America's 100 Must See Exhibits

[pachyderm pro]

62. Migratory Songbird Aviary
Columbus Zoo, OH
Opened: 1997
Size: 8,000 Square Feet (740 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: 30 species of North American bird including American Robin, Mourning Dove, White-Faced Ibis, Wood Thrush, Sora and more.

Considering Columbus is known for its excessive theming and amusement park atmosphere, it’s a little surprising that one of the zoo's most impactful displays is one of its most subdued. Many guests view native birds as animals they can frequently see in their own backyard and rarely spend any valuable time observing them at zoos. In this aviary visitors are encouraged to linger and learn to appreciate migratory birds in a tranquil woodland environment. It’s primarily used as a rehabilitation facility for native birds of varying sizes and as a result the stocklist changes frequently depending on what's are being cared for, but is usually quite extensive and highlights some wonderful little species. Songbirds are the primary focus and can reliably be found in the densely forested portion of the aviary while the various waterfowl and wading birds can frequently be seen in and around the pond area. It's definitely not the largest aviary, but birders can still spend plenty of time searching for all of the tiny oddities hidden among the foliage. While the presentation may appear entirely simple, the landscaping is very well done and this is one of the most brilliant showcases of native birds you'll find in a zoo.

This aviary is very underrepresented in the ZooChat gallery. If anybody has some additional photos of the exhibit, I encourage you to post them here.

@blospz

@Buckeye092

@TinoPup

@TinoPup

Similar Exhibits: The state of Ohio has a few other notable local bird aviaries. Akron Zoo's native bird walkthrough is quite good, although viewing is rather limited. Another impressive native songbird aviary just two hours north at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is another aviary that focuses on rehabilitating rescued birds and while the collection and structure is much smaller than the Columbus aviary, there are multiple levels to view the birds from.

Akron Zoo

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

@geomorph

 

[CGSwans]

About time Columbus made its move. It’s slipped well behind the other top tier zoos.

 

[Joseph G]

61. Wild Reef
Shedd Aquarium, IL
Opened: 2003
Size: 750,000 Gallons (2.8 Million Liters)
Inhabitants: >150 species of fish and invertebrate indigenous to the Philippines.

Shedd Aquarium is well known for its unparalleled assortment of aquatic life, but it also shines through its exhibitry. What lies 25 feet beneath Shedd’s historic shell is one of the aquarium world's most fascinating galleries. Only accessible via elevator, Wild Reef zones in on species native to the Apo Island reefs in the Philippines by putting guests in a coral reef ecosystem. Not only does this create a truly immersive atmosphere, but few aquarium galleries have such an emphasis on education regarding the coral. Supersized coral displays detail their life cycles and how they are very much animals themselves, something that many visitors often overlook. Of course there is also a selection of hugely impressive aquarium tanks including a curved 400,000 gallon display containing various sharks, guitarfish and other large species, which is directly across from a transparent floor with stingrays underneath. Equally spectacular is a circular series of floor to ceiling tanks fully surrounding visitors, exhibiting mid-sized predators and various schooling fish. Supplementing the large showstopping tanks are a variety of smaller aquaria which are home to dozens of fascinating species such as garden eels and many unusual reef fish. The hall ends with a mangrove forest composed of a few open-topped tanks that provides a nice contrast with the rest of the exhibit and is followed by a coral propagation display. With fish above, below and beside you, this exhibit never fails to engage the visitor and unlike some other aquarium galleries has maintained a clear focus since its unveiling.

@pachyderm pro

@pachyderm pro

@Milwaukee Man

@pachyderm pro

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

Similar Exhibits: None.

No idea why I continuously underestimate this exhibit. Both in not thinking it would make this list and every time I visit the aquarium. I always assume I'll just speed through it and see the big tank and then I'll find myself at the Engineer Gobies for half an hour.

 

[15399]

62. Migratory Songbird Aviary
Columbus Zoo, OH
Opened: 1997
Size: 8,000 Square Feet (740 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: 30 species of North American bird including American Robin, Mourning Dove, White-Faced Ibis, Wood Thrush, Sora and more.

Considering Columbus is known for its excessive theming and amusement park atmosphere, it’s a little surprising that one of the zoo's most impactful displays is one of its most subdued. Many guests view native birds as animals they can frequently see in their own backyard and rarely spend any valuable time observing them at zoos. In this aviary visitors are encouraged to linger and learn to appreciate migratory birds in a tranquil woodland environment. It’s primarily used as a rehabilitation facility for native birds of varying sizes and as a result the stocklist changes frequently depending on what's are being cared for, but is usually quite extensive and highlights some wonderful little species. Songbirds are the primary focus and can reliably be found in the densely forested portion of the aviary while the various waterfowl and wading birds can frequently be seen in and around the pond area. It's definitely not the largest aviary, but birders can still spend plenty of time searching for all of the tiny oddities hidden among the foliage. While the presentation may appear entirely simple, the landscaping is very well done and this is one of the most brilliant showcases of native birds you'll find in a zoo.

This aviary is very underrepresented in the ZooChat gallery. If anybody has some additional photos of the exhibit, I encourage you to post them here.

@blospz

@Buckeye092

@TinoPup

@TinoPup

Similar Exhibits: The state of Ohio has a few other notable local bird aviaries. Akron Zoo's native bird walkthrough is quite good, although viewing is rather limited. Another impressive native songbird aviary just two hours north at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is another aviary that focuses on rehabilitating rescued birds and while the collection and structure is much smaller than the Columbus aviary, there are multiple levels to view the birds from.

Akron Zoo

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

@geomorph

An interesting and certainly unexpected pick. While it doesn't stand out to me as an obvious "must-see", I don't hate it's inclusion either, and can understand the rationale. I'm a big fan of walk-through aviaries, and also a big fan of when zoos highlight native species, and since this exhibit hits both those, I can certainly agree that it is a great exhibit. Is it flashy in the way some exhibits on this list are? No. Is it what I immediately think of as a "must-see exhibit" or even when I think of Columbus Zoo? Also no. But I can get behind this exhibit's inclusion much easier than I can a lot of the other smaller picks.

 

[Pleistocene891]

62. Migratory Songbird Aviary
Columbus Zoo, OH
Opened: 1997
Size: 8,000 Square Feet (740 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: 30 species of North American bird including American Robin, Mourning Dove, White-Faced Ibis, Wood Thrush, Sora and more.

Considering Columbus is known for its excessive theming and amusement park atmosphere, it’s a little surprising that one of the zoo's most impactful displays is one of its most subdued. Many guests view native birds as animals they can frequently see in their own backyard and rarely spend any valuable time observing them at zoos. In this aviary visitors are encouraged to linger and learn to appreciate migratory birds in a tranquil woodland environment. It’s primarily used as a rehabilitation facility for native birds of varying sizes and as a result the stocklist changes frequently depending on what's are being cared for, but is usually quite extensive and highlights some wonderful little species. Songbirds are the primary focus and can reliably be found in the densely forested portion of the aviary while the various waterfowl and wading birds can frequently be seen in and around the pond area. It's definitely not the largest aviary, but birders can still spend plenty of time searching for all of the tiny oddities hidden among the foliage. While the presentation may appear entirely simple, the landscaping is very well done and this is one of the most brilliant showcases of native birds you'll find in a zoo.

This aviary is very underrepresented in the ZooChat gallery. If anybody has some additional photos of the exhibit, I encourage you to post them here.

@blospz

@Buckeye092

@TinoPup

@TinoPup

Similar Exhibits: The state of Ohio has a few other notable local bird aviaries. Akron Zoo's native bird walkthrough is quite good, although viewing is rather limited. Another impressive native songbird aviary just two hours north at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is another aviary that focuses on rehabilitating rescued birds and while the collection and structure is much smaller than the Columbus aviary, there are multiple levels to view the birds from.

Akron Zoo

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

@geomorph

This does look like a nice aviary, but I fail to see how this differs from other walk through aviaries. Columbus is known for its Heart of Africa, Polar Frontier, and Asia Quest, not this aviary.

 

[CGSwans]

This does look like a nice aviary, but I fail to see how this differs from other walk through aviaries. Columbus is known for its Heart of Africa, Polar Frontier, and Asia Quest, not this aviary.

This might answer your question:

Many guests view native birds as animals they can frequently see in their own backyard and rarely spend any valuable time observing them at zoos

Your perspective differs from mine, as a (hopeful) future overseas visitor to Columbus. This aviary sounds fantastic.

 

[15399]

This does look like a nice aviary, but I fail to see how this differs from other walk through aviaries. Columbus is known for its Heart of Africa, Polar Frontier, and Asia Quest, not this aviary.

"Known for" and must-see are definitely not the same thing. I agree that Columbus isn't "known for" this aviary, but plenty of zoos have an exhibit they are "known for" that is different than what their "best" exhibit is. If this thread was 100 exhibits that zoos were known for, then this would be an absurd pick, but this thread is "100 must-see exhibits", a much more subjective list that this exhibit is a much more defendable inclusion into. Personally, I was expecting three Columbus exhibits on this list (Heart of Africa, Polar Frontier, Congo Expedition), but I can get behind this inclusion even though it was an unexpected one.

 

[pachyderm pro]

63. Lied Jungle
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, NE
Opened: 1992
Size: 123,000 Square Feet (11,430 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Roughly 70 species including White-cheeked Gibbon, Francois' Langur, Malayan Tapir, Pygmy Hippo, Egyptian Fruit Bat, >20 bird species and a range of other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Director Lee G. Simmons had an ambitious vision to make the once little known Henry Doorly Zoo a trailblazer in the zoological world, and constructing America’s largest rainforest house was the first step towards realizing that vision. Arnhem had already created an immersive rainforest environment a few years prior, but something of that scale had never been done before in the states. With over 2,000 live plants in an expansive 1.2 acre atrium, the rainforest was seen as so realistic that it initially triggered Vietnam war veterans to have flashbacks. It’s a truly iconic exhibit, although its flaws become more glaring upon closer inspection. The amount of things included under one roof means that the rainforest atmosphere is never able to truly dominate and there are a lot of visible pipes and obvious concrete walls with washed out murals. Keeping tapirs and pygmy hippos indoors 24/7 is rather unfortunate even if the conditions have been marginally improved, plus the primate islands really aren’t anything special if you strictly judge the area they can access and not the surrounding vegetation. With that said, there are some truly amazing sights to see here. The water moats surrounding the primate islands are stocked with impressive larger fish like arapaima and Mekong giant catfish. Hundreds of birds are in free flight and there are also an estimated 750 fruit bats with full range of the building. The lower level of the building has a bit less going on so the attempt at immersion better succeeds, with a barrierless Amazon stingray pool being a highlight. The furnishings are stunning and although it doesn't always follow through on providing the perfect rainforest recreation, the Lied Jungle is still one of the most awe-inspiring zoo buildings of all time.

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@pachyderm pro

@pachyderm pro

Similar Exhibits: You'll find out at a later time.

 

[MGolka]

Was at opening day at Lied Jungle as a youngster. Despite the number of species going down over the years, it is still my all time favorite exhibit and won’t be topped.

 

[CMP]

61. Wild Reef
Shedd Aquarium, IL
Opened: 2003
Size: 750,000 Gallons (2.8 Million Liters)
Inhabitants: >150 species of fish and invertebrate indigenous to the Philippines.

Shedd Aquarium is well known for its unparalleled assortment of aquatic life, but it also shines through its exhibitry. What lies 25 feet beneath Shedd’s historic shell is one of the aquarium world's most fascinating galleries. Only accessible via elevator, Wild Reef zones in on species native to the Apo Island reefs in the Philippines by putting guests in a coral reef ecosystem. Not only does this create a truly immersive atmosphere, but few aquarium galleries have such an emphasis on education regarding the coral. Supersized coral displays detail their life cycles and how they are very much animals themselves, something that many visitors often overlook. Of course there is also a selection of hugely impressive aquarium tanks including a curved 400,000 gallon display containing various sharks, guitarfish and other large species, which is directly across from a transparent floor with stingrays underneath. Equally spectacular is a circular series of floor to ceiling tanks fully surrounding visitors, exhibiting mid-sized predators and various schooling fish. Supplementing the large showstopping tanks are a variety of smaller aquaria which are home to dozens of fascinating species such as garden eels and many unusual reef fish. The hall ends with a mangrove forest composed of a few open-topped tanks that provides a nice contrast with the rest of the exhibit and is followed by a coral propagation display. With fish above, below and beside you, this exhibit never fails to engage the visitor and unlike some other aquarium galleries has maintained a clear focus since its unveiling.

@pachyderm pro

@pachyderm pro

@Milwaukee Man

@pachyderm pro

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

Similar Exhibits: None.

One of my favorite exhibits at Shedd, with some very nice individual tanks with many interesting species. It works better than Amazon Rising IMO, although Amazon Rising does have a much more naturalistic feel. Wild Reef relies quite heavily on fake coral reefs and moc rock, both inside and out of the tanks, and that is honestly its biggest fault.
I think there are somewhat similar exhibits around, steinhart aquarium also has a representation of a Philippine reef, but although the main tank is larger and more impressive, the exhibit as a whole is smaller.

 

[Pleistocene891]

63. Lied Jungle
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, NE
Opened: 1992
Size: 123,000 Square Feet (11,430 Square Meters)
Inhabitants: Roughly 70 species including White-cheeked Gibbon, Francois' Langur, Malayan Tapir, Pygmy Hippo, Egyptian Fruit Bat, >20 bird species and a range of other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Director Lee G. Simmons had an ambitious vision to make the once little known Henry Doorly Zoo a trailblazer in the zoological world, and constructing America’s largest rainforest house was the first step towards realizing that vision. Arnhem had already created an immersive rainforest environment a few years prior, but something of that scale had never been done before in the states. With over 2,000 live plants in an expansive 1.2 acre atrium, the rainforest was seen as so realistic that it initially triggered Vietnam war veterans to have flashbacks. It’s a truly iconic exhibit, although its flaws become more glaring upon closer inspection. The amount of things included under one roof means that the rainforest atmosphere is never able to truly dominate and there are a lot of visible pipes and obvious concrete walls with washed out murals. Keeping tapirs and pygmy hippos indoors 24/7 is rather unfortunate even if the conditions have been marginally improved, plus the primate islands really aren’t anything special if you strictly judge the area they can access and not the surrounding vegetation. With that said, there are some truly amazing sights to see here. The water moats surrounding the primate islands are stocked with impressive larger fish like arapaima and Mekong giant catfish. Hundreds of birds are in free flight and there are also an estimated 750 fruit bats with full range of the building. The lower level of the building has a bit less going on so the attempt at immersion better succeeds, with a barrierless Amazon stingray pool being a highlight. The furnishings are stunning and although it doesn't always follow through on providing the perfect rainforest recreation, the Lied Jungle is still one of the most awe-inspiring zoo buildings of all time.

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@Moebelle

@pachyderm pro

@pachyderm pro

Similar Exhibits: You'll find out at a later time.

This is a good rainforest building and definitely must see but I will say that it's a bit disappointing that this is arguably the best America has to offer when it comes to indoor rainforests, especially when compared to Europe's best indoor rainforests.

 

[reduakari]

This is a good rainforest building and definitely must see but I will say that it's a bit disappointing that this is arguably the best America has to offer when it comes to indoor rainforests, especially when compared to Europe's best indoor rainforests.

It is not the best. It’s most redeeming feature was the ground level pathway with no-barrier access to a shallow, fish-filled stream—now closed off for years. The best US rainforest exhibit is a building that served as the inspiration for the Lied Jungle, which I expect will be popping up here soon!

 

[15399]

It is not the best. It’s most redeeming feature was the ground level pathway with no-barrier access to a shallow, fish-filled stream—now closed off for years. The best US rainforest exhibit is a building that served as the inspiration for the Lied Jungle, which I expect will be popping up here soon!

I mean, best is an inherently subjective distinction. A strong case can be made that Lied Jungle is in fact the best US rainforest exhibit, but an equally strong case can also be made for the exhibit that I think you are referring to.

 

[Pleistocene891]

It is not the best. It’s most redeeming feature was the ground level pathway with no-barrier access to a shallow, fish-filled stream—now closed off for years. The best US rainforest exhibit is a building that served as the inspiration for the Lied Jungle, which I expect will be popping up here soon!

Even the exhibit you’re referring to pales in comparison to Europe’s best rainforest buildings.

 

[reduakari]

Even the exhibit you’re referring to pales in comparison to Europe’s best rainforest buildings.

Masoala and Burgers Bush are fantastic, though both lack some of the the drama that comes with the megafauna and exquisitely-detailed simulated Dipterocarps, carefully controlled sightlines and other features of the 1985 exhibit in question. Gondwanaland is awesome but cartoonish, as is Emmen. It’s interesting that the rainforest “megastructure” trend continues to expand in Europe but has largely been abandoned in the US.

 

[Pleistocene891]

Masoala and Burgers Bush are fantastic, though both lack some of the the drama that comes with the megafauna and exquisitely-detailed simulated Dipterocarps, carefully controlled sightlines and other features of the 1985 exhibit in question. Gondwanaland is awesome but cartoonish, as is Emmen. It’s interesting that the rainforest “megastructure” trend continues to expand in Europe but has largely been abandoned in the US.

So why would Lied Jungle be worse than the “1985 exhibit? I’ve see both and thought they were roughly on the same level.

 

[reduakari]

So why would Lied Jungle be worse than the “1985 exhibit? I’ve see both and thought they were roughly on the same level.

Attention to detail (more accurately crafted artificial trees, rocks, murals, plantings), fewer egregiously small exhibits (with one glaring exception), better choreographed sequence of experiences, much better graphics and interpretation, carefully controlled sightlines to minimize sense of being in a building. All pretty subtle distinctions but important to me…its all subjective. Both are amazing experiences no zoo in the US has come close to matching.

 

[Great Argus]

Hundreds of birds are in free flight and there are also an estimated 750 fruit bats with full range of the building.

At their USDA inspection last July Omaha had over 1,700 Egyptian Fruit Bats - which is a lot of bats!

 

[birdsandbats]

At their USDA inspection last July Omaha had over 1,700 Egyptian Fruit Bats - which is a lot of bats!

And that's on top of the flying foxes!

 

[Great Argus]

And that's on top of the flying foxes!

Omaha's total bats at that inspection was over 2,550 individuals of 11 species, so quite batty!