Good news first: the park has no gate and the zoo is free. Here is what does need a ticket,
and the bike, walking and ghost tours that show you Lincoln Park properly.
Free or ticketed, sortedZoo, Conservatory, ZooLights and museums
Honest tour notesWhere each tour really starts and goes
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
Secure checkoutBook on GetYourGuide, instant confirmation
Tours
Choose your Lincoln Park tour
In the centre, the guided bike ride up the lakefront that, by its listing, passes the zoo and North
Avenue Beach. On the left, the walking tour built around the park itself, with coffee. On the right, the evening
ghost walk over the old City Cemetery.
Two hours on foot from Oz Park through the Mid-North Historic District into the park, with coffee and a treat, the Lily Pond and a finish on the Conservatory lawn.
What's included
Local guide, about 1.5 miles on foot
Coffee and a treat from local venues
Oz Park, Mid-North Historic District, Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond
A guided ride north on the Lakefront Trail through the Gold Coast and Old Town into Lincoln Park. The listing says the route passes North Avenue Beach and Lincoln Park Zoo.
What's included
Bicycle, helmet and guide; child equipment available
Meets at Bobby's Bike Hike, 540 N. Lake Shore Drive (entrance on Ohio Street)
Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park on protected paths
An evening walk over the old City Cemetery: the Couch Tomb, the zoo, Cafe Brauer and the 1929 massacre site, with ghost-hunting equipment to try on the way.
What's included
Guide and paranormal ghost-hunting equipment
Meets at the Clark Street doors of the Chicago History Museum
Select evenings at 8 p.m.; ends at 2122 N. Clark Street
The bike tours start downtown and ride north into the park; the walking tour and both ghost walks
start on its western edge, at Oz Park or the Chicago History Museum. The rental lets you skip the guide.
Tour
Starts at
Best for
Length
Lakefront Neighborhoods Bike Tour
540 N. Lake Shore Drive
Seeing the lakefront, the zoo and the beach with a guide
Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before. The zoo needs no ticket at all; the
Conservatory needs a free timed-entry ticket booked ahead.
Free or ticketed
There is no ticket to Lincoln Park: just a few doors inside it.
Lincoln Park is Chicago's largest public park, 1,208 acres running about seven miles along Lake
Michigan, open to anyone who walks in. Its best-known sight, Lincoln Park Zoo, is free too: the zoo says
admission is free, no reservation is needed, and it opens 365 days a year.
What does need a ticket? The Conservatory is free but asks you to book a timed-entry ticket, and it
closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. ZooLights, the winter light festival, needs a ticket for every visitor.
The Chicago History Museum and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum at the park's edge are ticketed.
And the tours on this page are not entry tickets at all: they are ways to see the park with a guide.
1,208 acres
About seven miles of lakefront park, from Grand Avenue
to near Ardmore Avenue, with beaches, harbors, a zoo, a conservatory and around 20 million visits a year.
Lincoln Park ZooConservatoryLily PoolNorth Avenue Beach
Victorian glass and tropical palms: the Conservatory is free with a timed-entry ticket.
01
Zoo ticket?
None needed. Walk in at any open gate between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
02
Conservatory?
Free, but book a timed-entry ticket. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday.
03
ZooLights?
Ticketed for every visitor, with free Mondays released a week ahead.
04
Who should skip a tour?
Anyone happy to wander: the park's highlights are free and walkable on your own.
A day in the park
Lincoln Park from morning to night
Four stops that fit one day, most of them free. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
01
The zoo
Gates open at 8 a.m.; the animal buildings at 10. Start at the farm, then the big cats and the penguins.
Free
02
Conservatory and Lily Pool
Palm House, Fern Room and orchids under glass, then the Prairie-style Lily Pool next door, open April 20 to November 20.
Free, timed entry
03
The lakefront
North Avenue Beach and the Lakefront Trail, on foot or by bike, with the skyline to the south.
Free
04
After dark
A ghost walk over the old City Cemetery, or ZooLights from late November.
Getting there, what is free, opening hours and what to bring.
By bus: CTA buses 151 and 156 serve the zoo, about 2 miles from downtown.
By car: the zoo's paid lot is at the East Gate, 2400 N. Cannon Drive; first 30 minutes free, cards only.
By bike: the Lakefront Trail runs straight up from downtown; rentals start near Navy Pier.
Tour meeting points: bike tours meet downtown (Lake Shore Drive or Michigan Avenue); the walking tour and the Embers ghost walk at the Tin Man statue in Oz Park; the haunted history walk at the Chicago History Museum.
Free, no reservation: the park, Lincoln Park Zoo, the beaches and the Lily Pool in season.
Free with a timed-entry ticket: the Lincoln Park Conservatory (a donation is suggested).
Ticketed: ZooLights (free Mondays most weeks), the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and its Butterfly Haven add-on.
Illinois residents: both museums run free days through the year.
Zoo: gates 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; buildings 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; every day of the year.
Conservatory: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Lily Pool: daily April 20 to November 20, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or dusk if earlier.
Chicago History Museum: Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Comfortable closed shoes: the bike tours do not allow heels or open-toed shoes.
A layer for the lake breeze, and a lighter one for the warm, humid Conservatory.
Your Conservatory timed-entry ticket on your phone.
A card, not cash, if you plan to park at the zoo.
A torch or phone light for an evening ghost walk.
FreeLincoln Park ZooNo reservation, open 365 days a year; founded in 1868.
Timed entryLincoln Park ConservatoryFree tickets booked ahead; Palm House, Fern Room, Orchid House and Show House.
Apr 20 to Nov 20Alfred Caldwell Lily PoolA Prairie-style garden and National Historic Landmark at 125 W. Fullerton Parkway.
Nov 20 to Jan 3ZooLights4:30 to 9 p.m.; every visitor needs a ticket, free Mondays most weeks.
TicketedChicago History MuseumAt 1601 N. Clark St., home of Abraham Lincoln's deathbed.
TicketedPeggy Notebaert Nature MuseumAt 2430 N. Cannon Dr.; the Butterfly Haven is a separate add-on.
Where it is
Lincoln Park Zoo on the map
Lincoln Park Zoo, East Gate
2400 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
The zoo sits in the middle of the park, between Clark Street and Lake Shore Drive. The Conservatory and the Lily
Pool are a short walk north, the Nature Museum is just beyond, and North Avenue Beach and the Chicago History
Museum are to the south. The Searle Visitor Center at the East Gate has information, first aid, lockers, stroller
rentals, wheelchairs and electric vehicles.
From guests on the GetYourGuide listings for these tours.
★★★★★
This tour was the highlight of our long weekend in Chicago. Great way to see the city and Kevin was a great guide!
★★★★★
So cool! Loved walking around Lincoln park hearing ghost stories in the dark!!
★★★★★
An inspiring and relaxing ride... best way to explore on a hot summer day!
★★★★★
The tour, led by Liam, was excellent. We learned a lot about Chicago neighborhoods and the tour was safe, comfortable, scenic and informative.
★★★★★
Guide was very engaging, the history was fascinating and spooky.
★★★★★
Good location to pick up the bike, very close to the lake trail. Bike was in excellent condition.
Beyond the park
Add the river to your day
Lincoln Park is the green half of Chicago; the architecture lines the river two miles south. A short
cruise fits neatly into the same day.
45-Minute Family-Friendly Architecture River Cruise
45 minutes · 400 N. Michigan Ave · GetYourGuide
Lincoln Park is the green half of a Chicago day; the river is the other. This short cruise leaves from Michigan Avenue by the Wrigley Building, with indoor and open decks and live commentary pitched at families. The listing says children under 4 ride free of charge and it sails in all weather.
Search for Lincoln Park tickets and you will find tours, passes and even concert listings for a band
with a similar name. The truth is simpler: the park is free, the zoo is free, and only a handful of things inside it
need booking. Here is how it fits together, and when a tour is worth it.
A park, a zoo and a cemetery underneath
Lincoln Park took the president's name on 12 June 1865, weeks after his assassination. Its southern end was the
Chicago City Cemetery, opened in 1843, where an estimated 35,000 people were buried. Most graves were moved, but the
Couch Tomb still stands behind the Chicago History Museum, holding six members of the Couch family and one friend.
That history is the backbone of the evening ghost walks. The zoo arrived in 1868 with a gift of two pairs of swans
from New York's Central Park, which makes it one of the oldest zoos in the United States.
Prairie School lines on the water: the style of Cafe Brauer, built in 1908 on the South Pond.
What is free and what needs a ticket
You can spend a full day here without paying for entry anywhere. The zoo needs no ticket and no reservation. The
Lily Pool, a Prairie-style garden redesigned by Alfred Caldwell in 1936 to 1938, opens daily from April 20 to
November 20. The Conservatory is free, but it works with timed-entry tickets, so book a slot before you set off,
and note it closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Paid entry starts at the edges: the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy
Notebaert Nature Museum and, in winter, ZooLights.
The honest small print: no tour on GetYourGuide is an entry ticket to Lincoln Park, because
none is needed. The bike tours start downtown, a couple of miles south, and spend part of their time in the Gold
Coast and Old Town before reaching the park. The walking tour with coffee is the one that stays in and around the
park, and it is a new listing.
Which tour, if any?
If you like a guide and want the lakefront, the three-hour Lakefront Neighborhoods ride is the natural pick: by
its listing it passes North Avenue Beach and the zoo and includes bikes and helmets. If you would rather walk, the
two-hour tour from Oz Park takes in the Mid-North Historic District and the Lily Pond and ends on the Conservatory
lawn. For history with a shiver, the haunted history walk meets at the Chicago History Museum on select evenings
at 8 p.m. and visits the Couch Tomb, Cafe Brauer and the site of the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
The Lakefront Trail links downtown with the park: the route most bike tours follow.
Making the most of it
Arrive at the zoo when the gates open at 8 a.m. and you have two quiet hours outdoors before the animal buildings
open at 10. Walk north to the Conservatory for your timed slot, then the Lily Pool if it is in season, and end at
the lake. Take the bus (CTA 151 or 156) rather than the car on busy weekends, and if you do drive, bring a card:
the zoo lot takes no cash.
Stone, water and lilies: the Prairie-style look of the Lily Pool.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about Lincoln Park, its zoo and its tours.
Do you need tickets for Lincoln Park?
No. Lincoln Park is a public park with no gate and no entry ticket. Inside it, the zoo is free with no reservation, the Conservatory is free with a timed-entry ticket, and ZooLights, the Chicago History Museum and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum are ticketed. See free or ticketed.
Is Lincoln Park Zoo free?
Yes. The zoo says admission is free and no reservations are needed, 365 days a year. Gates open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.; the animal buildings open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More in the zoo guide.
Is the Lincoln Park Conservatory free?
Yes, but book a free timed-entry ticket ahead. It opens 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. See the Conservatory guide.
Do you need tickets for ZooLights?
Yes. Every visitor needs a ticket for ZooLights, which runs November 20 to January 3, 2027, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Free Admission Mondays run most weeks, with tickets released one week ahead at 11 a.m. CT. Read the ZooLights guide.
Where do I park for Lincoln Park Zoo?
The zoo's paid lot is at the East Gate, 2400 N. Cannon Drive, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The first 30 minutes are free, and it takes cards only. CTA buses 151 and 156 stop by the zoo if you would rather leave the car.
Is there a guided tour of Lincoln Park?
Yes. The walking tour with coffee is the one built around the park itself, from Oz Park to the Conservatory lawn. The bike tours start downtown and ride north through it, and two ghost walks run in the evening. Compare them in Lincoln Park tours.
Can I bring my dog to Lincoln Park Zoo?
No. Pets are not allowed in the zoo; service animals are welcome. The rest of the park is open to walkers.
Is the Lincoln Park ghost tour suitable for kids?
It depends on the walk. The 2.5-hour haunted history walk is not suitable for children under 7, according to its listing; the one-hour Embers walk from Oz Park calls itself family-friendly. See Lincoln Park ghost tours.
What is Lincoln Park known for?
It is Chicago's largest public park, 1,208 acres along about seven miles of lakefront, with one of the oldest zoos in the United States (founded 1868), a Victorian glass conservatory, beaches and the Prairie-style Lily Pool.
Can I cancel a Lincoln Park tour?
Every tour listed on this site offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide. ZooLights tickets, sold by the zoo, are nonrefundable.
Are these Linkin Park concert tickets?
No. This site is about the park in Chicago. The band took its name from Santa Monica's Lincoln Park (now Christine Emerson Reed Park) and spelled it Linkin to get the web domain; for concert tickets, go to the band's official site.
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