Agreed. I voted for the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, but Africa Rocks could have gotten my vote.
Also, Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium for #1 aquarium in the country? Funny.
USA Today 10 Best Zoo’s 2018
- Thread starter Echobeast
- Start date
Agreed. I voted for the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, but Africa Rocks could have gotten my vote.
Also, Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium for #1 aquarium in the country? Funny.
I feel like Shedd should definitely be higher...
Same with Georgia, Tennessee, Baltimore and Monterrey. Monterrey in particular is incredibly low at #14.
I wouldn't put it over many of the other exhibits that are listed but Sea Lion Sound is quite spectacular. We've seen many pinniped exhibits that are all relatively rhe same design but St. Louis made sure this one would stray away from the norm. Other than having the typical above ground and underwater views with rock barriers and glass, I believe it is currently the place only in the US where you can see this: http://www.inparkmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Sea_Lion_Sound_Tunnel.jpg
I would definitely be a fan of this exhibit. It’s kind of a cross between the outdoor pool of Blackpool Zoo and the underwater tunnel of Colchester Zoo in the UK. But whether it is the very ‘best’ or not, I guess is entirely subjective. It could even be that sea lions are just the majority of voters’ favourite animal.
I think many ZooChat members would disagree.
The results have been released.
Best Zoo:
Best Zoo:
- Saint Louis Zoo - St. Louis
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Colorado Springs
- Fort Worth Zoo - Ft. Worth
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Tucson
- Dallas Zoo - Dallas
- Audubon Zoo - New Orleans
- Zoo Miami - Miami
- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens - Palm Desert, Calif.
- Sea Lion Sound - Saint Louis Zoo
- African Grasslands - Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
- Museum of Living Art - Fort Worth Zoo
- Polk Penguin Conservation Center - Detroit Zoo
- Simmons Hippo Outpost - Dallas Zoo
- Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center - Indianapolis Zoo
- Meerkat Maze - Philadelphia Zoo
- Arctic Passage - Henry Vilas Zoo
- Predator Ridge - Denver Zoo
- Gibbon Trails and Langur Landing - Zoo Knoxville
- Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium - Springfield, Mo.
- Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies - Gatlinburg, Tenn.
- The Florida Aquarium - Tampa
- Dallas World Aquarium - Dallas
- Audubon Aquarium of the Americas - New Orleans
- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada - Toronto
- Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach, Calif.
- Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta
- North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores - Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
- Vancouver Aquarium - Vancouver, B.C.
- Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Safari - Ashland, Neb.
- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - Glen Rose, Texas
- Bearizona Wildlife Park - Williams, Ariz.
- Safari West - Santa Rosa, Calif.
- The Wilds - Cumberland, Ohio
- Global Wildlife Center - Folsom, La.
- Lion Country Safari - Loxahatchee, Fla.
- Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center - Divide, Colo.
- B. Bryan Preserve - Point Arena, Calif.
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park - San Diego
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Absolutely kilometers away! I'm European and hence I don't know deeply the USA zoos, but from my exceptional visits (San Diego) and what I've read in and out of Zoochat, San Diego Zoo should be the number 1 and is not even in the top 10!!!!!!!!!!!! That took me by big surprise! Dallas world aquarium should be the number 2 or 3 because of the non-aquarium part (birds), but I understand that is listed into the aquariums and not into the zoos. Bronx should be the 2 o 3 and also is not even listed. And the best aquarium, if not including Dallas, should be Aquarium of the Pacific, and it's regarded to a poor 7th place...
Personally, Shedd really deserves to be on the list, possibly top 5. Georgia should probably be higher as well.
Neither my #1 (Bronx) or #2 (San Diego) are even on this list. I have Saint Louis at 3 and Omaha at 4, personally, but as Omaha is developing quickly I know the order will be reversed before too much longer. Fort Worth and Cincinnati don’t belong on this list. I have not been to Cheyenne Mountain, Audubon, or the Living Desert, but the same is true for them, based on what I have heard and know about each of them. Personally I have Miami at #5 and Dallas at #9. This list ended up closer than I expected to my own. I am surprised at the absence of Minnesota and North Carolina.
This list is missing several key contenders for the top spots: Tennessee, Monterey Bay, Shedd, the National Aquarium, etc. and really the only thing similar to my own list is the Aquarium of the Pacific.
I am noticing a pattern.
.............ouch
What do you mean by that?
This list is a complete and utter bollocks/tosh/rubbish.
I like Safari West. But better than San Diego Wild Animal Park? Not a chance. You can't call yourself a safari park and not have lions.
The safari list is worse than the zoo one.
The same as @Buldeo, @jayjds2, @Kakapo and others wrote/mean (or at least partial wrote/mean): There are zoos/parks/exhibits in other zoos that are lower listed (or even NOT LISTED) but are miles better - in the opinion of the zoo experts/nerds in this forum as those zoo people I know and asked about it and of course my personal opinion - then the ones/some/most in the upper part of US Today's list/rating. Clear enough...
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