we assembled a panel of experts and asked them to consider some essentials: Are there lots of fun things for kids to do? Can kids get up close to the animals? Are barriers placed low enough for a stroller-eye view? Are the signs easy to read? Selecting the finalists was no easy decision, but all those chosen offer an unmatched opportunity for your little cubs to cozy up to Mother Nature at her finest. If your family is looking for the best of both worlds, visit the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois: a big zoo that's designed to feel small and intimate.
BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS
Brookfield has been adding state-of-the-art exhibits at the pace of nearly one a year for the past decade. For example, there's "Habitat Africa," where kids navigate a nature trail, pretending to be prey animals heading for a savanna watering hole. Along the way, they trip sensors: a mighty roar, a musky scent, a gentle rustling in the underbrush means they must decide whether to hide out or move on. There's a similar seek-and-respond trail in the "Ituri Forest" exhibit, as well as a remote-control camera that lets kids videotape the elusive but striking velvet-skinned okapi. And speaking of slow movers, those lions that sleep all day are masterfully exhibited in "The Fragile Hunters," in which they lounge on heated rocks placed right against the viewing glass. And of course, there's an excellent Children's Zoo, with all the usual petting suspects, as well as a bunch of border collies that delight visitors by showing off their sheepherding skills.
SIZE: 216 acres with hundreds of species and thousands of animals.
ADMISSION: $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 3 to 11 and free for children 2 and under.
DON'T MISS: "Tropic World," a vast hothouse where guests stroll a raised walkway overlooking a forest of 50-foot-tall trees dotted with orchids, waterfalls and 100 primates.
KID THRILLS: "Baboon Island" (whose 50-odd residents are almost always acting the part), "The Dolphin Presentation" and the "Reptile House," where kids can see poison frogs from South America, king cobras and horned frogs from Asia.
INSIDER TIP: If you toss crumbs on the zoo paths, you'll often see tiny 13-lined ground squirrels (smaller than chipmunks and possibly cuter) dart out to get them.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 708-485-0263 or click here.
Lisa Stiepock is a FAMILYFUN contributing editor and Gregory Lauzon is a FAMILYFUN staff writer.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.
