Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, known until 2024 as simply Brookfield Zoo, and also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in Brookfield, Illinois. Its story as a place to visit starts in 1934. For a second stop, Soldier Field is 11 mi away.
A zoo & aquarium inside Brookfield
Places to stay about a mile away
Brookfield Elks #1510 is 0.8 miles away; Scout Cabin (1.0 mi) and Odd Fellows Lodge Palacky (1.1 mi) are close too. 19 places to stay are within 4 miles. Hotels nearby ↓
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 17°, with about 39" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 63–82°. When to go ↓
An airport 5 miles away
Chicago Midway (MDW) has airline service, about 5 miles from Brookfield Zoo.
Established in 1934
Brookfield Zoo dates from 1934. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Warm months and cold ones
Here are the months at Brookfield Zoo, with their weather.
Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, known until 2024 as simply Brookfield Zoo, and also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in Brookfield, Illinois. Brookfield Zoo is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and is managed by the Chicago Zoological Society. It is the largest zoo in the Chicago metropolitan area and houses approximately 511 species of animals in an area of 216 acres (87 ha).
Brookfield Zoo opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recognition for using moats and ditches instead of cages.
- Type
- Zoo & aquarium
- Animals
- 3 animals · 511 species
- Area
- 235 acres
- Established
- 1934
- Wikipedia readers
- 18K a year
Where to sleep by Brookfield Zoo
Within 4 miles there are 19 places to stay. Nearest of all is Brookfield Elks #1510, at 0.8 miles.
Closest places to stay
- 1Brookfield Elks #1510lodge or cabins · 0.8 mi westDirections
- 2Scout Cabinlodge or cabins · 1.0 mi southDirections
- 3Odd Fellows Lodge Palackylodge or cabins · 1.1 mi westDirections
- 4Rodeway Inn Lyons - La Grangemotel · 1.1 mi southDirections
- 5Brookfield Motelmotel · 1.2 mi southDirections
- 6Colony Motelmotel · 1.5 mi southwestDirections
- 7Plank Road Innhotel · 1.6 mi southeastDirections
- 8Chicagoland Motelmotel · 1.7 mi southeastDirections
- 9Presidential Innmotel · 1.8 mi southeastDirections
- 10Welcome Inn & Suiteshotel · 1.8 mi southeastDirections
Places to eat nearby
115 restaurants, cafés and bars within 1½ miles
Compare 8 towns to stay in
| Town | From Brookfield Zoo | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | in town | — | 4 2 motels · 2 lodges & cabins | 18,879 | $332K | A |
| Riverside Township | in town | — | 2 1 hotel · 1 motel | 16,083 | $415K | — |
| Chicago | 8 mi east | 10 min | 382 320 hotels · 20 motels · 20 inns & B&Bs · 9 lodges & cabins · 8 hostels · 3 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 2,731,585 | $334K | D |
| York Township | 8 mi west | 10 min | 52 45 hotels · 2 motels · 3 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 128,137 | $397K | — |
| Leyden Township | 8 mi north | 10 min | 36 29 hotels · 7 motels | 90,402 | $288K | — |
| Lyons Township | 4 mi south | 5 min | 18 11 hotels · 6 motels · 1 lodge or cabins | 112,345 | $364K | — |
| Downers Grove Township | 9 mi southwest | 15 min | 22 19 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins | 149,599 | $455K | — |
| Proviso Township | 3 mi northwest | 5 min | 12 9 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins | 147,144 | $284K | — |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Make a day of it near Brookfield Zoo
More places people know lie within 14 miles.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw13 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw11 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a year
12 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
11 mi MuseumField Museum of Natural History1.4M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Field Museum of Natural History: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Questions before you go
Is Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield?
Yes. It’s inside Brookfield, IL.
When is the best time to visit Brookfield Zoo?
May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 63–82°.
What is the closest airport to Brookfield Zoo?
Chicago Midway (MDW), about 5 miles away.
What hotels are near Brookfield Zoo?
Brookfield Elks #1510 (0.8 mi), Scout Cabin (1.0 mi) and Odd Fellows Lodge Palacky (1.1 mi). 19 places to stay are within 4 miles.
Local tips in Brookfield
Start the conversation in Brookfield’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.