What You Need to Know About Visiting the Zoo with Your Family This Covid Summer
It’s been a long time since I wrangled the kids on a legitimate Family Field Trip — Covid has sure put a damper on our adventures of the past. I truly can’t imagine when I’ll feel ready to venture back to an indoor play space or children’s museum.
Even when I heard that Brookfield Zoo had reopened in Phase 4, I had mixed feelings. Maybe that was just one more thing I didn’t need to take a risk on. But desperate times call for forced family fun, so after talking with a friend who had already been, I booked our tickets and started to get excited.
I’ll cut to the chase for those of you who don’t have a lot of time: GO check it out. You’ll definitely see more animatronic dinosaurs than real live animals, but it’ll still be worth it. Keep reading for my quick guide to what you should know before you go — based on questions I got from all of you on Instagram after sharing some videos and photos in my Stories.
Where:
Brookfield Zoo
8400 W 31st St
Brookfield, IL 60513
Get directions
Plan your visit: https://www.czs.org/brookfield-zoo/home
Read about Covid precautions: https://www.czs.org/KnowBeforeYouGo
Get your tickets: https://www.czs.org/OnlineTicketing
NOTE: There is no cost for the Dinos Everywhere exhibit. Standard zoo admission and parking fees apply.
What to Expect at Brookfield Zoo During Covid
Are tickets required?
Yes. Every person must have a pre-reserved ticket purchased online through the online ticketing portal. Parking must also be arranged at the same time. All admission and parking is pre-paid and arranged in advance; no walk-in guests are permitted.
What are the entry procedures?
All admission and tickets are handled from your vehicle before you are admitted entrance into the parking lot. The attendant will scan tickets and parking for all members in your party and then allow you to enter the parking lot. There are no additional lines or entrance procedures. The turnstiles at the gates are open for all to walk through.
What’s not open right now?
All indoor buildings are closed, as are attractions such as the Hamill Family Play Zoo, the Carousel, the dolphin show, the butterfly experience, all playgrounds and splash pads. Restaurants are closed, but there are concession stands selling food and beverages (including beer!) Gift shops are closed, but there are numerous kiosks scattered throughout with souvenirs. No cash is accepted; only cards can be used for contactless payment for concessions and merchandise.
Was it crowded?
We went late on a Friday afternoon, and I thought the parking lot looked a lot more crowded than I expected. However, once inside, it didn’t feel crowded at all. There were always other groups nearby, but not on top of you. If you’re concerned about crowds, I’d recommend going on a weekday. I imagine the weekends would be slightly more crowded.
Are masks required?
All members of your party should bring masks. The driver should wear a mask when checking in at the parking lot admission gate. Once inside, masks are not required when you can adequately social distance from other guests, but certain high-traffic areas require masks, such as the bear viewing, the giraffe viewing, and the narrow paths near the wolves. Restrooms and concessions stands also require masks.
We also wore our masks walking into and out of the zoo, as a courtesy to other guests, and in front of the T.rex display, which was the most “crowded” area we encountered.
Some guests chose to wear masks for their entire visit, but I found it very easy to maintain more than adequate social distance between our family and others, so we did not.
Did you see a lot of animals?
Not a lot. You’ll definitely see more dinosaurs than animals. We went on a hot day, so most of the animals were probably snoozing comfortably indoors. We saw a zebra, the giraffes, a rhino, some various antelope-type animals, the grizzly bear for 20 seconds, and one wallaby who looked as tired and exhausted as we felt.
Did your kids care that there weren’t many animals?
Not in the slightest. They were much more excited about tracking down every last of the 45 dinosaurs instead. Many of the dinosaurs move and/or make noise, so it’s a lot like seeing animals — except statues don’t get heat stroke in the Chicago summer.
Can you see all the dinosaurs in one trip?
You can, depending on how long you’re willing to be there and how much you’re willing to walk. The dinosaurs are grouped into three main sections — around the fountain (just a few), in the dedicated exhibit area where other special exhibits have been (near Hamill Family Wild Encounters), and near Habitat Africa with all the hooved animals (incidentally, my least favorite part of the zoo).
We entered through the North Entrance, went through the Habitat Africa section first, cut across to catch the ankylosaurus at the South Entrance, continued on to the dedicated exhibit walk-through near Wild Encounters, and then caught the dinos around the fountain on our way out. We were there two full hours and saw every last one of them.
Isn’t it too hot to go to the zoo right now?
We went on an extremely hot and humid day,but timed it accordingly. We booked our tickets for a 3:10 PM entry time, figuring that we had missed the hottest hours of the day and it would only be cooling off as the day wore on. The zoo is open until 6 PM daily, so we had plenty of time to see everything we wanted to see. Note that we skipped the big cats as well as the sea lions; I don’t know if they would have been out or active in the weather, but we weren’t active enough to attempt it by the time we saw all the dinosaurs.
Much of the dinosaur exhibit is in shaded areas, which helps. I also brought a cooling towel that Easton wore on his head for half of the zoo, when he got tired from walking at the end.
Are the dinosaurs scary for little kids?
My boys are 4 and 7, so they were not scared in the slightest. I saw many much younger kids as well, and no one appeared particularly upset. However, many of the dinosaurs do make loud noises, which might be frightening for some, or upsetting to kids with sensory issues.
As well, there is one section in the exhibit space where one of the displays shows a few carnivores eating a dead herbivore. I found the scene to be a little gory and largely unnecessary. Parents of younger or sensitive kids may want to hustle past that particular scene. (Note, however, that my boys thought it was ‘so cool.’ So, to each their own, obviously.)
Anything else I should know?
Bring a stroller or wagon if your kids get tired. Bring lots of water and a cooling towel if you have one. Water fountains are turned off, as are misters, so if you need water refills, you’ll have to plan to buy it from concessions. Some families carried umbrellas to provide shade from the sun; not a terrible idea, but personally I didn’t feel like carrying on extra thing.
Hamill Family Wild Encounters is open with goat feeding; if you want to feed the goats, you’ll need to bring your own quarters as they are not making change in the contactless environment.
Now, my question for you: Is there anything else you want to know that I didn’t cover? Reach out on social media, or check out my Instagram Highlights for the compilation of photos and video. Let me know what you think if you make the trek!
Here’s to many more safe, social distancing field trips this summer and beyond! Keep following on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more ideas and inspiration for finding fun in everyday moments and more. And whatever you do, be safe and mask up when needed!
