Peoria Zoo Mom Tips - Zoo With Us

Our experts give you things you need to know in our Peoria Zoo Mom Tips!

Parking – Parking was slightly overwhelming on a nice Sunday afternoon. The parking lot is small, but we did find a space. There were lots of parking spots along the very long driveway entrance as well. A large park surrounds the zoo, so street parking appears to be normal.
Admission – At $10 per adult and $7 per child for non-members, this can add up. If you have a reciprocal AZA membership (Cosley Zoo in Wheaton for those near us in the West Suburbs of Chicago), you get in free to this zoo! For our family of 5, that’s $41 savings in one day thanks to our $60 Annual pass!
Strollers – If you have toddlers or above, I would say leave the stroller at home. The terrain isn’t difficult – paved paths the whole way through, and it’s not large enough that your children will tire very easily. Also, because the zoo includes step stools (see below in child engagement) they would be frequently asking to get out so that they can go look at the exhibit.

One of the best things I can tell you about the Peoria Zoo is that your child will be engaged!

Bathrooms – The two bathrooms that were great were the bathrooms immediately attached to the gift shop, and the bathrooms in the Tropics Building.
Feeding Opportunities – There were two feeding opportunities at the Peoria Zoo. One is in the Australia exhibit, where you can pay $2 for a parakeet feeding. This is worth it – the seed stick is robust, and takes much longer for the birds to devour than most zoos! The second is the giraffe feeding. We would recommend the giraffe feeding, however, pay attention and talk to the facilitator about your group. We don’t feel like we got the most for our money in the $5 per person feeding.
Child Engagement – One of the best things I can tell you about the Peoria Zoo is that your child will be engaged! There are animal climbing statues all around the zoo for you kids to play on. There is a nature play section in the middle of the zoo, and it includes multiple benefits. It has things like logs to step across on, a house to play in, and areas to run. But a small thing that we like a lot is the step stools that they include. In front of a large number of exhibits, the stools ensure that the little ones can see!
Playground – In addition to play areas within the zoo, there are two playgrounds outside the zoo in the park. Picnic tables are in these areas as well.
Food – We didn’t try any of the food here, as we had a picnic along the way. They did have a snack shop, but we didn’t engage to know if they offer good deals.

Thank you for reading our Peoria Zoo Mom Tips. Click here for a full review of the zoo’s exhibits.