Henson Robinson Zoo, Springfield

i dont know what you people are talking about. I love going to the zoo it has been one of my favorite places to go since i was little, it still is now. The staff is really friendly the animals are very well taken care of. yes they are not as big as the st.louis zoo or the one in chicago but for a small place like springfield it does its job. Every chance i get i try to go back and see what new animals or changes they have done with the zoo. Soon they will have a new pengiune house. they point of going is to enjoy they day, look at the animals, and learn about the wonderful creatures that they have and spend time with your family or by your self. Not everyone has to like it like me but the zoo will always have a returning coustomer with me.

We went to the zoo on a balmy Sunday and the animals were all active. It was not crowded so we were able to let our 14 month old walk a lot and get close to the exhibits. Both the 3 year old and 14 month old were able to tour the entire zoo and ride the train without getting overly tired. We highly recommend this zoo for young children, but it might not interest older children or teens. We spent about two hours and saw everything plus the children got to play in the play area. The animal pens are a little small and that was of concern to the adults. All in all it was a good day for a family outing of small children, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents!

As a resident of the area, I enjoy visiting the Henson Robinson Zoo. When we have visitors, we often bring them to to zoo (adults and children alike). Although it is a small zoo, it is a fun visit for an hour or two. If you are already in Springfield, it is a great addition to your trip, but probably not worth making an entire trip for. The animals are well kept and there is a large assortment of animals. The highlights of our trips include the wallabies, wolverine, and river otters.

This place is terrible the Humane Society or PETA should have it Shut down... Dirty unkempt i wouldnt bury my dead Cockroach here

Likes: Inexpensive, clean, easy to get to Dislikes: very small, few animals, few interactive or learning exhibits You can check out the black bears, penguins, bobcats, deer, primates and wallabies. The exhibits are small. It only took my kids 30 minutes to see everything!

We have a 2 year old. The zoo is small YES...but it's perfect for little ones. Its free to park, cheap to get in. For 3 of us its $9...and a wonderful morning entertainment. Get up, eat, and head to the zoo. We take snacks but they also have a food stand. We eat in the play area which he loves and head for home. It might not be as large as the st. louis or chicago area zoos but has a lot of animals the kids can interact with and for cheap!!. The ducks and geese eat right out of your hands. The goats, deer, donkey come right up to you for feeding and love to be pet. We can't say enough about it with small children and a cheap get a way...its perfect. Also, its right on Springfield Lake and across the street is an awesome park, so we've taken our lunches and ate their. Its like a mini vacation for us.

I visited the Springfield, Illinois zoo and this is so not worth your time! Just like the other poster said, it takes literally 5 minutes to see the entire zoo and WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS? At some point you just have to realize that this is not a zoo and make the decision to close it down - which is exactly what they should do. The drive to the St. Louis, Missouri zoo is well worth it. The St. Louis zoo is free (although donations are requested, not mandatory) and it's a huge zoo with plenty of animals, food, shows to see at the zoo. Again, the Springfield Illinois zoo (and the town itself) is so small that if you blink, you'll pass it. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME GOING TO THIS ZOO!!! You'll find more enjoyment sticking toothpicks in your eyes.

There are hardly any animals and it takes about 5 min to walk through the whole thing. Go to St. Louis, the ride is worth it!

Drove from Decatur to visit the Henson robinson zoo today and we were very disappointed in the animals-or lack there of. They advertise 300. That is if they count the flies around the goats. While it was clean -for a zoo, there were to many areas closed, off limits. Cost of admission was very reasonable ($7.25 for 2 adults and 1 grandson) but in the long run not worth it. The children's zoo in Decatur is way better and has more animals.

I took my sons here several years ago and thought it was a great zoo. Went back today and things sure have changed. The habitats were bare and dirty, the animals were dirty too and lethargic, looked underfed and unhappy. One goat had an injured leg and there was a deer with a big tumor on its neck. There were a lot less animals there than when we last visited. Definitely not worth the $4 each to get in.