OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR & FREE
OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR & FREE
Free and open to all 365 days a year, Lincoln Park Zoo introduces millions of annual guests to the wonders of wildlife. World-class care, global conservation projects and award-winning education programs all reflect the successes of Chicago’s free zoo. We’re proud of these accomplishments, but Lincoln Park Zoo has even bigger plans ahead, setting new standards for our wildlife, our guests and the city we love with the $125 million Pride of Chicago campaign.
Show your pride today with a gift to the campaign!
The Pride of Chicago campaign is a $125 million effort committed to advancing Lincoln Park Zoo’s reputation as an immersive home for wildlife, an amazing—and free—experience for guests and a leader in conservation, science and learning.
Derived from the Board of Trustees’ long-term strategic vision, this campaign aims to:
At Lincoln Park Zoo, we have the privilege of working with animals and sharing their wonders. We have the privilege, too, of rededicating ourselves to our vital mission: connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience. At every important stage of the zoo’s development through its 148-year history, philanthropy has made progress possible, and the same is true today. To date, the Pride of Chicago campaign has raised more than $96 million, opened three exhibits, completed a Main Mall renovation, and built a brand new Learning Center for the zoo’s award-winning Learning Department.
As we embark on the final phase of the campaign, support from the Chicago community is vital for Lincoln Park Zoo, which has been privately managed since 1995. Please join us as we look to the future. With your help, Lincoln Park Zoo will be one of the city’s greatest treasures for decades to come. With your help, Lincoln Park Zoo will continue to be the Pride of Chicago.
As we launch The Pride of Chicago campaign, a $125 million effort to transform Lincoln Park Zoo, this special video shares everything that makes the zoo a place of pride
This $125 million campaign will transform one of Chicago’s best-loved destinations. Our innovative plans include immersive, state-of-the-art animal habitats and an enhanced visitor experience that will promote Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission of creating an environment where animals, people and plants can thrive—all while maintaining the zoo as the Pride of Chicago for generations to come.
The new Kovler Lion House experience will take visitors on a conservation journey with some of the most beloved creatures at Lincoln Park Zoo in one of its most beloved landmark buildings. Lincoln Park Zoo plans to renovate this grand to address the building’s historic and programmatic importance at the zoo while adapting it to better serve our animals and visitors. The new design marries modern elements and interactive technology with the beautiful, historic elements that have made the Lion House a Chicago icon.
The renovation of the Kovler Lion House is the capstone project of the zoo’s Pride of Chicago campaign, and the largest project the zoo has undertaken to date. Join us as we transform this historic landmark into a priceless wildlife experience that inspires our community to help create environments were wildlife can thrive in our increasingly urbanizing world.
To better serve the zoo’s 3.5 million guests each year, Lincoln Park Zoo will build a dynamic new Visitor Center as a principal project in the final phase of the Pride of Chicago campaign. Located near the zoo’s East Gate, the new center is the first of its kind – in size and resources. Integrated technology and friendly staff will highlight daily activities, new arrivals and the breadth of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission of conservation, learning and care.
It will also house the zoo’s first ever Member Lounge, where members can enjoy a dedicated space to relax, enjoy special programming, and have any questions addressed by the on-site membership team.
This vital space will vastly improve the overall guest experience as the zoo continues to welcome Chicago’s next generation of visitors.
The new Learning Center allows Lincoln Park Zoo to innovate in ways it has never previously had the resources to do. The dynamic space creates an opportunity for the zoo’s Learning Department to test pop-up or drop-in learning sessions in addition to planned, structured programs. The collaborative, seamless work space where office area and program area blend will allow the Learning Department to integrate evaluation and research practices with programming better serve the next generation of scientists and conservationists.
Lincoln Park Zoo was thrilled to welcome 12 African penguins to a cozy colony on the north side of the zoo.
Since opening, Lincoln Park Zoo has also launched Malott Family Penguin Encounters! We invite guests to get up close and personal with our cozy colony.
To learn more about Penguin Cove or penguin encounters, please visit http://www.lpzoo.org/penguins.
The Walter Family Arctic Tundra celebrated its grand opening and the return of polar bears to Lincoln Park Zoo in November 2016. The state-of-the-art habitat is home to two of the zoo’s most popular residents – Siku and Kobe!
To learn more about the Walter Family Arctic Tundra and Siku and Kobe, please visit http://www.lpzoo.org/exhibit/walter-family-arctic-tundra.
For more than 135 years, seals have welcomed guests to the zoo, providing an engaging introduction to Lincoln Park Zoo’s world of wildlife. We have now renewed this classic habitat by reshaping the rocky landing in the heart of the habitat. Beyond offering the marine mammals a place to rest and soak up sun, this “seal beach” provides a perfect platform to share daily operant-conditioning sessions with guests. Artificial kelp and extra lighting enhance the underwater viewing experience, offering guests a glimpse at another world beneath the surface.
To learn more about the Kovler Seal Pool please visit http://www.lpzoo.org/exhibit/kovler-seal-pool.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Regenstein Macaque Forest opened in April 2015, offering a state-of-the-art home for a troop of Japanese macaques. Macaque Forest was the first new animal exhibit completed under the Pride of Chicago campaign.
To learn more about Regenstein Macaque Forest please visit snowmonkeys.org
A 2015 restoration of the zoo’s Main Mall reflects the landscape’s Victorian roots while gracefully introducing guests to the zoo’s gardens. A central alleé features dual rows of planters with flowering perennials, leafy elms and globed lampposts while a redesigned garden and stairwell evoke green spaces throughout the zoo, all part of Lincoln Park Zoo’s landscape master plan .
To learn more about the Main Mall renovations please visit http://www.lpzoo.org/blog/main-mall-makeover
What makes you proud to support Lincoln Park Zoo? Share your favorite zoo story or photo with #PrideOfChicago! You can also email your zoo pride to prideofchicago@lpzoo.org.
Have questions about the Pride of Chicago campaign? Please contact us at prideofchicago@lpzoo.org.
 |
 |
Have questions about the Pride of Chicago campaign? Please contact us at prideofchicago@lpzoo.org!
All Content © Lincoln Park Zoo.
2001 North Clark Street • Chicago, IL 60614 • 312-742-2000
2001 North Clark Street • Chicago, IL 60614 Get Map/Directions Call 312-742-2000
