When I was seven years old a peacock bit me. I was feeding it a piece of bread at a local zoo and it nipped my finger. Since then, the zoo has never been a place I looked forward to visiting. However, my two-year-old daughter loves animals. She knows all the words to “Old MacDonald’s Farm” and has enough stuffed animals to fill a zoo. So, for her second birthday we recently made a trip to the Brookfield Zoo. The experience has since changed my feelings about zoos… and that’s saying a lot. If you are looking for a fun family day trip, this is the place to go.
Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, Illinois, just 14 miles west of downtown Chicago. It sits on 216 acres of landscaped grounds and has fabulous exhibits that feature everything from dolphins to antelopes. However, it is the Hamill Family Play Zoo that made the biggest impression on us. It is designed for and by children and caters to kids between the ages of one and ten. It is hands on fun and learning at it’s best, and is housed under one roof.
My daughter’s favorite exhibit is the “Animal Hospital” where children are invited to care for sick animals. There are dozens of stuffed animals, from alligators to penguins, dogs, cats, and monkeys, available for kids to “examine” with real stethoscopes. My daughter loved to put the alligators into real incubators then transfer them to cages to “recover” from their “boo-boos.” The entire room is set up to mirror a real animal hospital and they do not skimp on the details. Kids can put on scrubs, perform mock operations on real examining tables and pour over animal X-rays.
Just a few feet away is the “Zoo Director’s Office,” a place where your child can learn what it takes to be the zoo’s top dog. The room is set up just like an administrator’s office with a computer, phone, desk and calculator for hands on fun. There is also a sitting area with a big leather chair and a bookcase full of animal books. The office also comes equipped with a children’s sized zoo play set, allowing them to move animals and exhibits around to design their own version of the “perfect zoo.”
The Hamill Family Play Zoo also has a greenhouse where children can grab a spray bottle and help caretakers water various plants and trees. My daughter practically drowned a banana tree, but couldn’t have been happier with her efforts. It also includes an area where kids can search for and learn about a variety of insects.
Next to the greenhouse is an exhibit called “Zoo at Home,” which features animals we consider “pets.” Here your child can get up close and personal with kittens, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, birds and hamsters. It was my daughter’s first chance to touch a 14-pound bunny. There is also an area that children can finger paint with mud or partake in other animal themed arts and crafts projects. Outside there is a fenced in area where children can build forts, wade in a stream and search for animal tracks.
The Brookfield Zoo also includes a Children’s Zoo with a farm theme. Here children can see and touch cows, chicks, goats, llamas, and sheep. It is also home to several raptors (hunting birds) as well as snakes, an eagle, a bobcat, groundhogs, and reindeer. At certain times of the day you can also see cows and goats being milked and watch a wool spinning demonstration.
The Brookfield Zoo is open every day of the year and children 2 and under get in free. For more information on admission, hours and directions visit the Brookfield Zoo website.