The wallabies are loose. Well, sort of.
They are exactly where they are supposed to be, but visitors get to walk into their habitat instead of standing on the other side of a barrier. For three dollars, that is a pretty remarkable introduction to a zoo.
The Indiana attraction also has African penguins, baby goats, butterflies, and a handful of other animals that can be seen without spending half the day walking between exhibits. It has been operating since 1908, but the real trick is what happens after the zoo visit.
A giant playground, carousel, train, picnic areas, and pedal boats nearby can easily turn “let’s stop for an hour” into “when are we leaving?”
The Wallaby Walkabout Puts You Inside the Habitat
Few zoo moments beat the second a wallaby hops across the path just ahead of a stroller. The Wallaby Walkabout is a genuine walk-through habitat, meaning the gate closes behind visitors and the Bennett’s wallabies have the run of the place.
No glass, no moat, no squinting through wire mesh. Just a winding path, a stretch of grass, and small kangaroo relatives going about their afternoon.
Bennett’s wallabies are the red-necked variety, compact and surprisingly calm around people. Some graze.
Some flop sideways in the shade like they have given up on the day entirely. During spring and summer, a joey might be visible peeking from a pouch, which tends to stop every family in their tracks.
Zoo attendants stay nearby to keep things respectful, and the rule is simple: the animals approach visitors, not the other way around. Standing still works better than chasing.
The habitat is planted to feel open and grassy rather than caged, so the whole encounter has a quiet, unhurried feel. Photographers should keep the camera low and be patient, because wallabies move in short bursts and then freeze.
Kids who normally rush past exhibits often linger here the longest. It is the kind of close encounter usually reserved for pricey safari parks, tucked into a modest city zoo in Indiana.
Head to Penguin Cove for the Underwater Show
Ask around about the most popular residents here and the penguins win by a wide margin. Penguin Cove houses African penguins, a species that handles warm weather far better than the tuxedoed birds most people picture on ice floes.
On land they waddle, bicker, and preen with real commitment. Then one slides into the water and everything changes.
Underwater viewing panels turn clumsy shuffling into pure speed. Penguins rocket past inches from small faces pressed against the glass, banking and twisting like they are showing off, which they might well be.
Their calls carry across that corner of the zoo, a braying sound that earned the species the nickname jackass penguin. Nobody warns first-time visitors about the noise, and the surprise is half the fun.
Morning visits often catch the birds at their most active, before the afternoon lull sets in. Keep in mind that the penguins are not always out on exhibit, since keepers move them for care and weather, so a quiet cove simply means circling back later.
Signage explains why African penguins are considered endangered in the wild, giving the cuteness some weight. Plan to spend more time here than expected.
Everyone does.
Baby Goats, Llamas and a Fiberglass Cow at the Family Farm
The IU Health Family Farm is where the noise level jumps. Nigerian dwarf goats crowd the fence line the moment they hear footsteps, and the babies are shameless about it.
Feed can be purchased at the zoo entrance, not at the farm itself, so grabbing tickets early saves a backtrack. The goats are gentler than expected, taking pellets with soft lips rather than teeth.
Around them, the barnyard fills out with llamas that study visitors with mild curiosity, sturdy miniature horses, pot-bellied pigs, chickens, and rabbits. A 30-foot windmill turns overhead and sells the whole Midwestern farmstead look convincingly.
There is also a fiberglass cow set up for practice milking, which produces roughly equal amounts of laughter and confusion among city kids.
Staff hang around this area more than most, answering questions about hoof trimming, wool, and why goats climb absolutely everything. Younger visitors get a rare chance to touch instead of only look, and that hands-on element is what keeps families circling back year after year.
Hand sanitizer stations sit near the exits, a small detail that parents appreciate. Come here last if the goal is a clean shirt, or first if the goal is a happy toddler.
A Butterfly Garden That Only Opens for Summer
Timing matters for this one. The Butterfly Garden Party runs seasonally, roughly from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and it is worth planning a trip around.
Inside the mesh enclosure, dozens of butterflies drift between flowering plants in slow, looping paths. The air feels warmer and quieter than the rest of the zoo.
Visitors walk a narrow path directly through the habitat, which means wings brush past shoulders and the occasional butterfly lands on a sleeve or shoelace. Wearing bright colors reportedly helps the odds, though patience helps more.
Chrysalises are sometimes displayed so guests can see the strange, papery stage between caterpillar and adult, complete with the emergence process if the timing lines up.
Just outside the enclosure, an outdoor flower garden keeps the theme going and pulls in wild pollinators of its own, from bumblebees to native butterflies. Playful sculptures dot the plantings, making it a pleasant spot to slow down between exhibits.
Staff remind guests to watch their feet on the way out, since butterflies occasionally rest on the ground. It is a small exhibit by square footage and an outsized favorite by reputation, especially among visitors who arrive expecting nothing more than a few caged animals.
Otters, Eagles and Tortoises in the Americas Area
Otters are chaos in fur form, and the pair in the Americas area proves it. North American river otters loop through their pool, shoot past underwater viewing windows, and haul out onto rocks only long enough to reset before doing it all again.
Kids tend to sprint between the above-water and below-water views trying to keep up. Nobody wins that race.
Nearby, bald eagles perch at close range, close enough to make out individual feathers and that famously unimpressed stare. Most visitors have only seen one from a highway, so the scale comes as a shock.
Galapagos tortoises bring the pace right back down, moving with ancient patience and reminding everyone that some animals measure life in decades rather than minutes.
Black-tailed prairie dogs run their own little suburb, popping out of burrows and sounding alarm chirps at nothing in particular. Crawl-through viewing tunnels let children surface right in the middle of the colony, which is exactly as fun as it sounds.
Round out the loop with a North American porcupine, barn owls, and turkey vultures. Enclosures are built with low, clear viewing points, so short visitors do not need to be hoisted up every few minutes.
Kookaburras, Emus and Singing Dogs From Down Under
The wallabies get the headlines, but the Australia area has more going on than most people notice. Emus stalk their yard on those improbable legs, feathers hanging like a shaggy old rug, occasionally producing a low drumming sound from deep in the chest.
They are taller than expected up close. And distinctly nosy.
Kookaburras supply the soundtrack. Their call is the cackling laugh borrowed by countless jungle movie scenes, and hearing it echo through an Indiana park is genuinely disorienting in the best way.
Then there are the New Guinea singing dogs, one of the rarest canines on the planet, named for the eerie, tuneful howl they produce. Catching that sound is luck, not schedule, so lingering pays off.
Interpretive signs explain how these animals fit their home landscapes, which gives the section a real sense of place rather than a random grouping of species. The plantings and rockwork lean naturalistic, keeping sightlines open without feeling exposed.
Photographers should note the morning light works well along this stretch. Even visitors who have toured much larger zoos rarely encounter singing dogs anywhere else, making this modest corner one of the collection’s quiet bragging rights.
The Park Around It Turns One Hour Into a Whole Day
Here is the part first-time visitors underestimate. The zoo sits inside Columbian Park, and the surrounding grounds carry as much appeal as the animals do.
The SIA Playground reopened in June 2024 with towering climbing structures, hillside slides, and separate zones for different ages and abilities. Parents describe losing their kids to it for hours, cheerfully.
An animal-themed splash pad near the park entrance handles the hot-weather cooldown, with jets that dance unpredictably enough to keep kids guessing. The Columbian Park Carousel adds a classic ride, complete with exotic animal figures mixed in among the traditional horses.
The Columbian Park Express Train circles the grounds on a scenic loop past the lagoon and playgrounds, with tickets available at the zoo gift shop or the train depot.
Pedal boats operate on the lagoon in season, offering a slower way to see the park from the water. Picnic shelters and walking trails fill in the gaps, and Loeb Stadium sits close enough to pair a zoo afternoon with an Aviators baseball game.
Food options inside the zoo are limited, so packing a lunch and snacks is the smart move. Parking around the park is free, and the entrance is a short walk away.
Address: 1915 Scott Street, Lafayette, IN 47904
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