Bramsen Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is now open! This gorgeous outdoor space for gorillas, orangutans and monkeys is a dramatic expansion of the primate habitats at the zoo. And great news, the long closed Tropic Worlds indoor habitats have also reopened with Tropical Forests. Even better news, both Tropic Worlds and Tropical Forests are included with general admission to Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
UPDATE: Timed entry tickets are no longer required to visit Bramsen Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. We are leaving this article as it was originally written to accurately reflect our experience on opening day, but you no longer need to make reservations for your visit.
So, come with us as we visit this massive new space on opening day.
Find Bramsen Tropical Forests by the Fountain
Tropical Forests was built to adjoin Tropic Worlds. You can find these primate habitats just west of the zoo’s central Roosevelt Fountain.
If you are coming from the north entrance (that is the one with the tunnel), head right down the central walkway until you get to the big round fountain with all of the bronze animal busts around it (that’s Roosevelt Fountain). Then, turn right (west) just as you are passing the fountain. You will see a large archway proclaiming the entrance to Tropical Forests there.
If you are coming from the south entrance (that is the smaller entrance by the high school), head up the central walkway until you get to the big big round fountain with all of the bronze animal busts around it (that’s Roosevelt Fountain). Turn left (west) just as you reach the fountain, and you will be at the large building for Tropic Worlds with Tropical Forests just beyond it.
Not sure whether you are going to use the north or south entrance? Visit this article and we will take you through the options: Big Guide to Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Honestly, the building for Tropic Worlds and the towering structures of Tropical Forests are so huge that they are kind of hard to miss. Just take a look west of the central fountain for the entrances to both. Both entrances are facing the fountain. If you are looking at them with your back to the fountain, the indoors Tropic Worlds is to your left and the outdoor pathways of Tropical Forests is to your right. The Tropical Forests entrance is under its large outdoor sign. The Tropic Worlds entrance is in the southeast corner of the big building. You will need to enter each habitat separately: they are not joined.
What is the Difference Between Tropic Worlds and Tropical Forests?
Tropical Forests and Tropic Worlds are both headliner attractions at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, and they do share some residents, but they are distinct spaces.
Tropic Worlds at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Tropic Worlds is the older of the two primate habitats by over forty years. It is entirely indoors and has three humongous “rooms” modeled after primate habitats in South America, Asia and Africa. A raised pathway winds through these spaces, under trees and monkeys and past a waterfall. In addition to the primates, you can find other creatures here like birds and anteaters. Despite being over four decades old, Tropic Worlds is a showstopper and a must-see on your visit to Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
You do not need a timed entry ticket in order to visit Tropic Worlds. Simply proceed through the marked doorway during opening hours. Tropic Worlds is included with general admission.
Brand New Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Bramsen Tropical Forests is the companion to Tropic Worlds, and some of the primates who live in Tropic Worlds also have access to the micro-environments of Tropical Forests. Opening today, July 11, 2025, Tropical Forests consists of outdoor habitats viewed from outdoor guest trails. Tropical Forests is divided into four areas: South American Forests, Orangutan Forest and two Gorilla Forests. With Tropical Forests, we also got a new indoor viewing area in the Gorilla Conservation Center.
For the initial opening period, you must have a timed entry ticket in order to walk the outdoor trails of Bramsen Tropical Forests. This timed entry access is free with general admission to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, but you do need to take the time to make reservations. For information on how to book your timed entry tickets to Tropical Forests go here: How to See Huge New Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago .
Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Newest Feature: Bramsen Tropical Forests
With those logistics out of the way, time to look at the new habitat!
Entering Tropical Forests
On opening day, we pulled-up our digital timed entry tickets and headed towards some temporary canopies and queue ropes to the west of the Roosevelt Fountain. Numerous Brookfield Zoo Chicago staff members were on hand to point us in the right direction and answer questions. Display boards around the area displayed a QR code and information for acquiring timed entry tickets and many guests were scanning the code. (But you can reserve your tickets before your visit.) We were glad to have our timed entry tickets, because available reservations were far in the future.
At our reserved time, we entered the roped-off queue and proceeded steadily towards the entrance where zoo staff were regulating the number of people entering Tropical Forests. We showed our tickets and were in within minutes. This was consistent with our experience for the rest of the visit: despite the excitement over the new habitat, Brookfield Zoo Chicago was well prepared and we never encountered a long wait or crushing crowds. We were so happy to be there on opening day!
South American Forest
We were soon on the trail around the South American Forest and excited to see black handed spider monkeys enjoying their new outdoor space. We were delighted to see the spider monkeys crossing between their indoor and outdoor spaces by way of the round tunnel far over our heads. A zoo volunteer told us that the young two-year-old spider monkeys were the first ones to adapt to the new space and the older ones were cautiously following them. They sure did look to be making the most of it as they swung from vines and branches.
We looped around the South American Forest and took our time enjoying the many and varied views of the enclosure. We were able to see the monkeys both through windows and netting.
Orangutan Forest
After saying farewell to the spider monkeys we moved on to Orangutan Forest. During our visit the orangutans had not yet moved into their outdoor forest. We were not offered a timeline for when this would occur but told that the animal care team would prioritize the health and wellbeing of the orangutans. So we will see when the orangutans and their team decide it is time for them to explore Tropical Forests.
In the meantime, we enjoyed looking over the lush enclosure, and our kids even played on the bamboo poles outside the Orangutan Forest. These are broad sturdy poles set in the kind of springy poured surfaces you often find at playgrounds. The poles really resembled bamboo and the surface looked like wood chips. Our kids thought this was great, and even better, there were identical poles inside the enclosure for the orangutans. We are looking forward to visiting this area when the orangutans are there.
Our kids also really liked the viewing tunnel here which resembled a hollow log. Again, we could not see any animals from that particualr viewing space, but our kids were excited about it nonetheless. We appreciate that there were lots of immersive and tactile details like this around Tropical Forests.
Pollinator Garden
Alongside the Orangutan Forest is a newly planted pollinator garden. The plants are still quite small as they could not be placed until construction was nearly complete. Still we appreciate the attention to natural landscaping and conservation, and we cannot wait to see how this develops.
Gorilla Forests
As we rounded Orangutan Forest we got our first glimpse of the Western lowland gorillas. The gorillas have two separate forests in Tropical Forests, and the majority of the crowds were concentrated around the gorillas and these forests. We had previously visited the gorilla enclosure at Tropic Worlds and spent countless hours with the troop there, but we have never been as close to the gorillas as we were during our visit to Tropic Worlds today. This was a wonderful experience.
In the first enclosure we saw the two bachelor males, and in the second we saw the females, juveniles and one dominant silverbacked male. In addition to the two forest spaces, the gorillas were also able to use an enclosed overhead bridge. The guests around us collectively gasped whenever the gorillas walked above us: you could really feel the power and beauty of the gorillas as they thundered overhead.
All of the pathways through Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago are outdoors, but the ones by the gorillas forests did have some overhead cover. On this hot July day, the shade was a relief, and we also appreciated that there were benches and sculptures in this area.
At various points along all of the trails, we also encountered some mobile “Exploration Stations” with tactile experiences and lots of zoo staff and volunteers.
Gorilla Conservation Center and Indoor Viewing
After spending much time at the gorilla forests, we exited Tropical Forests on the far west end of the area. From here, we turned left and headed right into one more new space: the Gorilla Conservation Center.
For general guests, this space consists of a very nice indoor viewing area and some restrooms with water fountains and a water bottle filler. We also appreciated the air conditioning today. This indoor viewing area seems to be one part of a larger new indoor space with other—human—uses. Brookfield Zoo Chicago calls the Gorilla Conservation Center “an indoor hub for educational programs.” These other spaces were not accessible to us as regular guests.
In the indoor viewing area, we saw a serene looking Angola colobus monkey today, but it seems like this is a flexible space that can accommodate other animals. We also saw a cellphone recycling station and education kiosk encouraging visitors to participate in conservation efforts.
A Happy Return to Tropic Worlds
After we exited the Gorilla Conservation Center, we were happy to return to Tropic Worlds after a long absence. This indoor primate habitat has been closed to guests during the work on Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Perhaps our eagerness to be there again clouded our judgement, but Tropic Worlds looked extra shiny and vibrant during our visit. Plus, there were some changes we definitely were not imagining.
The area around the entrance had been enhanced with rock work and other artistic touches like faux fungi and plants. The entry hallway was also totally redone with cool lighting effects and a great atmosphere.
The other big difference was at the end. The former viewing pathways from the indoor gorilla habitat have been completely blocked-off with what appear to be fabric rocks. We exited just before these rocks on the south side of the building and returned to the nearby stroller parking for our ride.
Tips for Visiting the New Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago
We have been looking forward to the opening of Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Tropical Forests, and we were so excited to be able to enjoy it on opening day. We think it is definitely worth a visit, and we ourselves will be back this weekend.
If you do want to visit Tropical Forests, our first tip is to make a reservation for your timed entry ticket now. We go over the process here: How to See Huge New Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Yes, the reservation is an extra step, but it is free with admission, and we really appreciated how this process helped stagger the crowds today.
Because the tickets require you to select a specific time, you will probably end-up planning your visit around your Tropical Forests slot, but we encourage you to also visit other areas.
To help you make the most of the many great things to do at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, we made this post Big Guide to Brookfield Zoo Chicago. We also have a specific article on the rides at the zoo here: Rides at Brookfield Zoo Chicago: 3 Fun Attractions to Try. (We like the riding the ferris wheel to look down at the Tropical Forests.) Finally, we advise all families with young children to visit the play zoo; today we went there and made free gorilla stick puppets. We have an article about the play zoo here: Wildly Fun Tips for the Play Zoo at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Here are a few more quick tips for Tropical Forests:
- For the closest entrance to the new Tropical Forests habitat, choose the Brookfield Zoo Chicago south entrance, but do keep in mind that there are pros and cons to each entrance. You can read about those here.
- Need a bathroom or water break? Head to the Gorilla Conservation Center at the west end of the exhibit. The restrooms and water fountains are inside the building. This is also a good place to cool-off if you get overheated.
- Need a wiggle break? Within sight of the exit is one of the zoo’s large playgrounds. You can stop here for some monkeying-around, and the play area is even surrounded by picnic tables where you can have a bite as well. Not far past the playground is also the splash pad outside the Living Coast building (running during summer months only).
- When you are deciding when to visit, do keep in mind that the landscaping is still filling-in at Tropical Forests. Plus, the animals are getting slowly introduced and acclimated to the space. We visit often and loved being there for the excitement of opening day. If you are only planning on going once, you may want to delay your visit a bit.
- Talk to the zoo staff and volunteers! Everyone we encountered today was glowing with the excitement of the new habitat, and they told us they have had lots of training about it. Do not be afraid to engage and ask questions.
Thanks for reading all about our experience at the brand new Bramsen Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Check-out those other Brookfield Zoo Chicago articles for insights from our many visits. We also have posts about other Chicago area attractions here including New Shedd Aquarium Exhibit Dazzles: Wonder of Water, Illinois Railway Museum: All-Aboard For Our Top Train Time Tips! and 5 Fun Things for Kids To Do Near the Chicago Loop. Finally, please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
