A few months back, my daughter and I journeyed off on a day trip to Decatur, Illinois, where we enjoyed an afternoon at the Children’s Museum of Illinois. After we left the museum, we headed across the parking lot to the Scovill Zoo, but it was still closed for the season. This past weekend, however, we made it!
Scovill Zoo in Decatur, IL
The Scovill Zoo is located at 71 S. Country Club Rd. in Decatur, IL. Admission is $9.75 for adults and $7.75 for children. Children 1 and under are free. Weekend hours are from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
With it being June, the drive was sunny and beautiful. Once we made it to Decatur, we made a lunch stop at Dairy Queen for a chicken finger basket that we split before heading into the zoo.
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Upon Arrival | Gift Shop and Zoo Entrance
Once we arrived at the zoo, I parked and got my daughter comfortably seated in her pink and black jogger stroller. There was no cost for parking and there was plenty of parking available.
We entered through the Scovill Zoo Gift Shop and Zoo Entrance, where I paid for our admission, brought a ticket for the train, and a few postcards for summer scrapbooking.
Since we had already enjoyed a carousel ride earlier in the spring, I decided to forgo the dizziness on this day trip. I don’t know about you, but those carousel rides make me queasy!
After we exited the gift shop, we headed right for the train. When we arrived, we had about 10 minutes to spare before the next train departure. During our wait time, I took a few photos of my daughter in her pink animal-themed outfit and we checked out some of the nearby zoo animals such as the sloth, tortoise, and emu.
Stroller Lessons Learned
When it was time to board the train, I parked the stroller and tied it to the rail. I felt uncomfortable leaving the stroller unattended, so I decided afterward to get a small chain and lock to take with us whenever we are out and about so that I feel comfortable leaving the stroller during activities such as this.
When we visited Indiana Dunes National Park a few months back, I wish I had a lock and chain then, too. Had I had one, I could have locked the stroller on the ramp and walked down to the beach instead of struggling with the stroller on the dunes. Navigating the dunes with a toddler and a stroller was an exhausting and difficult situation.
Based on my two most recent stroller experiences, I would advise others to invest in a small bike chain and lock to secure their stroller when leaving it unattended.
I hope that people aren’t just walking around snatching strollers, but, it could happen, especially if you have a nice one. I love our black and pink jogger stroller and want to keep it a while longer, so having a small lock and chain for me allows for peace of mind – if nothing else.
I’m linking our pink and black jogger system from Baby Trend here – just in case you’re interested. It’s from Amazon and I’m using my Amazon affiliate link – just so that you know!
Now, back to our visit.
Z.O. & O. Express Train | Standard Train Ride $4
As we were all boarding the train, I was attempting to take a selfie with my daughter and I, and the conductor came over happily and offered to take the photo – which was appreciated. However, my daughter looks confused and terrified in the photo, so I’ll save that one for our scrapbook.
As a matter of fact, several families were taking photos upon boarding the train. When all the photos were taken and everyone was seated, we began our train ride around the zoo.
The Scovill Zoo is small, so the train ride only took about 15 minutes (at max). The weather was beautiful and it was easy to see the animals from the train. We saw four cheetahs and two camels. One camel was already shedding his winter fur. We also saw a few monkeys, flamingos, and peacocks.
I don’t think I have ever been to a zoo where the peacocks roam free, so that was a new and interesting experience. There were also rabbits and plenty of squirrels roaming the zoo. We watched the zebras, penguins, guinea pigs, as well as a host of other small animals.
Roaming the Zoo
According to Wikipedia, Scovill Zoo began as a farm. Furthermore, it is one of 210 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Scovill Zoo houses hundreds of animals from nearly one hundred species including cheetahs, gray wolves, alligators, and farm animals.
Final Thoughts
In summary, our entire visit was about an hour long, which included the gift shop, the train ride, and stopping by the Zoo Concessions for a lemonade. This day trip ranked high in affordability because admission, a train ride, a few postcards, and lemonades cost me less than $20.
Again, this post contains affiliate links.
