Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo

Free every day of the year, right beside the skyline

Hours

Open daily: gates 8am, animal buildings 10am (official site); closing time varies by season

Tickets

Free, every day of the year (official site)

Address

2001 N Clark St, inside Lincoln Park, next to the Lincoln Park Conservatory

Open since 1868, it's one of the oldest zoos in the country and still costs nothing. There's no ticket gate, you just walk in off the park, and lions, gorillas, polar bears and giraffes come up one after another. It's compact enough to loop in two or three hours, and the wooden Nature Boardwalk around the south pond gives you the skyline over the reeds. The Lincoln Park Conservatory next door is free too.