Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) Reviews

Minus the animal cages being small it s a cool zoo. I would definitely recommend it to tourists or anyone with free time on the weekend. The landscape even boasts some incredible views of the city.

Perfectly managed , clean and full of fun. My daughter really enjoyed. Lights show was bonus. Definitely deserve a visit.

Wow, what a cool zoo and right in the heart of Chicago! Perfect for a day trip with the family or friends. It's not huge but you can spend the better part of the afternoon walking around and enjoying the wide selection of exhibits.

Free zoo. Hard to find free parking. But for $25 there plenty. Liked all the animals. Tiger was my favorite.

Haven't been to Lincoln Park zoo in years my daughter's class had a field trip to so I tagged along and it was really nice all the animals were up and about the children was very excited and really enjoyed themselves

Surprisingly good. Wish could see the lions. Which were relocated for weather conditions.

Great free zoo with a good amount of animals, just a bit too much kids.

This is zoo lights at Lincoln Park zoo it is a free event from December through January 4th I do believe. it is fun the animals are there so if you get to see them it is worth going we saw camel sleeping and lying and sleeping and then we went into the reptile house it was very nice and well done.

Great for a weekend morning walk on a beautiful day. Saw a feeding for the sea lions and other animals around 9 AM on a Saturday.

The place is pretty awesome! Never expected it to be soo cool.

Very awesome and exciting place. Great for avid animal or plant lovers. Amazing for camp or family visits. Free entry. Has many places to rest and eat. Overall, would reccomend to anyone looking for some exercise or anyone who wants to have a fun time enjoying nature.

A great place to take the kids for a day. Clean educational and free admittance.

We saw some sleeping monkeys, camels and seals. It was snowing and the Christmas lights were beautiful. Admission is free and the bus ride to the zoo was worth it. We will go back during our next visit in the warmer weather. I LOVED!

Great set-up! Exhibits are simple and clean with a good variety.

the monkeys are beautiful :-) lots of children tho, and the flamingos fought and it made me sad. those monkeys tho? those wonderful apes? :-)

this zoo is awesome and i can't believe its free! thank you for the great expiernece

We were here for the annual Zoo Light festival. It is has become a family tradition. We especially liked seeing the ice sculpting.

Large zoo, free to public. Clean, well kept areas and a surprisingly large area for the location.

Not as good as it was years ago. See 1 gorilla, see 1 seal, see 1 rhino. It use to be alot more and now pay $25.00 to park for 2 hours. More time? More money. Only good part is that it is free admission. Get what you pay for

Great place to walk around. Their holiday events are the bomb, whether it be the Halloween night events or their Christmas lights. The best thing about it is, its free! The only drawback is that many times you don't get to see a lot of animals.

This is place is great the animals don't feel so caged and I feel like you can get more up close then at Brookfield

Went to the zoo lights festival and it was beautiful! Kids and I both loved it!

Visited there during the Christmas holidays. The lights and decorations are outstanding. The ice sculptures are also awesome.

Best zoo in the area. Free entry reasonably priced parking.

For a free entrance zoo this is really well maintained. And you can see a variety of animals. We saw lions, reptiles, and a few rodents. That's all we had time for. But there are many others you can find. The gardens are beautiful and the atmosphere is really good. Better go there when the climate is right though. A day where its too hot or too cold you may not feel like being around since most of the attractions are in the open.

Great free city zoo, awesome to stroll through on the weekend or enjoy with the family. Check out their website for fun events during all seasons! Love the Christmas lights in the winter and the craft beer nights in the summer!

Free and great place to see the animals in the heart of Chicago. Gorgeous view of downtown skyline.

Zoo lights are always a blast crowds were not bad and everyone who works there is friendly.

A great thing to do when friends and family members are visiting because it is free. The light show in the winter is especially worthwhile.

A must see for anyone visiting the area. Pretty sure all of it is free.

Very good service, has many good options for lunch and dinner. The cheese curds are very delicious, and would recommend to everyone. Nice atmosphere, very cozy and casual.

This was a fantastic free zoo. Extremely clean with great enclosures for the animals. They had a really good variety of animals too. I wasn t expecting it to be such a nice zoo since it is free, but I was very surprised. My little guy loved the monkeys and the gorillas. If I ever find myself in Chicago again I will definitely go back.

If you want to have a fantastic evening go see the displays at this year's ZooLights.
You can walk under a full size dragon with red flames shooting out, tigers running, gingerbread men, penguins and many more, all done with lights of course.
You can stop and watch a Christmas display light up to music and also enjoy the animals who enjoy seeing you even in the Chicago winter.
Helpful tips, get there early before the lights come on, get something warm to drink and walk to the back of the zoo.
When the lights come on you can see them as you walk back towards the entrance.
This will put you in a smaller group of people in this direction because once the lights are on, the zoo fills up quickly.
Always check the weather for the day, hey, it's CHICAGO, you know.
The ice sculpture artists might not wear gloves while they work, but you don't want the day spoiled because you forgot to wear the right jacket and shoes.
ENJOY !!!

A variety of animals in a clean setting at no expense

Hardly any animals out, hardly any bathrooms. But it's free to get in. Parking is 15 to 25 dollars, no in and out so bring food or buy ungodly priced food and beverages.

I brought my best friend from Puerto Rico to the Zoo and we had a ball!. It was the perfect day! The animals we saw were outside and in the entertainment mood. The food court had different options and the Greenhouse was a great experience. It really took us back to the Tropical environment.

Only complaint is, I know the park is probably payed for with tax dollars, but they should really charge a fee to attend. Even if it was a single dollar, maybe it would help keep the "riffraff" down. Other than that, very nice zoo!

Cool that it's free. Seal exhibit gives a great view underwater. Too much brick and pavement.

This is a great show and it's free. There are special events and animal activities which can be found on their website

Beautiful place and too many species of animals to know. It is possible to see a polar bear by 2 or 3 inches of distance through the glass.

It was a yucky cold day when we were able to visit but, we imagined that the grounds come spring time would be so beautiful! Will NEVER EVER eat at their food court again. It was disgusting!! The zoo it's self is free and if you get there early enough street parking is free. Would love to revisit but maybe o early spring or in the fall.

Wasn't much to look at, this place lack the variety of animals to see

Great place for the kids and whole family. Chaperoned a class trip. Everyone had a great time.

Parking so reasonsable since zoo was free it rained on us but who cared my teenage kid hugged me tight under the umbrella as we explored earth wonders of the animal kingdom

Lion place under renovation, no giraffes,polar bears, or black bear. Is there even tigers

Wow what a beautiful place
So much to see and experience.

Free and an excellent variety of animals for your viewing pleasure.

I love it!!! I had such a good time there with my family. It is really quite big being that it is a free zoo!! I wish I lived in Chicago because I would go there everyday and donate time/money. It gets crowded in the afternoon but we went early morning and still got to see the animals and no one was there. If you can, I would go early morning.

Zoolights was amazingly beautiful! My whole family loved it. Double treat, animals and Christmas decor.

World class zoo for free, on the lakefront, what's not to like.

I've visited many zoo's in many cities. This zoo is very well put together. Great exhibits and interesting animals. Various vantage points allow you to see the animals from different angles. Can't beat the price either!

Great zoo in a great area. Beautiful views in and around the zoo as well. Best of all, it's free!

I LOVE coming here but during a pandemic I don't.. there's hardly ANY animals to see, the arrows are confusing a the other half of the zoo is blocked off because it's closed and of you leave the grounds, you CAN'T come back in... Definitely disappointed but I do understand the restrictions, I just don't understand why there's hardly any animals.

Lincoln Park Zoo is great!!!! We have had many great visits over the past 30 years. Including many walks too and through the zoo with my kids from infant and toddler years, through the teen years, and as young adults. My family has learned about many animals, their names and habbits.

Usually I and my family go there in Summer. Love all of this place. When I walked around in the zoo, I felt free and peaceful. Love it. Love

Lincoln Park Zoo is free! Always and forever!! There is plenty of animals. Clean facilties. Very accecible. Lots of staff to help answer questions.

Really nice setup but should charging $10 per person and get more animals in...

Clean and family friendly. Didn't see many of the animals we hoped we would but it is still a great option if you are out with the kids.

Beautiful zoo with plenty of animals! Surrounding area is just as beautiful with fountains, gardens, and the Lincoln Conservatory nearby. Parking at the zoo is a little pricey but worth it when considering the zoo entrance is free.

We had so much fun there and my son enjoyed everything in the zoo

Free entrance, but great Zoo and Park. You can park your car at the Street side parking area or at the parking lot for $26 per day.

We visited for zoo lights at Christmas time. Being from Phoenix, we felt it was a little chilly, but it was still fun. We've also been there in warm weather. Highly recommend it

A nice zoo and there is no admission fee or ticket required!

Me and 2 of my sons was having fun with there classmates on that day

Beautiful, does seem to be a lot of unattended children though? The park itself is top notch and better than many pay zoo's.

Bathrooms are insane, the line was ridiculously long, making the stair case a fire hazard. People had to use the elevator to be able to get to the main level because it was impossible to go up the stairs.

This zoo is awesome. It has so many animals and exhibits. The fact that its free for so many attractions is awesome. Go in the bird exhibit building its absolutely stunning. The birds are free to walk around as they please. Right in front of you they'll fly and walk past you. Amazing place. My two boys (3y and 8m) love it including me and my husband. If you're looking for something fun and free to do with your kids visit this zoo. I love it!!

LP Zoolights is always the highlight of the holiday season! It is highly recommended!