Midwestern Zoo Encounters

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Budgie Feeding at Miller Park Zoo

One of the things we hear repeatedly from people when we tell them how many zoos we visit is the perception that “all zoos are the same” and “aren’t the animals always just sitting there?” These are tough perceptions to break sometimes. But, one way to combat this idea is to encourage more animal encounters! Interacting with the animals is something we value, and attempt to do as often as we can at zoos. We’ve spent the last several weeks compiling an all-inclusive list of nearly 200 available animal encounters at zoos across the midwest, and want to share this list with you!

Feeding wallabies at Branson’s Promised Land Zoo

Animal encounters can range from something as exotic (and expensive) as a behind the scenes tour with the elephants where you participate in a training session, to something as small as going into the barnyard and brushing down the goats. Most zoos offer at least something that enables visitors to engage with the animals. Our experiences have included feeding giraffes, rhinos, ostriches, elephants, birds, sting rays, sharks, goats, cows, and camels. But still, there are plenty of animals we haven’t had a chance to interact with.

The animal encounters table covers the yellow highlighted states in the Midwest
Sloth at John Ball Zoo

A recent poll that we conducted showed that holding a sloth is the encounter that most of our readers would be most interested in trying. This can be done at several different zoos in the midwest! The Indian Creek Zoo in Lambertsville, Michigan offers sloth encounters for $40 with resident sloths Hokey and Pokey. Other zoos offering sloth encounters include the Minnesota Zoo, Chattanooga Zoo, and Cincinnati Zoo, with all of these being $150 or higher.

Here are some other highlights from the animal encounters table below that we haven’t done yet:

  • Red Pandas are another animal that zoo visitors often would love to interact with. Zoos that offer a red panda encounter include the Scovil Zoo in Decatur, Illinois, Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania, Chattanooga Zoo in Tennessee, and the Good Zoo at Oglebay in West Virginia. These range from $150-$200.
  • Potowotomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana offers a Bison feeding experience.
  • The Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan offers a Moose feeding experience.
Fennec Fox at Chattanooga Zoo
  • The Chattanooga Zoo offers a Fennec Fox interaction with their younger foxes.
  • Many zoos, including the NEW Zoo in Green Bay, Wisconsin offer the chance to feed/interact with a Penguin. Other zoos include Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Scovil Zoo, Fort Wayne Zoo, Potter Park Zoo, John Ball Zoo, Minnesota Zoo, Saint Louise Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, and Pittsburgh Zoo. These range from $40-$250.
Pelican Feeding at John Ball Zoo
  • The John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, allows you to feed Pelicans.
  • The Brights Zoo in Tennessee gives you the opportunity to feed a Bongo!
  • The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium allows you to help care for and feed an Anteater.
  • The Chattanooga Zoo offers encounters with their Fennec Fox.
  • Vistors can interact with Lemurs at the Saint Louis Zoo, Good Zoo, and Branson’s Promised Land Zoo.
  • The Columbian Park Zoo offers a feeding session with a Porcupine.

To read about our favorite animal feeding opportunities, click here.

Here are some photos of other encounters we’ve done:

Butterfly release at Como Park Zoo, Minnesota
Camel rides at Knoxville Zoo
Giraffe encounter at Indian Creek Zoo, Lambertsville, MI
Elephant encounter at Zoo Atlanta
More of the elephant encounter at Zoo Atlanta
Feeding sting rays at Zoo Tampa
Feeding lorikeets at the Indianapolis Zoo
Bottle feeding goats at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis
Feeding a camel at Branson’s Promised Land Zoo
Attempting to feed goats at Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette, IN
Wallaby encounter at Brookfield Zoo
Ostrich feeding at Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines, IA

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