Lincoln Park Zoo Gets Kiddy Wit' It
By Andrew Peerless in Miscellaneous on Jul 1, 2005 1:09PM
It's been one hell of a craptastic year for the Lincoln Park Zoo, but Chicagoist finally gets to report on something more positive than rampant animal deaths. Yesterday marked the opening of the zoo's new Pritzker Family Children's Zoo, and while we like to think our readers are at least a year or two older than the target age for this new attraction, it boasts features that will appeal to youngsters and their parents alike.
When zoo peeps set out to design the $13.4 million kiddie extravaganza, they intentionally steered away from the traditional idea of what a children's zoo should be: Think snotty kids in diapers banging on glass displays housing cuddly baby monkeys in daipers, and unmitigated opportunities for contact with sheep, goats and other disease-ridden beasts of burden. Instead, the new attraction revolves around a central woodland theme, and focuses exclusively on animals that are native to Illinois and the surrounding environs: otters, red wolves, beavers and, um, black bears (They're native to this area? Does this mean I should stop wearing my favorite meat-shirt?). The three-acre plot is packed with more than 500 trees and 20,000 plants, all engineered to make the new exhibit feel like a forest within the city.
So, how is it kid-like? Indoor and outdoor displays encourage youngins to learn about their animal counterparts by imitiating them, be it howling like wolves, engaging their nostrils to imitate a bear's hunt for food or clambering to the top of a gigantic, stylized plywood tree (How this is different than any of our standard days we're not sure). Underwater viewing areas offer glimpses of turtles and aquatic mammals, while an outdoor maze gives parents a few minutes to cackle with glee as their children become hopelessly lost.
Ready to test out your climbing skills and act like a wolf? Get your plans in order by checking out the zoo's operating hours here.
Image courtesy of the Lincoln Park Zoo