Lincoln Park Zoo Parking
Start planning your zoo day by figuring out how to get to the zoo. The Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago is located in Lincoln Park just off of Lake Shore Drive at the Fullerton Parkway Exit.
The Lincoln Park Zoo Address: 2001 N. Clark Street Chicago, 60614
The Zoo does have its own parking lot located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive. Unlike the zoo, the parking however is not free and can get pretty pricey.
The rates change during different seasons and usually range from $20-$35 dollars a day. If you are looking for an easy and convenient place to park, this is it.
The lot can fill up on busy weekends, summer days, and holidays, so make sure to get there earlier in the day.
Look here for parking information: Parking
The Lincoln Park Zoo Parking address is: 2400 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, 60614
You can find a little cheaper parking at the Chicago History Museum Parking lot located across from the zoo on the south end. Easy walking distance to the zoo and a great alternative to parking at the zoo lot.
Chicago History Museum Parking Address: 1730 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago
Another alternative is to try and find street parking and pay the meter. I always take a drive around the zoo to see if I can find parking before paying the parking lots fees, but I have not had very good luck. This is a crowded area in the city and parking spots are hard to come by. However, its worth a quick drive around the zoo to check.
Public Transportation to the Zoo
Where To Eat At The Lincoln Park Zoo
There are four restaurants in the zoo, in addition to vendors throughout the zoo on nice days. Here is a quick outline of the restaurants.
Park Place Cafe Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago
Park Place Café
Park Place Café is a cafeteria-type restaurant where you can get Mexican food, burgers, sandwiches, Italian fare, and ice cream. Everyone in the family should be able to find something to eat at this restaurant.
They have seating both inside and out plus bathroom facilities. The restaurant is located in the middle of the zoo so it makes it a convenient place to stop for lunch or a snack.
Café at Wild Things
Café at Wild Things is located above the Wild Things gift shop and has a great view of the zoo. They have a smaller selection of food choices but it would work for a quick stop. They are also now serving kids meals endorsed by Healthy Fare for kids.
Eadie Levy Landmark Cafe Lincoln Park Zoo
Eadie Levys Landmark Café
If you are looking for just a quick hot dog or snack, this is your stop. Located across from Café at Wild Things in one of the oldest historic buildings on the zoo grounds. You can hear the seals from here, watch the Lionel train ride or check out the Japanese Macaques from your outdoor seats.
The Patio at Café Brauer
Café Brauer is a Chicago experience with views of the native landscape and the Chicago skyline. This restaurant offers savory small plates, specialty burgers, cocktails, and ice cream for the kiddos.
City Restaurants
Picnic Lunches
More Fun Chicago Attractions
There are so many great Chicago attractions for families to explore while on vacation or for a local staycation. The city has great parks with amazing playgrounds such as Maggie Daley Park and Millenium Park. Plus unbelievable museums, planetariums, and aquariums.
Get our guides to all the best Chicago Attractions for Families and plan your family vacation.
I hope after reading this article you are now prepared for a day out at the Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago. You now know where Lincoln park zoo parking is, hours for the zoo, what animals to visit, where to eat, a zoo map, and how to make a full day of family fun.
Make sure to visit during the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights this year too!
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Have you visited the zoo before? Do you have any great tips to add? Please leave them in the comments for us all to learn.
Enjoy a great day out at the Lincoln Park Zoo!!
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Culture And Contemporary Life
The city’s waterfront location and nightlife has attracted residents and tourists alike. Over a third of the city population is concentrated in the lakefront neighborhoods from in the north to in the south. The city has many upscale dining establishments as well as many ethnic restaurant districts. These districts include the neighborhoods, such as along 18th street, and La Villita along 26th Street the enclave of in the neighborhood , along South , immediately west of downtown , along Taylor Street in in in around Lawrence Avenue near in Uptown and the area, along in .
Downtown is the center of Chicago’s financial, cultural, governmental and commercial institutions and the site of and many of the city’s skyscrapers. Many of the city’s financial institutions, such as the and the , are located within a section of downtown called “”, which is an eight-block by five-block area of city streets that is encircled by elevated rail tracks. The term “The Loop” is largely used by locals to refer to the entire downtown area as well. The central area includes the , the , and the , as well as the Loop. These areas contribute famous , abundant restaurants, , , a for the , , , and .
contains the and the . The features the nation’s largest concentration of contemporary art galleries outside of New York City.
Lincoln Park Zoo Hours & Admission
The Lincoln Park Zoo is absolutely free to visit all year round, and it is open during the following hours:
- 10 am 4:30 pm
- May 24September 1: Weekdays 10 am 5 pm , Weekends 10 am 6:30 pm
The zoo is subject to early closure due to bad weather, so do check their website for updates before going.
For even more fun activities and attractions that dont cost a thing, please read our post covering free things to do in Chicago.
Its worth noting that there are some ticketed events sprinkled throughout the year during holidays.
These events usually include special activities such as concerts or food tasting.
Their special Christmas celebration ZooLights is the one event that is free for around 1 month during the holiday season.
If youre interested in visiting Lincoln Park Conservatory as well, they are open from 9 am – 5 pm every day.
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To Plan For Your Visit Review Our Frequently Asked Questions Here
If reservations appear to be available, but you can’t access them, please email the Conservancy through the email address below.
LPCEvents@lincolnparkconservancy.org
COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
The Chicago Park District in-person programming will continue to be operated in accordance with applicable guidance and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Illinois Department of Public Health , and Chicago Department of Public Health .
Self-Screening Checklist
Staff and participants are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and stay home if they feel sick. Prior to entering the facility all staff, patrons and participants should Self-Screen by asking themselves the following questions each day:
- Have you had a body temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit or have you used a fever reducer in the previous 24 hours to treat a body temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit?
- Do you have a new cough that you cannot attribute to another health condition?
- Do you have new shortness of breath that you cannot attribute to another health condition?
- Have you recently developed a complete loss of smell or taste?
Robert And Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove
Linked to the nearby Regenstein African Journey, Penguin Cove is a new outdoor African penguin exhibit, where visitors can watch as these tropical penguins dive into the water, with a behind-the-scenes area for hatching chicks and breeding the species. The zoo also offers indoor Penguin Encounters. The exhibit opened to the public in October 2016.
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Pepper Family Wildlife Center
A historic zoo landmark first built in 1912, the Kovler Lion House building stands at the heart of the zoo near its entrance, and has housed a variety of big cat species over the years, most notably many lions as well as Siberian tigers, which inhabited two grottos on the northern exterior of the building, each having access to multiple indoor areas alongside the interior main hall, and a glass window viewing areas on the end of each grotto for guests to get a closer view. Other big cats, such as the jaguar, were allowed rotating access to two to three indoor window exhibits at a time. The southern exterior included five lush habitats that housed a variety of different cat species over the years. In addition, they also held a pair of red pandas, which were part of the Species Survival Plan. The indoor area also has a large gift shop where visitors can purchase plush toys of big cats, bears, and other animals.
Many of the species in the southern habitats shifted over the years, including Amur leopards, Eurasian lynxes, a Pallas’s cat, and a puma in the exhibit’s later years, with the last major addition being a one-year-old snow leopard named Taza who arrived on December 11, 2014.
On March 15/16, 2022, a male lion cub was born following a 3 12 to 4-month gestation period. The cub is named Pilipili, meaning Pepper in Swahili language, and he is the offspring of lioness Zari and male Jabari. It was the zoo’s first lion cub birth in 20 years.
Can I Meet The Animals
Our world-class habitats enable guests to get up close to species while still creating an environment that puts the animals first. Interactive programs at the zoo include Groom the Goats, Feed the Cows, Feed the Chickens, and Malott Family Penguin Encounter. All of these options embody our animal-first philosophyindividual animals choose whether or not to participate each day.
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Walter Family Arctic Tundra
Redeveloped from the former Robert R. McCormick Bear Habitat in the zoo’s northeast corner, Walter Family Arctic Tundra is a new exhibit for the zoo’s polar bears, larger than the previous habitat with more land for the bears to roam on instead of strict rockwork, there is natural grass, a new underwater viewing area, a maternity den, and enough space to support a small breeding family of bears.
Entertainment And The Arts
The performs at , and is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world. Also performing regularly at is the , a more diverse and multicultural counterpart to the CSO. In the summer, many outdoor concerts are given in and . , located 25 miles north of Chicago, is the summer home of the CSO, and is a favorite destination for many Chicagoans. The is home to the . The was founded by in 1956, and presents operas in .
Other live-music genre which are part of the city’s cultural heritage include , , , and . The city is the birthplace of and , and is the site of an influential . In the 1980s and 90s, the city was the global center for house and industrial music, two forms of music created in Chicago, as well as being popular for , , and . The city has been a center for culture, since the 1980s. A flourishing independent rock music culture brought forth Chicago . feature various acts, such as and the . Lollapalooza originated in Chicago in 1991 and at first travelled to many cities, but as of 2005 its home has been Chicago. A 2007 report on the Chicago music industry by the ranked Chicago third among metropolitan U.S. areas in “size of music industry” and fourth among all U.S. cities in “number of concerts and performances”.
Chicago contains a number of large, outdoor works by well-known artists. These include the , by , , and by , by , by , by , by , by , and the mosaic by .
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Helen Brach Primate House
The zoo’s historic Primate House first opened in 1927, featuring apes and monkeys from different locations and habitats in a series of small, identical barred cages typical of most early zoo exhibits. It became famous for its apes, including a gorilla named Bushman, until the Great Ape House opened. The Primate House’s interior was heavily renovated in the early 1990s and it was re-opened as the Helen Brach Primate House in 1992 with eight diorama-style naturalistic exhibits simulating the swamps and rainforests of the animals’ natural habitats in the wild. Perhaps its most notable residents are a family of white-cheeked gibbons that have a spacious room inside as well as an outdoor habitat for playing in the warm winter months. The zoo’s male and female gibbons gave birth to baby Daxin on August 16, 2013.
Crowned lemurs joined the exhibit in October 2013 from the Indianapolis Zoo and a baby lemur was born at the zoo on April 14, 2014.
Proposals And Private Rentals
Thinking of popping the question? Or looking to host a private event at ZooLights? Unforgettable holiday packages are available for those wanting a unique way to celebrate the season with indoor/outdoor access, built-in safety infrastructure, and festive fun for corporate or social groups. For more information, contact .
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Chicagos Beloved Zoolights Experience Has Returned To Lincoln Park Zoo
Admission to Lincoln Park Zoo’s ZooLights is free on Mondays and just $5 all other nights.
Elliot McGowanNovember 17, 2022
With the first taste of winter weather arriving this week, its easy to let the thought of the impending cold get the better of us. These fleeting fall months provide us with an ephemeral transition period when Chicago, albeit briefly, reaches arguably its most beautiful time of the year.
Nonetheless, with the first snowfall, many of us cant help but think ahead to the months of shoveling snow and battling against the teeth-chattering chill. While nothing can be done to allay the inevitable Midwestern winter, each year the realization that it is upon us is most certainly assuaged by the array of annual events that grace Chicago. The return of light shows, Christmas markets, and ice rinks are our shining lights this time of the year and provide us with cheer to combat the chill.
One of these such events, Lincoln Park Zoos popular ZooLights experience, has been providing Chicagoans with holiday magic since the 1990s and is about to return for its 28th year this coming weekend.
Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ, the cherished, family-oriented Chicago tradition sees seasonal joy sweep across the zoo grounds every November. Hundreds of themed displays with 3D and LED lights cover the zoo as a Ferris wheel, an expansive light tunnel, and much more provide a one-of-a-kind holiday experience.
Adults Night Out: Holidaze
Thursday, December 15, 6:3010 p.m., ages 18+
This winter version of the zoos most popular event series gives adults exclusive access to walk around zoo grounds after hours with hot chocolate, mulled wine, or beer in hand. Come for the millions of holiday lights, stay for cash bars, and educational entertainment. Sound fabulous? Join us!
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Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
The new Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, which opened in 2004, features a number of native eastern American wildlife, and lets visitors of all ages connect with the wild creatures in our own backyard and engages them to think about how species survive in the wilderness. Small amphibians and reptiles are featured in a small indoor exhibit, along with a leaf-themed climber play area for youngsters designed by Tom Luckey, with slightly larger indoor exhibits for birds and reptiles and large glass windows on each end so guests young and old can watch American beavers and the popular North American river otters swim gracefully underwater at eye-level in their outdoor habitats, with educational displays about how beavers build dams. Outside the building there are many areas where local birds nest. The building is surrounded by small outdoor viewing areas for the same otter and beaver habitatss.
There are two significantly larger exhibits surrounding the path around the building for the black bear and the endangered red wolf featuring heavy foliage and a naturalistic stream, allowing visitors to go eye-to-eye with the animals or for the animals to hide in the foliage. Statues of gray wolves and signs encourage guests to practice howling and teach them about wolf pack dynamics.
European Exploration And Settlement Prior To 1800
Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississipi
French explorers and explored the in 1673. Marquette soon after founded a mission at the in . In 1680, French explorers under and constructed a fort at the site of present-day , and in 1682, a fort atop in today’s Starved Rock State Park. French Empire came south to settle particularly along the Mississippi River, and Illinois was part of first , and then of until 1763, when it passed to the British with their defeat of France in the . The small French settlements continued, although many French migrated west to and , to evade British rule.
A few British soldiers were posted in Illinois, but few British or American settlers moved there, as the Crown made it part of the territory reserved for Indians west of the Appalachians, and then part of the . In 1778, claimed for . In a compromise, Virginia ceded the area to the new United States in the 1780s and it became part of the , administered by the federal government and later organized as states.
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