Opened in 1868, Lincoln Park Zoo is ranked among the oldest zoos in the US and also the main zoo within Chicago City limits. Covering about 35 acres, Lincoln Park Zoo provides home to a wide variety of animals (over 1, 250) and offers a free, family-oriented wildlife experience for both visitors and residents in Chicago. Here you can see monkeys hanging in the branches, hear lions roaring in the cages and feed birds with bread crumbs.

Come to Lincoln Park Zoo and you will never get disappointed. For visitors with children, you can never miss Pritzker Family Children's Zoo inside Lincoln Park Zoo. This Children's Zoo features the exhibits of black bears, red wolves, as well as Great Plains ratsnakes and American kestrels. Other exceptional exhibits include: Antelope and Zebra Area, Blum-Kovler Penguin House, Kovler Lion House, and Farm-in-The-Zoo where pigs, cows, horses and other domestic animals are housed. To get more info about Lincoln Park Zoo exhibits, click:

Exhibits and Animal Houses

http://www.lpzoo.org/animals

Hours and Admission of Lincoln Park Zoo: As the most popular zoo in Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo makes its commitment that it will be free for every day. So even for visitors on budget travel, they can still get immersed in such a world of wildlife.

The Zoo is opened throughout the year with occasional close due to weather or special events. The specific hours are listed below.

May 29 to September 6 (Memorial Day - Labor Day)

On weekdays, the Zoo is opened 10 am to 5 pm (gates open until 6 pm), while at weekends it is opened from 10 am to 6:30 pm (gates open until 7 pm).

September to October

Lincoln Park Zoo is operated 10 am to 5 pm (Regenstein Center for African Apes will be closed at 3:30 pm for a fundraising events during September 20 and 22).

November to March: 10 am to 4:30 pm

April to May: 10 am to 5 pm.

When it comes to The Patio at Cafe Brauer (a restaurant), it is closed for winter and will be re-opened in spring.

For summer days, the Patio is opened:

Mon - Thu: 11 am to 8 pm

Fri - Sat: 11 am to 4 pm

Sun: 9 am to 4 pm

PS: for specific exhibits & attractions inside the Zoo, the hours and admission may differ. For example:

Mystery in the Zoo - 9 to 11 am / 1to 3 pm. $20 ($17 for members)

Sleep Under the Skyscrapers - stretching from 6 pm Friday to 8:30 am Saturday. $70 ($60 for members)

Zoo Babies - 9 to11 am / 1 to 3 pm. $30 ($25 for members)

How Do You Zoo - 9 to 11:30 am / 1 to 3:30 pm. $25 ($20 for members)

Pathway to Primatology - 10 am to 12:30 pm. $100 ($85 for members)

The AT&T Endangered Species Carousel - $2.75/ride

Children's Train Ride - $2.50

To explore detailed hours and prices for programs and exhibits in the Zoo, click:

All Programs in Lincoln Park Zoo

http://www.lpzoo.org/education/programs