Chicago Attractions: Brookfield Zoo

I love living in the Chicago suburbs. There are a ton of Chicago attractions within an hour drive and I plan on visiting many of them this summer. Our first stop this summer was the Brookfield Zoo. It’s not technically in Chicago, but it’s definitely an attraction.

The Brookfield Zoo is a fairly inexpensive way to spend the day out with your family. It’s significantly less expensive if you become a member. We decided to buy the Family Plus Membership and it’s almost paid for itself after just one visit! This is definitely a great value and I can’t wait to take more advantage of it all year round.

What’s Included in the Family Plus Package?

• Unlimited FREE admission for one year
• FREE parking for one vehicle at the main entrance (1st and 31st)
• Discount parking at the south entrance
• Hamill Family Play Zoo discounted admission
• Seasonal attraction discounts on Stingray Bay, The Carousel, and Butterflies!
• Publications including member emails and Gateways, the quarterly member magazine
• Shops: members-only monthly special offers
• Restaurants: members-only discounts
• Education programs, special events, and lectures: special member price

We also received a bunch of free guest passes, motor safari passes, dolphin show passes, and coupons for store discounts. 🙂

Now that summer 2013 is in full-swing, we couldn’t wait to head to the zoo. This time around we left dad to handle some things at home and we headed out with Grandma, Nahla, Jaden, and myself.

The four of us went to Brookfield last summer and this time around was so much different. Last year Jaden was only 9 months old and Nahla was about 1.5yo. This year they are both full-fledged toddlers and definitely enjoyed seeing each and every animal.

She loves snakes. Weirdo.

They recognized the snakes and turtles, the plethora of monkeys, and four legged furry friends.

They didn’t reconize this Okapi, but neither did mommy! What an interesting looking animal.

The weather even cooperated with us for the most part. We arrived around 11:30 and it didn’t start raining/hailing until about 4pm. At which point we took refuge under a vendor hut and indulged in some Dippin’ Dots with the kids until the rain quit. The Zoo is open from 10am-6pm, so that left us plenty of time to enjoy the animals despite the rain.

Brookfield is huge. We never get to every section when we go, but that’s totally alright because we have many more trips to Brookfield planned.

One of our favorite parts of Brookfield is the petting zoo. Unfortunately, it’s currently under construction so it’s closed. I’m hoping it opens very soon because the kids absolutely love chasing the animals around.

We save even more money by bringing our own drinks and snacks. You are allowed to bring food and drinks into the Zoo. They do, of course, offer a ton of places to eat and buy drinks. There are various cafes that offer food for fair prices. We took breaks every hour or so and made sure to reapply sunscreen when needed.

We stopped for a late lunch and I bought two mac n cheese’s, one large fry, a Chicago style hot dog, and a refillable drink for about $13. Not too shabby. I also brought some drinkable apple sauce and lots of juice/water for the kids to keep them hydrated with all of our walking.

I brought a double stroller not only for the babies but to hold our small soft cooler, diaper bag, and camera bag. Brookfield Zoo is definitely stroller friendly. They even have some for rent. There are a few attractions where they ask that you leave your stroller in their ‘stroller parking’ areas but you can take them most places. The only place we left our stroller behind was when we went to see all of the monkeys.

The zoo has a ton of fun stuff for kids aside from the exhibits. This big playground was definitely a popular spot during our trip.

This water area was definitely a hit with the kids. It was a nice hot day and there was no shortage of kids in the water. My kids didn’t get to partake but maybe next time. 🙂

The kids had a really great time checking out all of the animals. I’m glad Grandma was around to take care of them when I wanted to play photog. 🙂 Brookfield just makes it way too easy to take beautiful photos. The zoo is gorgeous. Lots of greenery. It’s pretty clean with one exception… the bathrooms.

The Bubba.

With so many people running in and out of the bathrooms and just the fact that the zoo is an outdoor experience makes me give them a bit of a break. But still, bring some sanitary wipes and extra baby wipes!You’ll want to use them if you use the bathroom and before any eating/drinking breaks you might take. Be prepared to stand in lines, too. As a woman, I’m all too familiar with that. Every bathroom has a changing table.

Some changing tables are in the handicap stall, some out in the open. Some bathrooms have the nursing/changing nooks. It really just depends on where you end up but like I said, prepare yourself for some funky bathrooms.

My kids are 1 & 2 years old now and they really enjoyed the entire trip. I was never too worried about them falling into exhibits but I definitely ALWAYS kept my eye on them. With so many people and kids it’s easy for them to get lost in the shuffle. I’d recommend dressing them in brightly colored shirts just in case.

The babies were completely enamored and terrified by these little sharks. They just kept standing by the glass and then screeching like crazies every time one swam by. They might’ve annoyed the other guests, but just a little. 😉

These peacocks are the best. They are usually just wandering around the park and of course people gather around them so they fan out those beautiful feathers of theirs and just entice us even more. If only they knew how attractive they made themselves by doing that.

Overall, our trip to the zoo was a whole lot of fun. We are thinking of making another trip next week because the weather is going to be just perfect. I can’t wait to get a ton of use out of this awesome Family Membership.

**No one paid me for this post. I just really enjoyed my time at the zoo and wanted to share some pictures. 😉