America's 50 Must See Zoos
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
Technically that bison yard isn’t part of the zoo, it’s just a bison farm that’s next door and happens to be visible from the tram ride and overlooks.Ohio - The Wilds
Founded: 1994
Size: 9,000 Acres (3,642 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 25
Mammals 20
Birds 3
Reptiles & Amphibians 1
Fish 0
Invertebrates 1
Drive-through safari parks are a dime a dozen in America and hardly leave anything to the imagination. It's easy to fence off an empty lawn, throw in a few llamas and rheas, and call it a day. The Wilds is the antitheses of these places, providing the drive-through park experience at the largest scale imaginable, literally. It's one of the world's largest zoos in physical space and the views are truly phenomenal. No expense is spared on space, with over 400 acres set aside for a herd of roughly 100 American bison. The cart tour navigates through several giant pastures all hundreds of acres in size, home to large herds of giraffes, rhinos, antelope and equids set in rolling hills and vast plains. The collection is by no means huge with an almost exclusive focus on ungulates and carnivores, but there are a handful of surprises for rarity hunters such as Persian onager, Bactrian deer and Javan banteng. Although most of the grounds are only seen from the cart tour, there are a few areas viewed on foot. The Mid-sized Carnivore Conservation Center has several spacious yards for cheetahs, painted dogs and dholes, all over an acre in size with even more off exhibit. There is also a single offshoot exhibit for Chinese goral and red-crowned crane, plus a small area for eastern hellbender conservation. The park is also a reserve for native wildlife, with designated areas for butterfly watching and year-round birding.
General View, @Moebelle
One of Several Pastures, @Moebelle
Mid-sized Carnivore Conservation Center, @Moebelle
Chinese Goral and White-naped Crane Enclosure, @Kudu21
American Bison Paddock, @Moebelle
Zoochat Gallery:
The Wilds - ZooChat
Zoo Website:
The Wilds - Home
Zoo Map:
N/A
Aren’t those the same thing?
Equestrian is someone who rides horses...
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
I suppose it could be a field of people riding onager, P. horses, and zebras, in which case, sure, why not.
The Wilds does offer horse back tours, so my initial gaffe isn't entirely untrue.
The Wild's staff do often tend to and care for the bison though.
Ohio - Toledo Zoo
Founded: 1900
Size: 62 Acres (25 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 846
Mammals 59
Birds 139
Reptiles & Amphibians 168
Fish 245
Invertebrates 235
This is an institution that can be accurately described as a very European zoo when it comes to its general structure, thanks in part to its taxonomic zones and 1930s animal houses. The majority of the outdoor exhibits are perfectly fine without being anything particularly noteworthy. Tembo Trail has become a geographical melting pot, where you can find African elephants, Indian rhinos, grizzly bears and Tasmanian devils all in the same complex and the quality is just as unpredictable. The savanna is okay, but has made considerably more unattractive by clunky sightlines and obvious dividers. With that said, there are a few standout outdoor habitats. The zoo is famous for pioneering the concept of clear underwater viewing for hippos and the hippoquarium still holds up pretty well. The pheasantry has a great collection and the large aviary for free-flight flamingos should also be commended. However, where the zoo really shines is indoors. Toledo takes great pride in its WPA era buildings which have all been carefully restored for modern use. The bird house has rarities like lesser-bird of paradise and kagu, plus some non-bird rarities like lowland paca. The comprehensive aquarium building was heavily revamped a few years back and while the sleek interior is unrecognizable to its original incarnation, the exterior remains identical to when it was unveiled 80 years ago. The Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History is almost a full-day attraction in itself with a cornucopia of ectotherms around every corner including even more rarities, most notably yellow-lipped sea krait and coconut crab. There are also countless interactive and educational displays and an atrium with free-ranging poison dart frogs and white-throated ground doves. Despite the age of these buildings, they represent Toledo at its best and are the reason why it is a must-see institution.
Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History, @Moebelle
Aquarium, @snowleopard
Flamingo and Waterfowl Aviary, @Milwaukee Man
Hippoquarium, @ZooNerd1234
Walkthrough African Grasslands Aviary, @Moebelle
Zoochat Gallery:
Toledo Zoo - ZooChat
Zoo Website:
The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Map:
Toledo Zoo Map
Founded: 1900
Size: 62 Acres (25 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 846
Mammals 59
Birds 139
Reptiles & Amphibians 168
Fish 245
Invertebrates 235
This is an institution that can be accurately described as a very European zoo when it comes to its general structure, thanks in part to its taxonomic zones and 1930s animal houses. The majority of the outdoor exhibits are perfectly fine without being anything particularly noteworthy. Tembo Trail has become a geographical melting pot, where you can find African elephants, Indian rhinos, grizzly bears and Tasmanian devils all in the same complex and the quality is just as unpredictable. The savanna is okay, but has made considerably more unattractive by clunky sightlines and obvious dividers. With that said, there are a few standout outdoor habitats. The zoo is famous for pioneering the concept of clear underwater viewing for hippos and the hippoquarium still holds up pretty well. The pheasantry has a great collection and the large aviary for free-flight flamingos should also be commended. However, where the zoo really shines is indoors. Toledo takes great pride in its WPA era buildings which have all been carefully restored for modern use. The bird house has rarities like lesser-bird of paradise and kagu, plus some non-bird rarities like lowland paca. The comprehensive aquarium building was heavily revamped a few years back and while the sleek interior is unrecognizable to its original incarnation, the exterior remains identical to when it was unveiled 80 years ago. The Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History is almost a full-day attraction in itself with a cornucopia of ectotherms around every corner including even more rarities, most notably yellow-lipped sea krait and coconut crab. There are also countless interactive and educational displays and an atrium with free-ranging poison dart frogs and white-throated ground doves. Despite the age of these buildings, they represent Toledo at its best and are the reason why it is a must-see institution.
Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History, @Moebelle
Aquarium, @snowleopard
Flamingo and Waterfowl Aviary, @Milwaukee Man
Hippoquarium, @ZooNerd1234
Walkthrough African Grasslands Aviary, @Moebelle
Zoochat Gallery:
Toledo Zoo - ZooChat
Zoo Website:
The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Map:
Toledo Zoo Map
ProMedica is truly an incredible exhibit. There is a hidden prairie room with quite a few native roaming insects and a large collection of native plant species on display, and there are also free-roaming hummingbirds in the atrium.Ohio - Toledo Zoo
Founded: 1900
Size: 62 Acres (25 Hectares)
Species & Subspecies (On and Off Exhibit): 846
Mammals 59
Birds 139
Reptiles & Amphibians 168
Fish 245
Invertebrates 235
This is an institution that can be accurately described as a very European zoo when it comes to its general structure, thanks in part to its taxonomic zones and 1930s animal houses. The majority of the outdoor exhibits are perfectly fine without being anything particularly noteworthy. Tembo Trail has become a geographical melting pot, where you can find African elephants, Indian rhinos, grizzly bears and Tasmanian devils all in the same complex and the quality is just as unpredictable. The savanna is okay, but has made considerably more unattractive by clunky sightlines and obvious dividers. With that said, there are a few standout outdoor habitats. The zoo is famous for pioneering the concept of clear underwater viewing for hippos and the hippoquarium still holds up pretty well. The pheasantry has a great collection and the large aviary for free-flight flamingos should also be commended. However, where the zoo really shines is indoors. Toledo takes great pride in its WPA era buildings which have all been carefully restored for modern use. The bird house has rarities like lesser-bird of paradise and kagu, plus some non-bird rarities like lowland paca. The comprehensive aquarium building was heavily revamped a few years back and while the sleek interior is unrecognizable to its original incarnation, the exterior remains identical to when it was unveiled 80 years ago. The Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History is almost a full-day attraction in itself with a cornucopia of ectotherms around every corner including even more rarities, most notably yellow-lipped sea krait and coconut crab. There are also countless interactive and educational displays and an atrium with free-ranging poison dart frogs and white-throated ground doves. Despite the age of these buildings, they represent Toledo at its best and are the reason why it is a must-see institution.
Promedica Museum of Science and Natural History, @Moebelle
Aquarium, @snowleopard
Flamingo and Waterfowl Aviary, @Milwaukee Man
Hippoquarium, @ZooNerd1234
Walkthrough African Grasslands Aviary, @Moebelle
Zoochat Gallery:
Toledo Zoo - ZooChat
Zoo Website:
The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Map:
Toledo Zoo Map
Despite its shortcomings I think Toledo is truly a top 10 (and maybe even top 5) US zoo.
I hope you don't mind me mentioning this, but I would love to see this thread be a "Top 100."
That already exists, it's just in a different format.
I'm really glad you're enjoying the project, but a 100 must-see zoos wouldn't work very well. The point of this thread is to highlight the true "must-see" zoos that everyone should visit and not necessarily the "top" zoos. For example, Cleveland would make a top 100 list easily, but is there really much that's must see about it? By just having 50 slots, it adds to the significance of a zoo making the list. Having 100 picks would dilute it and there wouldn't be any suspense, any debate, or any surprises, which is a big part of the fun.
Ah thank you for the clarification. I just thought I would propose the idea...
How many of the 50 have been done so far
I was trying to count that myself and so far it seems to be less than 40...
Thank you
I guess The Rainforest would be pretty notable, along with *I guess* African Elephant Crossing and Rosebourough Tiger Passage?
If you have to say "I guess" about what's notable, it probably doesn't belong on the list.
Both exhibits are one of the best in the country for each of their respective species.