I used to skip kiddie sections of zoos constantly, but now with two kids 2 and under those areas have taken on a crucial importance to any zoo visit. I raved about Oakland's children's zoo in my review, and there are other excellent areas in places like Nashville (huge Jungle Gym that can hold 1,000 kids), Happy Hollow (basically the entire place is a children's zoo), Pittsburgh (7 acres in size), Houston, San Antonio (built specifically for toddlers) and Knoxville. That makes a list of 7 great ones, and in the book "What Zoos Can Do" there are profiles of Europe's 80 best zoos and the author lists whether a zoo has a children's zoo as well as a children's playground. When 80% of zoo visitors have kids with them then that information becomes vital for parents.
