Best Zoo in West Loop

"The Lincoln Park Zoo is a free family-friendly Chicago attraction and home to hundreds of animals, birds, plants and endangered species from around the globe. Visitors can explore animal exhibits and houses such as the Flamingo Habitat, the Nature Boardwalk, the McCormick Bird House, the Helen Brach Primate House and the Kovler Sea Lion Pool. The venue also serves as a conservation science and research center, and hosts educational programs and workshops that are open to the public."

"A Metra train ride out to the suburb of Brookfield, this zoo is in 216 acres of green parkland and boasts more than 450 species. The Brookfield Zoo made waves when it opened in 1934 as it pioneered the use of moats and ditches instead of cages, and was also the first in America to have giant pandas. One of the most recent additions is the Great Bear Wilderness, letting you get within inches of North Americas mightiest carnivores."

"Spend a day at Chicagoland’s largest zoo and meet some of the world’s most charming and fascinating creatures. This 216-acre nature parks is filled with a wide variety of animals, plants, and even an animal-themed carousel – so your kids will find plenty to enjoy. Don’t forget to take a ride on the Motor Safari tram, explore the “Great Bear Wilderness,” and pop into the “Butterflies!"

"Lincoln Park Zoo is a renowned 35-acre zoo in Lincoln Park and a hotspot for tourists. It’s the zoo’s pavilion, designed to provide shelter for open-air on-site classes, that offers such a fantastically picturesque snap. With the design drawing inspiration from the appearance of a tortoise’s shell, the stunning curved wooden pavilion elegantly frames the Chicago skyline."

"The Regenstein Center for African Apes is also part or rather an extension of the Lincoln Park Zoo, where the visitors can come close to the apes, chimpanzees and the gorillas that have found their home there. It is home to some of the endangered species of western lowland gorillas as well as chimpanzees and exists to provide with the most realistic looking environment for them to live in comfortably. Location: 2058-2156 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614, USATimings: 10 AM to 5 PMEntry Fees : –"

"The Helen Brach Primate House is yet another extension of the Lincoln Park Zoo and is home to primates of varying shapes, sizes and colour. The area is made in a way to imitate the natural habitat for the primates to make them feel safe and familiar at the place that they are residing in. It was opened back in 1927 which finally underwent an extensive renovation in the year 1992."

"If you don’t want to bake, or fry in this case too, then decorate with DIY cookie and doughnut kits ($14) starring colorful icing and sprinkles. You may find inspiration in the bakery’s smiley face cookies and Easter lamb cakes, wearing icing medical masks. Owner Can Lao, who revived the historic bakery in the Bridgeport neighborhood back in February, recently added Chinese egg tarts, plus a few staple items like paper towels, gloves, milk and Yakult, the yogurt-like drink."

"Restaurants Bakeries Bridgeport. This iconic Polish bakery closed in October 2019 after decades of serving pączki, doughnuts, cookies and other candy-colored sweets to its fans. Thankfully, new ownership swept in and restored the spot to its former glory."

"If you’re wondering what happened to Bridgeport Bakery 1.0, it closed. But thankfully version 2.0 has the same delicious treats as the original. And while they have a lot of baked goods besides donuts, we like coming here for their long johns and bismarks."

"The Spot: Located within the building of Campus North, Te’Amo is right on campus, and almost always filled with UChicago students drinking tea and diligently studying. The Good: Te’Amo does great with its subtle flavors. The signature rose tea is a favorite as it smoothly joins the flavors of rose and black tea to where they become indistinguishable."

"With lines out the door majority of the time and over 100 positive reviews, you know you’re in for something good. Located on the Northside of the city, you’ll stumble upon this milk tea bar and cafe. With lots of aesthetically pleasing drinks made (very flavorful too), your instagram will pop!"

"If you are in downtown Chicago and get a craving some bubble tea, this is the place to get your fix. The bubble tea is made with fresh ingredients which gives it a rich flavor. You also get options on the amount of sugar and ice you want in your bubble tea."

"A post shared by Insomnia Cookies (@insomniacookies) on Jul 17, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT. If even picking up cookies is low on your to-do list, Insomnia Cookies comes to the rescue. This chain specializes in late-night cookie delivery (yes, you read that right), including sugar cookies, double chocolate mint cookies and drool-worthy smores cookies."

"Insomnia cookies are next on this list of the best desserts in Chicago. Cookies are the perfect addition to any day, so why not stop by Insomnia Cookies for an ice cream sandwich fix?. Unlike some other joints that offer ice cream sandwiches, Insomnia Cookies lets you customize your treat every step of the way!"

"6 locations in and near the city; Online: insomniacookies.com. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Defloured Bakery (@deflouredbakery) on Aug 4, 2019 at 8:26am PDT"

"Restaurants Ice cream parlors Logan Square. The Freeze is a vintage time warp, and while there aren’t nearly as many locations of the fast food restaurant (formerly known as Tastee Freez) as once dotted Chicago (there were dozens), you can still find one in Logan Square. Waffle and sugar cones are filled with a high peak of soft serve and dipped in throwback flavors like butterscotch, cotton candy and peanut butter."

"Logan SquareSoft serve piled high and burgers served hot top the bill at this retro Logan Square drive-in. Formerly known as Tastee Freez and dating to 1950, The Freeze is a go-to spot that often draws long lines of customers encircling it during the warmer months. If you like your ice cream served velvety smooth and topped with a heaping dose of nostalgia, it’s hard to beat any order here."

"Walk up and order from a menu filled with fresh Italian ice flavors with pieces of real fruit. This stand is only open from May to September each year so get it while you can."