Zoo in Forest Park and Education Center — Attraction in Springfield

Visiting from out of state and this was one of the places we most wanted to visit. We had a great time! $5 just to enter the park for out of state plates (cash only). Additional admission price for the zoo which I felt was reasonable for what they offered and the level of care the animals seemed to receive. I was happy to see how active many of the animals were, even during the afternoon. They have appropriate hidey holes/safe places if they don't want to interact but the majority of the animals were awake and active. I LOVE that they have an option to feed the hoofed animals. We got to feed a camel! You can buy pre-made "grain cones" (grain feed inside an ice cream cone) to feed to the animals. 2 for $5 and 2 cones felt like enough to ration across the animals we were able to feed. The zoo took us about an hour to walk and look at all the animals. There is decent signage and I liked that they share the animals names and backstories, it made us feel more connected to them. All of their animals are un-releasable for various reasons and I am happy to see them sharing the message of conservation. Any zoo I wish the enclosures were bigger but I very much understand the constraints in terms of space and funding, I was happy to see appropriate enrichment items in enclosures and it seems they have knowledgeable staff. (however we did wonder if it was stressful for predator's and prey to be directly across from each other in a few of the areas). Overall I think worth a visit if you are looking for something to do while visiting or if you live nearby and haven't check it out yet. Just outside the zoo is a good sized playground and bathrooms nearby as well. We ventured around a little to other areas of the park and the grounds were well kept and...

Do NOT have a party here for your kid. Worse experience I ever had in all my years as a parent paying for a party. 1. They had one host for two parties 2. They rushed me out half an hour before my party ended cause of rain, it was raining the WHOLE party and they want you to pay in full while your party is going on 3. We barely saw the host only when she showed the kids animals and at the end. 4. They take forever to answer phone calls and emails 5. They charge you for guests you did not have 6. Why would they charge you for babies under 1 year OLD 7. Manager tells you the day of party she will issue a partial refund for party and insults you with 25.00 refund and free passes and last 8. I had asked for drinks and cups when we were doing the cake, she brings me drinks without cups...I told her I no longer wanted the drinks and she says do not worry about it, got the cups at the END of my party after everyone had already ate then Manager says the drinks was part of my refund, along with two extra guests which amounts up to 25.00 In all my years as a Manager, I would not ever treated my customers like that. I always made sure they were happy and not insult them. I decline her free passes as she thinks this is my son's first trip there. No it is not. My son has frequent that zoo YEARLY since he was a baby....I decline free passes cuz I felt insulted by her offer on a refund. Never again will I step foot in this zoo and will I recommend to all my family and friends to ever go here. This manager needs to get her act together, make sure her staff are promptly replying to all customers, make sure she has enough staff to cover the parties, and...

One of my favorite small zoos! One of my favorite things about Forest Park Zoo is their signage, which explains their work in wildlife rescue and conversation and even gives you the backstory (and names!) on some of the animals that call the zoo home. It helps visitors engage and stay connected with the animals, which helps boost interests in wildlife conservation!

You can purchase a feed cone at the entrance, and feed any of the hooved animals with the feed or sugar cone. Highly recommend meeting Max - a dromedary camel and an absolute gentle giant. The walking path has no diversions and is easy to follow. While visiting the zoo, we were able to chat with some of the keepers who were preparing to care for one of the baby camels at the zoo. They were very friendly and knowledgeable.

Parking was a little confusing. I would recommend entering from Main Greeting Road ($3-5 parking) and following the signs for the zoo, traveling on North Greeting Road. If you're using a GPS, I would use the nearby F-Lot as your destination to find the right park entrance. There is some parking right in front of the zoo and usually plenty of parking in F-Lot.

As for the bathroom, the only available facility for visitors is the park bathroom a few steps from the zoo entrance. It was clean and...