This is still one of the best hippo exhibits in North America, as the underwater galleries at places like Toledo, San Diego and Saint Louis are all spectacular. There is simply no substitute for seeing "river horses" in such clear water conditions, and hippo exhibits without underwater viewing must really be considered in a separate category as there is simply no comparison.
Now snowleopard, or anyone that's been, how does the Toledo Zoo stack up against the other zoos in Ohio? The Toledo and Akron Zoos are the only zoos in Ohio that I haven't been to, so I was wondering
They are all different. Akron is, of course the smallest. No stellar exhibits, but if you knew how wonderfully it has improved in the past ten years you'd be impressed. It has always focused on its local community and getting up close to the animals.
Toledo is somewhat dominated by its WPA architecture. Not as spacious as Columbus or Cleveland. Not as much topography as Cincinnati or Cleveland. Landscape approach is reminiscent of Cincinnati.
There are fairly extensive reviews of Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo on "Snowleopard's Epic Road Trip" thread (30 zoos in the summer of 2008) and there are reviews of Cleveland and Akron on "Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip" thread (39 zoo in 46 days). Those two threads contain 69 zoo/aquarium reviews, but I do realize that it can take a while to locate a specific zoo in that way.
My personal order:
1- Columbus (one of America's 5 best zoos)
2- Cleveland (a couple of great sections and some very outdated buildings)
3- Cincinnati (fantastic collection but at times below average exhibits)
4- Toledo (a few 1930's buildings still in use contrasted with more modern exhibits)
5- Akron (small zoo with small enclosures...but it tries hard to connect to families)
