The Lincoln Park Zoo on the north side of Chicago is a nice zoo. It’s layout is a bit unique in that it’s more of a straight line running north to south; as such, navigating this zoo is a little different than most. On the north side of the zoo is a small botanical garden, which also makes for a nice visit. As of Summer 2019, the iconic Lion House is awaiting construction, and is vacated. This was previously the main attraction at the zoo, and hopefully will regain that status in the future after renovations.
Highlights:
- Seals – The seal demonstrations make for a fun experience and showcase the seals in the pool
- Monkey/Ape House – Be sure to check out the apes and monkeys, as they have been active in each of our visits here
- Polar Bear Exhibit – Built in 2017, the exhibit offers multiple windows to view the polar bears from and gives them plenty of space
- Macaque Exhibit – This fun exhibit features snow monkeys on an island with plenty of room to run and play
- Natural Nesting Ground for Blue Herons – Near the Children’s Zoo, there are dozens of blue herons laying their nests; these birds are not originally from the zoo, but rather native birds that nested in the zoo’s trees; as they have their babies, the babies tend to fall out of the nests, and are then cared for by the Zoo staff; this is a rare but cool example of the zoo promoting animal welfare
Lows:
- Non-systemic groupings – This zoo really doesn’t group the animals in a specific way. One example of this is the polar bear exhibit at the north end of the zoo, which is near the rhinos and giraffes. Groupings by continent or species would make more sense
- Lack of space – many of the exhibits, such as the takin, painted dogs, and camels don’t have much space or varied terrain; they are outdated and in need of renovation
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