My bucket list is Monterey Bay Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Aquamarine Fukushima, Okinawa Chuarumi Aquarium and Numazu Deepsea Aquarium.
Best exhibit ever?
- Thread starter AlmightyKingPrawn
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I also have the non-American zoos of Australia Zoo, Taronga Zoo Sydney, Chester Zoo, London Zoo, and Whipsnade zoo
Currently the ProMedica Museum of Natural History at the Toledo Zoo. I didn’t really have a favorite (though there were some exhibits I really love) until the visit to the museum (Though Xcaret’s giant aviary, Amazon Rising at Shedd, Regenstein African Journey at Lincoln Park and the Polk Penguin Conservation Center at Detroit are all follow-ups).
From the zoos I visited my top ten would probably be as follows:
- Ocean Voyager at Georgia Aquarium
- Watani Grasslands at NC Zoo
- Asia Trail at National Zoo
- Madagascar at Bronx Zoo
- Congo Gorilla Forest at Bronx Zoo
- Tropical Discovery at Denver Zoo
- Owens Aviary at San Diego Zoo
- Amazon Rising at Shedd Aquarium
- Wild Reef at Shedd Aquarium
- African Woods at San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Not sure if it counts as a single exhibit complex, but the walking trail predator loop at Northwest Trek is unbeatable IMO.
I meant the projected ship as you go down the ramp to the lower level that sprays water.
Yes - but how can it be 4d? You mean 3d?
I also too think Omaha's Kingdoms of the Night is my all-time favorite.
Words can't describe just how grand Ocean Voyager is. It really sells the sheer majesty of everything inside. It's my favorite exhibit, although many of San Diego's come close, but that's likely just because they needed some way to house such a big and active creature.
Really ? The Eismeer. The Polar Bear exhibit is just such a major disapointmemt that it realy brings the exhibit down a LOT.
The contractor didn't do a good job and the penguin exhibit has been closed for over a year. It was supposed to reopen this past summer and is still closed. I can't find up to date information on the reopening.
I have to agree with you, that the polar bear enclosure is a huge downstep in comparison to the rest of the Eismeer, but i feel like the enclosure is bigger than it may seem. The main flaws of the exhibit are in my opinion the lack of natural substrate, not enough amount of land and that the enclosure is mainly surrounded by huge walls. On the other hand the enclosure has some aspects i really like, it has a lot of altitude difference allowing the bears to climb up to a height of 6m, the pool is sizewise good with depth of up to 4m (i think), adding to that the exhibit is great for the visitors and the view onto the enclosure right behind the walrus exhibit is just outstanding. Overall the enclosure is definetly not a really good enclosure and dissappointing in comparison to the rest of the Eismeer, but it`s not unbearable and doesn`t ruin the whole Eismeer as a complex.
If even one of the major atractions of a Zoo complex is not good, it is clearly not the "Best exhibit ever"
I personally think Masoala Halle is the best exhibit around, it is with no doubt the best I've visited. Initially it had 40 vertebrate species, now probably half that ? But also 50 species of insects and spiders free-roaming the exhibit.
They claim to have 500 plant species in their too, 80% of them can be found on Madagascar. This document shows the list of plants and the work put into the exhibit. Although it is in german, one can easily comprehend the amount of plants and the binominal names are googlable.
The technology behind the exhibit is also well-thought as I believe Zoo Zürich makes its own energy in a central somewhere in the zoo. Furthermore, the majority of the heat needed to keep the place warm is generated by a heat pump. The Halle is CO2 Neutral and although it is now 17 years old, it is still going strong, looking very good.
I have not visited it yet, but I think that if there was one exhibit that could challenge or could even be better than this one, it would be Burger's bush.
Although sometimes outdated, this page provides more information about the Masoala Halle.
They claim to have 500 plant species in their too, 80% of them can be found on Madagascar. This document shows the list of plants and the work put into the exhibit. Although it is in german, one can easily comprehend the amount of plants and the binominal names are googlable.
The technology behind the exhibit is also well-thought as I believe Zoo Zürich makes its own energy in a central somewhere in the zoo. Furthermore, the majority of the heat needed to keep the place warm is generated by a heat pump. The Halle is CO2 Neutral and although it is now 17 years old, it is still going strong, looking very good.
I have not visited it yet, but I think that if there was one exhibit that could challenge or could even be better than this one, it would be Burger's bush.
Although sometimes outdated, this page provides more information about the Masoala Halle.
I agree, it may not really fit into the role of "The best exhibit ever", yet i love the whole complex, but probably because it`s in my hometown zoo and i've experienced the building process of the enclosure.
From my experience I’d have to say that the best zoo exhibit is Islands at Chester Zoo (that is pre-fire, when I last visited). It was just so much bigger and more biodiverse than I expected, and the theming was unlike anything I have seen in the UK, the downside for my visit is my own fault, as the tapir and sun bears hadn’t been moved in yet and I had to get round the whole thing very quickly as not only were there people waiting for me but I had less than an hour until the zoo shut. Basically, even from that it stayed with me, and is hands down the single best zoo exhibit I’ve seen.
The best exhibit I have been to so far has to be Scripps Aviary at the SDZ. This huge aviary has about 30 species of African birds, two levels, and a waterfall. I could honestly just sit on one of the benches and stay there watching and listening to the birds all day.