Henry Vilas Park Zoo

Free, small zoo. Yes FREE! A great place to take the kids. The new Arctic bears exhibit is really worth a look and you can even dine right there in front of a window with bears on the other side. Our daughter loved it. Yes it is small and they only have one or two of each animal at best. But it’s free, clean and a great Madison attraction. I agree that the parking is an issue and hope one day they will rectify that as I cannot imagine the noise neighbors hear throughout the summer with cars parking for blocks in every direction in front of every house.

Really a great free zoo and one of the best things to do in Madison. Parking is also free and relatively plentiful. Very nice mix of animals. Facilities are pretty well maintained. Green space around the zoo to let kids run around in after they are through with the zoo itself.

Quick visit to this zoo today — lots of families around. Not very big but fun for a free activity. Highlight for me was of course the polar bears!

I used to come here every Easter with a friend of mine. We would get brunch and then walk through the zoo. Mary the Zookeeper used to give some of the primates ‘Easter Baskets’ with crayons, paper, and picture books. It was so cool to watch! She’d spend her morning chatting with people coming through and telling them about the animals, the treats they were enjoying, body postures, and the ideas she had hoped for in their space. I mean, it is also FREE, you can’t beat that. The merry go round is only $ 1 and the animals on it are gorgeous!!!

This an awesome zoo it’s free and plenty of animals to look at! I spent 4 hours here so it’s worth it.

Yes, it’s a wonderful little zoo, but as poster Ashley H. said, it is packed until bursting with little kids & their wranglers during the summer or any stretch of good weather. Kids will elbow you out of the way to look at the animal exhibits while their handlers look on. Try visiting during the dead of winter when the gates pop open. An added bonus: you could actually get a parking space in the zoo lot, but take note of where you parked, as it will be be hard to locate with all the minivans there. I wish the zoo would have an after hours charity event that was adults only, but society at large has decided that all museums, aquariums and zoos must cater to children first.

Cute zoo, not too big but had a good variety of animals. Nicely kept up & beautiful area to take the family. So glad we stopped to check it out!

Great zoo with a wide variety of animals. As with any free zoo, there will be a mix of crazy people walking around, but was very cool atmosphere when we went. Almost wish they would charge a fee to get in to make some of the exhibits larger for the animals… Prices on food and other stuff was fair. Parking is sucky, but if you dont mind a walk there are good options.
Thought they did a good job showing how to conserve resources and save more animals. Would definitely recommend to friends traveling the area and go back again if I’m in town.

The zoo is free and the Arctic Passage just opened. Nice day to watch the animals so joyous in their new enclosures.

What a beautiful day spent at this charming zoo! It was our first time there and we loved it :)
It’s not big but enough to be entertained for a good hour or so. Our first stop was to see a lion, in the beginning he was lying down lazy and suddenly he got up and that’s when the show began, he starting roaring hard and everybody was looking at each other in amaze, excited but kind of scared at the same time… ummmm «it’s that door really secured»? Jajaja, it was quite an experience let me tell you. Beautiful animals, you really can see they are well taken care of, from exotic multicolor little frogs to big white polar bears. I love the reptile room because it is very educational for children and also for some adults, like me, who have forgotten a few facts about reptiles ;) they have little boxes showing the brain skeleton of different animals, very nice. There is also an area where people can pet and feed goats, it was so sweet to see how they stood up tall to be fed :) There is plenty of seating throughout the zoo in case you need a break and have an ice cream cone from their restaurant called Glacier. What it really impressed us the most was how close the interaction with the animals is, they are only a few feet away from you, most of them we could see through glass but they are right there watching you very relaxed :) I think this is what makes this zoo unique, the whole family gets a more personal experience with the animals if you can say it like that. We left with a warm feeling and eager to see their future improvements :)

I’ve been to some really big Zoo’s in the USA and this free zoo is AMAZING. First of all, the animals are completely comfortable grazing a few feet in front of you. There are open spaces to take great photos. I’m still so pleased that the Lion was out and about. All of the animals were.
The other Zoo’s I’ve been to that charged me a good chunk of money never provided this kind of experience. Take a trip here, it’s worth it.

Really neat little free zoo. Free. Zoo. How cool is that?
It is not a giant zoo, but it has a lot to offer. Reminds me of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. Cool animals and exhibits. Enough educational information. They have bears, polar bears, giant tortoise, giraffe, tigers and a whole lot more.
Great place to meander around and enjoy a morning.

Sometimes I take the zoo for granted because it’s always been around and it’s always been free. That’s pretty phenomenal considering it’s not just a little petting zoo with one or two sad animals. I went on another walk-​through a couple weekends ago and was impressed to see things have gotten even nicer since my last visit.
The big new draw is the new arctic area featuring underwater viewing for the polar bears and seals. We were by the polar bear glass at the right time and I can’t lie, it’s pretty cool having a giant bear swim up to you and launch itself back through the pool off the glass. The bears are free to roam through a grassy area that seems a lot more humane than the barren ice & snow-​motif concrete I remember with a giant chasm between their space and the crowd railing.
I also checked out one of the indoor buildings I’d never made it into before and it featured a range of creatures from the adorable (tiny frogs!) to the stuff of nightmares (cockroaches, centipedes).
Because the zoo is free and on the smaller side, there are some bottlenecks and you’re constantly tripping over small children, but a little patience will take you a long way.

What better than a free zoo? How about a free zoo with an amazing new polar bear and arctic exhibit? We checked it our last weekend and I must admit, I was impressed. Not only is there a café overlooking the exhibit but also a underwater viewing area and another glassed in area on the surface level. Polar bears aside, the rest of the zoo has alot to offer. From rhinos to tigers to goats (because let’s face it, goats are amazing!), a solid selection of animals all for the right price ($ 0).

For us, this zoo is large. Not gigantic, but large. There are many animals here to take note of and they are all well cared for. There is a play ground so the kids can take a break and spend some of that charged up energy. There are a few rides, including a train. They do charge a nominal fee for these but not much.
The one thing that is surprising is this zoo is free. That’s right. Zero admission and it will remain forever thus as decreed by the Vilas family who donated the park. This zoo puts other zoos to shame that have an admission and are in some of the biggest cities in the country. Henry Vilas Park Zoo sets that standard while others try to meet that standard. Good luck. Currently, the park is going through some renovations and expansions to better serve the community for another 100 years. That’s right, the park is already more than 100 years old and doing very well.
We loved coming here to see all the interesting things. A butterfly collection something rarely seen at other zoos was truly fascinating. The children’s zoo and penguin exhibits were so fun to watch. However, the Discovery Center/​Herpetarium gives you first hands-​on education facility with space for indoor classes. The tropical rain forest avery is super large providing another fun aspect to the zoo. So much to see and do, and as many times as we’ve been there, we’ve still never seen the whole thing.

If you’re disappointed because it doesn’t have all the «typical» animals a zoo has, get over yourself! Come to Milwaukee and pay an arm and a leg, for admission AND parking! This zoo is free!!!
I like a zoo that has a little something different from all the others. I also like that this zoo is tucked into a neighborhood, so it’s not something everyone and their grandma knows about.
And Giant Tortoises? YES, please! Just one of the neat little things that make this zoo pretty awesome.
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Nice small zoo! It has giraffes, primates, reptiles and amphibians, lions, tigers, etc. The habitats are clean, and the animals seem well cared for. Admission is free. We go every time we are in Madison.

Pretty great zoo with free admission AND PARKING, which is awesome. Having volunteered at this zoo for years when I was a vet tech at the vet school (now I’m a nurse in a hospital), I know how hard this zoo works at community outreach and education. I love that they are keeping up with the times and working to provide enriching environments — the giraffe enclosure was great, and I was happy to see the old monkey house is gone. The old lady and I enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch in the shade on a recent hot and sweaty day, copying the snoozing tapir we saw in a shady corner.
My only observation and request is that they improve their accessibility, because it took us a long time to find a spot at a picnic table that we could wheel up to with the old lady’s wheelchair (we struggled over some unpaved ground without too much difficulty). The bathroom (next to the pretty decent giftshop) could use some accessible updating as well. Even with me navigating, we had to rely on the kindness of strangers holding doors.
Tip: Don’t forget to check the back entrance if you can’t find handicapped parking by the main entrance.
Still my favorite zoo:)

The Henry Vilas Zoo is a not so hidden gem in Madison. It’s a smaller zoo, but with a great variety of animals. It’s easy to navigate and you are able to see everything is a fairly short period of time, which could be considered good or bad… for our family, it’s good! ;) They offer train rides and carousel rides for $ 1.50 per person, regardless of age. I think the carousel is worth it… the train, not so much. The train basically goes in a very short loop where you just see the backs of some buildings that you could just as easily walk around. There is a petting zoo and a giant play structure that is fun for older kids.
The biggest downfall of the zoo is the lack of parking. If you are lucky, you will get a spot in the lot, but on busy weekends we’ve had to park multiple blocks away. I can forgive this little flaw since the zoo itself is FREE. If you’ve got a little change to spare, be sure to throw it in the donation buckets located around the zoo. This year on a trip in July we were told they were already out of maps for the year — and there was no budget to print more.
Finally, be aware that when they say the zoo closes at 5:00, they really mean 4. The petting zoo, the park, and all exhibits with doors are closed at 4. They just leave the actual zoo open for another hour while they filter people out. Don’t go at 3:30 and think you will have a full hour and a half to explore or you will be disappointed.

I was pleasantly surprised by this neighborhood zoo. You can tell they are trying to update the animal homes. The zoo has a nice, simple vibe. It is a free place to take your family for a couple hours on a summer day. This place will not take more than a few hours to go through.
You can take food in or check out some of the stands. I did not eat there, so I can not attest to any type of food they have.
I am excited to see what the new Bear Home will be. I noticed that many people are worried about the size of the animal homes. I understand this can be a little sad but they are a free zoo. It is unfortunate. They have fundraising events and donation boxes all around. They have an annual 5K to raise money as well.
The parking situation is terrible. There are so few spots and the side streets are packed bumper to bumper.
I can not wait to go back and check out the new bear exhibit. I also like the idea that the zoo was founded by the Vilas family and it will always be free.