America's Most Visited Zoos (Travel & Leisure Magazine)

I have visited 3 of the top 5 (Lincoln Park, Columbus and Brookfield) The zoos that suprised me the most were Columbus at 4, Brookfield at 5 and Como Park at 7.
 
Ive visited:
#1 san diego zoo
#4 Columbus zoo and aquarium
#6 Smithsonian National Zoological Park
#15 Cincinnati zoo and Botanical Garden
#18 Philadelphia zoo
 
I've visited all but two, and I will tour Busch Gardens this August. The one zoo that I'll be missing is Como Park Zoo in the state of Minnesota. On a side note, it will be intriguing to see how Denver rises in the standings as Toyota Elephant Passage has already been a major hit in terms of attendance.
 
Blackduiker

The zoos I've visited on this list include:

Los Angeles Zoo
Phoenix Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Safari Park

My wife visited Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo while visiting there with her grandmother about five years ago. Had Disney's Animal Kingdom been included on the list, that would make one more for me. But being considered a theme park, it was excluded.
 
It's notable that 3 of the Top 5 (and 4 of the Top 7) are all Free zoos. I've been told that some of the the "attendance" of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo includes bums who just wander through, some looking for a hand-out from zoo visitors.
 
ANyhuis said:
It's notable that 3 of the Top 5 (and 4 of the Top 7) are all Free zoos. I've been told that some of the the "attendance" of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo includes bums who just wander through, some looking for a hand-out from zoo visitors.
Click to expand...

I've seen joggers going through there and the National Zoo as well.
 
Como Zoo is only popular because it is free. As a life long resident, I have only visited this zoo a handful of times. The exhibits depress me and I would rather spend my money at the Minnesota Zoo.
 
We have been to these zoos from this list

SD Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Phily Zoo
Cincy Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Omaha Zoo
Columbus Zoo
St Louis Zoo
Milwaukee Zoo
Houston Zoo
National Zoo

Team Tapir
 
The list clearly shows that attendance is based on the size of the city the zoo is located in. That is the only way to explain the Rio Grande Zoo (which they mislabel as the Albuquerque Zoo) making the top twenty, as it is one of the worst AZA zoos I have been to. They also used a picture of the Albuquerque Aquarium on that posting - oops!

While many of the top ones are free admission, it is interesting that the number one in attendance (San Diego Zoo) is by far the most expensive on the list.

I also find it impossible to believe that half the US population visits zoos every year. I know the people I meet and work with, the majority have not been to a zoo in years (unless they have small children). I have no doubt that zoo attendance figures add up to that amount, but certainly that includes the same people going several times a year (and some like ZooChatters going to multiple zoos).
 
I think it is true that having a big city does help a zoo especialy Lincoln Park and Brookfield. I feel like Brookfield gets alot of families that live near the zoo and not to many tourists. Even though Lincoln Park gets bums when ever I go to the zoo it is always packed and sometimes hard to view animals because of the crowds.
 
ArizonaDocent, I agree that it seems like everyone I know has no interest in zoos and has not been to one in years! Zoo attendance figures must be partially composed of repeat visitors, or I just don't hang out with the half of the country that attends! To be fair, many of the people I know are in my own area and the local zoos are not generally well-regarded here by those who have not been (and certainly by some who have!).

Concerning Rio Grande, I wonder if their attendance figures include the aquarium and the botanic garden, which along with the zoo make up the Albuquerque BioPark? It does seem strange that their attendance was higher than Dallas, for instance.
 
Of course repeat visitors are a part of that figure, as they should be, which means the writer didn't phrase that sentence correctly.
 
Arizona Docent said:
The list clearly shows that attendance is based on the size of the city the zoo is located in. That is the only way to explain the Rio Grande Zoo making the top twenty, as it is one of the worst AZA zoos I have been to. While many of the top ones are free admission, it is interesting that the number one in attendance (San Diego Zoo) is by far the most expensive on the list.
Click to expand...

It seems clear to me that high Attendance at zoos is a combination of 3 different factors: (a) City/metro population; (b) Free admission; (c) Quality of the zoo. Some are clearly on this list because of (b) or (a), while San Diego, Omaha, and Portland are due to (c).

Wow, I certainly don't agree about the Rio Grande Zoo being "one of the worst". I think it's beautiful.

And yes, repeat visitors are a major reason that the total USA zoo attendance is so high.
 
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