Your initial itinerary is probably a little too ambitious if you aren’t accustomed to road trips. Some of these zoos will be full day affairs walking in the elements. Doing it day in and day out for a week can be taxing on your body and mind. Remember, if you are no longer enjoying it you aren’t winning, even if you see everything. I would be especially concerned for this if you have young children or family members who aren’t totally enthusiastic about zoos. I think
@CMP has a good itinerary with smaller zoos or dedicated travel days.
Buffalo Zoo probably isn’t on the level of the others on your list. It’s perfectly fine, but not great unless you’re a huge fan of Works Progress Architecture. I suppose they do have a nice reptile house, though. Species list
here. If you are going through the area I would strongly recommend a stop at the American side of the falls. It’s a nice afternoon or morning trip that I enjoyed far more than I thought it would. The Canadian side is more touristy but does have attractions that may interest particular family members.
Toronto Zoo is big. I did a
species list of it last year that shows its herp collection in the pavilions. It also has some cool species uncommon in North America. Might be worth checking out if you want to deal with crossing the border. There’s also a
reptile zoo in Hamilton, but it’s collection of venomous snakes is pretty shallow.
There’s a
Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto that’s pretty at the least. Might be worth tossing in if you’re in the city and don’t get out to Chicago. I really wouldn’t try to do it on the same day as Toronto Zoo, though. Maybe same day as Niagara Falls. Probably some other stuff in Toronto I didn’t have time for. Maybe dip into one of the threads in the Canadian subforum if you want more ideas.
Detroit is a very odd zoo. Some excellent exhibits and a lot of empty space. Nice herp collection, North America’s best penguin exhibit, and some good mammal enclosures.
Binder Park is often overlooked but does have a nice Africa area. Probably unnecessary stop, though, if you’re also going to Columbus.
If you want a very full day you could do two of Shedd, Field, and Lincoln Park in Chicago. Just make sure to keep parking situations in mind. In terms of other stuff to do, Architecture Boat Tour is cool. Navy Pier is incredibly overrated. One of the other museums (art, Science & Industry, etc.) may also stand out. Deep dish pizza is for tourists but sticks around because it’s good tourist food.
Brookfield Zoo is massive and has some neat rarities (Pangolin and Wombat chief among them). Good herp collection, too.
Toledo’s all-around pretty good, especially if you’re interested in reptiles. I second others on keeping that on your list.
Indianapolis Zoo has some very memorable exhibits and a fairly sizable (for the species) gallery for mambas and pythons with some other herps nearby. Lots of rides and feeding opportunities, but it can get pricey fast if you don’t watch your budget. Elsewhere in the city is the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. It’s consistently very highly rated for what it is. If your kids are 10 or under I’d honestly recommend it over the zoo.
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is primarily aimed at children with a good mix of rides, theming. and play areas. Cheaper than Indy, too. Less of a reptile collection but a generally great zoo for kids while still being good enough to be worth the visit for adults.
Louisville is a fun zoo in the area but I haven’t been recently and my thoughts are a little outdated.
Cincinnati is a great zoo overall and the elephant complex should be finished by next year. Columbus is my second favorite conventional zoo and is (theoretically) opening a few things next year. We’ll see what actually gets open, though. Solid theming, lots of rarities, a whole slew of world class-exhibits. It also has a water park and a small theme park with two roller coasters. I think you might need more than a day if you include the water and dry parks, though.
The Wilds in eastern Ohio is my second favorite animal experience. You get loaded up in a bus and brought on a guided tour of hundreds of acres of paddocks for rare hoofstock, plus some pretty great exhibits for wild dogs, dholes, and cheetahs. It also breaks things up by not requiring you to be on your feet. Half-day experience. If you have the money there are glamping opportunities overlooking the enclosures.
Cleveland Zoo’s signature exhibit is closed. I’d wait until it reopens. Akron is nice but not quite stop on a road trip worthy.
In terms of other stuff in the region that isn’t zoos, Indiana Dunes National Park is a pretty dumb national park but can be a nice little visit for a few hours if you want to spend time on a beach and see some shockingly big sand piles. Cuyahoga Valley NP in Cleveland has some nice waterfalls and easy hiking. Cedar Point and Kings Island are some of the nation’s best theme parks, but with Knoebels in your backyard you can probably skip them unless you’re really into giant coasters. Holiday World has similar vibes to Knoebels and a giant water park.
