Milwaukee County Zoo

Greetings!

Here's my second post detailing Wisconsin zoos:

E2: Milwaukee County Zoo (this post)

Today we'll be chronicling the fantastic Milwaukee County Zoo! I was quite impressed by lots of the exhibits and was able to take a plethora of great, close-up pictures!

All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO

10001 W Bluemound Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226

Website: https://milwaukeezoo.org/

Hours:

March 1, 2025 through May 23, 2025
Open Daily, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

May 24, 2025 through September 1, 2025
Open Daily, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

September 2, 2025 through October 31, 2025:
Open Daily, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

November 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025:
Weekdays: 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Weekends: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Cost (as of 2025):

Adult: $21.75
Senior (60+): $17.75
Child (3-12): $15.75
Infant (0-12): FREE

Purchasing tickets online saves you $3.

Choosing a less popular day can save you around $1.

Milwaukee County residents save an additional $1.75.

Visiting in November or December can save you $3-$4.

Milwaukee County residents get special discounts on Wednesdays and on select Sundays.

The zoo offers six Family Free Days throughout the year where all visitors get free admission.

There are additional discounted or free days for certain Special Events.

Milwaukee County Zoo participates in the AZA reciprocity program at the 100% level. That means Milwaukee Zoo members get 100% (free) admission when visiting other AZA institutes participating at the 100% level and members of those other 100% institutes get free admission to the Milwaukee Zoo. Milwaukee County Zoo members get 50% discounted admission when visiting AZA institutes participating at the 50% level and members of those 50% institutes get 50% off when visiting the Milwaukee Zoo.

Parking is separate from admission and costs $15.

Since I am a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo which also participates at the 100% reciprocity level, I was able to get free admission to Milwaukee County Zoo, though I still had to pay the $15 parking.

Estimated Time: 3-4 hours.

I spent 3.5 hours there and wasn't able to see the Aviary (it closed early) or the Exploration Dinosaur summer exhibit (I correctly estimated I wouldn't have enough time so I didn't spend the extra $4 for this special feature). I could have easily spent another 1-2 hours viewing those areas, spending more time at the farm (which I rushed through), and viewing the red pandas and big cats for a third time!

SUMMARY

I am amazed by how fantastic the Milwaukee County Zoo is! It's a large zoo with multiple impressive exhibits and it outstrips the zoos I've seen in Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Only the likes of Chicago's Brookfield Zoo is better!

The Big Cat Country is one of the best feline facilities I've seen, letting you get face-to-face with lions, tigers, cheetahs, and jaguars. There's also a top-notch hippo exhibit with amazing views. The primate buildings and reptile center are also outstanding while the giraffe enclosure is thoughtfully designed as well.

And who can forget the lovable red pandas? Milwaukee's two resident red pandas are playful and affectionate with each other, though I do wish the windows had less glare and reflections.

Another highlight is a tiny garden with two elephant topiary sculptures.

The zoo is spread out over 190 acres so be prepared to walk quite a bit. Most of the exhibits are in the southern half of the zoo. There are birds and primates in the northeast but the northwest part of the zoo is sparser. During my visit there was construction around the rhino area, which resulted in a roundabout path to get from the red pandas to Adventure Africa.

Here is how the Milwaukee County Zoo stacks up against other zoos:

5 stars:

Brookfield Zoo (Brookfield, IL)

4 stars:

Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee, WI)

3 stars:

Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, Free)
Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA)
Butterflies of Cape Cod (Bourne, MA)
International Crane Foundation (Baraboo, WI)
Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison, WI, Free)

2 stars:

Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans, LA)
Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, LA)
Sarasota Jungle Gardens (Sarasota, FL)
Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center (Sarasota, FL, Free)
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (San Francisco, CA)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
Franklin Park Zoo (Boston, MA)
Capron Park Zoo (Attleboro, MA)
Taylor-Bray Farm (Yarmouth Port, MA, Free)
Racine Zoo (Racine, WI)
Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo, WI, Free)
John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, MI)
Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, MI)

1 star:

Cosley Zoo (Wheaton, IL)
Stone Zoo (Stoneham, MA)
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek, MI)

RED PANDA

Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens

The two red pandas at the Milwaukee County Zoo were playful and affectionate. I was able to take a lot of cute pictures of them! However, the reflective glass affected the quality of some of the pictures.

BIG CAT COUNTRY

Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia

Wha?

Serval
Leptailurus serval

The serval was constantly on the move, making it hard to get any non-blurry pictures.

Jaguar
Panthera onca

Amur Tiger
Panthera tigris altaica

African Lion
Panthera leo

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus

HIPPO HAVEN

Just because an animal is large, it doesn't mean he doesn't want kindness.

- A.A. Milne

The real bird was perfectly positioned on the hippo statue:

All about hippo plumbing:

Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius

I was suitably impressed by the hippo exhibit. The glass and water were surprisingly clear, allowing viewers to get excellent views and pictures of the hippo with only minor glare or reflections. I have a friend who really loves hippos and they would have a wonderful time watching the Milwaukee hippos!

SMALL MAMMALS BUILDING

Sadly, the Small Mammals Building is being closed and the animals are in the process of being relocated to other zoos. Fortunately, I was able to get a last look at many of them!

Fennec Fox
Vulpes zerda

Prehensile-tailed Porcupine
Coendou prehensilis

Straw-colored Fruit Bat
Eidolon helvum

Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni

Cotton-top Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus

Dwarf Mongoose
Helogale parvula

Prevost’s Squirrel
Callosciurus prevostii

PRIMATES OF THE WORLD

Red-ruffed Lemur
Varecia rubra

Siamang
Symphalangus syndactylus

Black-handed Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi

Orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus

APES OF AFRICA

Bonobo
Pan paniscus

From this distance it almost looks like a human cryptid (aka bigfoot, yeti, etc.)....

Western Lowland Gorilla
Gorilla gorilla gorilla

Silverback male:

OTHER MAMMALS

North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis

Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina

African Savanna Elephant
Loxodonta africana

Reticulated Giraffe
Giraffa reticulata

Bactrian Camel
Camelus bactrianus

The baby camel (a boy called "Baatar") was born on April 20, 2025:

Alpaca
Lama pacos

Central American Tapir
Tapirus bairdii

Eastern Bongo
Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci

Common Waterbuck
Kobus ellipsiprymnus

Greater Kudu
Tragelaphus strepsiceros

Scimitar-horned Oryx
Oryx dammah

Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos horribilis

Just in time for Fat Bear Week!

Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus

AQUATIC & REPTILE CENTER

I've seen globes like this at other zoos, including Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Chacoan Horned Frog
Ceratophrys cranwelli

Chilean Rose Tarantula
Grammostola rosea

Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix

Rhinoceros viper
Bitis nasicornis

King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah

I can see why king cobras are the longest venomous snake!

Indonesian Blue-tongued Skink
Tiliqua gigas

Timber Rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus

Eastern Indigo Snake
Drymarchon couperi

Fly River Turtle
Carettochelys insculpta

Giant Amazon River Turtle
Podocnemis expansa

I tried taking multiple pictures but they all turned out blurry because the turtle moved too fast!

Chinese Alligator
Alligator sinensis

Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis

Halmahera Python
Simalia tracyae

Green Anaconda
Eunectes murinus

California Sheephead
Bodianus pulcher

Yes, this fish was swimming downwards!

BIRDS

View of Lake Evinrude from the Birds Observation Deck:

Humboldt Penguin
Spheniscus humboldti

Flamingos:

Peacocks wandering freely around the zoo:

20250912_155742(0).jpg

Southern Ground Hornbill
Bucorvus leadbeateri

Ostrich
Struthio camelus

FAMILY FARM

Ayrshire Cow
Bos (primigenius) taurus

This heifer (female) named Mabel was born on July 28, 2025.

Jersey Cow
Bos (primigenius) taurus

Assorted cows including

Red & White Holstein
Brown Swiss
Holstein Friesian
Bos (primigenius) taurus

Domestic Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus

ART

Jane Stroschin

Jane Stroschin is an author and illustrator of children's books. Combining her love for literature with her artistic gifts, she produces excellent children's work. A one-time Wauwatosa resident, Jane donated these big cat paintings to the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. to raise awareness of the "big cats."