That's interesting, I felt like the actual nocturnal part wasn't really that big. The whole building with the entry "house" area (where I gather the sea dragons are now) and along with the attached aviary is sizable, but the nocturnal part didn't seem too big - but then maybe the other nocturnal houses are all really small. I am honestly not familiar with other houses.
73. Congo Gorilla Forest
Bronx Zoo, NY
Opened: 1999
Size: 6.5 Acres (2.6 Hectares)
Inhabitants: Western Lowland Gorilla, Mandrill, Colobus Monkey, Wolf’s Mona Monkey, Okapi, Red River Hog and a wide variety of African birds and ectotherms.
There probably isn’t a single exhibit more famous for being first in class than William G Conway’s last hurrah before retirement. Bronx took the lessons learned from Woodland Park's famous gorilla enclosure and supersized it in every aspect, creating the pinnacle of immersion design in the process. Designing a tropical rainforest in the middle of New York City was not an easy task, with 14,000 plants representing over 400 species having to be established. Numerous artificial trees, branches and logs are phenomenally detailed and fit right in with the lush plantings, once again demonstrating that Bronx spares no expense when producing simulated trees and rocks. Assuming they didn't purchase the total experience ticket, guests must pay a small "conservation fee" to enter the complex which over the years has raised several millions of dollars for conservation in Central Africa. There's also an informative eight minute short film that visitors can watch before approaching the gorillas which is just one of many superb educational and interpretive elements included here. To put it simply, the gorilla habitats are outstanding and minus the occasional glimpse of hotwire it's impossible to tell where the exhibits end. Both enclosures are viewed from a gallery-like setting including a walkthrough tunnel where the apes can cross overhead. The excellence continues with the okapi exhibit which appears as a small clearing surrounded by dense forest. Various monkeys are also treated to fantastic accommodations with a mandrill and red river hog mixed species exhibit being the obvious highlight. Megafauna don't dominate the complex however, with the Living Treasures gallery including an open topped aquarium at the center and vivaria for a number of African ectotherms lining the walls. Perhaps the biggest flaw of the complex is the extremely limited viewing for the gorilla bedrooms which are far more expensive than visitors would realize upon first glance. Otherwise, it's genuinely difficult to critique what is near unanimously accepted as one of the greatest zoo exhibits ever made.
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1. Gorilla Exhibit
2. Gorilla Exhibit
3. Gorilla Exhibit Viewing
4. Gorilla Exhibit Tunnel
5. Okapi Exhibit
6. Mandrill and Red River Hog Exhibit
7. Living Treasures Gallery
8. Wolf's Mona Monkey Exhibit
Similar Exhibits: In recent years, it seems gorillas have consistently received excellent enclosures and there are multiple examples of exhibits that could rival Bronx. The exhibits at Dallas Zoo, Houston Zoo, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are all superb and the warm climate is certainly an advantage when it comest to maintaining a rainforest environment. When referring to other African forest complexes, Columbus Zoo's Expedition Congo is the next best of its kind in the country, even with an oddly Howletts inspired gorilla enclosure. The adjacent bonobo enclosure is far more naturalistic and numerous other mammals and birds are in satellite enclosures which are all of high quality.
Dallas Zoo
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Houston Zoo
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Disney's Animal Kingdom
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Columbus Zoo
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Columbus is up there in size, after the bigger ones at Omaha, Cincy, and Memphis, but considering the scarcity of nocturnal houses in the US, it doesn't take much to be on the list.
Got it, thanks!
This is always a nice exhibit to walk through during the latter portion of a STL Zoo visit, although the collection isn't the most exciting, except for the one non-native species, the White-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata).74. 1904 World’s Fair Flight Cage
Saint Louis Zoo, MO
Opened: 1904 (Completely Renovated in 2004)
Size: 21,000 Square Feet (1,950 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Roughly 15 North American bird species including Rosette Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night Heron, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck and more.
Not many exhibits can be said to have existed longer than the actual zoo they’re in, but it was this aviary that was the catalyst for the idea of a zoo in Saint Louis. Commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, this flight cage was originally intended to move to the National Zoo after the world’s fair concluded. However, locals rallied to keep the cage permanently, which was enough to convince the city of Saint Louis to purchase the structure. It originally held a mishmashed menagerie of bird species, but was completely revamped into a Cypress Swamp themed aviary for its centennial. Today, it is a beautiful habitat for a variety of wetlands birds indigenous to southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois. At 200 feet long and roughly 80 feet wide, it's also one of the largest walkthrough aviaries in North America. With winding pathways and boardwalks through dense vegetation and shallow creeks, this aviary does a splendid job highlighting native species. It’s also an amazingly modern interpretation of a near 120 year old structure and if not for the various historical displays by the structures entrance, the average visitor may never be aware of its historical significance. Thankfully, its roots are fully embraced and the flight cage can still be viewed from directly outside the zoo.
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Similar Exhibits: This isn’t the only aviary with a historically significant backstory. The geodesic dome aviary at Queens Zoo was brought to existence by 1964 New York World's Fair. The dome structure was originally disassembled after the fair, before being reconstructed many years later with mesh netting instead of the original solid tent. The aviary features birds from the Americas and is made all the more impressive by the inclusion of fully flighted macaws of more than one species, an unfortunately rare sight in the US.
@Baldur
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On the other hand, I find the focus on native species very nice - it really is an excellent recreation of a cypress swamp habitat and I think there's a lot of cool species in there. Some of them are pretty rare from a captive standpoint.
Amazing how the exhibit is over 100 years old yet so naturalistic.74. 1904 World’s Fair Flight Cage
Saint Louis Zoo, MO
Opened: 1904 (Completely Renovated in 2004)
Size: 21,000 Square Feet (1,950 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Roughly 15 North American bird species including Rosette Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night Heron, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck and more.
Not many exhibits can be said to have existed longer than the actual zoo they’re in, but it was this aviary that was the catalyst for the idea of a zoo in Saint Louis. Commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, this flight cage was originally intended to move to the National Zoo after the world’s fair concluded. However, locals rallied to keep the cage permanently, which was enough to convince the city of Saint Louis to purchase the structure. It originally held a mishmashed menagerie of bird species, but was completely revamped into a Cypress Swamp themed aviary for its centennial. Today, it is a beautiful habitat for a variety of wetlands birds indigenous to southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois. At 200 feet long and roughly 80 feet wide, it's also one of the largest walkthrough aviaries in North America. With winding pathways and boardwalks through dense vegetation and shallow creeks, this aviary does a splendid job highlighting native species. It’s also an amazingly modern interpretation of a near 120 year old structure and if not for the various historical displays by the structures entrance, the average visitor may never be aware of its historical significance. Thankfully, its roots are fully embraced and the flight cage can still be viewed from directly outside the zoo.
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
Similar Exhibits: This isn’t the only aviary with a historically significant backstory. The geodesic dome aviary at Queens Zoo was brought to existence by 1964 New York World's Fair. The dome structure was originally disassembled after the fair, before being reconstructed many years later with mesh netting instead of the original solid tent. The aviary features birds from the Americas and is made all the more impressive by the inclusion of fully flighted macaws of more than one species, an unfortunately rare sight in the US.
@Baldur
@Baldur
The naturalistic theming was added in 2004, the only part from 1904 is the cage itself.
Do you have any photos of this aviary? I can't seem to find anything online and I'd be very interested in checking it out based on the descriptions you've provided.
Finally got to see my home zoo on here, presumably the only time it will come up75. LAIR
Los Angeles Zoo, CA
Opened: 2012
Size: 44,000 Square Feet (4,000 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: >70 species of reptile, amphibian and invertebrate.
In case one modern reptile house with a fancy acronym wasn't enough, here is another. The LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles) campus is about an acre in size and includes two buildings supplemented by various outdoor enclosures totaling 49 individual exhibits. The primary building is 6,000 square feet and exhibits a range of rainforest ectotherms including many rarities. Smaller vivaria are built into artificial riverbanks which line the walls of the house, which are followed by larger terrariums which are unusually tall. The extra verticality benefits some species, but isn't optional for others and from a visitor perspective it can be rather awkward to look down upon the inhabitants. The quality overall is very good, with an aquarium for Fly River turtle and various Australian fish being a highlight. The on-show breeding lab and food prep areas are also really neat touches that provide a glimpse of how keepers care for the house's residents. The naturally lit 2,000 square foot desert house is much more streamlined and an impressive showcase of native reptiles and amphibians. Beyond the houses, both Indian gharial and false gharial are displayed in outdoor pools and it's a treat to see both of these species in the same complex. The biggest highlight outdoors is the Arroyo Lagarto habitat which is a rocky enclosure featuring a variety of native lizards and tortoises in an attractive setting. A rather dynamic display that may the most interesting enclosure the LAIR has to offer.
@Julio C Castro
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Similar Exhibits: Previously covered.
I remember always being fascinated by the reptile house close by where the Cambodian viewing of the elephants are currently at. A few years after Elephants of Asia, the LAIR came about and is one of my favorite exhibits to this day. You can get a glimpse of young snakes that have been born and getting ready to be sent off to other zoos across the world. And during the summer time, the Arroyo Lagarto flourishes with chuckwallas, desert tortoises, and smaller lizards all basking in the So-Cal sun 
Having had the pleasure of talking to a few reptile and amphibian keepers especially the curator, they put LA on the map with their various breeding successes in North America and so happy to see my hometown zoo make the cut!
Some really good points about Columbus. It is a top 5 zoo for me, but that is taken as a whole.A few comments:
- San Diego, Omaha, Bronx and Saint Louis have 5 entries each...and counting! Who will come out on top?
- For those wishing to see more representation from Columbus, my gut feeling is that you will be disappointed. It's a big, enjoyable zoo and Heart of Africa was always going to be a slam dunk. The Migratory Songbird Aviary was arguably a slight surprise to be included, although Polar Frontier's omission balances it out. But I don't see anything else from Columbus being included beyond those two entries. Either way, there's no comparison with the "Big 4" that will have loads more top exhibits on this list than Columbus.
- There are other notable zoos that are really impressive but won't necessarily be showcased on this fun ZooChat thread. Look at Sedgwick County. It's one of the best all-round zoos in America, but there's nothing exceptional there that will make this list. I think that North Carolina doesn't have a single bad exhibit anywhere, and in my opinion it's a lock for one of the top 8 zoos in North America, and yet it will probably end up with a single entry. Zoo Miami is an all-day zoo that everyone seems to love, yet it's not close to the "Big 4" on this list. It is what it is.
- It's fascinating to see a few differences between the must-see European predecessor of the American list. When it comes to herps, that list from @lintworm had Antwerp (part Aquarium, part Reptile House), Cologne (part Aquarium, part Reptile House, part Insectarium), Berlin (part Aquarium, part Reptile House, part Insectarium), Freilandterrarium Stein (only 15 species), Randers (Snake Temple zone) and Prague (Giant Salamander House) as specifically herp-focused exhibits.
By comparison, the American thread contains FOUR genuine Reptile Houses and I love the inclusion of all of them. Fort Worth's MOLA, Saint Louis's historic Herpetarium, Atlanta's SSS and Los Angeles's LAIR are all valid entries.
I ran short on time during my trip to the LA Zoo and skipped LAIR; every time I see photos of it I regret it more and more. Based on photos alone, I think it's the best reptile building in the country. I especially like the look of the taller, floor to cieling terrariums, that's something I haven't seen anywhere else for reptile displays. I have to get back to see it someday for sure!75. LAIR
Los Angeles Zoo, CA
Opened: 2012
Size: 44,000 Square Feet (4,000 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: >70 species of reptile, amphibian and invertebrate.
In case one modern reptile house with a fancy acronym wasn't enough, here is another. The LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles) campus is about an acre in size and includes two buildings supplemented by various outdoor enclosures totaling 49 individual exhibits. The primary building is 6,000 square feet and exhibits a range of rainforest ectotherms including many rarities. Smaller vivaria are built into artificial riverbanks which line the walls of the house, which are followed by larger terrariums which are unusually tall. The extra verticality benefits some species, but isn't optional for others and from a visitor perspective it can be rather awkward to look down upon the inhabitants. The quality overall is very good, with an aquarium for Fly River turtle and various Australian fish being a highlight. The on-show breeding lab and food prep areas are also really neat touches that provide a glimpse of how keepers care for the house's residents. The naturally lit 2,000 square foot desert house is much more streamlined and an impressive showcase of native reptiles and amphibians. Beyond the houses, both Indian gharial and false gharial are displayed in outdoor pools and it's a treat to see both of these species in the same complex. The biggest highlight outdoors is the Arroyo Lagarto habitat which is a rocky enclosure featuring a variety of native lizards and tortoises in an attractive setting. A rather dynamic display that may the most interesting enclosure the LAIR has to offer.
@Julio C Castro
@Julio C Castro
@Julio C Castro
@Julio C Castro
@Julio C Castro
@Coelacanth18
Similar Exhibits: Previously covered.
Columbus (again, right?) does something similar with the large aquatic turtle and caiman tanks. Some of the tanks are multi-species as well, but nothing exactly like LAIR does.
