October Fun at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo

Chicago's free Lincoln Park Zoo offers many wonderful events for its visitors year-round, but this October is especially bountiful. Think pumpkins, sculpture tours, Halloween festivities, and more.

Fall Fest at Lincoln Park Zoo

On October 2–4, 9–12, and 16–18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lincoln Park Zoo will host its first-ever festival to celebrate the fall harvest season. A corn maze, pumpkin bounce house, hayride, and Ferris wheel are a few of the fun attractions that await visitors. Admission is free. Some attractions require tickets ($3 for 1, $27 for 10, and $51 for 20). Pumpkins will be sold at the zoo's pumpkin patch throughout October. To get the entire list of activities, please visit the zoo's Fall Fest web page.

Second Saturdays Garden Tours

On the second Saturday of each month, from April through October, Lincoln Park Zoo offers visitors an opportunity to learn about the beautiful plants that fill the zoo's gardens. Tours feature new plants and areas each month. Tours are free and meet at the Nature Boardwalk kiosk next to Café Brauer at 10 a.m. Get in on the last tour of the year on October 10.

Spooky Zoo Spectacular

Stop by Lincoln Park Zoo on Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for its annual Halloween celebration. Come dressed in your Halloween costume and ready for craft making, entertainment, and treats! For a schedule of events and photos from 2014's event, check out Spooky Zoo Spectacular online.

Nature in Motion: Sculpture at Lincoln Park Zoo

The zoo's inaugural sculpture exhibition, featuring 15 works created by artists from the Chicago area, continues throughout the month of October. The sculptures chosen embody the exhibition's "Nature in Motion" theme. The works of art have been thoughtfully placed throughout the zoo. For example, Christopher Newman's Animal Fantasy is located next to the Pritzker Family Children's Zoo, and Luke Russell's Gorilla Nest, with its curling steel branches and leaves, fits right in with a group of natural trees. Visitors can download a map and take a self-guided tour or join one of the zoo's guided tours (perhaps do both!). The guided tours are free and meet near the zoo's east entrance at Gateway Pavilion on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. This month's tour dates are October 2–4, 9–11, 16–18, 23–25, and 30–31. To learn about the sculptures and artists, download a map, and more, please visit Nature in Motion: Sculpture at Lincoln Park Zoo online.

For a complete list of upcoming zoo events, check out the Lincoln Park Zoo Calendar. Visit the Lincoln Park Zoo website to get directions, read the latest Lincoln Park Zoo magazine, find out about the zoo's newest arrivals, and more.