What a great zoo in Madison. The animals are close. A very nice variety. It is very walkable. We enjoyed it and would definitely come back. It was free too. They encourage you to make donations. I am sure it costs a lot of money to care for these animals.

Great little zoo in Madison WI. Was free to enter and was a great way to spend a couple of hours seeing all the animals and exhibits. Nice gift shop and definitely worth a visit if in the area.

Great FREE zoo! Big ticket animals, great kids play area, knowledgeable zoo keepers (nice zoo keeper talks). We really loved the giraffe, polar bear and rhino.

Parking is a bit tough but you can find some spots along houses on the side streets. It's free so don't expect the best zoo you've ever seen but it's fun to walk around with a two year old. Zoo path is set up pretty well for you to not have to backtrack a bunch. Good for 2.5 hours tops. Follow up often if you decide to eat at the Glacier Grille. Seems like they forgot our food order and after 30 minutes of nothing coming out, the manager gave us a refund. Usually not a big deal but 30 minutes is an eternity with a hungry child.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we stopped by this Zoo. They had quite a few different animals in very nice, natural settings. The grounds are very clean and well kept with snacks and soft drinks available. We talked with several of the staff members about the animals and watched as they gave the Giraffe a hoof manicure. Great place to take the kids and grand kids.

This is a first-rate zoo. I can’t believe it is free. It is also located near a beautiful park. We were there about two hours and saw everything. They have grizzlies, polar bears, and sea lions. For a zoo this size, the selection of animals was amazing. The zoo is well laid out and easy to cover in a couple of hours. Highly recommend!

Nice regional zoo, with a good variety of animals. On the smaller side, but the free admission and charming park surrounding it make up for that. Definitely worth checking out if you have some time in the Madison area.

This zoo was great. Totally donation run so for families it is well worth a visit. All the animals looked very healthy. Seeing a grizzly and a polar bear together in one exhibit was very unique to me. Loved the activity shown by the animals. Each exhibit had explanations and educational information on the animals. Well worth a walk around

The Madison area is lucky to have not only a free zoo but an exceptional one that is accredited. As this review written in February shows, unlike many similar-sized facilities, the Vilas Zoo is open all year, even in winter. Interestingly, many of the animals were quite active during our stay. In fact, certain animals seemed to enjoy the chilly temperatures such as the polar bear and tiger. Critters that need a warm environment have plenty of well-maintained inside exhibits, including a tropical rain forest, herpaterium, and ape house. The zoo has excellent exhibit signage that is both informative and engaging. The signs even feature the fun names given to each animal, such as "Bandit," for the red panda. Vilas Zoo is conveniently located near downtown and provides not only a free zoo experience but free parking as well.