Our family visits Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago every year. We love the spectacular light displays (over two million LEDs!) and festive holiday spirit. We want to help make this part of your holiday tradition with our top 5 tips for a great visit.
Before we begin with our favorite tips, you should know that Holiday Magic is being offered over 24 evenings in 2024. On all other winter days, the zoo is open for regular admission 10am-5pm (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day), and be sure to keep reading for information on days with free admission).
1. Make a Plan to Stay Warm!
This is winter in Chicagoland everyone! The temperature in Brookfield, Illinois is currently 25 degrees, and its only going to be lower by the time Holiday Magic opens tonight. We suggest that you pull out your coziest coats, hats and mittens, but we also have a few others ways to stay warm during your visit!
Buy a Warm Beverage or Bring Your Own!
There are warm beverages and food options for sale all over Brookfield Zoo Chicago. You can find all of the dining locations, from small kiosks to large indoor restaurants, shown in the Brookfield Zoo Chicago app or on signs posted around the zoo.
You can also bring a thermos of our own hot chocolate or tomato soup to the zoo! Brookfield Zoo Chicago allows you to bring your own food and beverages into the zoo. You are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages and glass bottles onto zoo property, but you can buy alcoholic drinks at the zoo.
Visit Indoor Animal Habitats!
Also, on the topic of staying warm, we suggest knowing which animals you can visit inside a warm building. There are just three indoor animal habitats open during Holiday Magic. These buildings are a nice place to get warm while visiting with some animals These are your three choices:
The Swamp
The most centrally located of the three indoor habitats, The Swamp is just inside the South Entrance to Brookfield Zoo Chicago. You can find it on the west side of the central walkway just south of the main fountain. The swamp is home to the zoo’s river otters, flamingos and all kinds of other birds, reptiles and fish who make their homes in swamps. Whether any particular animal will be out during your evening visit is hard to say, but this building sure is warm (and a little stinky).
The Living Seas
The Living Seas is the indoor aquarium building at Brookfield Zoo Chicago with sharks, eels, a sea turtle named Pistachio and other fascinating aquatic creatures. It is also home to Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Humboldt penguins. You can find The Living Seas building in the southwest corner of the zoo.
Restrooms as well as a large indoor restaurant (Cafe del Sol) are close to the exit to this habitat. The zoo has also debuted a new themed light display outside this habitat. Our kids were delighted by the glowing iridescent sea creatures in this new “Sparkling Coast.”
Seven Seas
Seven Seas is the home for the bottlenose dolphins who live at Broofield Zoo Chicago. It is located in the northeast corner of the zoo. During Holiday Magic, you can get a look at the dolphins from the underwater viewing at Seven Seas. You access the underwater viewing from a ramp on the north side of the building near Sea Lion Cove. This building also has indoor restrooms and a nursing pod.
For an above-water view of the dolphins, you can watch a “Dolphins in Action” presentation at 6pm, but there is an additional fee. Buy your tickets at the booth outside Seven Seas and follow the signs to the entrance on the south side of the building.
2. Visit Outdoor Habitats Too!
There are many animals in outdoor habitats to visit during Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo. Plus, since the zoo is rarely open after dark, this is a special time to visit these special residents.
You can see a lot of outdoor habitats (and lights) at once by strolling along the big cat habitats on the East Mall or the enclosures for the hoofed animals lined-up along the north side of the zoo, west of the North Gate.
Because of the season, the reindeer in the Wild Encounters area of the zoo (southeast corner) are especially popular. Wild Encounters is one of the newest sections of the zoo, and families with toddlers will probably like the toddler-sized toilets in the restrooms here. Wild Encounters is also the location for the other new light display this year: Candy Cane Lane.
3. Make a Reservation (or Not) to Visit Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
The process for visiting Brookfield Zoo Chicago during Holiday magic has been in flux for the last five years. We are going to take you through the process for 2024.
In 2024, Brookfield Zoo Chicago is presenting Holiday Magic on November 22-24, & 29-30 and December 1, 5-8, 12-15, 19-22 & 26-31. On those days, Brookfield Zoo Chicago is open 3-9pm.
Whether you need to make a reservation before your visit depends on whether you plan on entering the zoo from the North Gate (8400 31st Street, Brookfield, IL 60513) or the South Gate (3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513).
You Need a Reservation for the South Gate During Holiday Magic
Some guests prefer the South Gate of Brookfield Zoo Chicago, because the parking is much closer to the zoo entrance than it is at the North Gate (and because it has sidewalks for pedestrians). If you would like the convenience of the South Gate, you will need to make an advance reservation for your Holiday Magic visit at brookfieldzoo.org.
Unless you have a membership for Brookfield Zoo Chicago, you will also purchase your tickets at this time. If you do have a membership or ticket vouchers, you will still need to make a reservation if you want to use the South Gate.
The South Gate is also the closest entrance if you want to take the Metra’s BNSF line to the zoo. You will still need to make a reservation if you are entering the zoo on foot.
You Do Not Need a Reservation for the North Gate
For 2024, you can visit Brookfield Zoo Chicago during Holiday Magic WITHOUT making a reservation by entering through the North Gate. You will still need to purchase admission or have a membership to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, so the zoo does recommend that you take care of that in advance on their website (brookfieldzoo.org).
Visiting Holiday Magic as a Brookfield Zoo Chicago Member
If you have a membership to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, you do not need to make any advance arrangements to visit during Holiday Magic UNLESS you want to use the South Gate. You get admission to Holiday Magic included in your zoo membership. Parking at the North Gate is also included for all members, but parking at the South Gate comes with an additional fee for all but Unlimited members.
Be aware: everyone is charged a “convenience fee” in the process of making reservations.
4. Be Prepared For Crowds Visiting Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is VERY popular. We visit during Holiday Magic knowing there will be large crowds and we plan accordingly.
First, we talk to our kids about staying close together. Despite having two million Christmas lights, Holiday Magic can be dark in places, so it is hard to spot a group member if you become separated from each other. For this reason, we also put our own lights on our stroller and on our people: we like using battery-operated Christmas lights to join in the festive fun.
We also know that this is not an ideal time to visit the animals. It can be cool to see them at night, but the crowds make it difficult to get a good look. Instead, we use Holiday Magic visits to admire the wonderful light displays and come back during the day for better animal viewing.
Extra tip: Brookfield Zoo Chicago is FREE for everyone on Mondays and Tuesdays from December 2 to December 24, 2024. In January and February, it gets even better! The zoo is free Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from January 3 through February 27, 2025
You might think the zoo would be very crowded on these free days, but in our experience, it is not. In fact, the zoo has relatively low crowds through the winter with the exception of Holiday Magic days.
5. Enjoy the Lights during Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
In any case, Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is crowded for a reason. The light displays are lovely and dynamic, and they get bigger every year.
In particular, we recommend visiting: (1) the two new lighting areas: Candy Cane Lane and Sparkling Coast (2) the lighted arches on the East Mall and (3) the mailbox where you can send letters to the animals.
The animals’ mailbox is just north of the central fountain. You can also drop-off a letter to Santa in the neighboring mailbox or meet the jolly guy himself nearby.
Other hot spots include large lighted objects like the Giant Orb, which is very cool, but it also usually has a long line of visitors. The Jingle Bell Rock dance party behind The Swamp is cute, and it is a nice place for kids to wiggle around without leaving your line of sight. The Holiday Market is new for 2024, and other gifts shops around the zoo are also open.
Finally, the lighted ferris wheel is fun and provides a unique view, plus it is only at Brookfield Zoo Chicago until the end of the year. However, tickets to ride the ferris wheel do cost extra unless you have an Unlimited membership.
This is not an exhaustive list of everything there is to do at Holiday Magic, so check-out the app or brookfieldzoo.org, if you want the full list.
Thank you for reading about Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
For tips on visiting another great Chicagoland attraction, see Top 5 Tips for Visiting Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, and please subscribe below to get future articles in your email inbox. Thanks again for reading!