Peoria Zoo Review - Zoo With Us

Of the Zoos in Central Illinois, we’ve ranked the Peoria Zoo as the highest. This is a smaller zoo, but it’s done well. The does a good job branding each region of the zoo (i.e. Africa, Australia, Asia, etc.). These themes are carried out well, and although at times the exhibits themselves could use some work, you do feel like you’re visiting the specifics regions of the world as you navigate the zoo.

Highlights:

Africa – Having visited nearly 50 zoos, we really appreciate how they branded their Africa section. African music plays through speakers as you walk the circular path. Several African-style huts are included along the way.
Giraffes – The highlight of the African section is the giraffes. While giraffes are a staple at small zoos, the set-up here is nice, with a feeding deck and a good amount of space.
Australia – The Australia walkabout features emus, black swans, wallabies, and parakeets, the latter of which you can feed for $2.
Indoor houses – The indoor exhibits at this small zoo really enhance the visit experience. The houses have several murals painted on the walls to create the illusion of scenery, and some nice exhibits for smaller animals.

Lows:

Big cats – I don’t feel like their big cats have enough space – I’d like to see them redo these or relocate them, specifically the tiger exhibit.
Lack of birds – This one could be a personal preference, but I feel like this zoo lacks in having birds. Sure they have the parakeet aviary that you can walk in, but there are no flamingos, ostriches, eagles, owls, storks, parrots, or any larger birds to visit.
Ambassador Animals – Our kids were excited to see some of the smaller animals the zoo has, such as the cockatoos and the chinchillas. However, for the group of animals that the zoo labels “Ambassador Animals”, the zoo keeps them off exhibit in a holding room. I wish there was a way they could be shown in one of their buildings, as these animals are fun to watch even when they’re not on display (a junior zoo keeper was displaying a turtle during our recent visit).