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As our mission is to connect all people to wildlife, Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes people with disabilities. In partnership with community organizations, guests, staff, and volunteers who identify as disabled, we work each day to improve the zoo experience for everyone.
This page contains information and resources to support your visit to Lincoln Park Zoo. Email access@lpzoo.org or call 312-742-2067 for more information about accessibility at Lincoln Park Zoo.
Explore Lincoln Park Zoo’s accessibility features and how it works to accommodate guests in this video from Fun4TheDisabled. For the audio described version of this video, click here.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s hours of operation change seasonally and for special events. Please check the Current Hours page and banners on the lpzoo.org home page for updates on time changes, early closures, or animal building closures.
Crowd Size Information
Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes nearly 4 million guests annually. If public crowd size factors into your decisions about visiting or planning your day, the information below can help.
In general, you’ll experience the largest crowds during the summer, weekends, and holidays. The smallest crowd sizes happen in winter. Weather is often the determining factor in how busy the zoo is on any given day.
During crowded times at the zoo, many people travel continuously through each of the animal areas. This can make it difficult to move freely through the space, and areas can be very noisy with talking and other sounds.
If you have a question or need assistance while visiting the zoo, visit Searle Visitor Center or call 312-742-2000. Any nearby staff member or volunteer wearing a green polo marked with the Lincoln Park Zoo logo can also provide immediate, on-site help. Back to top
Accessibility Resources for Your Visit
Accessibility Map
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Accessibility Map is a high-contrast version of the zoo’s map. It identifies locations with high sensory experiences, low sensory experiences, captioned videos, tactile experiences, benches and rest stops, and spots to burn off some energy. The map also marks the length of zoo paths to help determine travel distance and time and location of accessibility resources and amenities.
Visual Schedule
The Visual Schedule provides a visual and tactile way for guests to prepare for, enjoy, and reflect on their visit to the zoo. We encourage guests to use the visual and tactile tiles in the way they find most helpful. The visual schedule can assist guests in transitioning from animal buildings, taking a break, or knowing when it is time to go. Use the final page to reflect about your trip.
You can borrow copies of the Visual Schedule in English and Spanish at Searle Visitor Center and the Member Center. You’ll be asked to leave an ID as a deposit.
A social narrative prepares guests for the sights, sounds, noises, smells, and other sensory experiences they may experience when they visit Lincoln Park Zoo. This resource can help guests focus on key details of a typical zoo visit.
Some programs and special events, like camps and ZooLights, may have their own social narratives available upon registration.
Communication Board
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Communication Board supports communication with zoo staff, volunteers, and guests with icons of popular animals, a range of feelings, and common questions. The Communication Board is available at the link below and found in the zoo’s Sensory Bags.
Sensory Bags
You can check out sensory bags containing fidget tools, noise-reduction headphones, and other resources (for no cost if you leave an ID) at Searle Visitor Center.
Weighted Lap Pads
Weighted lap pads are also available upon request (at no cost if you leave an ID) at Searle Visitor Center.
KultureCity App
Download the KultureCity app to access the social narrative or to recommend Lincoln Park Zoo as a sensory-inclusive destination.
Paid Parking Reserved for People With Disabilities The entrance to Lincoln Park Zoo’s paid parking lot is at 2400 N. Cannon Drive. This lot includes 28 accessible parking spaces and those spaces often fill up on summer weekends and during popular events.
Accessible Parking on Neighborhood Streets There are designated areas on northbound Stockton Drive for vehicles displaying accessibility placards at:
West Gate
Farm-in-the-Zoo
South of the Café Brauer turnaround
Between West Gate and Lincoln Park Conservatory
Public Transportation Access the zoo by bus via the 22, 36, 151, and 156 routes. To arrive by CTA train, take the Brown and Purple line to the Armitage station or ride the Red line to Fullerton station. Both stations are accessible and located about a mile west of the zoo. To learn more about accessibility information for public transportation, visit Chicago Transit Authority’s accessibility page.
ADA Paratransit Services Guests using paratransit services as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act should be dropped off and picked up at our East Gate, at 2150 N. Cannon Drive. The East Gate is feet from Searle Visitor Center and has curbside benches outside zoo gates for waiting. All vehicles, including paratransit vehicles, may stay in the zoo’s parking lot for up to 30 minutes without charge.
Taxis & Rideshare
In general, we ask that pickups and drop-offs take place at the zoo’s West Gate, near the corner of Stockton Drive and Webster Avenue. However, guests with accessibility needs using taxis or rideshare services may ask to be dropped off at the zoo’s East Gate at 2150 N. Cannon Drive inside the parking lot, feet from Searle Visitor Center. Back to top
Restrooms & Changing Tables
Accessible Restrooms
Public restrooms contain a mix of manual and automatic fixtures.
Accessible restrooms are available at:
East Gate
Regenstein Macaque Forest
Searle Visitor Center (adult changing table available)
Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House
Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
Park Place Café (via elevator)
Main Barn at Farm-in-the-Zoo
Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Foreman Pavilion (open seasonally)
Bird’s Eye Bar & Grill (open seasonally)
Single-stall, All Gender, and Family Restrooms
Regenstein Macaque Forest
East Gate
Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Searle Visitor Center
Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
Changing Tables
Adult Changing Table
An adult changing table is available at Searle Visitor Center. Please ask staff or volunteers for access to this restroom.
Infant Changing Table
Child-sized changing tables are available at public restrooms throughout the zoo. Back to top
Service Animals at the Zoo
Service animals are welcome at Lincoln Park Zoo. However, this zoo is home to around 175 species, some of which have natural predatory instincts. To ensure the safety of our guests, service animals, and the zoo’s resident animals, all guests must adhere to our service animal policy. This policy is in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as national, state, and local ordinances and applicable laws.
Guests Using Wheelchairs & Personal Mobility Devices
Guests may experience a variety of surfaces and uneven terrain on zoo grounds, including brick, concrete, tile, carpet, dirt paths, and aggregate.
Wheelchairs Available
Guests may rent wheelchairs at Searle Center. Availability is first come, first served. You must leave a deposit: either a picture ID or refundable $20 fee.
Wheelchair Accessibility
All public buildings have at least one wheelchair-accessible entrance. All animal encounter programs at Farm-in-the-Zoo are accessible by wheelchair.
Many zoo buildings feature automatic doors, but some buildings and habitats, like the free-flight area in McCormick Bird House, lack them for animal safety reasons.
Elevators and ramps to get to second stories are present in Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, Park Place Café, and Bird’s Eye Bar & Grill.
Electronic Conveyance Vehicles (ECVs) for Rental
You can rent ECVs at Searle Visitor Center. Availability is first come, first served. Rental costs $30, and you must leave a deposit: either a picture ID or a refundable $20 fee.
Safety Guidelines
Lincoln Park Zoo permits the use of wheelchairs and other power-driven mobility devices by individuals with disabilities.
The zoo requires power-driven mobility devices to be set on the lowest setting (typically the “walk” setting) and for guest safety.
Power-driven mobility devices with combustible engines, such as golf carts and all-terrain vehicles, are not allowed on zoo grounds.
Other Information
Many areas of the zoo contain narrow walkways and doorways, hanging tree branches, and/or uneven terrain. Please use caution when operating electronic mobility devices, wheelchairs, walkers, support canes, forearm-crutches, handle-crutches, or strollers. Back to top
Guests Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and open-captioning are available upon request for zoo events, classes, and programs. For these services, please email access@lpzoo.org at least 14 days in advance of your visit.
The zoo offers scripts, ASL interpretation, and other resources at animal demonstrations; see below.
To arrange an individual or group visit, please email access@lpzoo.org.
Guests Who Are Neurodivergent and Sensory Sensitive
Typically, you do not need to worry about loud noises, flashing lights, or other overwhelming sensory elements during a day at the zoo. This is due in large part to the zoo’s commitment to providing a safe, supportive space for wildlife.
Lincoln Park Zoo offers resources and special events for guests who are neurodivergent or sensory sensitive. It is certified Sensory Inclusive by KultureCity and is a Seizure Smart Partner of the Epilepsy Foundation.
Accessibility Map
Quiet Rooms
Visual Schedule
Social Narrative
Sensory Bags
Communication Board
Weighted Lap Pad
Sensory-Friendly & Special Events
Memory Enrichment (program for people living with dementia and a care partner)
Accessible Education Programs, Sensory-Friendly, and Special Events
All Lincoln Park Zoo programs and events are designed to be engaging to all participants. We also have programs designed specifically for and with people with disabilities. Follow the link below to learn about regular programming or find out how to request a custom visit.
Accessibility Resources at Animal Chats and Demonstrations
American Sign Language Interpreters
In partnership with Columbia College’s ASL-English Interpretation program, student interpreters are available on-site for daily activities, like Seal Training & Feeding and Ape Cognition & Care, in spring, summer, and fall.
For updates on when ASL interpreters will be at animal demonstrations, and to learn more about daily activities at the zoo, check the Things To Do page.
To schedule an ASL interpreter for an individual or group visit, please email access@lpzoo.org. We request two weeks’ notice.
Scripts of Training Demonstrations
Scripts of staff narration are available at each animal demonstration. Ask zoo staff for a hard copy or find digital copies below:
* Care sessions (i.e., Iguana Care, Polar Bear Care, and Ape Care) will focus on training, feeding, or enrichment depending on the animal’s interest and/or Animal Care staff’s schedule. Back to top
Tactile Opportunities
Many exhibits have tactile elements to enhance the guest experience. Examples include:
Regenstein African Journey
Life-sized rhino sign
Hippo statues
Bronze Madagascar hissing cockroach model
Kovler Seal Pool
Relief artwork of seal-to-sea-lion comparison
Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
Wolf cutouts
Wild Sapling Play Forest
Houston Family Play Treehouse
Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House
Baobab tree
Regenstein Center for African Apes
Gorilla statues along outdoor path
Ape face sculptures inside building
Farm-in-the-Zoo
Rubber dirt activity
Tractor
Edible Garden (when in season)
Tornado and bee interpretives
Pepper Family Wildlife Center
Life-sized male and female lion cutouts on north side
Walter Family Arctic Tundra
Life-sized cutout of polar bear
Ice wall
* Care sessions (i.e., Iguana Care, Polar Bear Care, and Ape Care) will focus on training, feeding, or enrichment depending on the animal’s interest and/or Animal Care staff’s schedule. Back to top
Sensory Information for Zoo Buildings
The zoo is an exciting, stimulating place with unique opportunities to hear, see, and maybe even smell wildlife. Sometimes these experiences occur much closer than guests may anticipate. For a less hectic visit with possibly better animal viewing, visit the zoo on early mornings, weekdays, and in fall and winter.
Here, we highlight sensory elements to identify areas that offer high or low visual and auditory stimulation.
The free-flight exhibit is warm and noisy and has birds that might fly close to guests. This space is lit with natural light.
When guests are standing on the bridge in the free-flight exhibit, they can be surrounded by birds on all sides. Birds may use that area as a flight path between the two sides of the habitat.
Because of open ceiling space between habitats, birds that may not be visible to guests can be heard throughout the building.
The hallways are dark, quiet, spacious, and less crowded. Lighting is intermittent and creates alternating dark and light areas.
The front rooms are dark and feature animal habitats behind glass. Pillars are positioned throughout the space.
A small theater features chairs that can be moved. In the theater, a video plays on repeat.
Between habitat areas, lighting changes significantly. If guests follow the typical path, the shift goes from very dark to very bright.
As guests progress through the building, they encounter a bright second area with open-air habitats where animals are behind glass and mesh. Some of these habitats are viewable from overhead via the second-floor balcony.
In some spaces, guests may have animals behind them as they view other exhibits.
This building has a lot of natural light and large viewing windows.
Some animals in this space may behave in surprising ways, including pounding on the glass, chasing each other, making loud noises, or placing fecal matter on the windows.
Lincoln Park Zoo has partnered with KultureCity to improve our ability to assist and accommodate guests with sensory needs. Our objective is to provide an inclusive and seamless experience for all guests for all events. We strive to raise awareness of the needs and challenges faced by individuals with sensory processing disorders by supplying our team members with continuous training and by offering the resources and accommodations below to our guests. Learn More
Epilepsy Foundation of Great Chicago Seizure Smart Partner
Lincoln Park Zoo staff have completed seizure recognition training, helping the zoo become a Seizure Smart Partner through the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago.
EFGC is a local organization that provides free non-medical supportive care to people living with epilepsy and their families. EFGC also provides free seizure first-aid training to school personnel and the general public. Learn more at the link below.
Our website is an extension of the zoo experience. Therefore, we are committed to making it as accessible as possible for all visitors. To help make our website inclusive of everyone, we adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. Back to top
Select Partnerships
Access Living
Alzheimer’s Association
Anixter
Blind Service Chicago
Bounce Children’s Foundation
Camp Kids Are Kids
Chicago Hearing Society
Chicago Public Schools
Columbia College ASL-English Interpretation program
DreamNight
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
Great Lakes ADA Center
KultureCity
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Make-A-Wish Illinois
City of Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
