My son and I had the great fortune of going to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium this past weekend. Unfortunately it was a bit of a whirlwind tour as we arrived Saturday around 1:30 at Zoombezi Bay and then had Sunday at the zoo from opening (9:00AM) until 3:30 when we had to head back to the airport.
For a zoo fan this zoo is a solid full day if you are not doing rides. If you want to do all the rides then this is a 1.5 - 2 day zoo. Our 9AM-3:30PM time frame did not leave enough time to see most of Asia Quest, Adventure Cove, or the Aquarium (although we did see the manatees). The main "problem" was we did the Dinosaur Island boat ride 4 times - he loves dinosaurs. However, this is not a problem as we will make a return trip sometime in the future and see the rest.
This zoo is full of sensory things for kids - buttons are legion and they give great audible information, interaction and questions for kids to answer. The carnival rides are kept separate in the "Adventure Cove" area, the boat and train ride are in the main part of the zoo. Individually the rides cost anywhere from $2-$5 each, the $12 ride pass is the best deal if you are going to do more than one or two rides. We did not do the carnival rides, but we definitely paid for the ride pass by riding the Dinosaur Island boat, train, and carousel. There are also several play areas for kids, the "Stings and Wings" playground was closed when we were there, but the other play areas were open.
Entry Village -
The entry village is well laid out with Auntie Anne's, Coffee, the main gift shop, and JR Zookeepers gift shop. No animals here.
Adventure Cove -
We only had time to see the seals and sealions. Their habitat is really nice, not quite as nice as Sea World Orlando, but nice.
North America -
The Mexican wolves were very active and we saw the black bear - but everything else was in hiding. Overall this themeing is well done, but that is pretty easy given Ohio's climate. Enclosures were all done really well and the animals had plenty of space. The train ride was nice, nothing special and we did not see any animals, but in theory you could see reindeer, moose, and lynx if they were out.
Polar Frontier -
Top notch theme and a fantastic area of the zoo. The polar bears were not in the water, but rather hiding in their cave. It would have been cool to see them in the underwater viewing, but it was not meant to be. However, the brown bear was in it's water viewing, which was exciting to see.
Heart of Africa -
Wow, this area is done well. It was a hot day and it really felt like we were in a nice African park like Krugar. All the standard African savannah animals are here (except elephants). The hyenas were not out when we were there. Zebra, griaffe, gnu, etc. were all present in the large habitat. The lions were lounging on the airplane wing which had glass that you could get right up to them. We happened to be there for the cheetah run, which was super cool to see. There is giraffe feeding for $5, we did not do that as we did it at the Central Florida Zoo a couple of months ago and we were running short on time by the time we go there.
Asia Quest -
We largely had to skip this area as that was our last stop and we were out of time. We did see the smaller elephant habitat and the red crowned crane, which was one animal I wanted to see.
Reptile house -
I had no idea how large and nice this reptile house was. I had allotted around 10-20 minutes but we were in there easily 45 minutes, and that was without lingering for long at each tank. There are a lot of reptiles and amphibians here, and each tank is made amazingly. The large turtle tanks were incredible. This is probably the nicest reptile house I have personally seen.
Shores Aquarium -
We had to skip this.
Manatees -
The manatee area is done well, a bit shallow perhaps but overall nice. The manatees were swimming around and doing what they do. They have their own building beside but separate from the main aquarium building.
Humboldt Penguins -
Nice penguin habitat, however the lack of above enclosure viewing meant that pictures were hard due to the glass being either wet, foggy, or dirty. However, you could get really close to them (behind the glass).
Australia and the Islands -
I am not clear why they make this one "zone" of the zoo, they are logically and physically separated by each having their own loop and the Dinosaur Island ride entrance plaza separating them. Personally I think it would be better to just have "Australia" and "The Islands" as their own areas.
If one does the Dinosaur Island ride you can actually see (potentially) all the animals in the "Islands" section. We saw orangutans, gibbons and the otters from the boat. The Komodo dragon was in the inside area, but you pass by that upon exit from the boat ride.
Australia was done well, the Nocturnal Building was exceptional and I was able to see the wombat. The kiwi did not seem to be out, sadly. Koala were unseen and the Tasmanian devils were sleeping, but visible. We did not do the lorikeet aviary.
Congo Expedition -
This is another exceptionally well done area of the zoo, one felt like they were in the rainforest. The leopards were out and visible, along with everything else we were looking for. The gorillas have a wonderfully tall enclosure that gives them both ground and vertical space, as do the bonobo's. There are at least 3 separate okapi yards, all shady and nicely done.
Misc. Notes:
Conclusion -
This is a fantastic zoo that I will have to return to. This could be my favorite zoo so far, close competition with SDZ/SP.
For a zoo fan this zoo is a solid full day if you are not doing rides. If you want to do all the rides then this is a 1.5 - 2 day zoo. Our 9AM-3:30PM time frame did not leave enough time to see most of Asia Quest, Adventure Cove, or the Aquarium (although we did see the manatees). The main "problem" was we did the Dinosaur Island boat ride 4 times - he loves dinosaurs. However, this is not a problem as we will make a return trip sometime in the future and see the rest.
This zoo is full of sensory things for kids - buttons are legion and they give great audible information, interaction and questions for kids to answer. The carnival rides are kept separate in the "Adventure Cove" area, the boat and train ride are in the main part of the zoo. Individually the rides cost anywhere from $2-$5 each, the $12 ride pass is the best deal if you are going to do more than one or two rides. We did not do the carnival rides, but we definitely paid for the ride pass by riding the Dinosaur Island boat, train, and carousel. There are also several play areas for kids, the "Stings and Wings" playground was closed when we were there, but the other play areas were open.
Entry Village -
The entry village is well laid out with Auntie Anne's, Coffee, the main gift shop, and JR Zookeepers gift shop. No animals here.
Adventure Cove -
We only had time to see the seals and sealions. Their habitat is really nice, not quite as nice as Sea World Orlando, but nice.
North America -
The Mexican wolves were very active and we saw the black bear - but everything else was in hiding. Overall this themeing is well done, but that is pretty easy given Ohio's climate. Enclosures were all done really well and the animals had plenty of space. The train ride was nice, nothing special and we did not see any animals, but in theory you could see reindeer, moose, and lynx if they were out.
Polar Frontier -
Top notch theme and a fantastic area of the zoo. The polar bears were not in the water, but rather hiding in their cave. It would have been cool to see them in the underwater viewing, but it was not meant to be. However, the brown bear was in it's water viewing, which was exciting to see.
Heart of Africa -
Wow, this area is done well. It was a hot day and it really felt like we were in a nice African park like Krugar. All the standard African savannah animals are here (except elephants). The hyenas were not out when we were there. Zebra, griaffe, gnu, etc. were all present in the large habitat. The lions were lounging on the airplane wing which had glass that you could get right up to them. We happened to be there for the cheetah run, which was super cool to see. There is giraffe feeding for $5, we did not do that as we did it at the Central Florida Zoo a couple of months ago and we were running short on time by the time we go there.
Asia Quest -
We largely had to skip this area as that was our last stop and we were out of time. We did see the smaller elephant habitat and the red crowned crane, which was one animal I wanted to see.
Reptile house -
I had no idea how large and nice this reptile house was. I had allotted around 10-20 minutes but we were in there easily 45 minutes, and that was without lingering for long at each tank. There are a lot of reptiles and amphibians here, and each tank is made amazingly. The large turtle tanks were incredible. This is probably the nicest reptile house I have personally seen.
Shores Aquarium -
We had to skip this.
Manatees -
The manatee area is done well, a bit shallow perhaps but overall nice. The manatees were swimming around and doing what they do. They have their own building beside but separate from the main aquarium building.
Humboldt Penguins -
Nice penguin habitat, however the lack of above enclosure viewing meant that pictures were hard due to the glass being either wet, foggy, or dirty. However, you could get really close to them (behind the glass).
Australia and the Islands -
I am not clear why they make this one "zone" of the zoo, they are logically and physically separated by each having their own loop and the Dinosaur Island ride entrance plaza separating them. Personally I think it would be better to just have "Australia" and "The Islands" as their own areas.
If one does the Dinosaur Island ride you can actually see (potentially) all the animals in the "Islands" section. We saw orangutans, gibbons and the otters from the boat. The Komodo dragon was in the inside area, but you pass by that upon exit from the boat ride.
Australia was done well, the Nocturnal Building was exceptional and I was able to see the wombat. The kiwi did not seem to be out, sadly. Koala were unseen and the Tasmanian devils were sleeping, but visible. We did not do the lorikeet aviary.
Congo Expedition -
This is another exceptionally well done area of the zoo, one felt like they were in the rainforest. The leopards were out and visible, along with everything else we were looking for. The gorillas have a wonderfully tall enclosure that gives them both ground and vertical space, as do the bonobo's. There are at least 3 separate okapi yards, all shady and nicely done.
Misc. Notes:
- The zoo opens at 9AM, but the rides (including the train and boat) do not open until 10.
- The zoo is well shaded other than Heart of Africa.
- Parking is $10 per day.
- There are not really any hotels closer than 10 minutes away.
- Zoombezi Bay closes their rides if they don't have staff, several were closed including the 'lazy river'.
- The petting zoo opened later than the rest of the zoo. I am not sure what time, but it was not open at 9am.
- If you want Auntie Anne's - go early. By afternoon the line was crazy long and barely moving.
Conclusion -
This is a fantastic zoo that I will have to return to. This could be my favorite zoo so far, close competition with SDZ/SP.
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