Favorite Zoos

[QueenCat]

What are your favorite zoos across the United States? We love going to zoos when we find them near other destinations. Our adult children still love them too. The Columbus (OH) Zoo and Cincinnati Zoo are day trips. We've been to the San Diego Zoo, the Atlanta Zoo, and the San Francisco Zoo. Other smaller zoos that I can't think of right now. 

[Pawz4me]

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. It's far and away the best zoo I’ve ever been to (but I despise animals in cages, so . . FWIW). 

ETA: For comparison, the zoos I've been to that I remember much about are the ones in Cincinnati, Denver, St. Louis, Atlanta and Baltimore.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Pawz4me

[MrsMommy]

St. Louis Zoo and Chicago's Brookfield Zoo.

[lmrich]

The Cincy Zoo is amazing; you are so lucky to live that close. I see you also listed Zoo Atlanta, which is my hometown zoo, and has panda bears so it is rather special. 

[kokotg]

We really love the St Louis zoo, and it's free. Henry Vilas zoo in Madison, WI is also free--small, but really nice; we used it as a stopover to break up a long drive and were surprised how much we liked it. 

[sweet2ndchance]

Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC has far and away been my favorite zoo to take the kids to when they were little.

[Farrar]

I mean, I can walk to the National Zoo, so it has a favored place in my heart as a result.

[happi duck]

23 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I mean, I can walk to the National Zoo, so it has a favored place in my heart as a result.

I'm so jealous!  We had such a lovely visit there a few years ago.  We spent so much time watching the pandas.  Squeee!

[TrulySusan]

My kids always enjoyed the Knoxville Zoo when we visited family. They had these cool wax machines that would build a zoo animal while you watched.

And great animal exhibits too 😂- especially black bears

[prairiewindmomma]

At the Kansas City zoo, they have a ski lift over their African safari.  You ride over and are decently close to zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and rhinos. They also have a really lovely chimpanzee exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

Sad zoos:

Portland's Oregon Zoo--horrible zoo for elephants; I seriously think it crosses over into unethical

Salt Lake--Hogle also has an unethically small elephant habitat

San Antonio--treatment and upkeep issues, Lucky the elephant is really unlucky to live there

St. Louis---renowned only because it is free; kudos to them on that, but there's no exhibit that just drops your jaw, iykwim

 

 

[Tree Frog]

I'll second Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. We haven't been for many years, but we loved going when we lived there.

[MrsMommy]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

At the Kansas City zoo, they have a ski lift over their African safari.  You ride over and are decently close to zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and rhinos. They also have a really lovely chimpanzee exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

Sad zoos:

Portland's Oregon Zoo--horrible zoo for elephants; I seriously think it crosses over into unethical

Salt Lake--Hogle also has an unethically small elephant habitat

San Antonio--treatment and upkeep issues, Lucky the elephant is really unlucky to live there

St. Louis---renowned only because it is free; kudos to them on that, but there's no exhibit that just drops your jaw, iykwim

 

 

The St. Louis Zoo just opened a Primate Canopy Trail that's pretty amazing.

[cabercro]

We live local to the NC Zoo, so we're pretty spoiled in that regard. Construction on the new Asia section is slated to start soon.

We also really enjoyed the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo:
1. a really cool treehouse playground
2. koalas
3. daily 'elephant walks' where they close the pedestrian path to walk the elephants across from one exhibit to the other
4. a really cool veterinary care center where (if you're lucky and catch it right) you can see them caring for the animals

[purpleowl]

3 hours ago, sweet2ndchance said:

Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC has far and away been my favorite zoo to take the kids to when they were little.

I love that zoo! I grew up going to it, and we've taken our kids there a handful of times as well.

We also like the Jacksonville Zoo.

[hshibley]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. It's far and away the best zoo I’ve ever been to (but I despise animals in cages, so . . FWIW). 

ETA: For comparison, the zoos I've been to that I remember much about are the ones in Cincinnati, Denver, St. Louis, Atlanta and Baltimore.

There’s a National Geographic special on Disney+ that profiles the North Carolina Zoo. It was really interesting. I’ve been to the NC zoo several times. It’s quite nice. 

[alisoncooks]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. It's far and away the best zoo I’ve ever been to (but I despise animals in cages, so . . FWIW). 

This is the zoo I took my kids to growing up (once a week for years and years, lol). We knew it so well! (We haven’t been since before all the 2020 pandemic stuff…)

[Emba]

The only “big” zoos I’ve been to are San Antonio, For Worth, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I loved the San Antonio Zoo but i was a child when we visited, and it was the first zoo it’s ever been to, so I have no idea if it is really good or not.

The Fort Worth zoo is pretty good, but I really loved the Colorado Springs zoo. Park we just lucked out and went around feeding time for lots of animals, and when there was a baby hippo to see, which I loved, but also there were just lots of opportunities to do things like feed the giraffes lettuce (for a “nominal fee” of course) and see wallabies really up close, hopping right beside and across the people paths.  I think it is smaller, as city zoos go, though. We had to kind of hurry through, and skipped some parts.

[East Coast Sue]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

At the Kansas City zoo, they have a ski lift over their African safari.  You ride over and are decently close to zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and rhinos. They also have a really lovely chimpanzee exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

Sad zoos:

Portland's Oregon Zoo--horrible zoo for elephants; I seriously think it crosses over into unethical

Salt Lake--Hogle also has an unethically small elephant habitat

San Antonio--treatment and upkeep issues, Lucky the elephant is really unlucky to live there

St. Louis---renowned only because it is free; kudos to them on that, but there's no exhibit that just drops your jaw, iykwim

 

 

Omaha! 
and KC!

[KungFuPanda]

I live between the zoos in DC and Baltimore. I love them for different reasons. I’ve always enjoyed zoos. My kids won’t take me anymore. 😟

[theelfqueen]

Gonna second both Henry Doorly in Omaha and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs (cmzoo.org) 

[MercyA]

Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana is small but excellent overall. They try really hard to provide enrichment for their animals and have nice habitats for the majority of them. (Improve your red fox enclosure, please!)

Fort Wayne Zoo in Indiana and John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids are both extremely nice. A few of their enclosures make me sad.

Indianapolis Zoo should be avoided at all costs. Last I knew, they made dolphins perform in shows with strobe lights and blaring rock music. Horrible.

Edited May 5, 2022 by MercyA

[HomeAgain]

Another plug for the Henry Doorly.  The place is amazing.  I don't like zoos outside of the San Diego and Disney's Animal Kingdom, but Omaha's is fabulous.  There are several indoor exhibits (a desert dome, swamp/nocturnal animals underneath it, a jungle, an aquarium..) and it's pretty large but feels small at the same time.

[QueenCat]

11 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

 

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

 

 

I LOVE the safari at Animal Kingdom.

[QueenCat]

8 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I live between the zoos in DC and Baltimore. I love them for different reasons. I’ve always enjoyed zoos. My kids won’t take me anymore. 😟

Those are the zoos I grew up on but haven't been to in forever.

[QueenCat]

On 5/5/2022 at 1:00 AM, MercyA said:

 

Indianapolis Zoo should be avoided at all costs. Last I knew, they made dolphins perform in shows with strobe lights and blaring rock music. Horrible.

 

That is awful!!! And too bad, as that isn't too far from here. 

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't been to a lot of zoos but I do love our local one. Brevard Zoo is near Kennedy Space Center so it would be a good side trip for anyone visiting the Space Center. It's also an easy day trip for those on a theme park (Disney, Universal) vacation since it's only an hour from the Orlando area.

They're very involved in conservation both in their own back yard and worldwide.

https://brevardzoo.org/

It consistently makes top lists of US as well as North America Zoos. 

https://www.floridabeachbreak.com/blog/see-why-north-america-s-5-zoo-is-admired-pioneering-brevard-zoo

There's currently a campaign to add an aquarium nearby that would be an extension of the zoo.

https://theaquariumproject.org/

[stephanier.1765]

12 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

I haven't been to a lot of zoos but I do love our local one. Brevard Zoo is near Kennedy Space Center so it would be a good side trip for anyone visiting the Space Center. It's also an easy day trip for those on a theme park (Disney, Universal) vacation since it's only an hour from the Orlando area.

They're very involved in conservation both in their own back yard and worldwide.

https://brevardzoo.org/

It consistently makes top lists of US as well as North America Zoos. 

https://www.floridabeachbreak.com/blog/see-why-north-america-s-5-zoo-is-admired-pioneering-brevard-zoo

There's currently a campaign to add an aquarium nearby that would be an extension of the zoo.

https://theaquariumproject.org/

I didn't realize the Brevard Zoo was so close. The next time my grandchildren are down here I think we'll take a trip there to shake up our Jacksonville Zoo routine. 

 

[Lori D.]

Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo -- smaller and more friendly than Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, but with LOTS of variety, and very well-laid out so it is NOT an exhausting effort to get through the whole zoo.

Not a straight-up zoo, BUT, the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum a fusion of zoo, botanical garden, natural history museum, with a tiny art gallery and aquarium thrown in. It is ranked as one of the top 10 museums in the U.S.

[wintermom]

I've only been to two zoos in the US, and they were both nice. St. Louis was free, so that was a huge bonus. Indianapolis zoo was fun.

ETA: I have been to Disney Animal Kingdom and the Six Flags drive-through animal park in New Jersey, too. Both very nice.

My favourite zoo is the Calgary zoo in Alberta, Canada. I grew up going there, and have always loved its combination of live animals and dinosaur statues. Plus there is a cool swinging bridge over the Bow River joining the dinosaurs to the live animals.

https://www.calgaryzoo.com/

Edited May 6, 2022 by wintermom

[QueenCat]

26 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Not a straight-up zoo, BUT, the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum a fusion of zoo, botanical garden, natural history museum, with a tiny art gallery and aquarium thrown in. It is ranked as one of the top 10 museums in the U.S.

That sounds incredibly cool. We're supposed to go to AZ next year to visit dh's brother/wife. I'll have to see if that can work into it.

[katilac]

🎶 I went on down to the Audubon Zoo, 

and they all asked for you

the monkeys asked, the tigers asked, and the elephants asked me too! 🎶

The Audubon Zoo is consistently ranked in the top ten American zoos, and it's featured in a cool song by The Meters (youtube).

Audubon Aquarium  is also amazing and highly ranked. 

And, not a zoo, but Barataria Preserve is part of Jean Lafitte National Park, and you will almost always see alligators in their natural habitat while waking the trails. 

Edited May 7, 2022 by katilac

[wintermom]

13 minutes ago, katilac said:

🎶 I went on down to the Audubon Zoo, 

and they all asked for you

the monkeys asked, the tigers asked, and the elephants asked me too! 🎶

The Audubon Zoo is consistently ranked in the top ten American zoos, and it's featured in a cool song by The Meters (youtube).

Audubon Aquarium  is also amazing and highly ranked. 

And, not a zoo, but Barataria Preserve is part of Jean Lafitte National Park, and you will almost always see alligators in their natural habitat while waking the trails. 

This looks like a full-on cultural experience of New Orleans on top of a zoo. 😊 

[Rebel]

Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas is my favorite zoo. https://www.cameronparkzoo.com/

I have visited zoos in Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Los Angeles, but none were comparable to Cameron Park Zoo. It is also AZA and WAZA accredited.

https://www.cameronparkzoo.com/

[QueenCat]

4 hours ago, Rebel said:

Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas is my favorite zoo. https://www.cameronparkzoo.com/

I have visited zoos in Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Los Angeles, but none were comparable to Cameron Park Zoo. It is also AZA and WAZA accredited.

https://www.cameronparkzoo.com/

I have actually been to that one!!! And my son has the t-shirt to prove it. We were attending a wedding in the area and needed things to do.

[TravelingChris]

On 5/6/2022 at 11:00 AM, Lady Florida. said:

I haven't been to a lot of zoos but I do love our local one. Brevard Zoo is near Kennedy Space Center so it would be a good side trip for anyone visiting the Space Center. It's also an easy day trip for those on a theme park (Disney, Universal) vacation since it's only an hour from the Orlando area.

They're very involved in conservation both in their own back yard and worldwide.

https://brevardzoo.org/

It consistently makes top lists of US as well as North America Zoos. 

https://www.floridabeachbreak.com/blog/see-why-north-america-s-5-zoo-is-admired-pioneering-brevard-zoo

There's currently a campaign to add an aquarium nearby that would be an extension of the zoo.

https://theaquariumproject.org/

Yes, I loved that zoo

[KungFuPanda]

The weirdest zoo I ever went to was in Phoenix over 20 years ago. I didn’t know zoos looked like that outside of old picture books. It literally had rows of square cages on flat ground. It looked like how a child would draw a zoo. 

[catz]

Omaha’s zoo is incredible!  And we have been to DC, San Diego, etc   The little zoo in Madison WI is nice too as a stop in that area!     

Minneapolis area are has 2 zoos.  Minnesota Zoo which is south of the city.   It’s nice.   But I have a special place in my heart my the older and smaller zoo in Saint Paul, Como Zoo.  Beautiful conservatory right there too in a historic greenhouse.   On a big green space, pool and water park, walking trails, a little lake with paddle boats, etc.  They are working hard to improve habitats, etc.  

Edited May 8, 2022 by catz

[Lecka]

Omaha!

[J-rap]

I really like the San Diego zoo.  I believe they only take animals that cannot survive on their own in the wild.  They work hard to make it a good, comfortable environment for the animals.

 

[Elizabeth86]

On 5/4/2022 at 7:31 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

At the Kansas City zoo, they have a ski lift over their African safari.  You ride over and are decently close to zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and rhinos. They also have a really lovely chimpanzee exhibit.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

Sad zoos:

Portland's Oregon Zoo--horrible zoo for elephants; I seriously think it crosses over into unethical

Salt Lake--Hogle also has an unethically small elephant habitat

San Antonio--treatment and upkeep issues, Lucky the elephant is really unlucky to live there

St. Louis---renowned only because it is free; kudos to them on that, but there's no exhibit that just drops your jaw, iykwim

 

 

The saddest zoo I was ever at was the Natural Bridge Zoo in VA. So so sad. Look up on YouTube if you can stand it. Terrible.

[KidsHappen]

I go to the zoo every place I live. Some of my favorites are:

San Diego

Denver

Fort Worth

OKC

both Chicago zoos

Atlanta

Some smaller, quainter zoos I also liked were:

Boston

Buffalo

The National Zoo