List and Rank The North American Zoos You Have Visited!

geomorph

geomorph

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I searched the threads and did not find a specific one for this topic in North America, although there is certainly one for a worldwide Top 10. I am posting this in United States Forum because the majority are located in this country, but am including Canada and Mexico.

For my list, I include the few zoos outside of North America I have visited because I have posted the list elsewhere or mentioned ranks in previous reviews, so I will keep it consistent to avoid confusion, but I will make the other zoos in italics in the list. I will also follow each by the date of my last visit; in several cases, this helps explain the rank as a distant memory and a time when I was not paying as much attention to the subject!

1. San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA 2009
2. San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, CA 2009
3. Bronx Zoo, New York City, NY 2007
4. Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, FL 2010 (animal parts ranked only)
5. Toronto Zoo, Toronto, ON, Canada 2008
6. Miami Metrozoo, Miami, FL 2009
7. Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa, FL 2008 (animal parts ranked only)
(If the current giant rollercoaster building project turns out like I think it will, this rank will tumble dramatically because it is being built within the best animal exhibits areas)
8. Columbus Zoo, Columbus, OH 2009
9. Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2007
10. Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN 2010
11. Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, NE 2009
12. St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO 2009
13. Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, IL 2010
14. Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA 1992 (distant memory)
15. Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville, FL 2009
16. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA 2009
17. Tierpark Hellabrun, Munich, Germany 1995 (distant memory)
18. Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 2009
19. Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati, OH 2009
20. National Zoo, Washington, DC 2008
21. Dallas Zoo, Dallas, TX 2009
(If I see the new Giants of the Savanna, I suspect this rank will go up)
22. Calgary Zoo, Calgary, AB, Canada 2004
23. Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, FL 2008
24. Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX 2010
25. Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN 2009
26. Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, MO 2009
27. Schonnbrunn Tiergarten, Vienna, Austria 1995 (distant memory)
28. Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA 2009
29. Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR 2009
(If I see Predators of the Serengeti, I suspect this rank will go up)
30. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH 2009
31. Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, WI 2010
32. Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 2009
33. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL 2010
34. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, TX 2010
35. Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, HI 2008
36. Biodome, Montreal, QC, Canada 2008
37. Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, TX 2009 (non-aquarium parts)
38. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 1993 (distant memory)
39. Point Defiance Zoo and Aq., Tacoma, WA 2009
40. Houston Zoo, Houston, TX 2010
41. San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, CA 2007
42. Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ 1985 (distant memory)
43. Oakland Zoo, Oakland, CA 2004
44. Palm Beach Zoo, West Palm Beach, FL 2009
45. Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA 2009
46. Wildlife World, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2007
47. Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL 2010
48. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando, FL 2010
49. Como Zoo, St. Paul, MN 2010
50. Lion Country Safari, Irvine, CA 1980 (distant memory and long gone)
51. St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL 2009
52. Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, Cairns, QLD, Australia 2007
53. Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, CA 1994 (distant memory)
54. Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana, CA 1991 (distant memory)
55. Charles Paddock Zoo, Atascadero, CA 1994 (distant memory)
 
I'm sure I'll be editing my list later this summer when I visit a couple more zoos.

1.) Cleveland Zoo, Cleveland OH 2000 & 2010
2.) Toronto Zoo, Toronto ON 2000, 2007, 2010
3.) Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo NY 1990-2010
4.) Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester NY 1990-2010
5.) Erie Zoo, Erie PA 2010
6.) National Zoo 1995 (distant memory)
7.) North America Zoo in Hershey Park, Hershey PA 1995 (distant memory)
8.) Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton Zoo 2003
 
geomorph said:
I searched the threads and did not find a specific one for this topic in North America, although there is certainly one for a worldwide Top 10. I am posting this in United States Forum because the majority are located in this country, but am including Canada and Mexico.

For my list, I include the few zoos outside of North America I have visited because I have posted the list elsewhere or mentioned ranks in previous reviews, so I will keep it consistent to avoid confusion, but I will make the other zoos in italics in the list. I will also follow each by the date of my last visit; in several cases, this helps explain the rank as a distant memory and a time when I was not paying as much attention to the subject!

1. San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA 2009
2. San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, CA 2009
3. Bronx Zoo, New York City, NY 2007
4. Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, FL 2010 (animal parts ranked only)
5. Toronto Zoo, Toronto, ON, Canada 2008
6. Miami Metrozoo, Miami, FL 2009
7. Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa, FL 2008 (animal parts ranked only)
(If the current giant rollercoaster building project turns out like I think it will, this rank will tumble dramatically because it is being built within the best animal exhibits areas)
8. Columbus Zoo, Columbus, OH 2009
9. Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2007
10. Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN 2010
11. Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, NE 2009
12. St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO 2009
13. Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, IL 2010
14. Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA 1992 (distant memory)
15. Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville, FL 2009
16. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA 2009
17. Tierpark Hellabrun, Munich, Germany 1995 (distant memory)
18. Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 2009
19. Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati, OH 2009
20. National Zoo, Washington, DC 2008
21. Dallas Zoo, Dallas, TX 2009
(If I see the new Giants of the Savanna, I suspect this rank will go up)
22. Calgary Zoo, Calgary, AB, Canada 2004
23. Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, FL 2008
24. Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX 2010
25. Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN 2009
26. Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, MO 2009
27. Schonnbrunn Tiergarten, Vienna, Austria 1995 (distant memory)
28. Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA 2009
29. Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR 2009
(If I see Predators of the Serengeti, I suspect this rank will go up)
30. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH 2009
31. Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, WI 2010
32. Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 2009
33. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL 2010
34. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, TX 2010
35. Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, HI 2008
36. Biodome, Montreal, QC, Canada 2008
37. Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, TX 2009 (non-aquarium parts)
38. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 1993 (distant memory)
39. Point Defiance Zoo and Aq., Tacoma, WA 2009
40. Houston Zoo, Houston, TX 2010
41. San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, CA 2007
42. Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ 1985 (distant memory)
43. Oakland Zoo, Oakland, CA 2004
44. Palm Beach Zoo, West Palm Beach, FL 2009
45. Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA 2009
46. Wildlife World, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2007
47. Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL 2010
48. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando, FL 2010
49. Como Zoo, St. Paul, MN 2010
50. Lion Country Safari, Irvine, CA 1980 (distant memory and long gone)
51. St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL 2009
52. Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, Cairns, QLD, Australia 2007
53. Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, CA 1994 (distant memory)
54. Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana, CA 1991 (distant memory)
55. Charles Paddock Zoo, Atascadero, CA 1994 (distant memory)
Click to expand...

Great list.

I guess I'm a little surprised--knowing what it is you look for in a zoo--that Toronto ranks so high, because as far as I've seen it has zero "great" exhibits or exhibit complexes. Massive collection, for sure...

And I agree that Busch is building itself down the list--its most recent animal exhibit ("Jungala") dropped it a few notches in my book, and if they are ruining the African Plains with yet more amusement park "iron and fluff" it will continue to fall down the charts. Ditto for the once-great/now increasingly confused SDWAP--zip lines, hot air balloons, paved roads with curbs, churro stands, single-species paddocks with simple chain link fencing and massively-obtrusive holding bomas seem to be inexorably replacing the huge mixed open field exhibits that once made this place pretty spectacular.

Also hard to put Como zoo or Franklin Park ahead of Santa Barbara. The latter's location alone elevates it for me.
 
1. San Diego (2009): 9.3 rating
2. Henry Doorly Zoo (2009): 9.1
3. Bronx Zoo (2009): 9.0
4. SDWAP (2009): 8.2
5. Miami (2008): 7.6
6. Columbus (2009): 7.6
7. Phoenix (2007): 7.2
8. Kansas City (2009): 6.9
9. National Zoo (2010): 6.9
10. Philadelphia (2009): 6.8
11. Maryland (2010): 6.7
12. Lincoln Park (2009): 6.6
13. LA (2009): 6.4
14. World Wildlife Zoo (2006): 6.2
15. Pittsburgh (2008): 6.1
16. Out of Africa (2007): 4.9
17. Salisbury Zoo (2010): 4.0
18. Orange County Zoo (2010) 4.0
19. Santa Ana Zoo (2007) 3.8
20. Brandywine Zoo (2010) 3.7
 
Last edited:
@geomorph: Thanks for providing your fellow ZooChatters with such an extensive and intriguing list, as it allows us to debate your choices!:) By late August I have high hopes to having seen 56 out of the 60 best zoos in America (taken from the book "America's Best Zoos") and so I intend on posting my own rankings soon afterwards as I feel that I'll have a comprehensive collection of visits to file through. I'll have seen all of those 56 great zoos since 2006, therefore they should all be fresh in my mind.

Naturally lists are subjective, but on first glance you have many great zoos that I wholeheartedly agree with. San Diego, San Diego WAP, Bronx, Columbus, Omaha, Minnesota and Miami are 7 of your top 10 North American zoos, and I'd probably agree with each and every choice. However, Toronto is a zoo that would probably not even crack my top 30 and I'm not a big fan of the "theme park zoos" such as Busch Gardens and Disney's Animal Kingdom so there are also some obvious differences that we have.
 
For my list, it will mainly be Florida Zoo but hopefully 2-3 more zoological parks will be added to this after this summer:

1)Disney Animal Kingdom(2008)
2)Jacksonville Zoo(2010)
3)Zoo Atlanta(2009)
4)St. Augustine Alligator Farm(2009)

Aquarium:
1)Georgia Aquarium
2)SeaWorld Orlando

Those zoos that will hopefully be added will be the Lowry's Park Zoo, Busch Gardens Africa and the Central Florida Zoo
 
Last edited:
1)Jacksonville Zoo (1968-2010)
2) Seneca Park Zoo (early 70`s)
3) Buffalo Zoo (early 70`s)
4) Toronto Zoo (early 70`s)
5) Bronx Zoo (early 70`s)
6) Virginia Zoo (late 80`)
7) Lowry Park Zoo (2000)
8) ST Augustine Alligtor Farm(1968-2010)
Some of the early dates I was with my grandfather (he was a trucker) I bareley remember them but maybe ill visit them and some more zoo real soon.
 
I can't resist:

1. Miami
2. NC
3. Bronx
4. Toronto
5. Columbus
6. Cincinnati
7. National
8. Lowry
9. Riverbanks
10. Philly

and for fun,

1. Georgia Aquarium
2. Adventure Aquarium
3. Mystic Aquarium
4. NY Aquarium
5. New England Aquarium
 
Blackduiker

1. San Diego Zoo 9.5
2. Seattle Woodland Park Zoo 9.3
3. Disney's Animal Kingdom 9.3
4. San Diego Wild Animal Park 9.2
5. St. Louis Zoo 8
6. Phoenix Zoo 7.5
7. Los Angeles Zoo 7.3
8. The Living Desert Zoo 7.1
9. Lion Country Safari California (Closed). 7.1
10. Honolulu Zoo 7
11. Santa Barbara Zoo 7
12. San Francisco Zoo 6.7
13. Sacramento Zoo 6.6
14. Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Insect Zoo 5.7
15. Santa Ana Zoo 4
16. Las Vegas South Florida Zoo 2.6
17. Vancouver Stanley Park Children's Zoo 2.5
 
After eliminating aquariums, rescue shelters, closed facilities, specialized breeding centers, and foreign zoos, here is my list. (Dates with a ? are guesses as to last visit).

1) Northwest Trek (2000?)
2) San Diego Wild Animal Park (2009)
3) Memphis Zoo (2006?)
4) Minnesota Zoo (1998?)
5) San Diego Zoo (2009)
6) Nashville Zoo (2009)
7) Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (2010)
8) Bronx Zoo (2001)
9) Busch Gardens (2000?)
10) Cincinnati Zoo (2001)
11) Sedgwick County Zoo (2001)
12) Fort Worth Zoo (2006?)
13) Lowry Park Zoo (2003?)
14) Palm Beach Zoo (2005?)
15) Saint Louis Zoo (1999)
16) The Living Desert (2007)
17) Woodland Park Zoo (2000?)
18) Houston Zoo (2002?)
19) Los Angeles Zoo (2010)
20) Philadelphia Zoo (2007?)
21) Phoenix Zoo (2010)
22) Indianapolis Zoo (1999)
23) Reid Park Zoo (2010)
24) Maryland Zoo (2005)
25) Wildlife World Zoo (2010)
26) Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (2009)
27) Dallas Zoo (2003?)
(a revisit with GOTS open will move this listing WAY UP)
28) Denver Zoo (2009)
29) Columbus Zoo (2001)
30) Rio Grande Zoo (2004?)
31) National Zoo (2005)
(a revisit with ASIA and ELEPHANTS open will move this listing WAY UP)
32) Wildlife West (2003?)
33) Disneys Animal Kingdom (2001)
34) Fossil Rim (2005?)
35) San Antonio Zoo (1998?)
36) Out Of Africa (2010)
37) Living Desert State Park (2003?)
38) Santa Barbara Zoo (2008?)
39) Brevard Zoo (2001)
40) Central Florida Zoo (2005?)
41) The Texas Zoo (1998?)
42) Caribbean Gardens (2003?)
43) Santa Ana Zoo (2000?)
44) Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (1998?)
45) Spring River Park Zoo (2004?)
46) Southern Nevada Zoo (1997)
 
I can't claim anything scientific with mine. It's just a way to show how far apart the zoos are in my opinion.
 
Hmmm, an interesting prospect you have put forward. Let's see what I can come up with.

1. Dallas Zoo (about an hour-and-a-half ago)
2. Caldwell Zoo (April 2010)
3. Oklahoma City Zoo (April 2010)
4. Fort Worth Zoo (a few weeks ago)
5. Cameron Park Zoo (April 2010)
6. Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum (last weeks)
7. Houston Zoo (March 2010)
8. San Antonio Zoo (March 2010)
9. Abilene Zoo (August 2009)
10. Frank Buck Zoo (November 2009)
11. Ellen Trout Zoo (July 2009)

Other Zoos I've visited, but don't remember enough to rank.
Indianapolis (2001)
National Zoo (1996)
ZooAmerica (1987)

Aquariums
1. Dallas World Aquarium (Tuesday)
2. Oklahoma Aquarium (Last Tuesday)

Others I've visited, but don't remember well enough.
Texas State Aquarium (1996?)
National Aquarium (1987)
Living Seas at Epcot (1998 and 2000)

Wildlife Parks
1. Fossil Rim (February 2010)
2. Arbuckle Wilderness (Last Monday)
 
Awesome thread Geomorph, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Now so as to compare apples to apples, I've created subcategories. First there is traditional zoos, these are zoos that display a broad range of animals classes. Second, there is specialist collections, these are zoos that specialize in a particular type of animal (birds, reptiles, etc..). Third, I’m ranking aquariums separately, though technically they could be a specialist collection. The fourth category are Safari Parks, these are places where you drive your own vehicle through animal paddocks. The fifth category is something I'm calling Open-Range Zoos, in my classification, these differ from safari parks in that they are more like a traditional zoo, but you ride a conveyance of some sort provided by the park through or around large field exhibits. The sixth category would be amusement and theme parks, these places are largely animal parks but contain other rides and have a high admission cost and operate for profit. The seventh category is small private parks, these are usually family affairs and are operated on a low budget and survive from tourists along the roadside, I am also including sanctuaries in this category because of their budgetary similarities.

Traditional Zoos:
1) San Diego Zoo, San Diego CA (2004)
2) Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle WA (1998)
3) Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson AZ (2004)
4) Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix AZ (2010)
5) Denver Zoo, Denver CO (2002)
6) Brookfield Zoo, Chicago IL (1995)
7) Oregon Zoo, Portland OR (2009
8) Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles CA (2004)
9) Rio Grande Zoo, Albuquerque NM (2002
10) Utah's Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City UT (2010)
11) Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago IL (1995)
12) Calgary Zoo, Calgary AB Canada (2009)
13) Zoo Boise, Boise, ID (yesterday)
14) Reid Park Zoo, Tucson AZ (2004)
15) Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs CO (2002)
16) Tautphaus Park Zoo, Idaho Falls ID (2009)
17) Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana CA (1993)
18) Pocatello Zoo, Pocatello ID (2009)
19) Willow Park Zoo, Logan UT (2008)
20) Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium, Litchfield Park AZ (2008)
Specialist Collections:
1) Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City UT (2009)
2) Grizzly Discovery Center, West Yellowstone MT (2000)
3) World Center for Birds of Prey, Boise, ID (2010)
Aquariums
1) Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey CA (1989)
2) Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL (1995)
3) Colorado’s Ocean Joureny, Denver CO (Now Landry’s Denver Downtown Aquarium) (2002)
4) Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach CA (2003)
5) Shark Reef, Las Vegas NV (2004)
6) The Living Planet Aquarium, Sandy UT (2010)
7) Birch Aquarium at Scripps, La Jolla CA (2004)
8) Albuquerque Aquarium, Albuquerque NM (2002)
Safari Parks:
1) Yellowstone Bear World, Rigby ID (only drive thru park I’ve been to) (2002)
Open-Range Zoos:
1) San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, Escondido CA (also only one of these I’ve been to) (2004)
Amusement/Theme Parks
1) Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando FL (2007)
2) Sea World San Diego, San Diego, CA (2003)
3) EPCOT The Living Seas, Orlando FL (2007)
4) Marine World Africa USA, Redwood City CA (Now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) (1986?)
Small Private Parks and Sanctuaries
1) Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (1998)
2) Out of Africa Wildlife Park, Fountain Hills AZ (CLOSED) (2001)
3) Grand Canyon Deer Farm (1996)
4) Reptile Reserve (2002)
5) Colorado Gators Reptile Park (2002)
6) Payson Zoo (CLOSED, thankfully) (1996)

Hopefully I'll visit a few more institutions east of the Rockies some day.
 
Last edited:
Blackduiker

geomorph said:
mweb and blackduiker, may I ask about your numbered rating systems?
Click to expand...

You've seen the Olympics haven't you? I'm rating each zoo accordingly. You will note, however, that I haven't quite seen any zoo I'd rate a perfect 10 as of yet. Though there are many more zoos I'd love to see one day
 
I like the ranking systems for their further clarity of the gaps between facilities; and I like the division into separate categories too!
 
Blackduiker

Here are my Aquarium Rankings:

1. Monterey Bay Aquarium 8.9
2. Sea World San Diego 8.8
3. Vancouver Aquarium 7.8
4. Aquarium of the Pacific 7.7
5. Steinhart Aquarium 7.6
6. Waikiki Aquarium 7.2
7. Maui Ocean Center 6.9
8. Ecosystems - California Science Center 6.3
9. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 3
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top