Scovill Zoo in Decatur
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Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, US
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Site: http://www.decatur-parks.org/sco...
- Monday:9:30AM–5PM
- Tuesday:9:30AM–5PM
- Wednesday:9:30AM–5PM
- Thursday:9:30AM–5PM
- Friday:9:30AM–5PM
- Saturday:9:30AM–6PM
- Sunday:9:30AM–6PM
I live in Champaign area and typically go to Bloomington Zoo. I heard good things about the Decatur zoo and it was a great experience. Kids loved the carousel and choo choo train rides. Pack a sack lunch and you can eat spend a couple hours here. They have a massive playground just outside my kids played on for a while.
Hello Park District. To be a Playplace where ALL 👨🏾🦼🧑🦼👩🦼👨🏾🦽👩🏼🦽🧑🏿🦽 Children matter please provide adaptive equipment such as sand and water tables, hammock swings/slides and more shade. This area is accessible but not very accommodating to Special Needs populations. Time for an upgrade. Respectfully yoursThanks.
Very unsatisfied most of the animals were put up because of influenza so did not get to see none of the birds, penguins and paid almost over $50 to get in! Best thing about the whole zoo is the trainRide that was $3 extra per person & the outdoor play gym which is free. Will not be returning to this zoo unless it’s a free day because it’s ridiculous! Plus to top it off they charge $6.50 for a two-year-old. But you can go to St. Louis zoo and it’s free for everyone.
Its a decent zoo for how small it is. I had a great time at the petting zoo with the goats and the other animals in the seemed to be fairly active. I went on a day where the zoo was free and had a good time with family. I will say seeing the cheetahs was a real treat we had gone to several zoos in the area and they never seem to be out at the other zoos.
We love this zoo! There are alot of great animals, and the zoo is very well kept. My daughter really loved the penguins and the zebras and my son loved the indoor building of all the snakes and bugs. There is a cute carousel that sits in the center, a great playground, and their snack bar prices are very reasonable. Definitely a place to check out if you are in the area.
The Zoo should be discounted on days that are cool or cloudy and/ or animals arent out! $30 for 4 people to see half the animals. Having said that, in general Scovill Zoo its a great place to visit! Especially during boo at the zoo! The only other problem I had is the only piggy. He looks so very lonely and miserable and anyone that knows about pigs knows they need to be in pairs or they get depressed and dont love as long!!
Wonderful place for kids to see animals outside. A snack area in the zoo has treats & drinks. There is a petting zoo area also. In addition to the Zoo sights, a carousel ride, train ride and a large playground for various aged kids were available. We spent a couple of hours on the first trip. Hope to see & do more on the next trip.
Not a super big zoo but a perfect day trip for a toddler. I would recommend grabbing a snack and then getting on the train. Gives you a few minutes to sit and snack while also seeing more of the zoo. Nice sized petting zoo so dont forget quarters for the feed machines.. awesome and amazing kids park out front.. our kid could have run around there all day long.
Amazing zoo. Many animals to see. There is playground for kids to play. Train ride around thr zoo. I love their small gift shop. Its is clean place. Places to sit and enjoy little treats from food court. My 5 year old had great time. Great way to teach kids and enjoy outdoors.
I have been to this Zoo several times and have to admit it always surprises me how it is always improving. Love yhe penguins, howler monkeys, and cheetahs. The grounds around it are always quite beautiful as the childrens museum, zoo railroad, play ground, and garden have been redone. The walk with the artwork and sculptures is great as well. Nice job Decatur!
Amazing as always!! A lot has changed over the years. They have penguins now!! The zoo wasnt too bad to navigate through with a wheelchair, but they need automatic door buttons for people to use!! It was nice to see the wolves again, and all the wallabies. The petting zoo had some adorable baby goats in there!! Its nice that the wheelchairs are free! My granddaughter had a blast at the park and the zoo!! We had a great time, and will keep coming back whenever we can!
Very nice, well kept zoo. Child friendly, and in a very nice park like location. I went there again in July 2019 and was super impressed. The people working there were fabulous, the animals looked well cared for, and the place was very clean. My wife and I enjoyed the train ride and really enjoyed our time there. I spent time petting the goats and had a wonderful day at the zoo looking at the variety of animals. We are even planning on possibly moving to Decatur (my home town) so we will spend even more time at the Scovill Zoo.
Everything is outside, petting zoo is open, and masks are not required at this moment. The train is not running right now, but there is still lots of shade. Penguin exhibit is usually a favorite for small children, as is the petting zoo. The place was clean as it could be after a storm, but there was no trash laying around. Gift shop is also open, and you are able to buy entry through the gift shop.
Zoo is free on Thursdays this summer which was a real treat for us being a large family. Very nice play park at the entrance. Able to walk the zoo and ride the train leisurely in 2 hours. Not very big, not a large selection of animals. Very crowded, but it was a free day. The goats in the petting zoo were very feisty, tried eating our clothing! I didnt see very many staff helping out patrons.
Very cute quaint zoo. My son enjoyed the petting zoo with goats, carousel, and the small train ride. Perfect size for young children parking is free and admission free for the summer on Thursdays but the parking lot does get pretty crowded Thursdays. The prices of the snacks are pretty decent too unlike other overpriced zoos.
Excellent as always!!! I grew up going here and this time my daughter and I went on her field trip here! We LOVE this zoo so much! She especially loves the pink flamingos! And I love that there are now penguins! They didnt have those when I went as a child. Thanks for a fun day, Scovill Zoo!
Its a small zoo and doesnt have a lot of animals, but the staff is extremely friendly which is a HUGE plus especially when dealing with small children. They keep the zoo clean and surprisingly the odor isnt offensive or unpleasant to where you cant enjoy a meal inside the zoo with the animals, but if you are completely opposed to that they have a beautiful and HUGE playground outside the zoo with picnic tables + umbrellas for a great picnic. The animals they do have are definitely fun & the right mix for the kids to really enjoy themselves. They also offer a animal carousel and train ride for the children which are both quite fun (the train ride isnt that long due to the zoo being smaller, but it is still very nice & the kids really love it). It can be expensive though and I would advice packing a picnic over the food they sell, but otherwise it is an AMAZING experience for families with small children.
This zoo is a real gem. Its definitely a small zoo that you could walk through in a half day, and probably would not have the same value for a family with older (age 8+ kids). But for a family with younger children, it is absolutely perfect. A fair variety of animals with a creative layout, a great petting zoo, and other extra cost attractions like a train ride and merry-go-round made it work great for our three pre-K kids.The playground just outside the entrance is icing on the cake.
Cute little zoo. The penguin exhibit is our favorite. Carousel and train rides available and a playground that the kids will absolutely love. Free Thursdays during the summer and frequent events (like their Facebook page for updates). They do birthday parties. The Central IL Childrens Museum is a short stroll away.
Always enjoy the event Boo at the Zoo during October! Trick or treating for the kids at different stations, riding the carousel and the train. Last year they had an option of a regular train or a scary train and this year it was automatically scary with people jumping out so didnt realize that! They went past the hours of 530 to 800 and so a lot of times it was very crowded. Fun to see some of the animals out with volunteers such as the chinchillas for the kids to pet. Wish there was a bathroom on the other end of the zoo so you didnt have to go all the way backup front. Wished I realized how cool and chilly it was so we would have dressed warmer because there are no warming hand stations anywhere. Over all always a good time at the Scovill Zoo!
A great gem in central IL, this is fantastic zoo experience for young and old. It has a wide variety of animals on a relatively small footprint, so little ones wont get worn out seeing it all. The train is undergoing a remodal with a bridge to be completed in 2019, should provide an amazing view of the lake. The recently added 🐧have a great exhibit.
This is by far the most depressing zoo I have ever been to! The animals look completely miserable and some of the cages/exhibits looked too small for some of the animals. The animals such as the camels and zebras seemed fine, being that it is close to their normal environment; but almost all of animals were near the gate wanting to get out of their exhibit. Left us completely heartbroken.The wolf looked thin and I didn’t see another one in there, which they are pack animals and need to have companionship. The eagles had just a gated area and probably had their wings clipped to avoid them flying off, which wing clipping is common for pet birds, but it would probably be nicer for an enclosed cage so they can still fly. Didn’t see a perch either. The tuffed deer was curled up in the corner against the door in the back of the the exhibit, because it was the only bit of shade it had and it’s housing was shut with bricks to prevent it from opening! Probably because there are barely any animals here. It’s incredibly hot today. I feel so bad for the penguins too. Some, if not all, of the small animals you can actually have as pets. The flamingos and what I think were pelicans had a COMPLETELY bone dry pool with only totes of water randomly placed around that the pelican struggled to get water from. If I could post pictures of what I saw I would. I’m so furious I could cry!The food is not only bad, but so were their drinks. The sodas were flat so they gave me a lemonade, which tasted like water with a shots worth of actual lemonade. We had nachos, chili cheese dog, hotdog and slushes. Slushes weren’t bad though.The gift shop was crowded and had nothing really appealing. The cashier was nice and professional despite kids throwing fits. Train ride and carousel were okay. The only thing that looked great was the playground in the front.In conclusion this place either needs to be completely redone or closed permanently and have the animals go into caring sanctuaries or zoos. I saw a sign that the zoo was closing soon for the season (I think). I have no doubt that the lack of business, large animals and the condition of the zoo has everything to do with it. Please close it down. The animals are suffering.
Came on Thursday was free to get in. Nice area. Had a great time. But need to double check prices in gift shop, because they ring up different from what the price is on stickers. All rang up with different prices. Bubble blasters rang up at 8.19 a PC. Rock candy says 1.75 rang up 1.91 and plush toy rang up 1201 and mood ring rang up to 3.27, and bag of rocks was supposed to be 3.29 came up to 4.36. so do like I didnt and have them check the prices. Other then that it was fun.
Small zoo, but when combined with the Childrens Museum next door, it makes for a good day. There is a very nice, large playground outside the zoo, which offers a great way to burn off kids energy. The carousel and train name for nice diversions. The herpetarium was a really nice exhibit.
Tucked away behind the busy main streets, is the small, but wonderful Scovill Zoo. It offers a very nice walkthrough with an interesting variety of Wildlife. Nice walk up window to order your meal/snack @ the concession stand like restaurant. Everyone in your group will enjoy the train ride on Mini train that goes around the entire zoo. And everyone is sure to find a seat on the classical carousel. Which is just one of the many perfect opportunities, to take your beautifully unique photos. Conveniently located at the entrance and the exit of the zoo, is the gift shop. And as if that wasnt enough just outside the entrance and exit is yet another walkway full of art sculptures as well as a small Creek and waterfall, beautiful plants.. not only a joy to look at but also another perfect opportunity to take your photos.
This is a very good place for small children to go and enjoy multiple types of animals. There is even a petting zoo section with various types of animals, not just common farm animals. It may not be a very large Zoo, but it is still good quality Kama as a train ride that goes around the park, and also has a gift shop.
It’s a very nice little zoo but pretty small. You can easily walk through the entire thing in about an hour which makes it a great outing for small children. My toddler loved being able to pet the goats, riding the carousel, and the train. If you have an allergy to bee stings, be careful. The bees were pretty bad when we went the last time and I got stung while sitting at a table, holding my baby. I was shifting my baby to a different position and I guess I caught a bee wrong with my arm. We left immediately after that because we were worried about our small children getting stung. I don’t remember there being so many bees the first time we went.
I love visiting Scovill Zoo with my two little boys. Decatur is a small city, but you wouldnt be able to tell by this wonderful zoo. It features a variety of animals to see, a carousel and train to ride on, a snack bar for a picnic, animal classes for learning, a playground/art sculptures outside of the zoo, and even volunteer opportunities!
I was born and raised in Decatur and Scovill zoo is a nice place to take your children or even just enjoy a day out with your significant other. Sure, its not a big exquisite place like massive zoos in big cities. It is a place that people in Decatur appreciate and love. I can remember when I was a little girl I used to love to ride the train. Memories like that last
I was a bit bummed to see the conditions in some areas. For instance there was a single duck, among chickens, in a wire cage with no water to bath or play in. It was a small cage also :-/. There seemed to be a lot of things that need improved. BUT super excited to try the train on their new bridge :-D
Visited this place as an infant, I volunteered my time there in the zoo crew as an adolescent, and just today in my 40s went with some college friends and their children to visit it yet again. Scovill Zoo has made vast improvements in as a world-class facility for seeing interesting animals
I took my kids today and it was the WORST the wolfs was not out the other animals are hiding or something else. It was a complete waste of money. I will NEVER recomend this place everAll the animals are not active any at all. They are being treated poorly all the spider webs everywhere this has been the worst place I have brought my family to. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO HERE. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
Me and my family loved it keep saving those new animals thay need your help and my son loved the new playground I remember when I was hes age they had the all wooden one now its all different I still cant believe there adding train tracks to the children museum that is going to be amazing
Total reviews rating 4.6
199 Reviews for Scovill Zoo 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-11Weve been here multiple times and its a great zoo! Its small, but well maintained and updated. It is also AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) approved, which means the standard of care for all the animals meets rigorous evaluations! They participate in conservation research, too.There is a free petting zoo with friendly goats, a large playground, a carousel of endangered animals, and a train that runs around the facility. Definitely recommend visiting and spending some time here!
Review №2
2022-05-28We had such a great afternoon at the zoo! The girls loved the petting zoo and would have gladly spent our entire visit with the baby goats! Dont forget to make time for the playground! So fun!
Review №3
2022-04-12Things to know:It is a small Zoo (my 3 year old walked the whole thing and didnt get tired once)But the staff is friendlyThe animals (that were out due to cold weather) were amazingThe facility is clean and extremely well keptI would definitely recommend that you stop in.
Review №4
2022-05-16Visited this zoo with family. It’s a small zoo but very clean and beautiful. Don’t miss the train ride it lasts for 5 minutes but kids will love it.People who work in zoo are very friendly and nice.Only reason for 4 star is because of less number of animals. No complaints! 👍Pros:* huge parking space* best play area for kids (it’s free)* food inside zoo is good and it’s cheap.* miniature train ride* carousel* Rest rooms were very clean* Sanitizers and hand Washing stations you will find almost everywhere in zoo which was highly appreciated.Cons:* Small zoo.Note:Plan to visit either in morning or evening. If you visit in noon animals will be sleepy 😄
Review №5
2022-06-03My family and I visited the zoo this past memorial day and we had fun. In the past, we were able to purchase tickets online, but this time we werent able to buy the tickets ahead of time. When we arrived at the zoo, the parking lot was full, but there wasnt a line to buy tickets. We rode the train before walking around, and this gave us the opportunity to see more sites and animals. The only downside was that we couldnt see some of the animals due to health and safety reasons. Still, we have a good time and I would recommend this zoo to others.
Review №6
2022-06-16Such a fun little zoo. Easy to do with little kids, and free days during the summer are a great bonus.
Review №7
2021-06-24Good for what you’re gonna get in central Illinois. Not a big zoo, but still nice and has your standard zoo animals (penguin, red pandas, tortoise, camel, cheetah, monkeys, wallaby, birds, etc etc). They have a train ride which isn’t cheap or long, but is fun. Also for the kiddos, there’s a big playground and ability to reserve an area for parties and an “animal experience” (touch a snake, lizard thing, guinea pig, hedge hog thing, etc.)
Review №8
2022-06-29What a great little zoo! I absolutely enjoyed my visit this afternoon! I’m not sure that I’m supposed to admit this (as an adult), but my two favorite attractions were the petting zoo and the train. Albeit, the thing that I appreciated most about the train was the information provided by the conductor. Well, that and the fact that it made for a shady break on a hot day.
Review №9
2022-05-01Pretty awesome little zoo. Has a great playground outside the gates to burn off that extra steam after the animals. Has concessions, an awesome carousel, and a train ride. Lots of cool animals and a petting zoo as well. Definitely a fun little outing.
Review №10
2021-05-30Very nice zoo. Perfect for the children. Plenty to see. Train ride and carousel. Safe walking for the smaller children. Big playground with alot of things for the kids to play on.