The Cosley Animal Zoo in Wheaton, Illinois: A Review

We have a little gem hidden out in the far western suburbs of Chicago. This location serves as refuge for many critters great and small of which many are indigenous to Illinois. This refuge is known as Cosley Zoo and is located in Wheaton, Illinois. The accredited zoo boasts several types of animals such as reptiles, barn animals, and many prairie animals indigenous to the Midwest such as raccoons and red foxes. I have always enjoyed the history of this farm since I was exposed to it growing up in Wheaton, IIlinois since the mid seventies. The zoo has been maintained through the local park district along with many generous donations pledged by daily visitors and zoo club memberships. The zoo also runs very successful day camps in the summers which young zoo members are educated about caring for the animals. The young campers also participate in the daily chores of maintaining and caring for the animals and their habitats.

The zoo to this day is a huge success with the community as it allows families to visit at no charge. The zoo does happily accept donations to meet tremendous expenses associated with taking care of the exhibits. The zoo is located on several acres of unincorporated land which is laid out by a network of paths that bring the visitor up to several well laid out habitats for each animal. The Zoo has done a great job of recreating such habitats to each animals liking and seem to peak children's interest since several of the animals are the same species as ones that would be found in local neighborhoods.

If you have not visited the Cowley Zoo, do not anticipate a three or five hour venture as would be expected with the typical size zoo. These zoo grounds are much smaller at five acres, but the price is also smaller since there is no charge. I highly recommend a visit to the Cowley Animal Zoo when trying to kill an hour or two with the kids as they will enjoy the scenic walk through the duck ponds, barn, and look at the reptiles. Visits on Saturdays and Sundays can be troublesome as the parking lot seems to fill up very quickly. I am not sure where the overflow parking is for this zoo. Of the dozen or so times we have visited, we only had to wait for a parking spot twice and the wait was no longer than about ten minutes.

The zoo also has several amenities to make your visit much more entertaining. The zoo has a picnic area of which you can bring a sack lunch and even host a birthday party. The zoo offers birthday programs what allow for staff to be available to educate the party guests about particular animal attractions at the park.

Also take a few minutes to check out the Cosley Zoo gift shop that sells a variety of souvenirs including t-shirts and plush animal toys. The gift shop sits adjacent to a concession area and rest rooms if needed.