Zoos in Illinois

Illinois has a wide spread of zoos, from large Chicago-area institutions to small park-district and farm-style stops downstate. Lincoln Park Zoo, founded in 1868 on 35 acres in Chicago, is AZA-accredited and free to enter, while Brookfield Zoo Chicago opened in 1934 and covers about 216 acres in suburban Brookfield. Smaller AZA-accredited options include Cosley Zoo, a five-acre park-district zoo in Wheaton that opened in 1974, and Scovill Zoo in Decatur, which began in 1967 as Scovill Farm. Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria stands apart with 1,800 acres and a collection limited to Illinois native animals. Several others, such as Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora and Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield, are municipal zoos not on the AZA list.