Brilliant zoo and firmly up there with the best I've visited anywhere in the world, which makes it all the more impressive that it is free entry and open 365 days a year. Highlights are the gorilla and lion enclosures - the latter in particular allows you to get up close like no other zoo with multiple viewing locations. The zoo is also in a beautiful park setting with lots of places to sit and easy to get to by bus from Downtown.

I can't believe this was free. What an amazing experience. A short visit since I was only in Chicago for a day, but the variety of animals and the cleanliness of the place really blew me away given there was no charge to enter. I live near Busch Gardens in Tampa and would say this tops it. Thanks Chicago!

This was a very fun activity for our group to do when we were in town for a conference last year, particularly since admission is free. Despite being free, the zoo does not feel like a place that's underfunded and it looked like all of the animals were well-cared for and healthy. We particularly loved the gorilla exhibit and the polar bear as we love gorillas and we had never seen a polar bear in real life before. It's a really nice place to visit and I would recommend it!

Winter cold was present but there was SO much to do! I loved walking amongst the animals and going into habitat buildings. This place is a real gem. If I lived in the area I would come here to walk and just be with the wildlife. I hope to return when warmer out to see the difference. Parking was not too hard to find. I parked along the roadway (Sunday) and walked right in. FREE! There was a nice gift shop and a place for food and drinks. No food to feed the animals that I could find. Understood. Real gem. What an awesome place to all who love animals or just to walk.

This is a great FREE zoo in Lincoln park . The food , snacks , and parking are expensive . Bring your own food and drink and take Convienent public transportation. Nearby north pond with birds , Peggy Notebaart nature museum , and free Caldwell lily ponds . There are all sorts of gardens and green areas nearby.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, many of the animals weren’t seen. Either they were sleeping or hiding inside. What we did see was great. I especially enjoyed watching the flamingos being fed. It was very hot and sunny. Next time, I’ll be sure to bring a thermos of water because most drinks were expensive.

The zoo grounds were in full bloom and with a 70-degree day everything looked great. Just walking the zoo itself with the plantings was a good experience. Throw in a zoo and you have a nice outing. To those not familiar with Chicago it lies near the lake just north of Michigan avenue, so it is definitely in the city. We got there not too long after it opened and parked out front on the east side of the zoo. It was very convenient to the zoo. I have gone to this zoo since I was child and have seen it change over the past 60 years. The older zoo buildings where the animals were housed for so many years have been repurposed and not necessarily for the better. The cat house is vast empty expanse looking into the outside lion enclosure. What's the point? The day we visited the aviary was closed - no reason given. The children's zoo was under renovation and when we went into it was saw exactly one animal - a tortoise. The rest was murals, empty cages and a climbing apparatus for kids that was fun to watch. It was a zoo exhibit in its own right. Many enclosures were empty with the animals choosing to stay inside. A modern zoo wants to give animals more enrichment but if they want to spend all their time inside a concrete box that's okay... As a consequence, there's lots of large empty exhibits. This is not specific to Lincoln Park as many other zoos are the same. We wanted to visit the Garfield Park Conservatory which in next door but that is now closed every Monday and Tuesday. It has always been open for every prior visit in my life but no longer. There was a lot of school groups there on a Monday morning but I like kids so it didn't bug me. The only large "typical" zoo animals we saw were polar bears, zebras and a side view of a lion seen through blurry plexiglass. The reason it's a 4 star review is that I think too many things were closed during our visit and not enough animals out in the exhibit area.

Killed an hour or so here before a business meeting on a Thursday and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Some excellent exhibits, active animals, and clean bathrooms. I entered right at opening and had most of the place to myself. Field trips started to trickle in as the day went on but I got to see most of the zoo in an hour and a half. Admission was free but donations are appreciated.

Loved this zoo. Plenty to see and do and it’s all free! There are lots of refreshments venues and maps to find your way around. It was a lovely sunny day and was quite busy but didn’t stop us seeing the animals we wanted to. Great for everybody of all ages. I would recommend you visit this zoo especially instead of the Shedd Aquarium which is not worth a visit.

This was our first visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a great experience. There was nearby parking and admission is free. The grounds are easy to walk and provide accessible views of the animals. There is plenty of shade and indoor venues to avoid the heat as needed. The primate exhibition was amazing. The zoo has a big gift shop and available snacks and drinks onsite. Plenty of clean restrooms are inside the zoo grounds. This is an amazing place in the middle of the downtown Chicago area.