Campout at the Zoo

Items to bring:

• Tent (unless you purchased a tent rental in advance)
• Sleeping bag and pillow
• Sleeping mat
• Comfortable clothes and shoes for indoors and outdoors
• Basic toiletries—there will be access to simple restroom facilities without showers
• Quiet games or storybooks for downtime before going to bed
• Flashlights
• Refillable water bottles
• Sunscreen and insect repellent
• Ear plugs and eye masks
• Wagon to transport your belongings

Items to leave at home:

• Air mattresses that are too large for a tent—see tent specs below.
• Valuable items—the zoo is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana—we ask that you refrain from consuming alcohol, and smoking tobacco and cannabis inside the gates for the health and safety of our animals and visitors. Any persons found to be intoxicated or possessing these items will be asked to leave the program immediately. Registration fees for these individuals will not be refunded. For more information, please see the Guest Guidelines and Code of Conduct.

Participants will pitch tents on the zoo’s South Lawn. Participants can choose to bring their own tent or rent one from Lincoln Park Zoo for a small maintenance fee. Rental tents will be assigned based on the number of people in each family. If there is severe weather, participants will sleep indoors.

Tent locations on the South Lawn are not determined by staff. Participants choose their tent locations on a first-come, first-served basis upon arriving at the campout.

Rental tents will be assigned based on the number of people in each family. Below are the tent specs for the various Lincoln Park Zoo rental tents:

4-person tents – Approximately 8 feet by 7 feet
6-person tents – Approximately 10 feet by 9 feet

S’mores, light bedtime snacks and breakfast are all included in your registration fee. Participants can choose to add-on dinner during registration or eat prior to arriving. No food vendors will be open during this program. Both dinner and breakfast items will be provided and served with health and safety in mind. Please keep this in mind when considering if the options below fit your needs.

• Adult Dinner Options:
  • Smoked turkey and Swiss sandwich OR caprese sandwich (V)
  • House-made chips
  • Canned water
• Child Dinner Options:
  • Turkey sandwich OR PB&J sandwich (V)
  • Animal crackers
  • Canned water
• Breakfast: Continental-style with assorted pastries and muffins, fruit cups, juice, coffee, and tea.
• Snacks: Examples include Goldfish baked crackers, fruit snacks, or pretzels
  • You are welcome to bring your own snacks as long as they don’t need refrigeration, but we request that you do not eat them in zoo tents
• S’mores: Graham crackers, chocolate bars, marshmallows
• Registration will include space to indicate dietary restrictions or allergies

Groups cannot register for outdoor campouts.

No, program activities are specifically designed for families and groups with children ages 5–12. In the interests of other participants, as well as your 4-year-old, we ask that you wait until they are at least 5-years-old to attend a campout. Siblings older than 12 may attend the campout with the understanding that activities are geared towards children ages 5–12.

No, Campout at the Zoo is a program for families with children between the ages of 5–12. For more information regarding upcoming adult programs, visit lpzoo.org/events.

No, registrations must be made in advance. We cannot accommodate day-of registrations and unregistered guests will not be permitted to stay on zoo grounds.

No, you must be an active member at the time of registration in order to receive a discounted rate. To learn more about becoming a Lincoln Park Zoo member, renew your membership, or retrieve your membership login information, visit lpzoo.org/membership.

No, all children must be accompanied by an adult. For every five children, there must be at least one adult present.

If, for any reason, you need to cancel your registration, you may do so by emailing a request to cancel to learning@lpzoo.org before the noted cancellation date on your receipt, and a refund will be issued (minus a cancellation fee).

For the safety of all, direct contact with animals is not possible. All animal care, including feeding and cleaning, is done by professionally trained animal keepers and/or veterinarians.

There will be free-roam opportunities, but not all areas and buildings will be open during the program.