Brookfield Zoo

By Christine Escobar

Brookfield Zoo, located in near west suburban Brookfield, is a family destination with many exciting and educational activities for preschoolers and their families. The zoo's vast size makes it an all day excursion.

However, for a scaled down adventure with your preschooler, there are plenty of smaller exhibits sure to interest young children. Many of which are also located indoor, which makes this zoo an ideal year-round destination, too.

 

Popular Exhibits for Preschoolers at Brookfield Zoo

Preschoolers will love to explore the Hamill Family Play Zoo. One of the zoo's most popular exhibits for families, The Hamill Family Play Zoo is designed for children from infants to age 10. It includes both outdoor areas, such as a stream to wade in, forts to build and gardens to tend and an indoor building with several different rooms where children can learn about animals through play. Children can water plants with spray bottles in the tiny conservatory, dress up as zookeepers, pretend to clean the animals quarters with child-size brooms and mops or "feed" the animals with pretend fruits and vegetables.

Preschoolers will also enjoy the face painting station where they can transform themselves into their favorite animal. In the veterinary clinic preschoolers can use real stethoscopes and cloth bandages to treat stuffed animal patients. Diagnostic equipment, tables and scales add to the animal hospital effect. Winter is a perfect time to check out The Hamill Family Play Zoo for indoor activities and crafts led by the staff, who are very friendly and accommodating to children. Be sure to park in the South Lot for convenient access.

Areas of the zoo your preschooler will enjoy in warm months are the water play area, two colorful playgrounds, and the zoo's new animal themed Carousel. Parents should note that during peak times on weekends in summer, these popular areas can get crowded. The best time to visit the zoo is late afternoon on weekends, weekday mornings or during the cooler months of the year.

Animal exhibits include Tropic World, a pioneering primate conservation and education facility that attempts to depict apes and monkeys in their natural surroundings, the Dolphin Show set to music and the Wolf Woods, a lovely wooded exhibit that showcases the zoo's five wolves and is located along a gravel path that makes for a peaceful hike along the zoo's Indian Lake.

Parent- friendly conveniences at Brookfield Zoo

The zoo's many conveniences include wagon and stroller rentals, child-size toilets and sinks in several of the bathrooms and plenty of kids meal options at the many concession stands and restaurants around the zoo. During spring through late fall, the zoo's open-air Motor Safari trams take visitors on a narrated tour of the entire zoo and stops at several main gates to pick up and drop off passengers. A Motor Safari ticket lets you ride all day. The zoo also has a free, heated winter shuttle bus that is very helpful for families in the colder months. Umbrella type folding strollers are allowed on the Motor Safari as space allows. There is a stroller parking for larger strollers at the Motor Safari stops. 

Details

Open 365 days of the year. Indoor exhibits close a half hour before the zoo closes.
Effective Tuesday, September 4, 2007 Weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Weekends 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Effective Monday, October 29, 2007 Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
Adults (12-64) $10.00 Children (3-11) $6.00 Seniors (65+) $6.00 Children 2 and under Free Members are free
Hamill Family Play Zoo Admission
Adults (12-64) $3.50 Member Adults (12-64) $3.00 Children (3-11) $2.50 Member Children (3-11) $2.00 Seniors (65+) $2.50 Member Seniors (65+) $2.00 Children 2 and Under Free
Children's Zoo Admission
Adults (12-64) $1.50 Children (3-11) $1.00 Seniors (65+) $1.00 Children 2 and Under Free
Free admission November to March 1.
Additional fees apply for The Carousel, Dolphin Presentations and Motor Safari Tours
Free Days
Free general admission Tuesdays and Thursdays January, February, October, November, and December.  Saturdays/Sundays free in January and February. Admission is also free to active military and reservist personnel. 
Parking
Car/Van parking: $8.00
Member Cars: North Lot Free
South Lot $2.00
Map