Children have a natural fascination with animals, and it’s easy to encourage that passion with a trip to a zoo. Fortunately, Wisconsin has a wide range of zoos that foster connections with wildlife and respect for the natural world.
Henry Vilas Zoo
This Madison zoo’s smaller size makes it a great visit for younger children, and its location near beautiful Lake Wingra, Henry Vilas Beach and the University of Wisconsin Arboretum means the zoo can be part of a fuller day of fun. The Vilas Zoo offers camps, Zoovies and Zoolights during the Christmas season. The zoo has a nice indoor/outdoor ape observatory and the orangutans and apes are very interactive and love to entertain! The zoo also has seals, otters, bison and a large, up-close polar bear and grizzly bear attraction. Henry Vilas Zoo is open all year and is a great place to visit any time of the year. The indoor carousel is a fun experience in the summer, and there’s also a small train ride for young children. To burn off some extra energy, kids can run around and climb and play in the zoo’s kangaroo park! It typically takes my family three hours to view the entire zoo — it is not too overwhelming for my young children, but always keeps them interested. Henry Vilas Zoo is one of ten free-admission zoos in North America. Entry and parking are free, although it is nice to consider a contribution to keep things continuing.
702 S. Randall Ave., Madison, vilaszoo.org
Racine Zoo
The Racine Zoo is located across the street from beautiful North Beach on Lake Michigan. My family and I made a weekend visit here last summer, and we definitely plan on going back. This zoo is considered smaller, but it feels spacious, with asphalt paths throughout the grounds for easy pushing of strollers and wheelchairs. The average visitor spends two hours here, and you can visit the beach the same day without little ones getting too tired. One of the many great things about the Racine Zoo is that it features over a hundred species of animals from Wisconsin and around the world. The zoo hosts many interactive exhibits, including hand-feeding bird and giraffe exhibits, a petting zoo and monkey exhibit, two playgrounds, the ZooChoo Express train, picnic areas and Max and Jenny’s Jungle Grill. The zoo offers several events throughout the year, including wine tastings and summer music concerts, and this fall it will be hosting a Chinese lantern festival — eighty nights of illumination, with twenty-five different artistic elements. How neat is that?
2131 N. Main St., Racine, racinezoo.org
Milwaukee County Zoo
Plan an entire day to spend at the Milwaukee zoo! This zoo is considered one of the country’s finest, and I can see why! It features over 3,100 mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles in specialized habitats spanning 190 wooded acres. Easy walking on paved paths and a train that circles the grounds makes it accessible, and wheelchairs as well as strollers are available for rent, although you also can bring your own strollers and a cooler of your own food. I have been here twice in my life kidless, and can’t wait to come back this summer with my children. The zoo is excited to welcome one-year-old sloth from the Topeka Zoological Park. And it also offers great education programs, and you can even adopt an animal to help support the zoo, which I think my children would love. Oceans Of Fun is a fun attraction of sea life, with a stingray petting area and sea lion camps, plus a large tank full of dozens of stingray, horseshoe crab and small sharks. In August you can also visit the Wisconsin State Fair, which is held just a mile from the zoo.
10001 W. Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee, milwaukeezoo.org
The New Zoo & Adventure Park
The New Zoo appeals to animal lovers of all ages. The zoo is set ten miles northwest of downtown Green Bay, with natural settings for many of the animal habitats. The zoo is home to giraffes, lions, penguins, moose and more. Visitors love to see the albino alligator, and children can get up close to the animals and birds and even feed the giraffes. This zoo also has a popular adventure park where you can rock climb, tour a ropes course and zipline over a pond!
4378 Reforestation Rd., Green Bay, newzoo.org
Timbavati Wildlife Park
As if we needed another reason to visit the Dells! Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to over 400 animals that represent over 70 different species. A mix of animals from different regions of the world can be found here, including giraffes, zebras, penguins, lions and tigers. There is also an assortment of exotic birds, monkeys and lizards. Timbavati also offers fun activities such as train rides on its Old Fort Engine Number 9 Train. The train gives you a unique opportunity to view the animals such as ostrich, zebras and wildebeest, and you have the opportunity to hand feed the antelope, yak, nilgai and oryx. The last stop on the Train Ride is the giraffe and camel feeding station, where you can feed and take pictures with the animals and children can ride a camel. If you didn’t have enough fun feeding these animals from around the world, you can head across the street and feed some of our Midwestern deer friends at the Deer Park.
2220 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy., Wisconsin Dells, timbavatiwildlifepark.com
Menominee Park Zoo
Oshkosh’s largest park stretches 109 acres along the shore of Lake Winnebago and wraps around the zoo. There is something for everyone in this beautiful, relaxing place! The park offers miniature train rides, a merry-go-round, amusement rides and paddle boats, and there is a fun playground for the kids and a sandy beach to swim or sunbathe, as well as a paved biking and walking trail along the lake. Menominee Park also hosts many of the city’s annual festivals and events. Admission is free at the eight-acre zoo, which features hands-on exhibits and programs that are entertaining and educational. On Wednesdays throughout the summer, a variety of presentations and outdoor activities take place. The series is designed to help children and families develop respect for wildlife and knowledge about the environment and how we are all connected.
520 Pratt Trail, Oshkosh, ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Parks/MenomineeParkZoo
Photo by Alexis Phillips.