America's 50 Must See Zoos

[15399]

After diving into geoguessr map making and did one for the Europe 50 must see zoos thread, I figure I'd do one for all the Americans as well, as such here you go!:
GeoGuessr - America's 50 Must See Zoos -the map

Also it's very enjoyable to just reading back this thread, it's really well done.

Fascinating game, great job! I just tried it out, and it's really interesting. Three of the five I got correct (including getting Detroit's Amphibian Center only 7 yards away... helps I was there earlier this month), but then I mistook Cincinnati's hippo exhibit for Toledo's, and mistook North Carolina Zoo for San Diego Zoo Safari Park... didn't get many points out of that second error, lol.

 

[CMP]

After diving into geoguessr map making and did one for the Europe 50 must see zoos thread, I figure I'd do one for all the Americans as well, as such here you go!:
GeoGuessr - America's 50 Must See Zoos -the map

Also it's very enjoyable to just reading back this thread, it's really well done.

Thanks for this, it made me feel like Rainbolt with all my 5000-point guesses

 

[MarkinTex]

Texas - Dallas World Aquarium

Don’t let the name fool you, as to call this just an aquarium would be a grave error. This is not at all a traditional facility by any means. Think of it more like a multi-level rainforest zoo with some aquatic elements, although the actual aquarium portion of the facility really is an afterthought in the grand scheme of things. They cram a lot in here, even if it comes at the expense of space for a lot of the aquarium's residents. In some cases some really tiny enclosures, especially for the larger species, although luckily the controversial jaguar exhibit is no more.

Even though I’m not really the biggest fan of DWA, this is an easy inclusion on any must-see US zoo list; the species list is incredible!

I do wish they leaned more heavily into the Aquarium elements of the facility, most of the zoos highlights came in that area.

I went to Dallas World Aquarium 3 or 4 times between 1994 and 1998 when I was in college. I cna vouch that during its first few years it was MUCH smaller, and definitely just an aquarium. The jaguar exhibit was added during that time, and I remember the first time I saw it being disgusted that they would keep that animal in such a tiny enclosure.

 

[MarkinTex]

Texas - Fort Worth Zoo

Fort Worth has come a long way over the past few years. While it used to be greatly overshadowed by the other major Texas institutions, it now holds its own significantly better than it once did.

As a native Texan it's interesting to see you say this, because in the 80s and 90s, Fort Worth was generally considered to be neck and neck with the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville as best zoo in Texas. Houston Zoo was pretty humdrum and Dallas was downright run down. It really wasn't until the late 00s that Houston really started to take shape.

 

[Pleistohorse]

As a native Texan it's interesting to see you say this, because in the 80s and 90s, Fort Worth was generally considered to be neck and neck with the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville as best zoo in Texas. Houston Zoo was pretty humdrum and Dallas was downright run down. It really wasn't until the late 00s that Houston really started to take shape.

I remember when I moved to Texas as a kid in the early 1980’s, the San Antonio Zoo was often said to be one of the best in the country (still behind Gladys Porter as the best in Texas) and rightly famous for it’s Antelope collection and Whooping Cranes.

 

[MarkinTex]

I remember when I moved to Texas as a kid in the early 1980’s, the San Antonio Zoo was often said to be one of the best in the country (still behind Gladys Porter as the best in Texas) and rightly famous for it’s Antelope collection and Whooping Cranes.

Oh yeah, I tend to forget about the San Antonio Zoo for some reason. I wonder if it has to do with San Antonio having so many other attractions compared to the other big Texas cities, that the zoo gets overlooked. I thought it was a nice zoo the last time I visited, maybe 10 or so years ago, but had been eclipsed by the improvements to the other zoos in the state. Haven't been to Brownsville since I was a really little kid in the early 80s, I wonder how it's held up. I'd still say that Fossil Rim is my favorite zoo in Texas.