Events have too long of a line, few masks, and no social distancing. Chaotic good people are going to catch Covid. It will be great next year but for now it is scary.

I hadnt been here since I was probably 6 or 8 years old, and its still just as wonderful!Very well maintained, excellent staff, and even with the buildings closed due to covid, still well worth the trip.Lions, tigers, and bears (oh my). Otters, seals, bison, and an orangutan gathering parts to build some sort of devious device, probably to try to take over the world. I think it might have been some kind of mechanized orangutan suit being driven by two lab mice, but I didnt get any proof, so its just speculation as of right now.We had a really great time, and look forward to returning again someday.Many Pokestops and several gyms for the Go players.

Love it! Such a happy place (even though sometimes zoos can be sad) Henry Vilas does everything possible to keep the animals and visitors entertained! Felt very comfortable during covid too, the staff have put a lot of hard work in to keep people safe.

Great free zoo. Love to see all of the animals and the special events always are a treat. Please donate so it can stay a awesome and free place though.

We love this small free zoo. Unfortunately, with the covid restrictions and the cooler weather we were quite limited, but my kids still enjoy seeing what they can.

This was a cute little zoo! If it was completely open it would have taken longer to go through but it is free so the price was right! The kids will love it! The animals all seemed to be happy and healthy!

It had beautiful lights. One way traffic. Option to buy food and drink.Nice music. Saw flamingos and a seal.

Amazing zoo and even more surprised it’s free, please make a donation though. There is a wide variety animals to see with a large amount of kid playgrounds for them to enjoy. We love to come here and will typically stay for the entire day. It doesn’t get a little busy at times but that’s expected at a zoo like this.

Wonderful little Zoo. Only thing I wishes they had elephants. But hey its a free zoo and wonderful for little kids. Because its free you should always make sure to donate at least a couple dollars.

What an amazing zoo! There was a great variety of animals and they had sanitization stations all over the place. We were lucky enough to hear the lions roar (incredible!) and watch a polar bear dive off the boulder and then play with the other. Would definitely go back. I did notice that the zoo was getting pretty full by the time we left (11:00am?) and there were lots of cars parked on the streets. May be good to get there early if you can.

Nice place lots of animals, lots of shade, FREE, ice cream helps support it, flamingos, lion, gairaffe, bears, buffalo, penguins. Tiger. Clean. A nice place for friends and family, easy parking.

I loved the animals but the COVID stuff made it so that we didnt get to see the red pandas and the aviary and reptile house.

Covid 19 has really put a hurt on any type of outing, but this was by far the shortest time Ive ever spent at a zoo ! The walk was short and not many animals were there left to see. I expected ALOT more, but like I said COVID-19 ....

Been there b4. Covid restrictions make it not as personal but theyre doing a good job to make still enjoyable. Admission is free but donation is accepted.

Beautiful, small zoo, family friendly and FREE!! Unfortunately there arent very many animals and they werent at all active. Were unable to visit different inside houses due to virus. Train and carousel rides were also closed. There were many people visiting. Enjoyed a picnic lunch by lake, was a beautiful day. We will hopefully go again and will be able to see more animals. Then a 5 star review would be given.

We love coming here... Its free and we always give donations to help..

Really well organized for social distancing and by and large everyone was very considerate and safe during our visit. Our almost 2 year old was still able to enjoy seeing lots of fun animals. Great family outing while the weather is still nice.

The zoo is FREE & parking is FREE and anyone who gives it less than five stars is a hater. They had more animals than I expected. Still had informational & educational signs. Yes, there are restrictions due to COVID19 but did I mention it was free? Of course they take donations. I also made purchase at gift shop. This zoo made my day!

I cant believe this is free! I have never gotten this close to a Rhino, Lion and Polar Bear! Great experience even with COVID limits.

A very nice zoo, and its free. Outdoor exhibits are open. Indoor exhibits are closed due to COVID-19.

It will be much better when life is unrestricted. Follow the paws for the best view of animals. Some food and drinks are available. Must wear a mask everywhere except in outdoor dining areas. Free fun 100%!

Ive been to this zoo numerous times since I was a child. Ive only seen improvements over the years, I mean, who doesnt remember the old monkey enclosure and shudder silently. I have always loved this zoo and they staff is top notch. When I was living in Madison, whenever I had a day off or some free time on the weekend, I always made a point to visit this zoo.

My family and I really enjoyed this FREE zoo. The bears are awesome, the lions are majestic, the Badgers are adorable, and the zoo itself is beautiful. Definitely worth the visit!

Been here multiple times but I realized its importance when I visited here after re-opening. I think its one place every kid will remember his whole life.

Been here before the pandemic and loved it.. yes there is stuff closed off and theres a path now you have to follow but still very enjoyable. I see alot of complaints and dont understand it!! Its a free zoo!! With lots of animals and most of them are very visible.. loved seeing the polar bears play and Im very impressed that everyone was wearing a mask and had enough respect to tell their kids hold on someone else is looking wait your turn .. if I lived closer Id go everyday

Our socially distanced trip to the Henry Vilas Zoo was great. The one way path was easy to follow and we enjoyed visiting all of our favorite animal friends. In a few areas where people congregate (around the tigers, lions, seals, bears), it would be helpful to have a staff member directing people. We tried to avoid those spots but they are the best experience for little ones. Mask compliance was recommended but not required. Typical of Madison, Id estimate 70% of adult patrons were masked, but only about 30% of children. It took us about 50 minutes to do the full loop. Note that the goat feeding, playground, merry go round, and train are all (as expected) closed.

During Covid times they have completely reconfigured the walking paths to be one way. They effectively require masks, except for those sitting at the tables near concessions. You can still purchase food and drink and gift shop is open. Some areas are closed off, like the prairie dog area, but others are just roped off to ensure there isnt a pinch point where lots of people would congregate. Theyve done a great job at making signage to encourage social distancing. Even if you show up right at 9:30 there is still a full parking lot, but its definitely less busy the earlier you arrive. Maybe its my imagination, but the animals seem happier and more active since there are generally fewer people and not so many crowded right in front of their faces.

This zoo is free!!! Perfect for a couple of hours with kids. During Covid, they have a one way path set up that guides you through the zoo and helps with social distancing. Buildings are currently closed due to covid, and we did two trips around the zoo to catch some animals that we didn’t see the first time. Seeing the lion up close was especially cool!

Usually a great free zoo. Now its about a 15 min walk with about 10 animals in view.

Henry Vilas Zoo is such a wonderful place, I’ve visited every year since I was a child. Now that I have two young children I try to bring them more than once a year. It never gets old! It has always been free admission, food and gift shop prices are always reasonable, and they have ice cream and water stands throughout the zoo.We recently visited during Covid, and they had many hand sanitizing stations, as well as a clear one way path through the zoo to help social distancing.The only downside to this zoo is the lack of parking space. We frequently have to park 4-6 blocks away from the zoo and walk to it, but this is a minor inconvenience as it is a safe, friendly neighborhood and enjoyable walk.

I honestly didnt expect much from a small free zoo. However, this is perhaps the best zoo I have ever been to. We have seen more in quantity and more interesting animals than Ive seen almost anywhere else. The facilities are clean and neat, theres a plane crash for children, their concessions, and an indoor carousel. The highly recommended place.

This is a great zoo and it has free admission. Since the first time Ive been here, and I have been countless times, they have added a primate exhibit, an aviary, a childrens area, and upgraded the polar exhibit. They have plans to continue their upateds into the future. As I understand it, the land was bequeathed to the zoo with the stipulation that it be free of admission. I also heard that they have had greater than average success breeding lions. They have 4 adults right now.

We love the free zoo! Its small but well maintained and always a joy for our son.

Covid changes: Masks required. All indoor exhibits closed. (That leaves rhinos, giraffe, camels, grizzle bear, polar bears, beavers, bison, otters, tigers, lions, penguins, and maybe a few more.) And, there are paw prints to control the directional flow. Went on a Wed, very few people were there. Almost all seemed very respectful of social distancing guidelines and mask rules.

Absolutely love this zoo. Its free but I always try to bring donations so that we can keep it free and always enjoy it. So many fun things to do whether as an adult or with children. Got to enjoy seeing all the animals during their feeding time as we went about 1pm and loved it. Gotta find out when more of their events are, Ive been to their Christmas lights at the zoo and loved it. Definitely recommend this zoo to everyone

My favorite zoo! They have amazing forever home animals, professional and friendly staff. The COVID precautions they follow protects everyone, and I applaud them. Please remember them if youre looking to volunteer or donate.

When being outside, in the sun and exercise is what is needed now. Very disappointing. With 80+% of the Zoo closed or off limits, and what was viewable was sparsely populated and unkempt at best.

Inside buildings were closed so we went through pretty quickly, enjoyable just the same. Nice outing

Some of the animals were taking a break but still amazing as always. The path is one way so didnt cross paths with any other people.

Kuza is my new best friend from Madison! Majestic.

The best zoo in Madison haha! Honestly though, a fantastic place to bring your kids

The zoo is always great, but do to covid all of the enclosures are closed. We made the best of it.

This place is amazing for being free. Lots of animals in great enclosures.

Even with the pandemic, the zoo did everything they could to be helpful, cheerful and accessible to zoo goers.

Its a great free little zoo. I feel good going there are this time with the safety precautions they put in place. It is one way (until some people cant follow simple directions), they have hand sanitizer all over the place and masks are required.

Went for the first time, and during Covid-19 and had a very enjoyable experience. The zoo was well laid out, the exhibits were interesting, and the animals were lively. Overall a great experience especially when you consider that the zoo is completely free!

Wonderful free zoo. I take my kids here about 1-2 times a year. Its perfect for younger kids who cant handle an all day excursion at a bigger zoo. The last few times we went, we either brought a picnic lunch and ate at the park adjacent to the zoo or we purchased food at the parks grill and ate at one of the picnic tables inside the zoo. They also have an awesome playground for kids too.

It’s a free zoo. No matter what you can’t complain. They did a great job social distancing. It was very nice. Parking was a breeze and also free. We were there in the late morning and most of the animals were surprising active.

This is a great free zoo! Ive taken my 1 year old a few times this summer and weve been able to see almost all the animals out and active!

Absolutely great. Cant believe its free. The polar bear and otters were our favorites. Parking isnt too hard to come by but today wasnt very busy. Be prepared to park outside the zoo lot and walk a bit.

Great day too hit the zoo!

The Henry Vilas Zoo here in Madison is a little treasure although small and free it still offers a wide variety of species of animals to view in safe for the public and safe for the animals compounds. It also has a great childrens zoo with many interesting things for children to do while also learning about the animalswithin it. The park that is part of the zoo is great for outdoor activities including picnics. There is a bike path through the area and small beach that is part of the area. The zoo is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with the family you can bring your own food and drinks and use the picnic tables here or you can get food from one of the many food outlets in the zoo. You owe it to yourself and your family to come and see the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hi miguel and cha kai and blake and ej fun haenry vilas zoo

I thought it was a nice little zoo and the price was right . Unfourtantly it rained the day we were there so didnt really get to use the zoo to its full potential. I thought the zoo was laid out really good and like the fact that they incorporated the old farm buildings in it

Worst i have ever seen it. Animals all looked under weight. The few that we could see. Most everything was closed. I used to love that zoo, Now is not worth the trip to see it.

Weve only been here 2 times. We definitely got through quicker this time with having to wear masks and the 1 way system theyve implemented. The childrens area is closed due to the pandemic so Im sure that helped reduce our time there by a lot.

Cool place. For a free Zoo it was perfect for our kids (4,3,3) I actually went as a kid so cool to see it again as an adult.

The zoo has adapted well to the pandemic and feels mostly safe to walk through. Its sad that so much of it is closed, but understandable. I only wish it was bigger as Im used to larger zoos.

Very COVID safe. Indoor exhibits are closes but still good to get out and see the animals.

This was super fun. I would like to come back when its back to normal so I could provide a more complete review. We had fun with what was available, but it clearly wasnt the intended experience.

Very cute little zoo. Everything is well kept and they have a wide variety of animals. It was the perfect size for my toddler. They also have an awesome kids zoo that has a carousel, train ride, and play area.Theres very little parking. You can easily park on Erin street and theres a sidewalk that cuts through the park to the entrance to the zoo. I wish I would have known this going in so I could have avoided the horror that is the parking lot, so Im sharing to help others!

The Zoo is always fun to take the family. We were a bit disappointed about the indoor exhibits being closed due to the Covid19. But at least the rest of the Zoo was open. It was still pretty busy and a fun family event.

Its small and donation only, which is perfect for a few hours with the littles. They have painted a one-way path to follow to keep people distanced and safe. Our grandkids loved the rhinos, giraffes, polar and grizzly bears, lions, tigers, monkeys, bison, flamingos, and tortoises, among others. They dont have hippos or elephants and every exhibit they have wasnt available, but it was clean, provided plenty of sanitizer stations, and people were very considerate of each other. We will absolutely return!

The best part of this place is that entrance its free. Variety of animals!!

Just a few animals but a very easy to walk zoo and free to enter, makes for a fun and quick trip rather than an all day expedition.

Very nice! Make sure to donate or buy something to help support this zoo

Love the new set up of following the foot prints to keep people distant. The toddler potties are awesome to!! Thank you for all you do

This place is really targeted to families with kids. It was a free zoo. They take donations for some of the exhibits. Small collection of animals which is good. I would go back for a second look someday.

We had a fun time. Spent several hours there. It is a great zoo and we loved that it was free. We donated money. The gift shop is not overly priced and bought a few things from there also.

Absolutely love going here. My 7 year old son & I always have a great time here.

Very attentive personel, always ready to give any information about the animals. Place is clean, alcohol gel available everywhere, they are always cleaning the areas of more.moviment. we went as soon as zoo opened so.there were fewer people but the staff was ready and friendly.

There was still a lot to see even though most indoor enclosures were closed to covid. Glad I was able to see the polor bear before he left for his new home.

Zoo recently opened after Covid.. Lots of hand sanitizer available and a clear one way path to follow. Some animals were out but not all. Reptile, bird and ape houses are currently closed as well as the discovery center due to covid. Social distancing strongly encouraged. Pretty good visit considering the circumstances. Hope to visit again soon when everything is open.

This zoo is free, but the one In Milwaukee is much more interesting. Here are not so many animals and it’s more difficult to recognize them as they are far from visitors. Don’t forget to try Madison ice cream there, it’s absolutely perfect

I love zoos. The zoo and parking are free. They do recommend a $2 donation per person.

Not a lot of animals or people. But we enjoyed the tiger and the lion.

Such a great zoo for kids and all to enjoy! Beautiful animals, and how great is it that its free?! Lets keep this zoo going strong!

It was great, it was a great place to bond with family, explore, and watch animals. I would highly recommend coming here, for family trips.

Unfortunately with the current pandemic there are a lot of the areas of the zoo closed to the public but, they have put a lot of good measures in place to help keep people safe. Considering its a free zoo it is still definitely worth a visit. Keep in mind it wont be a day long excursion though, only about an hour at the moment.

Usually a good place... until they require a mask, IN AN OUTDOOR PLACE. Im all for freedom... including the freedom to wear a mask (if you choose), the freedom to NOT wear a mask (if you choose), and even businesses having the right to require them if they choose (I dont like it... but thats their right). What that ALSO means, is that I will vote with my dollars and discontinue patronizing those businesses (or in this case, giving donations) to businesses that DO require masks. Dane County may have passed this ordinance... but 1) this is outdoors, and 2) now it just means lost revenue from visitors. Your loss!

This is a very nicely kept zoo! They are taking Covid 19 precautions and ask everyone entering to maintain at least 6 feet distancing. Watch the little ones as they get so excited and want to rush up and see the animals. We choose to wear masks as our sign of respect to others that we are doing our part to stop the virus spread. Most people on the day we were there chose not to. The staff all wear masks. They have it set up as a one way around the zoo so it makes it easier for social distancing.

Really nice zoo, especially for the free admission. We had a great time. We were really impressed with the amount of exotic animals. They ask for donations to help keep the admission free. We certainly donated.

Beautiful place! This was a great experience for homeschooling. There was a lot of information posted. My daughter loved learning about all the animals and their habitats.

Love this zoo, the encloses are so clean and big. All the animals seem happy go lucky. Love love love it here, 10/10

This zoo was a lot of fun! There are quite a few attractions for it being a free zoo. It was pretty crowded but that’s to be expected. The food was ok and kinda pricey. The animals all seem pretty happy which was nice. I would recommend this zoo to any family looking to have a nice day of fun. Lots of areas for kids to play as well.

Henry Vilas Zoo is a great free location to get outdoors during the pandemic. The Zoo has plenty of hand sanitizer stations and a self guided one way path to follow. Make sure you remember your mask! You are still able to see all of your favorite animals.

Always a good time. Free safe fun for the kids to come here the lady at the front, however, was super rude and let other people pass us to get in ...

Great free zoo - donations welcome. the staff is great. They welcome people bring I their own food since there are a lot of tables (Vilas park is nextdoor also). There isnt much in the gift shop. I was looking for a ball cap for my daughter but the wide rims were too small and the trucker hats were too big.

Sad that we couldnt see all of the animals due to covid restrictions but still well worth the trip

Was nice sad that some of the animals wernt out and couldnt see the monkeys or reptiles or bats

Everything is one way you go in one way you come out another everything is clearly marked lot of the animals were out swimming and running around first time my 14 month old daughter has been to the zoo she loved it whats a great experience

I love zoos. But this one was sad. The enclosures were dirty and terribly small. I understand not all zoos are going to be able to have large natural habitats for each animal...but provide for the few animals they do have(the giraffe, lion and tiger areas are so small the have no room to run or burn off energy) . Clean areas, enough space for the animals to run and exercise, fresh water...This zoo could be really nice, a great place for families if they could clean it up and provide for the animals they have(and get the trash out of the cages).

Loved it even though you can go inly one way but I understand it for social distancing

I recall coming here as a kid. Being able to bring my kids to this zoo is amazing. It has grown and improved a lot over the years. Still cant believe it is free to come here. Been to other smaller zoos and paid to visit.

Visiting this zoo was a fun experience, and I would suggest this first and foremost if you were visiting Madison and looking for stuff to do. The only bad part of the experience was waiting a few minutes for a parking spot to open up. The Henry Vilas Zoo has fewer features and interesting species than the other free Midwestern zoos Ive visited, the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and the Como Zoo in St. Paul, but is still great for a smaller city like Madison. Be sure to make a donation, buy gift shop items, and eat some snacks while there to support such a great place!

What a fun, free zoo in Madison! SUPER nice people were working and my son loved getting his hand stamped with animals! We didnt get a chance to explore a ton, but the river otters were SO interactive and fun! My kid loved the fish too! Well be back!

Nice little zoo. Alot of the animals were not out but still loved the walk thru

Very nice clean and free zoo. A really nice variety of animals. It was quite hot when we went so the badgers were splooted out.

Great place to bring the kids! Cant believe that they are still able to keep it free, we always get a couple of souvenirs where as most places we skip that. Nice selection of animals.

Its free. Whats not to love?! Nice fun thing to do with family. Doesnt take all day.