Phillips Park Zoo — Attraction in Aurora Township

Very nice FREE experience at this zoo. Park your car right outside the entrance. Lots of parking. Rolling green hills all around. Well-kept sunken garden to the left. Kids' splash pad to the right.

Turns out a worker dug up a mastodon bone while developing the land back in the 30's. So they brought a whole crew of guys to dig up the whole area. They even posed the group and took their picture. And they found three more bones.

So they commissioned a great bronze sculpture of the guy digging up the bone. And erected a building next to it to show off that bone and many others. Two really cool mastodon skulls and a thigh and ribs and vertebrae. And AIR conditioning! And fans.

So the zoo is about what you expect from a free, kinda minor place. We saw a bald eagle plus maybe half a dozen other hawks and other birds of prey. A few owls. A couple of long-hair-and-long-horns cows (highland?). The lynx was off-site;that could've been cool. Saw a great-looking white wolf. An elk that was so far away it could've just been a cardboard cutout or one of those flat rusted metal lawn art things. There were some tortoises and turtles, a couple of snakes, one of which was maybe ten feet long. The alligators had moved to Michigan; guess they finally retired to their cabin on the lake. But there was a cool-looking gar and a great oxalato. Saw an albino turkey - my first. And then there were some peacocks. I grew up blissfully unaware of peaFOWL. They were all peacocks. And so they still are. Just like back in the day, they were all pterodactyls. Nobody had ever heard of a pterosaur or a pteranodon.

Anyway, yes, there was ugly caution tape set up in several places throughout the little zoo. There were lots of unexplained, empty habitats. But my wife and I were able to take a walk, holding hands, through a little park and see some animals. And some bones with air conditioning. All in all...

Great little municipal zoo! We haven't been here in quite a while, but it's always a quick, fun trip. Parking is free and readily accessible. Admission is free. While they certainly don't have as many animals as larger zoos like Brookfield or Lincoln Park, the ones they have are interesting and active (wolves, eagles, otters, alligators, etc.). Don't skip the indoor "reptile house," which has huge snakes, alligators and turtles. While inside, don't forget to look at the ceiling where they hang shedded snake skins along the length of the building. They also have a beautiful sunken garden and a small splash pad in the front of the zoo and a large play park in the back of the zoo, which is nicely shaded. There are mastodon fossils and historic excavation information in the main field house and cannons to climb on in the back by the park. Overall, it makes for an enjoyable experience and depending on how much you want to see, and whether you pack a lunch, you can make...

Took two grandsons for a visit. First, it is free. So can't complain about cost. Second, I believe this zoo has seen much better days. Many places were empty. Animals not there and enclosure not even labeled. The reptile house was only half open. And looking poorly. Some hawks and a Bald Eagle in cages that are small. I realize that this is a city zoo (Aurora) and it costs a lot to run a good zoo. There needs to be some balance. Perhaps a modest entrance fee. Something very affordable for many with lower income. There needs to some kind of change. The critters need more and the visitors should have a better experience. Should you visit? By all means if this is your only choice. The big name zoo in the Chicago area costs $30 for one adult. With kids it could cost a large family well over $100 to visit. Phillips Park Zoo is free and will give some happiness to young who have never experienced...