Open windows to discovery during these hour-long tours with expert staff! Enjoy a breakfast buffet at 8:30 a.m. prior to your tour.
Group sizes range from 10 to 16 people, age 8 and older. A paying adult must accompany children 8 to 11 years old.
Big Cats
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
You’ll see spots and stripes as you explore the challenges of caring for lions, leopards, and tigers. See how our feline families figure into worldwide conservation, and finish your tour with a trip into the lion’s den.We can repeat what we used for the winter.
Parking: DC
Location: DC
Feast for Beasts
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
"Hungry" for some knowledge? Join us for a visit to the Brookfield Zoo's commissary, where staff tend to the dietary needs of over 2000 animals on a daily basis. See our specially equipped kitchen and meet with our nutritionist, who has to please our picky eaters and who has developed our own version of a dietary points program, in order to keep our animals healthy and trim.
Location: Bocaditos
Parking: South
Animal Hospital
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
What do you do when a bird has broken its prosthetic beak again? How about when a tiger has a toothache, or a polar bear has a paw problem? Join us for a tour of the Brookfield Zoo Animal Hospital, where our team of veterinarians cares for our animal collection. See the operating table that can fit a polar bear, water testing lab, and even a pharmacy dedicated solely to the animals.
Location: Bocaditos
Parking: South
Prosimians
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
Join us for a look at some of the planet's most intriguing primate species. Visit our lemur group in Hamill Family Play Zoo, and our nocturnal lorises in Tropic World. Learn how keepers care for these unique animals, native to the tropical forests of Madagascar and Asia.
Location: DC
Parking: DC
Fragile Kingdom
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
Fishing felines, naked mole-rats, small-clawed otters…these aren't your everyday animals. So how do staff care for them? Meet the keepers "in the know" as you travel from the tropics to the desert in search of some of our most unusual animals.
Habitat Africa / Forest
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
Been to central Africa lately? Travel to the Ituri Forest with expert staff who know how to care for everything from buffalo to chameleons. Meet a cat-size antelope, and very hairy pig, and the giraffe's closest cousin, the okapi.
Reptiles
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
Lions, tigers, and bears may excite some people, but we know there are plenty of you out there who love lizards, turtles, and frogs. Come meet the keepers who are passionate about poison arrow frogs and love nothing more than coaxing a picky snake into finishing its meal.
Dolphins
8 & over; 8 - 11 year olds must be accompanied by a paid adult
Meet the keepers responsible for ensuring the health and happiness of one of Brookfield Zoo’s most popular animals: dolphins. Discover the benefits of a healthy diet and proper training at the zoo, and learn the latest about good conservation practices in the wild.