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Milwaukee County Zoo
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
13 reviews for Milwaukee County Zoo
We do have a great Zoo here in Milwaukee. The renovations are nice, pretty grounds and lots to do once in there. Different shows to see, the Zoo Mobile, Train, Merry-go-Round and the new Giraffe feeding station is really cool. Different times of the year there are other events there...bands, charity walks/runs, the Zoo A-la-Carte (taste of Milwaukee) and Snooze at the Zoo to name a few.
I have "snoozed at the zoo" several times (we don't have kids though) and it's alot of fun even for us grown ups. From what I saw, there were informational "behind the scenes" tours, Comedy Sportz (kid friendly version), dinner and smores. It's neat to see the animals active at night and the next day (after a little breakfast) you haul your gear to the car and get to stay the day. If you plan on spending the nite during the snooze, I'm gonna give you a tip that needs to stay in the YELP community. It's a secret. While it's nice to wake up to a sunrise on Lake Evenrude, pick a campsite near the railroad tracks. Much less goose poop!
If you live in town with a family, a zoo pass is very affordable. It pays for itself in a trip or two. And it's always a nice place to go to with your girlfriends and power walk through (for free with the pass).
My son and I camped out as part of the "Snooze at the Zoo" weekend. $85 got us a beautiful space to set up a tent under a 100 year old weeping willow tree next to Lake Evinrude, a picnic dinner, Comedy Sportz, campfires and S'mores, and a unique way to see the animals at the Zoo.
It was so nice to actually be able to enjoy the animals at night, when they're winding down, or winding up, as was the sea lion who decided to howl and growl like a dog. After setting up camp we enjoyed a picnic dinner that was at least semi healthy, and not bad at all. Hot Dogs, chicken breasts, raw veggies, pasta salad, watermelon...the Volunteer staff was incredibly helpful and nice during the entire stay!
We were given a Scavenger Hunt assignment that actually required learning a lot about the animals near the campground, which required a lot of walking and reading. What's a "Bactrian Camel"? I'll never tell! The prairie dog couple were such hams! I swear they loved the attention and posed for the camera and kissed as people snapped shots. Seeing giraffes at night was eerie and incredible, a sight my son probably won't soon forget.
We walked through the Zoo to be treated to a Comedy Sportz performance, tailored for kids. Many of the kids took part, and the Sportz guys made sure to drop in the occasional adult joke or three. We loved it! Then to crown the night, two controlled campfires to roast marshmallows with all the fixins for S'mores!
The night wasn't at all structured or rushed. Some people decided to just set up camp and enjoy the setting with a few cold ones. You could basically do everything the Zoo had planned, or nothing!
The only room for improvement would be to have more Zoo Mobiles to take Snoozers to their campsites night of check-in. And also to try a little harder at breakfast: Cold cereal and Krispy Kremes, with PTA-strength coffee just didn't cut it for me. We were given free entrance to the Zoo the next morning and were ready for action by 8:15am!
I would still like to see a Millionaire or two put some money into this Zoo, so animals have more space to run, jump, and cavort! But this was such a unique event, it will certainly be a highlight of my summer!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/7/2008
Being a native of Milwaukee, I've visited MKE Zoo for over 30 years now. It is pricey for non-MKE… Read more »
I love the zoo! It's just a perfect way to spend a cool summer day, and I always look forward to going.
I would really recommend checking out their website to see when the shows, feedings, and animals in action talks are--these things are really part of a great day at the zoo. It's not just you walking around reading signs, it's seeing a whole other side to the animals and the behind-the-scenes goings on of the zoo.
Also check out their website for discount days, as saving a couple bucks at the door is worth it to make up for the overpriced snack bar food.
Mold-a-ramas!!! This is the best zoo ever.
Not because of the mold-a-ramas but zoos without them are slacking in quality...This is my favorite zoo in the world. Their exhibits kick the asses of all other zoos I've ever been to. I REALLY hope they bring back the butterfly exhibit. They had a huge room full of flowers and butterflies flew around and if you stood still they would land on you. They change their exhibits pretty much yearly. This past summer they had a stingray pool and you could feed and pet the stingrays. It was slimy and beautiful and tons of fun.
The zoo also has a sea lion show and a birds of prey show. They have a kids zoo section with a playground and petting zoo and an ice cream shop that has a TASTY almond blue ice cream. They have lively animals and big houses full of apes, small mammals, cats, etc.
They also have a train ride, a tram ride, and I think they still have camel rides! Back in the day they had elephant rides. I love the memories from both.
For real, this zoo is awesome.
Ever have one of those moments where you have to check your head to make sure it's still attached to your neck? Just to confirm that you're in fact awake and not in some weird dreamlike state? I just had one looking at the reviews on the page covering the Milwaukee Zoo gushing about how wonderful it is. I went there over the weekend and if I ever return it will be too soon.
A friend of ours recently went and, like the other Kool-Aid drinkers on the review page, was enchanted by the place. So when we had nothing to do this past weekend it was decided we'd head north of the border and see what the hullabaloo was all about at Milwaukee Zoo. Now to be fair, I pretty much hate Wisconsin but geographical constraints dictate I visit there from time to time as there's nothing better to do within a couple hundred miles. That said, I'd much prefer living in San Diego, if only for having Mexico to play around in. So we packed up the boy, hit up Cracker Barrel for breakfast and hit I-94 for the trek into Cheesehead Country.
Locally, there's Brookfield Zoo which is comparably priced for admission and parking but the allure of a foreign, unknown zoo was too much to resist. It's $10.50 per adult for admission, $9 for parking to it was a cool $30 to get through the doors. But if you're worrying that I wouldn't have the opportunity to spend more money, and I know you are, fret not as if the Milwaukee Zoo has anything down to a science, it's finding inventive and exciting ways of bilking money out of its visitors through an over-abundance of shops and stands. Seriously, there are more shops per square mile at the Milwaukee Zoo than at Navy Pier. And that's saying something.
Attraction-wise, they need to completely rethink what a zoo is supposed to be. I love Lincoln Park Zoo, adore Brookfield as well. The Milwaukee Zoo is poorly laid out with its outdoor attractions being spaced WAYYYY far apart and its indoor attractions being cramped, dark and unairconditioned, giving you a flight urge after only a few minutes.
One star for the overall experience with an extra star because at least you pass Mars Cheese Castle on the way there, and that's always worth a trip. I joked to my wife that we were getting a Lincoln Park Zoo experience at Brookfield prices but on second thought, it's true and not really funny at all.
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I need to politely disagree with Matt W. Having been born and raised in Chicago (from birth - 25 yr. old) I'm very familiar with Brookfield & Lincoln Park zoos (both EXCELLENT in my opinion).
Having lived in Milwaukee since 1999, I've become very familiar with Milwaukee County Zoo.
IMHO this zoo is AWESOME! While the price is comparable to a zoo in a bigger city (i.e. Chicago) the zoo itself is ALSO comparable to a zoo in a bigger city. There are plenty of animals to see, plenty of things to do, plenty of food to eat, and plenty of things to buy. My (almost) 3 yr. old can't get enough of the place.
For locals the Zoo Pass pays for itself in just 2 visits. And the Zoo Pass PLUS is a great deal as it includes parking. And all levels of Zoo Pass come with special "member" perks, like discounts at the gift shops, members only nights/events, etc. It's nice to have when you just want to "kill an hour or two" wandering around, without fretting over the admission. We have the zoo pass plus and go just about every other week!
As for the "opportunity to spend money" ... nobody is forcing you to do so. You can easily pay your parking and admission, and not spend ANOTHER SINGLE DIME. At the south end of the zoo is a wonderful forested park area with plentiful picnic benches. Bring a cooler, pack some sandwiches and soda's and you're good to go. You're also welcome to carry in that cooler, and drag it around the whole park with you, if you want... therefore not needing to purchase a single bottle of water, or soda, or anything else. Even considering that, you can't blame them for trying to sell you things. It is a tourist attraction, after all, and the "profit" goes to the zoo.
One new thing they just started, too, is that the zoo is almost completely NON-SMOKING. Now, I'm a smoker, but they did a really great job with this one... Scattered around the zoo (at nicely spaced intervals) are designated smoking areas, but I'd say the zoo is now about 98% smoke free. Which is great for the kids.
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One of my first childhood memories occurred at the Milwaukee County Zoo. I was standing in front of beloved Milwaukee gorilla Samson's cage in what must have been 1980 or 1981. I had to have been less than 2 years old when and therefore remember Samson as being gigantic, roughly the size of King Kong (he was actually 650 pounds). The gorilla was known for fits where he would throw his body against the glass, run around his living area and cause general havoc. His presence drew crowds and fascinated Milwaukeeans. My memory is that he was relatively quiet and unassuming that day as my parents and I looked into his glass enclosure. Very suddenly he jumped, seemingly onto some sort of scale or metal plate that made a very loud bang and scared the living daylights out of my toddler self.
Enough reminiscing. The Milwaukee Count Zoo is a gem. It's one of the best zoos in the nation, and especially impressive when you consider how relatively small Milwaukee is for a "big city." It seems every time I go there are new exhibits, renovations and of course, exotic new animals. The staff generally seem helpful and passionate about what they are doing. It's a great place with a great location in the city. I hope they continue striving for excellence and creating a fun, family-oriented spot for Milwaukee for many more generations.
Well, I guess I'm going to have to go ahead and drink up the Milwaukee Zoo Kool-Aid like all the gushers on this page and say that the Milwaukee County Zoo is one of my favorite places. But then again, what do I know, I'm just a cheesehead.
The Milwaukee County Zoo attracts hoards of visitors through the display of many exotic species. Along the way The zoo sells these visitors a lot of crap. You see, running a zoological gardens is an expensive proposition. It costs a lot of money give these animals the best available care in captivity, to keep them fed, in clean, expansive enclosures, to keep them healthy and relatively happy. To say nothing of the great expense incurred by the Milwaukee County Zoo to be worldwide leader in animal conservation. You know, the preserves for bonobos in the Congo, stuff like that. It costs money.
So they sell crap. The way I figure it, if the sale of that crap helps sustain the Milwaukee Zoo as what it is: first and foremost a research and conservation institution then well I'm all for it. If the sale of crap helps the Milwaukee Zoo maintain its world class big ape exhibit (yes, that's right, something world class in Cheese Land!) then that's fine with me.
Nearly 100% of the animals in any modern zoo were born in captivity. They would never make it in the wild. The Milwaukee Zoo goes all out to give these animals a good life, while learning from them so as to help those species that are in the wild. They do a better job than nearly any other zoo I've been to to bring the people as close in contact with the animals as possible. This is why I don't mind paying the 9 dollars to get in.
As for parking, next time tell your friend who appreciates the zoo to park for free on Bluemound Road. Ten minute walk to the gate.
Brookfield wishes it was the Milwaukee zoo , except for the whole "being in Milwaukee" thing. It is chock full of animal exhibits, no shock , and has some of the best amenities I've seen in an outdoor entertainment facility. I could actually care less about the animals , quite frankly , It ain't so hard to build a display for a Tiger or an elephant ... scratch that , the San Francisco Zoo proved it is a bit of a bitch keeping tigers around. That being said , I'm grading this place solely on it's cool train , a kick ass animatronic dinosaur exhibit that was there the last time I visited , and a killer brat from one of the concession stands ... They also serve beer, nice. Brookfield is still nice , but the Milwaukee zoo rules.
We had a great time in Milwaukee and this is another place you have to check out while you are in town, unless you don't like zoos. If you do, you'll get a kick out of this one. Every zoo I have been to is quite a bit different, this one is no exception. They have a ski lift type that was fun and you can see the zoo and park from up in the air. The only other zoo that offers this ride is the San Diego Zoo. They have all the animals you will find at other zoos, including peacocks struting the grounds. It's not a free zoo like Lincoln Park, it's $10 for each adult.
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i went here in 8th grade...hm...that was...6 years ago???...yeah so it's been a while but i remember that i did enjoy it and i remember thinking it was huge for a zoo.
i should probably go back to properly review it but i don't often travel to milwaukee and i'm not going to go JUST to go to the zoo, especially when i can hop on the free trolley and go to LP Zoo for free!!!
I LOVE LOVE the Milwaukee County Zoo! While at Marquette, I went a few times and wish I went more! I had a friend who was a member and got a bunch of passes to their behind the scenes event and it started lightly snowing! I HATE snow but have to admit it was pretty. Very nice spread out zoo and very hilly. After graduation, my best friend sponsored for me a penguin named Loki. I kept it up a few years, but recently had to let it go. But their sponsor program is great - do it if you can! I hope to go back again soon with my daughter to show her the penguins!
I outgrew my fascination with zoos a while ago, but going to Milwaukee's this summer was a great experience. Be sure to go on Wednesday nights during the summer. The night we went, tickets were half price, a band was playing in the park, and all the animals were out and about, hamming it up for the camera! The grizzly bears were playing around and the leopards and tigers were posing like prom queens. There were also volunteers throughout the park who answered questions and talked with obvious expertise about the animals. A great visit!
