Miller Park Zoo sits inside Miller Park in Bloomington, Illinois, and traces its roots back to 1891, when the city first spent public money caring for animals kept in the park. Local lore holds that the collection got its real start around 1900, after a circus lion cub was left behind on a nearby farm and eventually handed over to the city. That makes Miller Park Zoo one of the oldest zoos in the country, predating most of the larger institutions that followed it.
Despite its modest footprint, the zoo has grown steadily through a series of exhibit additions in the 1990s and 2000s, including the Wallaby Walkabout, Animals of Asia, ZooLab, the Children’s Zoo Complex, and the Tropical America Rainforest building. Today it is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a distinction that puts it in the company of far larger zoos despite its small-city scale.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Bloomington, Illinois
- Opened: 1891
- Size: About 4 acres
- Animals/Species: More than 100 animals representing over 40 species
- Annual visitors: About 120,000
- Famous for: One of the oldest and smallest AZA-accredited zoos in the U.S.
A Zoo Built Around a Small-City Park
Miller Park Zoo grew up inside an existing city park rather than being built as a standalone destination, which is part of why it has stayed so compact compared to regional or state zoos. The city’s earliest recorded spending on animal care dates to 1891, and the Katthoefer Animal Building opened to the public in 1914, giving the zoo one of its oldest surviving structures. Rather than expanding outward, Bloomington’s park department has spent recent decades rebuilding and modernizing exhibits within the zoo’s existing boundaries.
Exhibits and Animals Today
Visitors can walk through themed areas covering North America, Australia, and Asia, with animals that have included Sumatran tigers, snow leopards, red pandas, red wolves, gibbons, sea lions, and river otters. The Tropical America Rainforest building and the Children’s Zoo Complex, both added in the 2000s, give the zoo indoor exhibit space that helps it operate year-round despite central Illinois winters. Its AZA accreditation means the zoo meets the same animal welfare and conservation standards required of much larger institutions.
Explore more: Explore more zoos and aquariums.
Cold water for the whole loop around the zoo, with a straw lid that doesn't leak in the bag.
A stick means no greasy hands. Reapply quickly between the penguins and the giraffes.
Let them photograph their own favorite animals — and keep your phone in your pocket.
Miller Park Zoo FAQs
When did Miller Park Zoo open?
The city of Bloomington first funded animal care in Miller Park in 1891, and the zoo’s collection is said to have grown from a circus lion cub taken in around 1900, making it one of the oldest zoos in the United States.
Is Miller Park Zoo accredited?
Yes, Miller Park Zoo holds accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), meeting the same welfare and conservation standards as larger zoos nationwide.
How big is Miller Park Zoo?
Miller Park Zoo occupies only about 4 acres within the larger Miller Park, making it one of the more compact AZA-accredited zoos in the country, home to more than 100 animals across over 40 species.
Get More from Miller Park Zoo
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Miller Park Zoo, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: NatFee / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.