America's 50 Must See Zoos

[pachyderm pro]

Georgia - Georgia Aquarium

Founded: 2005
Size: 11 Million Gallons (24 Million Liters)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 249
Mammals 6
Birds 5
Reptiles & Amphibians 17
Fish 186
Invertebrates 35

This is North America's largest aquarium in both physical space and volume of water, and at the time of it's opening was the worlds largest. It's only a little over 15 years old yet has already seen several expansions since its founding. The premiere attraction is the six million gallon Ocean Voyager; an absolutely enormous open-ocean tank with the largest viewing window coming out at 23 feet tall and 61 feet wide. The stars of not just this tank, but the aquarium as a whole are the only whale sharks outside of Asia. Get here while you can, only two of the world's largest fish remain and once they’re gone the aquarium has no plans to bring in additional animals. Alongside the whale sharks are a plethora of other impressive species including manta rays, sharks, groupers, sawfish, guitarfish, and a seemingly never-ending amount of schooling fish. It’s truly one of the greatest aquarium tanks ever created, although the rest of the aquarium doesn't always live up to the lofty expectations set by this display. There's just about every crowd pleasing aquatic species beyond fish that you could ask for with dolphins, belugas, pinnipeds, otters, penguins, etc. The cetacean pools are underwhelming in size, although mixing belugas and harbor seals is an innovative idea. The pinniped and sea otter exhibits are also surprisingly small and all indoors. The shark display is very impressive with an excellent species list of rarities including silver-tips, sand tigers, great hammerheads, and tiger sharks. At its best the aquarium is incredible, but as flashy as it is not everything is quite as world-class as one would expect.

Ocean Voyager, @Moebelle

Beluga Whale and Harbor Seal Tank, @Moebelle

Pacific Barrier Reef Tank, @Moebelle

Sharks! Predators of the Deep, @geomorph

Main Lobby, @Moebelle

Zoochat Gallery:
Georgia Aquarium - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Georgia Aquarium | Open to the Public | Buy your tickets online | Visit Today

Zoo Map:
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GAQ-Visual-Map-011421.pdf

 

[CGSwans]

I didn't know they are phasing out the whale sharks. Do we have any sense of the life expectancy of the remaining two?

 

[Moebelle]

the aquarium as a whole are the only whale sharks outside of Asia. Get here while you can, only two of the world's largest fish remain and once they’re gone the aquarium has no plans to bring in additional animals.

When I mentioned this rumor to the aquarium's lead exhibit designer, he had no idea what I was talking about and never heard of such plan - or in this case, lack of a plan.

 

[pachyderm pro]

According to another member the plan was to not obtain any additional individuals once all of the current ones pass, although things may have very well changed since then which would of course be excellent news. Either way any plans to obtain additional whale sharks have not been publicly discussed since then, and if things go well the remaining specimens potentially still have several more decades of life ahead of them.

 

[CMP]

Georgia - Georgia Aquarium

Founded: 2005
Size: 11 Million Gallons (24 Million Liters)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 249
Mammals 6
Birds 5
Reptiles & Amphibians 17
Fish 186
Invertebrates 35

This is North America's largest aquarium in both physical space and volume of water, and at the time of it's opening was the worlds largest. It's only a little over 15 years old yet has already seen several expansions since its founding. The premiere attraction is the six million gallon Ocean Voyager; an absolutely enormous open-ocean tank with the largest viewing window coming out at 23 feet tall and 61 feet wide. The stars of not just this tank, but the aquarium as a whole are the only whale sharks outside of Asia. Get here while you can, only two of the world's largest fish remain and once they’re gone the aquarium has no plans to bring in additional animals. Alongside the whale sharks are a plethora of other impressive species including manta rays, sharks, groupers, sawfish, guitarfish, and a seemingly never-ending amount of schooling fish. It’s truly one of the greatest aquarium tanks ever created, although the rest of the aquarium doesn't always live up to the lofty expectations set by this display. There's just about every crowd pleasing aquatic species beyond fish that you could ask for with dolphins, belugas, pinnipeds, otters, penguins, etc. The cetacean pools are underwhelming in size, although mixing belugas and harbor seals is an innovative idea. The pinniped and sea otter exhibits are also surprisingly small and all indoors. The shark display is very impressive with an excellent species list of rarities including silver-tips, sand tigers, great hammerheads, and tiger sharks. At its best the aquarium is incredible, but as flashy as it is not everything is quite as world-class as one would expect.

Ocean Voyager, @Moebelle

Beluga Whale and Harbor Seal Tank, @Moebelle

Pacific Barrier Reef Tank, @Moebelle

Sharks! Predators of the Deep, @geomorph

Main Lobby, @Moebelle

Zoochat Gallery:
Georgia Aquarium - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Georgia Aquarium | Open to the Public | Buy your tickets online | Visit Today

Zoo Map:
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GAQ-Visual-Map-011421.pdf

Florida - Zoo Tampa

Founded: 1957
Size: 63 Acres (25 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 315
Mammals 65
Birds 118
Reptiles & Amphibians 74
Fish 48
Invertebrates 10

While many zoos have an animal that they have become synonymous with, there aren’t many major zoos bold enough to shine the spotlight on a species as unusual as the shoebill stork. Being the first American collection ever to breed them helps bolster their importance to the park, although it's a shame the old wetlands aviary had to be dismantled. Tampa as a whole provides an opportunity for lesser-appreciated rarities to really shine, and zoo nerds will be delighted to hear that there are plenty of others to be found including bay duiker, yellow-footed rock wallaby, and both Indian and false gharial. The collection of native wildlife is particularly superb with rescued manatees obviously being the main draw, seen as part of a larger building alongside a long hall of vivaria. A sizable portion of the Floridian area is under redevelopment at the moment, but in many ways is already fantastic. The zoo makes a valid effort at theming in most areas with Asian temples, African lodges and the like, although it usually doesn't try very hard to hide obvious barriers or holding buildings. This is evident in the savanna which is divided into three separate paddocks by wood and wire fencing, including a yard that mixes elephants with various antelope. Although long term ambitions involve adding more ABC's like gorillas and lions, smaller scale improvements are done frequently and this year a new Florida panther complex will be completed, plus a revamp of the old chimp habitat for hamadryas baboons. Other highlights include an aviary for blue duiker and several hornbill species, a huge group of orangutans, and a tram ride that traverses through and around back-of-house areas in the African habitats.

Shoebill Stork Aviary, @pachyderm pro

Orangutan Exhibit, @snowleopard

African Elephant, Impala, and Nile Lechwe Exhibit, @Moebelle

Sulawesi Aviary, @Moebelle

Manatee Tanks, @Moebelle

Zoochat Gallery:
Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Home - ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Zoo Map:
https://zootampa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/zootampa-map-august-6-2021-for-screens.pdf

Both are very excellent and well worth a visit, especially Georgia being the definition of 'Must-see'. At its greatest Georgia is stronger than Shedd, but the general lack of smaller exhibits at Georgia means that I still prefer Shedd. Tampa is all around very enjoyable every visit, and Ocean Voyager is spectacular and gives an incomparable experience. These are perfect picks after the very subjective White Oak.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Illinois - Brookfield Zoo

Founded: 1934
Size: 216 Acres (87 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 516
Mammals 99
Birds 101
Reptiles & Amphibians 138
Fish 60
Invertebrates 118

Brookfield is a zoo that still holds onto its history and many buildings that opened with the zoo still stand today. Some of the grounds feel very dated as a result with the historic pachyderm house being the biggest culprit. Elephants and hippos were phased out and now only rhinos, tapirs, and a few non-pachyderm stragglers remain. That’s not to say the zoo is a complete remnant, as several of its historic buildings were completely gutted to create themed indoor exhibits. The cat house became two complexes, one focusing on deserts and the other on Borneo. The Swamp is a superb transformation of the old primate house and features a wide variety of Floridian and South American ectotherms and birds. The not so historic African houses are both notable: the Kopje building doubling as a giraffe house and walkthrough aviary with kilpspringers, and the African Forest house focusing on unusual species like black and rufous sengi and North America's only on-exhibit pangolins. The zoo has played a substantial role in the breeding and reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf thanks in part to a stunning two-acre habitat that is a clear highlight. There are several other highlights such as the Australian nocturnal hall with wombats and echidnas, a Peruvian seabird aviary, and one of the last dolphin stadiums in an American zoo. Perhaps the most iconic and/or infamous part of the zoo depending on who you ask is the titanic Tropic World building. What was once the largest zoo building in the world is one of the most controversial exhibits of all time because of its artificial appearance. In spite of this, the ability to have primates climb 100 feet in the air is wonderful and Tropic World will always be remembered for being one of the most ambitious zoo projects ever completed.

Tropic World South America, @pachyderm pro

Peru Aviary, @Moebelle

Mexican Gray Wolf Exhibit, @pachyderm pro

African Forest House, @ZooNerd1234

Pachyderm House with Lowland Tapir Exhibit, @pachyderm pro

Zoochat Gallery:
Brookfield Zoo - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo Home

Zoo Map:
https://www.czs.org/Brookfield-Zoo/Plan-Your-Visit/Zoo-Map/Universal-Map.aspx

 

[pachyderm pro]

Illinois - Lincoln Park Zoo

Founded: 1868
Size: 35 Acres (14 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 203
Mammals 74
Birds 76
Reptiles & Amphibians 45
Fish 3
Invertebrates 5

Just a couple hundred feet away from Lake Michigan, Lincoln Park is one of the oldest zoos in America and despite it being significantly smaller in both physical space and collection then its neighbor in the suburbs, it would be tragic to underestimate it. The zoo has depleted their collection of larger animals like elephants, tigers, jaguars and several species of bear, but for being in the middle of one of America's largest cities it still holds a solid collection of larger ABCs. It's done a superb job maintaining it's historic buildings and nowhere is this better demonstrated than the Pepper Family Wildlife Center, a revamped version of a century-old lion house that reduced an overcrowded collection of nearly a dozen species to just four with lions as the primary focus. It’s an excellent example of how to modernize a listed building while preserving its original character and now works just as well as an animal exhibit as it does a stunning piece of architecture. The Helen Branch Primate House is another historic house, although keeping its residents indoors year round means it doesn't quite hold up as well. The parks other primate exhibits are on the other end of the spectrum, including a wonderful Japanese macaque exhibit and the highly stylized Center for African Apes with rotational habitats for gorillas and chimps. Other key areas include a rainforest atrium that features the only puerto-rican parrots in a mainland zoo, the diverse bird house, and the historic kovler seal pool. It’s very easy to tell what’s old and what’s new here, but it all manages to flow together perfectly.

Kovler Seal Pool, @Moebelle

Pepper Family Wildlife Center, @pachyderm pro

Dry Thorn Forest Room in African Journey, @pachyderm pro

Flamingo Exhibit with Small Mammal/Reptile House, @pachyderm pro

Indoor Gorilla Exhibit, @ZooNerd1234

Zoochat Gallery:
Lincoln Park Zoo - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Wildlife Experience in the Heart of Chicago - Lincoln Park Zoo

Zoo Map:
https://www.lpzoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/welcomeguide.pdf

 

[pachyderm pro]

Illinois - Shedd Aquarium

Founded: 1930
Size: 5 Million Gallons (19 Million Liters)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 1500
Mammals 4
Birds 11
Reptiles & Amphibians 100+
Fish 1000+
Invertebrates 100+

What many will argue is America's greatest aquarium. The exterior of the building resembles a castle more than an aquarium and the incredible architecture adds a distinct charm even with the way exhibits were designed. A series of halls with standard tanks filled with dozens and dozens of species, as well as the circular Caribbean Reef tank which is the centerpiece of the facility. The galleries aren’t very flashy, but the tanks are beautifully scaped and contain an incredible collection. The Aquarium recently announced plans to replace these galleries with themed areas over the next several years, and while it will be unfortunate to see them go most of the current species will remain. Two of the older galleries were already combined and transformed many years ago into a superb series of Amazon habitats and if the same amount of detail and care is going into the new developments there shouldn't be any reason to be concerned. Underneath the original building is a stunning series of habitats based on the oceans of the Philippines dubbed Wild Reef that bears a more modern design than the main floor. The crown jewel of the Shedd is the Pacific Northwest themed Abbott Oceanarium that features Lake Michigan as a natural backdrop and is the largest indoor cetacean complex in the world. A combined three million gallons across four pools for pacific white-sided dolphins and beluga whales, with california sea lions and sea otters in adjacent habitats that are admittedly tight on space by comparison. With roughly 1500 species, Shedd has one of the most diverse collections of any zoological institution on the planet and zoo enthusiasts will have to wait and see how the upcoming $500 million renovation project will alter one of the world's most iconic aquariums in the years to come.

Historic Caribbean Reef Tank, @pachyderm pro

Amazon Rising, @pachyderm pro

Rivers Gallery (Soon to be replaced), @pachyderm pro

Wild Reef Shark Tank, @pachyderm pro

Abbott Oceanarium, @ChunkyMunky pengopus

Zoochat Gallery:
Shedd Aquarium - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
https://www.sheddaquarium.org

Zoo Map:
https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...a8f506c7a4262fc76733f321a63772ff782243890940c

 

[snowleopard]

I think that the omissions of Jacksonville Zoo and Zoo Atlanta are probably accurate in the minds of many, even though both those facilities have their strong sections. They'd obviously make a Top 100 list.

It was a joy to read your accounts of the big three Illinois attractions, each in a different stage of development. In reference to Shedd, you say "what many will argue is America's greatest aquarium" and I am in full agreement there. To have my all-time favorite aquarium spend $500 million in upgrades (even at outrageous Chicago prices) is fantastic news. As you point out, some of the original galleries will be significantly altered after almost a century, but if Amazon Rising is anything to go by then Shedd will remain just as vibrant as ever. America's best aquarium, indeed!

Lincoln Park opened in 1868 (6 years before Philly thrust wide its gates) and so technically one could argue that only Central Park Zoo (1864) is older in the U.S.. The zoo's rich history hasn't stopped progress, with enormous recent expenses on new habitats for polar bears, penguins, Japanese macaques and lions. Amazingly, the zoo is still free to enter!

That brings me to Brookfield, a big zoo of more than 200 acres that really needs a massive overhaul. Change has been slow there, with talk of allowing great apes fresh air for 40 years and still we wait for the gorillas and orangutans to have access to an outdoor exhibit. Does the zoo really need a 1961 Dolphinarium? It was updated in the 1980s but still feels ancient. Looking at the huge cost to build anything in Chicago, I'm guessing that Brookfield needs a billion-dollar renovation and that's honestly not an exaggeration.

 

[CMP]

I have visited this trio of Illinois collections numerous times. Each one feels sufficiently unique from the other, and each has excellent highlights to make them 'Must-see'. Lincoln Park has some very interesting indoor complexes, and Brookfield has a wide range of species. Shedd is spectacular in its species diversity and grandeur. However, I agree with others that Brookfield is definitely the zoo that needs the most work. In recent years, I have visited Lincoln park and Shedd increasingly over Brookfield. Brookfield has been slipping behind the others for some time now, which is unfortunate, considering the potential it has and what it used to be.
Perhaps Lincoln park can wrap up their spending and some funding can shift to Brookfield. Snowleopard is certainly right about the insane costs potentially needed, but I think Chicago has enough money that Brookfield could eventually be brought back up to the level of the other two at some point.

 

[Gondwana]

The Brookfield/Lincoln Park contrast is an interesting one. Both zoos have nice collections. Lincoln Park definitely has the higher overall standard of exhibitry, with a few that are perhaps best in class -- probably the best traditional ape house in the US and African Journey is a better version of the semi-immersive animal houses that are Brookfield's specialty. It also generally seems to have a far superior understanding of how to effectively use physical space. That said, I would probably lean more towards Brookfield as a must see simply because Tropic World has to be seen to be believed even if the zoo has smartly discontinued the more extreme species mixes.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Kansas - Sedgwick County Zoo

Founded: 1971
Size: 247 Acres (100 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 381
Mammals 64
Birds 151
Reptiles & Amphibians 120
Fish 29
Invertebrates 17

This is probably the biggest dark horse to be found across the American zoo landscape. Many aren't aware of this zoo as a result of it being tucked away in a fairly out of the way location, yet it could almost certainly be considered one of the top ten zoos in the country. It’s very much a place centered around charismatic ABCs with elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, bears, three species of great ape, several big cats, etc. It’s very comprehensive overall and covers just about every traditional zoo exhibit you would expect to see from themed continental sections, a rainforest house, reptile building and a few one-off habitats. The biggest highlight of the zoo is the elephant complex which is an absolutely triumphant set of habitats built at a surprisingly inexpensive cost. There’s a boat ride running through the zoo that geos past the 550,000 gallon elephant pool and an invisible barrier creates the illusion of the elephants sharing the same space as the boat. The rest of the African exhibits vary with lions and painted dogs having excellent habitats, while the rest of the larger megafauna are still in the more traditional African Veldt exhibits including the first hippo exhibit in the US to have underwater viewing. The Asian area was just recently expanded upon and there is a big focus on cats with a series of rotational habitats for leopards, plus an impressive tiger complex. The Tropics building is primarily a walk-through aviary but there is also room with a variety of invertebrates and a broad-snouted caiman exhibit. The children’s farm area is surprisingly interesting with North American and African farm sections (and formally an Asian one as well) with a diverse variety of different domestic breeds. A great deal more appealing than the average barnyard display. Beyond that, the zoo is constantly impressive and lacks any major flaws, but it does play it a bit safe without many truly unique displays. In spite of that, a great collection plus great exhibits with a few standouts make it a must-see.

African Elephant Exhibit, @m30t

Tropics Building, @geomorph

Domestic Dromedary Camel Exhibit, @geomorph

Tiger Viewing Shelter, @geomorph

Okapi Exhibit, @geomorph

Zoochat Gallery:
https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/categories/sedgwick-county-zoo.1002/

Zoo Website:
Sedgwick County Zoo – Wichita, Kansas

Zoo Map:
https://mobilemaplets.com/thumbnails/4132_thumbnail-1024.jpg

 

[Bengal Tiger]

I must visit this place!!! I have fondness of domestics and I really enjoy seeing interesting breeds, as opposed to the same old Nigerian dwarf goats and Nubians (though I am still fond of them)

 

[15399]

Sedgwick County has been a zoo that has fascinated me for a while, especially due to their nice bird collection. It's certainly high up on my bucket list- though I doubt it'll be anytime soon I get there.

 

[PossumRoach]

With this $100 increase in pricing, let's see:

That $500 guided tour would get you into:

Disney's Animal Kingdom, $109
San Diego Zoo, $60
San Diego Zoo Safari Park, $60
Monterey Bay Aquarium, $50
SeaWorld San Diego, $100 (but frequently on sale)
Los Angeles Zoo, $22
St. Augustine Alligator Farm, $29
The Living Desert, $28
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, $25 (varies by day and time, approx average)
Denver, $15

That's a whopping TEN of the "must see" zoos you could visit for the same price as going to White Oak by yourself. Even if one or two other people were going with you it's still insanely expensive for what it is.

Which for comparison, there's been 14 "must-sees" so far, those 10 plus ASDM, CA Academy of Sciences, National, and White Oak. Ten for the price of one, including most of the expensive ones. Yeah, just skip White Oak and use the money you save to go visit the others.

I beg to differ. For $500 you could get 20 adukt tickest to Brevard zoo or 20 adult tickets to CMZ.

 

[birdsandbats]

I beg to differ. For $500 you could get 20 adukt tickest to Brevard zoo or 20 adult tickets to CMZ.

Why do that when you could go to Shedd twelve and a half times?

 

[PossumRoach]

Judging by the fact every picture of White Oak in the zoochat gallery is over ten years old, I fully expect that this will be the facility featured in this thread visited least often by zoochatters, likely due to the large cost. Also, @pachyderm pro, you mentioned the "rare hoofstock" they keep, but then named species kept by a decent number of other institutions, nothing only kept by two or three places. In my personal opinion, nothing about White Oak seems appealing enough to warrant it "must-see", but I do agree it qualifies as a zoo and respect your decision to feature it in this thread. It's just not very high on my personal bucket list, but it's not the first zoo featured I wouldn't go out of my way to visit.

WO does have an animal worth seeing (the grasshopper sparrow), but afaik they are off display per the FWS's breeding program.

Why do that when you could go to Shedd twelve and a half times?

While Shedd does have soulful and historical architecture I just like Brevard more. I may not have visited CMZ but am more interested to visit it than Shedd.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Maryland - National Aquarium

Founded: 1981
Size: 2.2 Million Gallons ( 8.3 million Liters)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 826
Mammals 9
Birds 46
Reptiles & Amphibians 102
Fish 477
Invertebrates 192

Similar to the National Zoo, while the National Aquarium isn’t quite the greatest aquarium in the country as the name might suggest, it is certainly one of the most creative. The facility comprises three glass pavilions that are interconnected across the Baltimore harbor and the clear highlight is the building that exclusively focuses on Northern Australian fauna. Australia: Wild Extremes was unveiled over 15 years ago and is still absolutely terrific with rarities like Australian freshwater crocodile, Irwin’s turtle, toothless catfish and many other species uncommon outside of the isolated continent. There are also kookaburra and various parrot species in free flight and overall the detail is superb. Another one of the pavilions lacks a central focus and has a little bit of everything it seems. One of the more unique displays is a large shark tank that runs directly under the visitor viewing area known as Blacktip Reef. The very top of the building has a walkthrough rainforest with a variety of birds and free-ranging sloths and golden lion tamarins. There is also a smaller area for native species, plus kelp forest and seabird displays. The third and final pavilion is for the aquarium’s pod of bottlenose dolphins. The current tank is a very standard display, although a development that’s been talked about for several years at this point is to relocate the dolphins to a seaside sanctuary. Considering how long this move has been discussed it’s unknown when this will occur. Even without marine mammals, the National Aquarium will still excel thanks to it’s ability to make a spectacle out of environments that are rarely focused on at other institutions.

Australia: Wild Extremes, @NAIB Volunteer

Blacktip Reef Tank, @NAIB Volunteer

Maryland Stream Tank, @NAIB Volunteer

Atlantic Reef Tank Walkways, @TinoPup

Upland Tropical Rainforest, @TinoPup

Zoochat Gallery:
National Aquarium in Baltimore - ZooChat

Zoo Website:
Homepage

Zoo Map:
https://aqua.org/assets/documents/National-Aquarium-Visitor-Guide.pdf

 

[pachyderm pro]

Size: 2.2 Million Gallons (19 Million Liters)

Just want to point out before someone else does that I realize this is a mistake and will have it fixed. I swear I triple check these things yet errors still manage to slip through the cracks.

 

[NAIB Volunteer]

Great synopsis @pachyderm pro! As you said, it might not be America's largest or best aquarium, but has excellent exhibit quality and a diverse animal collection. As noted, the dolphin colony is destined to a seaside sanctuary in the near future. That leaves a massive building to re-develop and preliminary plans promise to deliver something quite spectacular!

Current projects include the glass pyramid replacement on the original Pier 3 Rainforest exhibit (set to start this year) and the construction of an expansive floating wetland complete with docks, boardwalks, and native plantings between Piers 3 and 4.

I am curious where you got 9 species of mammals. There may be some program animals that I am unaware of, but on exhibit are Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Golden lion tamarins, and two toed sloths.

Glad we made the list!