I've been to this zoo 4 times. It has 4 sections; combined it took us about 90 minutes. All the animals are up close. The entire zoo has a balance of sun and shade. Quite a few animals for a small zoo. Very stroller friendly; ramps instead of stairs. The 3 sections are: 1.) "the original section" which is a building that has monkeys, foxes and an outside area with a barn with goats and donkeys and a conservation center 2.) an Asian section which has a handful of exhibits with animals like tigers and takins, and a small building with snakes and bats 3.) an African section which takes up almost half the area with big enclosures for rhinos, zebras, and the like 4.) an Australian walkabout Zoo is very clean, well-maintained - and can do as much or as little as you like. And.. there's a children's museum within walking distance as well!

This zoo needs some TLC. We enjoyed it, but it's not as nice as it was when I went in 2008. I love being able to get close to a giraffe. I wish we could have been able to feed it ourselves. I didn't think it was quite worth $5 just to stand closer to it. The Walk About was probably my favorite part. I didn't read the sign and had a big surprise when there was a Wallaby right inside the gate just sitting there 😳😂 I thought the exercise trail/QR codes were really cool!

Love the zoo! Just wish they would have had more of the monkeys out in building.

The best small town zoo around. We drove down from the Quad Cities and it was absolutely worth it! We will definitely be coming back again and again. The design is great they definitely took line of sight into consideration because you actually get to see the animals. The Australia walk about is so cool! Being so close to the animals free roaming around is awesome. Feeding the Giraffe is the best! The amount of shade going through the zoo is great! You aren't baking in the sun the whole time you're there, you're actually in the shade most of the time. Their food and drink options are great and they don't cost an arm and a leg like other places. The gift shop is large and has a great selection, again it is very reasonably priced. Just all around a fantastic zoo. The one "bad" thing I do want to say is the walking paths are a little beat up. It was a little difficult pushing a stroller and walking you do have to watch out for potholes and large cracks. There are also some steep inclines that older and disabled might find difficult.

Overall experience is awesome. Tickets are little pricey but still we can visit this one. The setup is quite nice, particularly the wooden bridge which gives access to giraffe viewpoint are wonderful. Lion viewpoint is quite adventurous, the lion is indeed roaring and rocking here.

Great zoo. Good selection of animals and takes social distancing seriously.

We love our zoo! My kids are 3 and 4, and we have so much fun when we go. Not everything is open yet this year and we still spent an hour and half looking at the different animals. (4/21) I would recommend the family pass if you live close by. It can be crowded at times, but with the pass we have been really lucky to feel like we had the exhibits to ourselves for a nice amount of time if you go at slow parts of the day. So happy to have a zoo like this close by!

I usually take my daycare kids to the Peoria Zoo on donation day and my littles really love going! Definitely wish that they had more animals but we do like the giraffe exhibit a lot! Unfortunately today there were a few animals that we didn't get to see and we also couldn't do the African exhibit where the ostriches are. We did see them through the gate though. I think every time I go to the zoo that area is closed off. It was definitely a warm day today so there wasn't many people at the zoo we sat down in the air-conditioned Cafe to have a popcorn snack and the workers they were very accommodating with me and all my littles. There are two areas in the zoo where you need to wear your masks and they're also limiting the amount of people that are able to come in. Like I said though it wasn't very crowded when we went so it was fine.

Went with my son and his family from Minnesota and had an aweful experience. No exhibits are open.....no buildings are open ( we were told lodge would be open for at least getting cool but was closed) bathrooms were all closed but the ones in the main entrance....my daughter in law had to go bad and was greeted by 2 employees in one of the bathrooms by 2 zoo workers and told that she had to use the bathrooms at the front entrance and these were closed. The animal exhibits opened have a rope 6 feet away from the viewing fences so you can't even really see the animals in the open let alone none of them in the indoor exhibits including the primate area which is closed as well the petting zoo is also closed. We were also told MASKS are required outside while walking around the designated path although we did witness 3 staff walking around with no masks. The zoo NEEDS to let everyone know this information at the main entrance before paying $10.50 per person....this was an aweful experience and we will not go back....

The girl that was working the booth as you enter the drive through part of the wildlife adventure was EXTREMELY friendly and customer service oriented. She REALLY set the tone for our experience, which was one of a kind. We stuck to the drive thru adventure but plan to return to get the full experience.

I went there with some friends while we were visiting the Amish country. We really loved the fact to be able to feed the goats and the other "small" animals. I just was a little disappointed to have to pay for the food. It should be included in the price that I think a little high for the "zoo". There were not a lot of animals. The safari part is nice, you get to see a lot of different animals but... it is so small ! We wished it was a longer experience. Plus, if you enter this area while a group is doing the "feeding adventure" then all the animals leave the area to group around their car. It was a nice time but I don' t think the price is justified. I guess it is better for small kids.

Great city zoo. While not the largest it makes up for its modest size by offering a wide arrange of things to see and do. Staff is extremely nice and accommodating. Also free parking :)

First time peoria zoo visitors here! Absolutely loved it. Not too pricey for entrance tickets. lots of animals. The gift shop was super cute. We wanted to see meerkats but sadly they weren't on exhibit; maybe next time! The australian walk about was super cool; got to see wallabys up close (dont touch though). Was sort of hard to get into but they have to do it for safety of animals and guests. Very clean zoo, lots of hand sanitizer, and restrooms were clean!! Easy access to pretty much everything. The staff was VERY friendly!! Will definitely come back!

Small zoo but nicely arranged. Plenty to look at and enjoy. The animals all seem to be well taken care of and staff are all nice and knowledgeable.

Amazing place to visit & be active (lots of walking), if you have Miller Zoo's pass, you get half off, great deal! Friendly staff at the gift shop offered to watch our wagon while we went out to wash our hands!!! Get the membership if you like to visit frequently, pretty exciting zoo w Giraffes, Rinos, Lions, Pythons, and a lot more. Nice play areas inside the zoo & outside.

You don't usually see larger African species like Lions and Rhinos at smaller zoos, but they have them here. However, this zoo is starting to show its age; the viewing glass is clouded and quite stained at several exhibits and tropics world has a bad smell. Good, but not great.

Lovely zoo, very clean, great walkpaths. Fun place to explore. Had some unique animals.

It's a cute little zoo. Feeding the giraffes and birds was really fun. Clean and easy paths to follow. Staff was friendly and helpful. I'd definitely go again.

Africa part of the zoo is good, the rest of the areas are not at all appealing. There is large snake I was surprised with the size of the snake it’s huge. The lion doesn’t have enough room I feel like and over all it’s ok one time thing. The cafeteria hardly has any items on the menu, even those that are on menu weren’t offered as their machine broke.

A great place to spend a half day. Picnic areas, and a small but wonderful zoo. The animals seem very happy and active. Great for families!

I think it’s safe to assume that everyone visits a Zoo as a kid; maybe part of a field trip or science class. Glen Oak Zoo was the place my teachers/schools took us for our trips. As a kid, it was always a treat to get out of the class and explore a fun and magical place. Zoos, parks, six flags, historical places. It was and still is a blast to visit these places. So, color me surprised when I came back here and the zoo was renamed to the Peoria Zoo. Aside from the name change, everything else seemed the same as when I was a kid, except for the large Africa exhibit that was new-ish at the time of us visiting. As we entered the zoo after paying admission, I was giggling inside at how everything just felt the same. Not only felt but everything looked the same. Down to the placement of exhibits and what was in them. Granted, once the building is built, it’s hard to make drastic changes without a large amount of capital, which I assume Zoos just don’t have. As Matt, Tim, and I slowly worked our way through the beginning area, I felt a joy of rediscovering the zoo and also seeing the same things I saw as a child but through the eyes of an adult. This nostalgic trip lasted until we got outside and I was taking in some of the Zoo’s improvements to the grounds. Something much easier and cheaper do. While some of the layout was the same and I think the building that housed the goats that you could feed. Yep, if you’ve got some quarters on you, you can use them to purchase feed from a gumball-style machine. I won’t lie. This is one of my favorite things to do at a Zoo. I always try to bring money that can be used for feeding the goats and other small animals in the feeding area. I will easily get distracted by this at any Zoo or place that offers this. Burning through the few quarters I had on me fairly quick, we headed over to the playground equipment and goofed around on that for awhile. After getting our fill on the playground equipment, we headed towards the new Africa exhibit. When this expansion was announced, it was hyped up really high (or that’s how I remember it). It was a massive expansion to the Zoo and one that would nearly double it’s size. We wandered towards the Africa exhibit and wow. I know it was winter time when we went but the exhibit as a whole was massive. They had an event center-style building that seemed to host plays/shows or was a restaurant. It was closed for the season while we were here. To explore the new expansion, you view most of it from this long wooden walking path/bridge that goes around the wide open grounds. This gives you a great view of the area with giraffes and other animals that I don’t know the exact name of. The bridge gives you not only many angles to view the animals but it has varied heights. It starts low at one end and the other ends is above everything. The bottom of the bridge is the viewing area for the lions. This is the popular spot for everyone to stop and look at Simba through the thick safety glass. The giant kitties tend to be sunbathing or sleeping. At least that’s my luck at Zoos. Any who, as you make your way to the top, you transition to from the Lion’s Den to the Giraffe Overlook. This is the area where the more docile animals can lounge about without the threat of lions ruining their day. On a good day, you will get to see the giraffes out and about. Sadly, you can’t feed them. Drat. After we explored the new Africa exhibit, we headed towards the exit. While we wandered slowly that way, we talked about how exciting the new area is and how it was nice to relive some childhood memories. But we also lamented the fact that while the nostalgic was cool, the fact that some things hadn’t been updated meant that those things really showed their age. To exit, you left through the gift shop. Taking advantage of the fun hats and toys for sale, we turned in to little kids one more time as we goofed around with the stuff on shelves.

Nice zoo

Kinda boring, sad seeing the animals caged like that.

Good family fun. Everyone had a good time. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to feed the birds and giraffes. Lots of shade so that made it even more pleasant. Lots of bathrooms that were clean. Would recommend

my hometown zoo. I always enjoy coming here when I visit. lots of interesting species of animals and nice exhibits!

Im not a fan of zoos but this one seemed clean and well taken care of. Amazing what they can do right in the middle of your neighborhood!

Very nice and well kept zoo right in Peoria. All of the exhibits were easy to see in 1 day and there were employees who were able to talk about the animals. Do not sleep on this zoo if you have never been!

Nice place to bring a family. Pleasant staff and lots to see.

It was fun but def. Not what it used to be!

Very cool! Went on a cool day so animals were active

We had a great time! People were respectful of space & followed the marked path. It was so great to get out into the real world again!

What an amazing Zoo! They have a little bit of everything set next to a large park. What a great way to spend a few hours with family.

Inside not open. Staff very nice. Wish we could have gone inside.

Great visit to the zoo! Even tho the indoor attractions were closed due to COVID the rest of the animals were out and very active! Enjoyed being there!

Not massive but a great way to spend a weekend with the family with a good nature review. Beautiful animals and yummy food. The gift shop is not that big but is fun to stop in and play with toys. Good customer service. Good place to have lunch with the family and friends .

Very fun for the whole family - close to Children's Museum

Love this zoo

Very disappointed. Dirty, run down. 70 % of exhibits are closed, and they don’t bother letting you know.

Visited the Zoo during Covid restrictions in early November. It was a pleasure to see all the guidelines being followed and we were still able to have a wonderful time. Lots of animals playing today.

Year of the zoo 1961_1969//(Clarksdale Mississippi)-1969-

Small but impressive zoo with some great exhibits. The White Rhino, Giraffes and the Siberian Tiger was unexpected and standouts. The setting in a wooded park was also great and the covid precautions made it feel safe.

Peoria Zoo is a cute little zoo perfect for the younger crowd. It has just enough animals so as not to bore them. Plan on a two hour trip; it really won't take you longer to go through. Even the older kids love seeing their favorites, and following their life journeys (pregnancies and births of the newborn animals).

A Peoria gem, especially if you have kids

Animals look very healthy, nice place.

The last time I went it wasn't so very nice the buildings are locked up due to The Cove in the break so the kids didn't get to see half the animals that was actually there that you could see because they were all in their buildings

Most exhibits closed

A fair small-medium Zoo.

Always enjoy and supporting local Zoo's

We Had Fun... Wish We Could Have Seen All The Animals That Were Closed Off... But Enjoyed It For The Most Part...☆☆☆☆☆

Such a great zoo for a town of this size

Friendly staff, next to the park.

Nice place to bring the kids. Lots of animals to look on to.

This place has grown so much through the years I've gone. I can't recommend it enough. The animal experiences where you get to go in with the animals are a fun experience. Staff there are always really friendly and love answering all my questions about sloths. I can't get enough of the sloths. They are hands down my spirit animal.

I am so thankful that we have this zoo in our area. They have a wide variety of animals and a staff that is friendly, helpful and take the time to answer questions.

Great place, lots of animals.

Had great time with grandkids there..weather was great to go...zoo very clean and safe

😍

We always love coming out to the zoo on nice days to get put of the house and enjoy the weather. We have a membership that pays for itself with only a couple visits per year.

Zoo personnel is fantastic, as always and that goes for all park district people, they always seem to care about your experience

Always amazing!

Beautiful

This was our 2nd time going and our last we were through the whole zoo in about 30 mins and maybe seen 6 different animals we understand with covid stuff was gonna be closed but I feel tickets should be half price for what you get.

Beautiful zoo. Fun place to go with family.

One way path around the zoo was easy to navigate, and love the Australian Walk About exhibit.

Great zoo! Cute and little and shady and pretty!

My bf and I went there today and u need to charge half price while the exhibits r shut down we only saw like 5 animals .that was a waste of money

We love the Peoria Zoo.

For as small of a city Peoria is, it is nice to still have a city zoo. While some people complain and try to compare it to city zoos like St. Louis and Chicago, I have an enjoyable time each time we go on nice weather days. There are a variety of animals too see, the park is kept clean, and the renovation to the Africa exhibit is a great way to see the Giraffes up close. It is a great place to take the family, the kids, or a date! Enjoy the Glen Oak Park by taking a picnic while you are there.

Cute zoo lots of potential when it warms up

"It's small place but good place for family trip on weekend"

This zoo is so much fun, for adults and children! You can walk through the zoo as well as drive through and look at all the wild animals. There is also an option to ride on a gas powered carts with a tour guide where animals such as zebras, can follow you! There is a petting zoo where you can buy a cup of feed for $1 and give it to the cows, goats, deer, ponies, etc. This place also has a gift shop and information about all of the animals that reside within the facility. Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about all of the animals. Highly recommend!

We had the absolute best time!!! Highly recommend the behind the scenes tour. Everyone working at the park was AMAZING!! We drove over 3 hours to visit and it was worth every mile and every dollar spent. Thank you!!

Loved this place. Highly recommend taking the kids and doing both the walking tour and the car tour.

Visited here August 2020! We did the drive thru and walk thru adventure. It was fun, totally worth the two hour drive from Chicago. The girl at the entrance of the drive thru was so nice and informative...she’s a sweetheart! Definitely something different and fun to do with the family.

This is a really cool place. A hidden gem. We did the Viking tour. The main pro of this place is the proximity between you and the animals. You get very close and are able to interact with the animals. For the carnivorous residents you are able to get very close to the the enclosure and thus close to the animals. For the herbivores you get really up close and personal and get to feed them and have them right in your face on the open range in the Viking tour. So a definitely a cool place for getting to really interact with the wildlife.

My family and I had an awesome time. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The animals were all out and seemed to be very happy and taken care of. There were well over a 100 different animals to see. The drive through walk through, petting zoo , and gift shop was all a good experience. We will be back!

This place is a true gem. You can feed deer and calf, plus the animals are all extremely unique. I highly recommend visiting this place.

AMAZING!! Get the Behind-the-scenes tour if you love wildlife! Mr. Akiman saved most of these animals from bad homes and they couldn't be anywhere better! Please support them!

Fun little spot to get outside and see some animals!

Affordable family fun close to home

Drive thru Zoo.

Fantastic! Really fun time for the family.

Good time and awesome place

Awesome Christmas light show. Nice place.

Drive through is great for kids.

Awesome 👍

Very cool activity for the family. Did a private tour and it was cool to get a more up close experience.

We will definitely come again!

Kids loved it

Attended a wedding, the facility is wonderful. Very kid friendly. Good day trip.

Fun! Hope the new museum expands!!

The Aikman family was very welcoming. We did the behind the scenes adventure tour and it was such a great experience for both adults and kids! We HIGHLY recommend this place!

We traveled here from indianpolis and bought the drive thru adventure. So, we got to do the drive thru and walk thru for a good price. The drive thru didn't have that much but it was still nice most of the animals were laying down resting. Everybody was taking there time so it doesn't feel like your rushed. The walk thru was fun and the kids really enjoyed it since you get too feed the animals. The food for the animals is only a dollar.. They have a bunch of animals throughout so expect to do some walking. They have some foods and snacks. I thought the prices were decent and not too expensive definitely way less than the zoo. They also have a park which my 7 year old enjoyed. Overall we had a good time here and everyone was friendly. I recommend wearing bug spray or you may get bit up.

My kids loved it here especially the drive theu part and petting zoo

Great for the kids! Even better place for a wedding and reception! The ceremony and reception venues were just beautiful and very unique.

Great experience!

Excellent day out!

Great place to bring the kids...

Interesting place. Wide variety of animals but.... questionable placement of the lone black bear. I say this because in/around the entrance there is a sign with info on some of the animals. The section about the black bear talked up how he was a rescue from another organization and he has space to roam and be a, well, bear. The placement of the bear enclosure is less than 15 feet from the main road that runs by this place. I thought that was poor judgment. Anyways, drive thru portion is unique and interesting. The kids had a blast!

It was great loved it

Totally awesome. Had a great time with the animals.

For a seasoned zoo crawler (we have memberships at Brookfield, Columbus, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne) and knowing different safaris in Texas and Indiana this safari is a little let down. They have a good mixture of different animals and a small playground. We went on walk through and we were done in 35 mins flat. Would recommend this safari for families with kids up to 6 years age.

Kids really enjoyed the drive thru.

Nice little zoo. Grandbabies enjoyed feeding the animals.

It's a nice place to take young kids. Highly recommend going inside and seeing the animals and then doing the drive thru safari drive.

Great place a lot of animals!

Awesome wildlife and affordable activities.

Great place for yiung and old. Clean. Great for learning.

The drive thru is fun because there are do many different types hoofed animals and emus. The walk thru was shorter than we expected yet it seems they keep add new areas.

My daughter loved all the animals, we had fun walking around and seeing everything, the gift shop is great too, good pricing on everything inside, and super friendly and helpful staff all around the park. It's a great stop for a staycation!

One of the best Zoos we've been to. Most exhibits are much closer to the animals than a typical zoo. The giraffes exhibit for example was tremendous. Highly recommended

Extremely fun. Animals healthy and happy. Australia exhibit the best.

It is off season. For us it was better. Almost no others. So we got to enjoy the Lions all by ourselves. All the animals were happy for visitors. The goats especially loved their scritches. Very good value.

Love this zoo!! Great staff, clean, with close up wonderful animal exhibits. Will be back!!

We attended during the membership swap weekend. Most of the animals were not out or put up earlier than their signs posted said they would be. It's a nice little zoo.

Considering the size of the city, Peoria Zoo is great! I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of animals. The zoo is divided into sections based on the continents (e.g., Asia, Africa, Australia, etc.). I liked that the zoo is not too big that you get tired before visiting all the animals. Parking is free. There’s a souvenir shop near the entrance. Ticket prices are same online and on-site.

This zoo had very cool , updated and modern enclosures but unfortunately when we got there at opening they were all being cleaned, which is something you think would happen before or after the zoo opened as it’s not like it’s open 24/7 and there’s plenty of time before and after the zoo closes to clean things. Generally, when I’m looking at a tiger exhibit, I’m not looking to see a human with a rake and a utility vehicle parked in it. This was the case in multiple enclosures. I go to a lot of zoos and usually when you get there at opening, it’s the time when they are letting all of the animals out and the animals are active because of the cool temperatures. Not at this zoo, I guess. Pretty frustrating.

Fun time especially for younger kids. We fed the giraffes and that was an amazing experience. The Saturday we went was superhero day and they had face painting, coloring pages and super heroes around the zoo.

Nice smaller zoo. My fiance was very happy with the three giraffes. It was very quiet with not many people, but it was Monday afternoon. This was actually a plus for us since it seemed more intimate without a bunch of people.

Great little zoo! Not many animals, but the staff is friendly. Some animals I've never seen before. Directional signage for parking when you enter from Prospect and McClure could use some improvement (stay left). Watching the giraffes is almost worth the price of admission! Nice gift shop. We will be back again next year.