Lincoln Park Zoo

One of the most appealing attributes of the Lincoln Park Zoo is that it’s free, so you don’t have to deal with tickets or lines but can simply stroll in and out at any of several entrances at your leisure. The Regenstein African Journey, at the north end, is the most exotic section with pygmy hippos, warthogs and rhinos. It’s delightful to see a giraffe placidly munching tufts of greenery against a backdrop of the Chicago skyline. Children may be most captivated by the petting zoo for farm animals, on the south end.