Hi!
This is my continuing 2026 series on central Illinois zoos and other tourist attractions. After first visiting Peoria Zoo earlier in the day, I then traveled 50 minutes away to Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois (not to be confused with other Bloomingtons, like in Indiana).
Here are my other posts on central and northern Illinois:
H1: Peoria Zoo
H2: Miller Park Zoo (this post)
H3: Scovill Zoo
Upcoming posts include:
All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission.
MILLER PARK ZOO
1020 S Morris Ave
Bloomington, IL 61701
Website: https://www.bloomingtonparks.org/facilities/miller-park-zoo
Hours:
Open Daily: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Grounds cleared at 5 PM.
Cost (as of 2026):
Adult (ages 13 - 59): $9.00
Seniors (ages 60+): $7.00
Youth (Ages 3 - 12): $7.00
Military & /College Student with ID: $7.00
Children (ages 2 and Under): FREE
Museums for All Admission: $3.00 (per person, up to four people)
Call ahead for groups of 10+ and get the group rate of $6.50 per person.
Parking is free.
Miller Park Zoo participates in the AZA reciprocity program at the 100% level. Members of institutions participating at 100% get free admission at other institutions participating at the 100% level and 50% off admission at institutions participating at the 50% level. Members of institutions participating at 50% get half off admission at all participating institutions.
Since I was a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo, I got free admission and did not need to pay the $9 admission.
Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours.
I spent 1 hour and 15 minutes at this small zoo. If you're fast and efficient, you can walk through the whole zoo in less than one hour.
SUMMARY
Miller Park Zoo is a small but reasonably priced zoo. It is average (2 stars) - typical for a local zoo. The best parts were the red pandas, snow leopard, dwarf mongooses, and Southern ground hornbill. I was also able to get excellent, unobstructed views of the giant anteater and otter.
I was able to view most of the animals at the zoo. Although the red wolves were supposed to be out they were hiding at the back of their enclosure. It was apparently too cold for the American alligator, De Brazza's monkey, bald eagle, and the cockatoo. Indoors, the bats were not out and the ringtail was sleeping out of sight. I could only get glimpses of the Pallas's cat.
There did not seem to be any Keeper Chats or other such daily events.
Comparing Miller Park Zoo to other zoos:
5 stars:
4 stars:
3 stars:
2 stars:
1 star:
RED PANDA
Miller Park Zoo is currently home to two Himalayan red pandas.
China is a female red panda that was born at Miller Park Zoo on 6/16/2019. Her mother, Masala, passed away on 12/1/2019 (when China was 5.5 months old) while her father, Ernie, died on 9/1/2020 (when China was 1 year and 2.5 months old). China's litter included a brother (Burma) and a sister (Kashmir). Burma unfortunately passed away on 4/8/2024. Kashmir is currently at Kansas City Zoo. Kashmir previously had two cubs (Zhuzi, now at Lake Superior Zoo, and Sundara, who moved to Detroit Zoo and from there Akron Zoo) with Randy. Earlier this year, Kashmir was paired up with Dawa, a 2 year-old male.
Dorji (pronounced "door-jay") is a male who only arrived in Bloomington in the past year. Dorji was born in June 2023 at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, UT to Priya and MowMow. Dorji's mother died in December 2023 when Dorji was only 6 months old and he was initially raised and cared for by his father (MowMow has since been moved to the Smithsonian's National Zoo). In 2024, Dorji was moved to Beardsley Zoo in the hopes that an older female, Berry, could help teach Dorji "how to panda." He's now been paired with China in hopes that they can help propagate the adorable species!
Himalayan Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens fulgens
OUTDOORS
Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
Red-Ruffed Lemur
Varecia rubra
According to a keeper, the Pallas's Cat doesn't really like humans and gets stressed out when she is in front of an audience. As a result, she usually spends a lot of time in a side area, where visitors can just barely see her. Here you can see her pink nose while she sleeps!
Pallas's Cat
Otocolobus manul
For reference purposes, this is a picture of a Pallas's Cat displayed within the Zoolab.
Huacaya Alpaca
Lama pacos
Southern Ground Hornbill
Bucorvus leadbeateri
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Swan Goose
Anser cygnoides
Bar-Headed Goose
Anser indicus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
There were two radiated tortoises trying to...um...make more baby tortoises. They made a surprisingly squeaky noise during the process!
Radiated Tortoise
Astrochelys radiata
Galápagos tortoise
Chelonoidis niger
ZOOLAB
Giraffe mural
Dwarf Mongoose
Helogale parvula
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
African Fire Skink
Lepidothyris fernandi
Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
New Caledonian Giant Gecko
Rhacodactylus leachianus
Western Hognose Snake
Heterodon nasicus
Tentacled Snake
Erpeton tentaculatum
Colorado River Toad
Incilius alvarius
Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog
Trachycephalus resinifictrix
Panamanian Golden Frog
Atelopus zeteki
Western Archerfish
Toxotes oligolepis
Giant Cockroach
Blaberus giganteus
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa
RAINFOREST
Agouti mural
Miller Park Zoo used to have a tiger. In fact, the physical map shows that it was housed in the Rainforest building but unfortunately, the latest online map no longer has a tiger. I guess this tiger sculpture will have to do for now....
The snow leopard was eating some meat when I stopped by so I got some interesting action shots!
Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia
Linne's Two-Toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus
Red-Rumped Agouti
Dasyprocta leporina
François' Langur
Trachypithecus francoisi
Cotton Topped Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus
Müller's Gibbon
Hylobates muelleri
Pygmy Slow Loris
Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus / Nycticebus pygmaeus
Saffron Finch
Sicalis flaveola
Crested Wood Partridge
Rollulus rouloul
Red-Tailed Boa
Boa constrictor
Prehensile-Tailed Skink
Corucia zebrata
Chacoan Horned Frog
Ceratophrys cranwelli
Puerto Rican Crested Toad
Peltophryne lemur
Smoky Jungle Frog
Leptodactylus pentadactylus
WALLABY WALKABOUT
Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
Not sure if the macropods I saw were common wallaroos or Tammar wallabies. If I had to make an educated guess, I would go with the wallaroos.
Common Wallaroo
Osphranter robustus
Tammar Wallaby
Notamacropus eugenii
Some days you just feel like this!
OTHER
Educational Theater
Miller Park Zoo has trading cards but they need to be bought at the gift shop. It is not like the expansive and free trading card system that Oakland Zoo has.
GIFT SHOP
Streamline Imagined Red Panda Chai Planter
$16
https://streamlinenyc.com/products/red-panda-planter
Red Panda Reusable Bag
Petting Zoo Otter and Kangaroo Plushes
Some at $14.99
Petting Zoo and Fiesta Alpaca Plushes
Around $14.99 - $15.99
Assorted Petting Zoo and Fiesta Plushes
Unfortunately, the Miller Park Zoo gift shop was sold out of red panda magnets!
Besides the Little Critterz porcelain figurines in the display cabinet, the gift shop had a small box of mostly duplicates. There were a total of around a dozen varieties. I bought "Rubra" the Red Ruffed Lemur.
