a Rhino, a Polar Bear, Camels!!! And so much more. I was just so excited! Thank you Chicago for having a free zoo. :)

Very nice place to walk through. It is a very open area and the overall environment is beautiful. The fact that it is free for all visitors makes it a key place to visit if you are a tourist in Chicago or just going for a walk.

It's free to the public and clam and relaxing walk.

Great place to see animals for free, although I suggest stopping by the gift shop and donating a little money to keep the place a float. Great time on our honeymoon thus far. Chicago keep it rolling.

This Zoo is amazing!!! Came from out of sate and was recommended by one of my client to see this zoo. I'm amazed how big this place is. Parking is pricey but worth it.

A big zoo, but you feel like nothing there. Not recommended

It's amazing how many lights there are. Just beautiful! Be sure to bundle up good because there is a lot to see.

I have always loved this zoo. I love the new exhibits and can't wait to see when they finish the new construction they're working on now. I wish we had a longer time there as we weren't able to see the whole soon, but that just means that we have to go back. Highly recommend! Yes, it's a free zoo, but it still has cool animals and exhibits.

It's free, big and beautiful, with nice bridges over little ponds with ducks. It has several warm Houses with animals, wich is super nice in colder months to still enjoy it. It has an indoor playground in front of the wolves, wich is super nice in colder months as well. The zoo has a seasonal fall festival, Christmas lights, and a lot of events! Most of them are free. The farm on the zoo is amazing as well and is full of free activities for kids 5 yr old and under such as pet the goats, feed the cows and chickens, sensory activities, sing along and dance, edible gardens... Etc. Zoo fan over here!

This zoo was absolutely gorgeous. It was clean, the employees were so friendly, and the animal habitats were amazing. If you are ever in Chicago, you must check this out!! It was such a great experience

The animals didn't care for the heat and humidity when I went, and I suppose they're not doing too great in captivity anyway. The polar bears weren't visible at all and there's no interior view on what was apparently a recently redesigned enclosure. It was a decent trip otherwise, except I missed my chance to get Dippin' Dots at the cafe.

Awesome experience even for seniors like my husband and I in our seventies.

There weren't many food options and the polar bear exhibit, while very cool, had one miniscule pile of snow where a machine dropped it to the ground. I find it depressing that imprisoning the poor creatures wasn't bad enough, as they added insult to injury for not even trying to give it a cooled, somewhat snowy habitat. The only snow in the pen was where a machine made it slowly and it fell beneath it to one small pile. There was literally none anywhere else at.

The place was clean and welcoming, though.

Zoo lights was the bomb! And the carousel was really fun.

Picture perfect day. I had idea it was free. Such a fun place to bring kids!

Wonderful place.. Gorgeous surroundings. It being free makes it even better.

This is way better than most paid zoos. Nice exhibits, lots of variety. Most animals seem content. Not too busy on the weekdays either.

This zoo is kids and famimy friendly. However, it is kind of boring for people looking for a better zoo experience.

Awesome experience. Sadly a lot of animals are off exhibit, or not visible. Very expansive, lots of walking.

Went for zoo lights which was amazing! Make sure to Uber.... As it's a "zoo" in the parking lot ;)

Beautiful zoo gorgeous light display. Parking is too expensive tho.

Totally free access and open all the year. Great place. The animals are healthy and fine!!

Extremely nice for a free, public zoo. The staff is very talkative and are eager to talk to us about the animals behavior. My wife and I travelled from Montreal and we would gladly recommend it to our friends, especially since this zoo is much closer to the Loop than Brookfield.

The sun came out and the big cats did too! Don't miss the otter in the children's portion of the main zoo.

A beautiful zoo. There is no admission fee aka free. The free parking is challenging however they also have paying parking lot.

I was bit disappointed because we didn't get to see more animals than what we saw. Maybe it will be better the next time.

You can't beat free. Go see Alexander Camilton. Lots of great reptiles if you're into that.

This beautiful free zoo is a wonderful place for individuals or families to relax and enjoy the natural settings and the animals. Not sure which are my favorites. Surrounding park is my go-to exercise route.

Very nice place! Free to get in! The chimpanzee and gorilla areas are tons of fun!

So awesome this zoo is free. It s amazing! Great to go with the family for a day out.

All kinds of animales, free parking and free entrances for everyone all year round.

Great place for all the family, went with my parents and sister and we had a a great time.

This is a great, free amenity for Chicago. Check out Zoo Lights, so cool.

The zoo lights were so cool my family and friends had alot of fun!!

Always free always a nice 1+2 hours with kids. Parking is expensive? Actually you can also find free parking in the neighborhood, if not on Cannon street, then just try go west side a little bit, like 10 minutes walking distance. 9 out of 10 times I found parking, even with yesterday crowds for air water show

Great zoo and it's free. What more is there to say.

Outside of parking there was no cost. My daughter who is super afraid of any animal, and I do mean any, had a blast. We went for the lights and the first animals she saw were the zebras and she fell in love. Next up she reluctantly entered the monkey habitat and after 5 seconds it was her favorite place. Even trumping the holiday lights.

For the short time we had she loved every second of it and wants to being her sister and mom back. We will definitely revisit soon.

My children and I had a blast at the zoo. it was very clean and plenty of things to do.

Besides for the animals, the scenery of the city is also beautiful!

I have been going here since I was a little girl and I love it just as much now as I did then.

Great zoo, at a price you can't beat! I have come here several times over 25 years and the zoo and neighborhood only get nicer and nicer. The gorillas of course are the main event and it's hard to get close to get a view. My 3 yo was more interested in the small animals and children's area. If you come early you can beat the crowds.
Zoo lights in the winter is also a lot of fun as long as it's not windy!

Can t beat the price! The zoo has such a wide variety of animals on display you will find something that interests you. Do consider dropping a few bucks in the donation box. Wish concessions were a bit lower.

One of the few free zoos in the country! Check out the Lincoln Park Conservatory while you're here to view the beautiful flowers and plants. The sea lions and snow leopards are always active so stop by to say hello! Parking is nearly impossible to find after 10 a.m. so plan on arriving early if you travel by car.

Nice place... u can get free parking on the street if you go little far from the zoo..

Great zoo! Lots of events here too - adults only, family, nighttime, you name it. Please support this zoo - one of the last free zoos in America.

Such a great little zoo on the shores of Lake Michigan. We were here just before Christmas to see their light display and carnival; it was a very delightful experience with lit up animals and decorated trees. If you're in the area and want to do a fun family activity to get in the mood - do yourself a favor and head to the Lincoln Park Zoo for their holiday fest!

Great place although most animals are gone or off exhibit.

Parking was pretty easy with ample spaces. The zoo was wondeful, information posted on each animal was great. My only real complaint was how lost you can get. Reading the map and navigating from it was actually pretty difficult. Thank goodness staff are so helpful.

Best deal around! Great zoo, and free parking on the street if you can find a spot.

It's a free zoo in a great location. There are lots of big ticket animals, like lions, tigers, and polar bears, though many of the animals are not always out. It's small, clean, and easy to navigate. Come here with my kids all the time.

Awesome exibits! Great interaction. Upkeep is super!

Small zoo, Brookfield is far better. But it is free...

I always have a great time with the family visiting the zoo

Love the free admission, nice grounds, but was DISTURBED by one of the cats, the snow leopard. Pacing back and forth and one side of his face was purple and red like it was bruised. Maybe due to trying to escape? Don't know. This is a very unhappy animal. His space is WAY too confined. WAY too many apes in a confined area, they look very unhappy. So all in all the visit depressed me I will not be back. This is sad animal abuse, where is the ethical care???

The food was great and there were light crowds so it was truly enjoyable. When the renovated lion enclosures get done then I'll give them 5 stars

It was nice, but it was a little light in the animal department...I know they are doing construction to bring the place up, but it was a tad disappointing...I still enjoyed it overall and it was beautiful weather out...Of course I'll be back and hopefully the construction will be over with...