Peoria Zoo

Let me open with, this is a local thing. If you live in the Peoria area and you like zoos, you should definitely be a member. Great place to pop in for an hour and relax (and then walk over to Chef & the Baker, or Rumbergers for lunch). If you have little ones you can join this up with the Children’s museum for an extended morning/​afternoon. If you have a tiny one like me (2 yrs old) it will likely take 2 trips to see everything.
They have a really nice Africa section with lions, zebra, rhinos, giraffes, monkeys… etc… They also have a neat little Outback area where you walk among a few animals (not a kangaroo, but something like it). There is also an indoor section with some pretty cool monkey’s for a rainy day.
For those that compare this to a large zoo (like San Diego or Washington), you will be disappointed. This is a small zoo that won’t take more than 2 hours if you walk at a normal pace. Not real pricey (I think $ 8 – 9), but not a place to travel to see.
Again, I think the member value truly kicks in for this place. My recommendation is based on that experience. Enjoy!

I currently happen to be in Peoria, and since i didn’t want to be stuck in the hotel, i decided to visit the Zoo. Its been almost 5 years since i visited the zoo, i should say that this is a small zoo and is almost ¹⁄₃^rd the size of the Chicago zoo (in terms of space and animals).
I visited alone and it took me roughly 90 minutes to view all the animals.
I was bummed that the front desk lady didn’t give me any maps, but since it was so small, i didn’t need one.
Only bummer was that the only Tiger in the zoo appeared to me malnourished.
I was happy to see the Lion, Giraffe, and Rhino’s. No Elephants and large birds of prey. They have a very small selection of reptiles.
For some reason the Wild Australian walk through Section was closed, although i could see the Kangaroo’s Emo’s and Walibis through the fence opening. I wish i could have seen this part of the zoo.
For $ 9.00 per adult, they have a decent selection of animals, and i feel that given few more years of growth this zoo can become a good public attraction for Peoria.

I love zoos, big and small, and have come to appreciate each institution for the work that they do in their communities. The Peoria Zoo, although not the biggest, is a cute little zoo, that has been doing some really nice renovations and thematic exhibits over the years. Their newest exhibits, such as the Africa walkway and Australian exhibit, are quite lovely. It’s nice to see a zoo that is able to raise funds for both the care of the animals and space.
As far as animals go, they have a nice variety of critters, including big cats, monkeys, reptiles, amphibians, insects, bats, giraffes, zebra, wallabies, etc. Bring a dollar to feed the budgies. They are super cute, and love gobbling up the seeds on the sticks provided. If you get hungry too, you can mosey on down to the Zambezi River Lodge, which has ample seating, cool African décor, and a variety of kid friendly food like hot dogs, chicken fingers, etc.
As a side note, I also got to experience the Zambezi River Lodge as wedding venue for my sister’s nuptials almost 5 years ago, and it was beautiful. This isn’t a conventional location, but the staff is really friendly, the space is unique and pretty, the price is affordable, and we all had a good time.

Very clean, friendly staff. Bigger than Miller Park in Bloomington, and had a better variety of animals. Was able to get through it in a little over 90 minutes (with no kids).

It is hard to rate any zoo after you have been to The San Diego Zoo, but this one is just fine for the area. This is a great zoo for introducing animals to little ones. There are a variety of animals, the most popular being giraffes, lions, rhinos, seals, and monkeys. There is a small petting zoo with a llama (who has a serious staring problem), goats, bunnies, and more. I loved that they had an enclosed walk through with wallabies. It made the kids feel really immersed and up close in the habitat. The zoo also as picnic areas and a few play areas. The park is clean and easy to navigate. I was a part of a field trip, and the staff was very knowledgeable and patient with all the kids. So awesome! I would like to see a couple things improve. We missed several animals due to closed exhibits or animals not being let out yet. Maybe we had bad timing? Also, with all the animals and little dirty hands, I was really bothered that there was no warm water or soap in the bathrooms. So bring hand sanitizer!!! I still enjoy my visit and think the low prices are a great deal! Great place to spend an afternoon.

Super cute little zoo. I have only been there twice, once for actually looking at the animals and once for the Halloween hunt thingy. It’s very clean and looks very nice. Yes, it’s small, but I think it has a nice display of animals. It’s very open and the animals aren’t in cages, which I enjoy seeing. I think we will be taking our small children here a lot this next summer. I’m sure they will enjoy it, older children might not as much. There is a small gift shop and places to eat. Lots of walking, but that is pretty typical of a zoo I think. For the most part is seemed pretty wheelchair friendly if you have a family member that needed to be pushed around. I pushed a stroller around there this fall fairly easily. Good place for an afternoon of family time.

We were so pleased with the Peoria Zoo that we bought a membership. It is just the right size! The animals look well cared for and the park is clean and easy to get around, even with a clunky stroller.
We saw a group from a nursing home that day, and they were able to navigate the entire zoo in wheelchairs — VERY nicely done!
Since it is in affiliation with other zoos, buying the membership allows us to visit other zoos too.

This review is kind of unconventional, in that it does not rate the Zoo so much as it does the Zambezi River Lodge, where you can hold wedding receptions.
Yes, you heard me right. Wedding receptions. At the Zoo. Roar!
When I told my grandmother I was having a wedding reception at the zoo, she laughed. Then she asked, in her lovely Puerto Rican accent, «really mamita, where are you going to have your reception?» Crystal: «The Zoo.» Grandma: «Ha ha ha, really now, where?» Crystal: «The Zoo! The Zoo! What part of „the zoo“ don’t you understand!?»
Okay, okay, so I’m just kidding about that final reaction, but it did take a while to get it through her head. I know it’s not the usual hotel ballroom or cater inn, but I loved it!
Why should you have your wedding at the Zoo?
1.) Unique atmosphere and very pretty room with circular layout, view of the Africa exhibit.
2.) Have a list of «preferred caterers,» but are willing to work with you and in your budget so that you don’t have to order $ 100 plates of food for all your guests.
3.) Their events manager, Preston Waters, is awesome and really knows his stuff. He has everything under control, literally, and doesn’t overlook any details. He’s your man!
4.) They have lots of tables and chairs, so you don’t have to rent any.
5.) Awesome kitchen for caterers, great audio system for djs, clean and modern bathrooms right on site.
6.) Preston drove around in one of their extended «golf carts» to search for wedding guests around Glen Oak Park and shuttle them to the Lodge.
Cons:
In my mind, the only «con» is the price, which was $ 900 for us as museum members/​$ 1000 for non-​members, and I’ve heard it has since gone up. But, I truly think it was worth every penny. This was probably the only real «splurge» in our wedding, with everything else being very low-​budget.

It’s not a big zoo like the kind I grew up with, but for a smaller zoo it’s decent. My daughter loves it because of the seal aquarium set up which works with me because there are benches in the shade right behind so I watch the little monkeys while she watches the seals. =)
The new Africa exhibit really makes it a lot better because there is more space for the animals. When we went to visit, the lions were laying down right next to the big glass window to their exhibit. That was awesome, until the lions decided to engage in breeding activities. It was so funny how all the parents grabbed their kids and bolted to the next exhibit so they wouldn’t have to explain it. Although I did the same as them too. Still, hilarious moment.
The one thing I don’t like about the zoo is that to get in and out you have to walk through the gift shop. Having an eager toddler makes this very aggravating.

We visited the Glen Oak Zoo after the opening of the Africa exhibit. It was hyped up to be much more than it really is. To get to the giraffes, there is a lot of walking. I liked the bridge you walk to get to the giraffes a lot, it just would have been a lot nicer if you could get closer to the other animals for viewing.

I liked the zoo. I saw the new Africa exhibit and it is very nice. It’s not a huge zoo but you can tell people are putting a lot of work into it. They have a touching zoo too I liked. I like the monkies the most.

This Zoo is for very small children I would have to say, age 3 – 10 maybe.
It is nice and the people there a friendly but the zoo is small.
They will open some African area in June 6,2009, they worked on that for 2 ½ years.