Information
Landmark: Phillips Park ZooCity: Aurora
Country: USA Illinois
Continent: North America
Phillips Park Zoo, Aurora, USA Illinois, North America
Overview
In Aurora, Illinois, the Phillips Park Zoo draws families with its free admission, hands-on exhibits, and the cheerful chatter of peacocks, making it one of the city’s favorite spots.Tucked inside Phillips Park, the zoo focuses on conservation and education while giving visitors a close look at native North American wildlife-like the quiet watch of a bald eagle-in a warm, easy-to-explore space.📍 Location & Overview Address: 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, IL 60505 Founded: 1915 Admission: Free Size: The zoo sits within Phillips Park, a 325-acre area featuring playgrounds, gardens, trails, and a golf course.You’ll find the zoo at 1000 Ray Moses Drive in Aurora, Illinois, tucked inside Phillips Park-a sprawling 325 acres with playgrounds, flower gardens, winding trails, and even a golf course.Founded back in 1915, it’s open to everyone, free of charge.Phillips Park Zoo first opened with exotic animals, but by the 1930s it had turned its attention to local wildlife, especially once Brookfield Zoo’s gates swung wide.🐾 Animal Exhibits The zoo houses around 100 animals across more than 40 species , mostly native to North America.Today, the zoo offers a place where families can wander shaded paths, spotting native owls and foxes, while learning together about the region’s wildlife.🐾 Animal Exhibits The zoo’s home to about 100 animals from over 40 species, many of them North American-think black bears, bobcats, and the call of a red-tailed hawk cutting through the air.The enclosures are built to keep the animals healthy and comfortable, while giving visitors a chance to learn-like spotting a giraffe’s slow, measured chew up close.Gray wolves are among the zoo’s star attractions, roaming a wide, pine-scented enclosure where they can run, dig, and howl as they please.Mountain Lions (Cougars) – This 2005 exhibit features rugged rock ledges and shadowy nooks, giving visitors a close view of these secretive predators.A herd of North American elk grazes across a wide, grassy expanse, the wind stirring through their tawny coats like it would in the wild.White-tailed deer, often spotted in Illinois forests, rest quietly in a shaded enclosure beneath thick, rustling trees.In the farmyard, llamas greet visitors and offer a close look at the gentle, domesticated animals long raised throughout the Americas.Bald eagles-rescued and now living in a custom-built open-air enclosure-soar above a pond and a small waterfall that’s been splashing there since 2002.Great Horned Owls, wild turkeys, and bright-feathered peacocks fill the enclosures and wander through open lawns.Indian peafowl bring an exotic flair, their feathers shimmering in rich blues and greens.🧒 Children’s & Educational Features Farmyard Zone: An interactive area where children can observe and sometimes engage with domesticated animals like goats, chickens, and llamas.You’ll spot swans, ducks, and geese gliding across the zoo’s quiet pond and splashing in the wetland pools.The Reptile House, renovated in 2006, invites visitors indoors to see snakes-including familiar Illinois species-along with turtles, lizards, and amphibians.It highlights conservation and works to ease fears about these often misunderstood creatures, from a turtle’s slow blink to a snake’s smooth, silent glide.🧒 Children’s & Educational Features - Farmyard Zone: A hands-on space where kids can watch goats nibble hay, hear chickens cluck, and even help feed a friendly llama.🌳 Historical Significance & Features Mastodon Discovery In the 1930s, mastodon bones were unearthed during Civil Works Administration excavations in Phillips Park.Ideal for sparking young minds and bringing families together-picture story time with crayons scattered across the table.The zoo runs seasonal programs, hosts field trips, and leads guided tours for school groups and scouts, sometimes stopping by the lion enclosure where the air smells faintly of hay.Colorful signs beside each exhibit share facts on ecology, conservation, and animal behavior, helping visitors connect the stories to what they see.🌳 Phillips Park holds a fascinating bit of history-back in the 1930s, workers with the Civil Works Administration uncovered mastodon bones while digging through its soil.🌼 Surrounding Attractions in Phillips Park The zoo is part of a larger public park with attractions such as: Mastodon Island & Playground: A themed play area with picnic shelters, climbing structures, and interactive exhibits.You can now see these fossils at the David & Karen Stover Visitor Center, right next to the zoo, where ancient bones meet the world we know today.At the visitor center, you’ll see mastodon fossils-massive skulls and teeth worn smooth like old river stones.Step up to interactive displays that bring Ice Age Illinois to life, from mammoth tracks in the frozen mud to the chill of ancient winds.🕒 Hours & Visitor Information Operating Hours: Summer (June 1 – September 30): Open Thursday to Tuesday , 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Closed Wednesdays Off-Season (October 1 – May 31): Open Thursday to Tuesday , 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Closed Wednesdays Amenities: Free parking on-site Wheelchair accessible (including Reptile House) Family restrooms and picnic areas available Photography allowed (no flash in Reptile House) 📝 Summary The Phillips Park Zoo is a charming and well-maintained zoo focused on local wildlife, education, and family engagement.Details about Aurora’s paleontological past, from fossilized shells to ancient bone fragments.🌼 Phillips Park offers more than just the zoo-it’s home to Mastodon Island & Playground, a lively spot with picnic shelters, climbable towers, and hands-on exhibits kids can’t resist.
