ReptileFest

This event was absolutely phenomenal!
If you are in any way interested in reptiles or their care and upkeep, this is something you MUST check out!
There is ample parking available if you go early, even after we were leaving there was still plenty available in the UIC lot across the street. Speaking of — there’s street parking along the road as well. We opted for the lot — $ 10 charge, worth it if you’re planning on hanging around for a while.
We arrived shortly after opening, so there wasn’t much of a line. Upon entering the event space, we knew we were gonna have a good time. There were many displays and some vendors too. Photo ops with GIANT Pythons and even some Tortoises (not turtles) just kinda walking around the room.
The best part was the ‘hands on’ part of it, you could actually handle almost any animal there. The animals were all pretty docile, except one little snake that got kinda agitated n did some kinda GTFO move in my fiances arms. Other than that, it seemed like they were very comfortable with being handled by people.
The cages they were in during the event were small but, that was just for display so you can see them better. There were several signs posted stating that they are not normally in such small confinement which was nice to see and made me warm ‘n fuzzy inside.
The men and women that were working the event were extremely friendly and knowledgeable however, they weren’t forcing that knowledge down your throat. They had a very relaxed ‘come check this out, it’s a such-​n-​such’ then handed it to us if we wanted and of course we’d start the oohs n ahhs and learning happened.
There was a small scavenger hunt for the kids, where you’d find a ticket with a clue to where the next ticket is. If you found all six tickets they’d win a prize.
Miscellaneous stuffs —
For a quick lunch we opted to go to a Subway not very far from the building, perhaps a 10 minute walk? Here’s the listing if interested —
After the show we went to Sheridan Park to relax which is about a 20 minute walk from the show. Listed here —
I absolutely LOVED this event, how they managed to put on such an amazingly educational and FUN show for such a low entry cost is beyond me.
$ 10 per adult
$ 7 kids 3 – 12
Under 3 get in free!

Well worth the $ 7 admission price!!! If you’ve got a kid this sure beats blowing $ 300 (or more) at Six Flags… not to mention it’s very educational.

The Nation’s Largest Educational Reptile and Amphibian Show
If you have kids in the Chicagoland area and they like reptiles… ReptileFest is for you. I went this year and my family had a ball. We got to touch and hold everything from boa constrictors to alligators.
The exhibits are very nice and clean with very helpful volunteers showing off their reptiles. It was sponsored by Zoo Med & Chicago Parent.
For a spring afternoon, it can’t be beat. It wasn’t that expensive. I hope the sponsors of the show see this review and they can add some info for next years ReptileFest.
Can’t wait.