Miller Park, Bloomington, Illinois

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting The Miller Park Zoo right here
in Bloomington. The Miller Park Zoo is one of the City of Bloomington Parks and
Recreation departments golden features to their branch. Miller Park Zoo can be
found at the corner of West Wood Street and South Morrison Avenue at 1020 S
Morris Ave, Bloomington, IL 61701. The Miller Park Zoo serves as a great half to full
day trip for the Bloomington Normal Community. The Miller Park Zoo serves as much
more than just a zoo and has any other features and accommodations for use year

round.

First, I will tell you some history about the zoo. The City of Bloomington first
purchased animals and supplied care for them in 1891. The current location of the
zoo was originally home to a circus lion club with the zoos expansion. The first
exhibit buildings were built and finished in 1914. The woodland Wing was built in
1960 which is now the home of the Tropical Rainforest Exhibit. The facility made
tremendous leaps forward throughout the 1990s with its growing popularity. The
entrance and welcome center was built in 1992 which served a major purpose for
the zoo store and the education center for field trips. The wolf exhibit, wallaby walk,
bald eagle exhibit, and childrens zoo complex were all added to the zoo throughout
the 1990s which doubled the zoo in size.

The Miller Park Zoo is open year round making it a great location to visit no
matter what season. The zoo is open every day from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. One of
the most attractive parts of the zoo is its low cost. For youths and senior citizens
admission is $4.95 a person. Adults aged 13-59 admission is $6.95 a person.
Children ages 2 and under as well as parking is completely free of charge. With the
zoos new educational center it hosts many field trips for the Bloomington-Normal
school district as well as schools from surrounding areas. The zoo also has
accommodations for Birthday parties, classes, camps, and group reservations. The
classes and camps range from $8 to $39 depending on the camp. The zoo has a
wide selection of animals to view including but not limited to turtles, deer, wolves,
bald eagles, seals, wallabys, bats, foxes, porcupines, and pandas. Plenty of animals
for the whole family to enjoy at a low price while supporting the local community.

The Miller Park Zoo offers many other attractions and recreational activities
outside of the zoo. One of the most popular family attractions on the Miller Park
grounds is the Miniature Golf Course. The Miniature Golf Course is a fully lit 18 hole
course challenging for all ages. The course is open from May 7 th to September 18th
from 10 am on Saturdays and 12 pm to 8 pm every other day. The Miniature Golf
Course has a standard fee of $4.00 per game while reducing the price by 50 cents
off of every following game.
The Miller Park Pavilion is one of the most iconic buildings in all of
Bloomington-Normal. The pavilion costed an astonishing $45,000 to build in 1905
which was a very large share of money in that day in age. The pavilion was
designed by George Miller and specifically designed to accommodate acoustic
properties for dance and bands. The pavilion was later restored in 1977 to revitalize
its original beauty and bring it back to life. Reservations for events and weddings
are offered through the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department one
year in advanced.

The Miller Park Bandstand offers many different types of events throughout
the year. The Bandstand is used for a variety of events including theatre
performances, band concerts, and annual community events such as Celebrate
America every 4th of July. The Bandstand is open to rental through the City of
Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.
Lastly, Miller Park has its very own lake which provides numerous different
recreational activities. Miller Park Lake was built in 1907 and is roughly 14 acres
large. Miller Park Lake serves as a great fishery for the community with the help of
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources managing the fisheries since 1958.
Miller Park Lake has various types of fish including bass, bluegill, catfish, carp, shad,

crappie, sun fish, and rainbow trout. If fishing does not interest you, you can also
rent paddle boats from May 28th to September 5th from 12 pm to 5 pm. Paddleboat
rentals go for $4 per person per half hour.

To conclude, Miller Park offers many different types of activities to keep the
entire family happy and busy the entire day. Aside from the key attractions I had
mentioned before, there are many other things to do throughout the park. This

includes countless parks, historical trains, historical war monuments, and historic
pieces of war equipment. I would definitely recommend Miller Park to anyone who
has not yet visited. Besides, who doesnt like going to the zoo?