How to Maximize Your Pokémon GO Fest Experience at Lincoln Park Zoo

For the first time since 2019, Pokémon GO Fest is taking place in Chicago, just in time for the game’s 10th anniversary. Most activities will take place in and around Grant Park June 5–7, but Lincoln Park Zoo is an official event partner and Trainer Lounge, located in the Investigations District where extended citywide play takes place from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. June 4–7—starting today.

When it’s time for you to engage in your city experience, come to the zoo to complete your Targeted Research and receive a special Expert badge. If you complete the zone Lincoln Park Zoo is in, you’ll receive special game benefits, such as an encounter with Mewtwo and location backgrounds. Visit the tent in front of Eadie Levy’s Landmark Café to rest, mingle, and get exclusive event perks.

Here are some ways you can make the most of your time in this city and at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Prepare Properly for Pokémon GO play in Your Host City

Bring your phone, portable charger, and water bottle. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Be ready to explore! Chicago is a big city and you’ll experiencing it in a uniquely fun way as you enjoy Pokémon GO Fest and see all there is to see at the zoo. Plenty of people never pay attention to the landmarks, like statues and memorial plaques, that are PokéStops and Gyms here on grounds.

Do a Little Pokémon GO Maintenance

Pokémon experts say to clear your inventory so you have room to catch more. Also, hatch any eggs before you go out, save your bag space for essential items (like Pinap Berries), and, if you participate in raids, build and save your teams in advance.

Ash and Lexi, grizzly bears at Walter Family Arctic Tundra. Image courtesy of Curator Cassy Kutilek.

Know How to Get to Lincoln Park Zoo From Grant Park (And Back)!

Because Lincoln Park Zoo is in the southernmost part of the Investigations District, it’s a great base to start spreading out from for your citywide exploration. There is plenty to do, from visiting indoor museums like the Chicago History Museum and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and walking along Lake Michigan beaches to finding exciting local food spots. Come visit the zoo either before or after your four-hour park play experience—or on separate citywide play days.

Pokémon GO Citywide Play Hours

9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Zoo Hours

Thursday, June 4: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday, June 5: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday, June 6: 8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, June 7: 8 a.m.–7 p.m.

Please note that zoo buildings are generally open starting at 10 a.m. and close a half-hour before the zoo closes.

Take the Train: Take Brown or Purple Line CTA trains from the Adams/Wabash station to Armitage Ave. You can also take the Red Line from Jackson (at State St.) to Fullerton station. Both Armitage and Fullerton stops are about a mile west of the zoo.

Ride the Bus: The 151 line offers the most direct way; it runs from Grant Park to the zoo. Get on at Michigan Ave. and Monroe St. and ride to Stockton Drive and Webster Ave, which is right outside the zoo’s West Gate. Rideshares should be dropped off at this intersection as well.

If you have access to a car, Lincoln Park Zoo has a parking lot just at 2400 N. Cannon Dr., which costs $35–45 per day after the first half-hour.

Take a Walk: For those interested in walking, it’s a 2.8-mile hike from Grant Park to Lincoln Park Zoo, which means you’d almost be able to hatch a 5km Egg!

Mystie, North American river otter

Make the Most of Your Time Here

• Hit up all the PokéStops and Gyms to get the items and raid passes you need. Lincoln Park, the site of 2018’s main event, is a high-density place to catch a ton of pocket monsters, and it’ll be a bit more laid-back, family-friendly, and neighborhood-like than the Grant Park, Navy Pier, or Museum Campus areas. Make sure to enjoy all the special raids and events this weekend!
• Mix with the Pokémon Go community. As you know, a local group can help you get raids done and provide so much help and information. The tent at Landmark Café along the zoo’s Main Mall will help you find and meet other players, and local meetups take place at Nature Boardwalk at 8 a.m. daily through Sunday at Nature Boardwalk (meet at Lester E. Fisher bridge and check the Pokémon GO website for more information).
  

  This image and the featured image were photographed by Violetta Dominek.

• Experience one the gems of Chicago, with a mission of connecting people and nature. Lincoln Park Zoo is the nation’s only free-admission, privately managed zoo. It is also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; ArbNet, the global network of arboreta; and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. When you come here, you can see gorillas, otters, a baby rhino, and more than 170 other species from aardvarks to zebras. View the stunning Chicago skyline from the famous turtle shell-shaped Peoples Gas Education Pavilion designed by Jeanne Gang. You’ll be making memories all over the city, and hopefully good times at Lincoln Park Zoo will be among them.