Henry Vilas Zoo

702 S Randall Ave, Madison, WI 53715, USA

Address:	702 S Randall Ave, Madison, WI 53715, USA
Phone:	+1 608-258-9490
Site:	vilaszoo.org
Rating:	4.6
Working:	9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Jen Anderson

If youre in Wisconsin and want an inexpensive half-day or day outing, its recommended. I went on a sunny Friday with my four-year-old daughter. The zoo is on the small side, but quite nice for a free zoo. Its larger than the zoo in Oshkosh (which is also free), and its much nicer than that one. On the other hand, its not as big as the Milwaukee County Zoo, but for the price, I dont feel compelled to complain. Size-wise, its probably a bit smaller than the NEW Zoo outside of Green Bay. Its a tree-shaded, pretty space that is well-maintained. Even the restrooms we used were clean for a public facility. Other visitors to the zoo were polite and pleasant, even on a busy day. My daughter loves animals of all kinds, and we spent the most time in the Discovery/Herpetology building. She enjoyed the interaction in the Discovery area and spent the most time animal-watching by the native turtles. I was disappointed in the Childrens Zoo area as its not a petting zoo as I was expecting; you can feed goats, though. Goat feed is $0.50 for a few pellets. The extras, like train and carousel rides, were $1.00 each, which seemed reasonable. We didnt get a snack or meal at the zoo, so Im not sure on pricing, but those are available. The down side is finding free parking at the zoo. I found that parking on neighborhood streets is limited to two hours at a time, which caused us to leave earlier than we might have otherwise. If you are going with small children, there are play areas both within and just outside the zoo. The play area in the Childrens Zoo area was terrific fun for my little girl, but I had a hard time keeping her in view due to the structure. The park area outside of the zoo was much better in terms of visually following my kiddo so she could play freely, and that was less crowded. For those who may have mobility issues, it might be good to know that the paths are smooth and any that were too steep to be navigated by wheelchair were noted (and there were alternate routes that werent as arduous).

Andy Wilson

I grew up in Madison and have been coming to this zoo since 1994. Its always been free, well looked after and very educational. I even have family that have worked here for many years. The animals are very well loved and taken care of. They even have babies here and there! I remember seeing the baby giraffe back in the mid 90s! I came back to visit after 16 years and the zoo had a wonderful remodel and looked just as good (if not better!) Than when I was a kid. Still has a wonderful park for kids and college students out back and a beach on the lake out front. Absolutely gorgeous. The same tree I climbed on as a kid still sits on the lake shore. Worth a visit or two for sure. Even during winter, they have stuff going on. Really a blast during the summer though and I still enjoy it at 25 as much as I did 20 years ago.

Jared Wold

Cant beat the price! This is a perfect way to entertain the kids while not needing to spend a dime. Since I am from Milwaukee where the zoo is one of the 4 best in the country, and I have been to the rest of the others (San Diego, National, St. Louis), I obviously have a sense of perspective. The only reason this doesnt get 5 stars is because it is clearly not as large or have as many different animals as those bigger zoos. However, since it is free to visit, one cannot beat the experience if one is in Madison. They have a great diversity of exhibits and animals, and they also do a great job of having special events. It is rarely so crowded that the experience is overwhelming, and you can also top of your visit by cooking out at Vilas Park proper on whose grounds the Zoo is located.

Crazy Gurli

Ive been here many times over the years and have to say every time was fun. They have plenty of animals to see and its free. We had to find parking which was nearly impossible but it was worth it. All of the employees are very friendly and helpful. I cant say much about the food, as we either ate before or brought food with us. We have been here a couple of times in the winter, of course not as many of the animals were available to see but it was still a nice day. Each time we have made sure to donate, I really hope they can keep this zoo open and the animals healthy, its a great place for Madison to have. We will be returning any time we are in the Madison area.

Lisa Shunk

Zoo was okay. Many of the large animals werent visible the day we visited, so that was a bummer but we really enjoyed the flamingos and the polar bear. If Im honest, I think the habitations are slightly inadequate for the animals - Im not an activist but I felt sorta bad for them. We were hoping to eat at the snack shack but it was closed so we were pretty hungry (didnt want a sit down meal) after planning to eat there. Had to park in a neighborhood a block away, but that wasnt a big deal. Its nice that its free, but my biggest deal was ALL of the signs saying "a free zoo isnt free"! Everywhere. Please, just charge a fee and take the signs down.

Kai Rush

We have been here many times and I will tell you that Henry Vilas Zoo is one of the best FREE zoos in America. Actually, it is the best smaller zoos in America. It is not huge and parking can be really hard to obtain in the summer and weekends. I would highly suggest arriving at 9:30 a.m., when the zoo opens. In all honesty, this is the perfect sized zoo for little children, who can not walk a lot and get cranky after 1-2 hours of viewing. I hate spending $35-$70 for 2 hours, because children burn out. So make a $1.00-$5.00 donation on your way out! Keep this great zoo running!

A Private User

I found this a nice size zoo. Good for a few hours with young kids. Bonus is that it is free. Though I feel the need to donate to the donation conatainers to feed the animals. Kids love putting bills and coins into the containers. The small train is a short ride but only $1.00 good for 4 years old and under, older kids might not find it that fun. Train is on wheels and is about 5 minutes. Carasell is very impressive and also $1.00 per ride. Will come back over and over again.

Susan Armour

My daughter and granddaughter and I spent an amazingly enjoyable afternoon at the Henry Villas Zoo this week and I cant say enough good things about our visit! One thing that stood out along with the wonderful exhibits throughout the zoo was the friendly and helpful staff that were everywhere! They are young people who have learned to deal with people from all walks of life in a very patient, professional manner. It was refreshing to see! Thanks for a great day! And great job!

Jordyn Lawler

Love going to the zoo they have some great exhibits and its free!!! That being said it could use some TLC. I didnt think I was at the right place because there was no formal large entrance. The parking is horrible. And the whole place looks a little dated. Updating could be done to front of exhibits. The concession has been closed every time Ive been as well as some of the gift stations. To me, Id rather pay $5 to go and see it get the attention it deserves.