Days to see a Zoo (USA forum)

[Corangurilla]

Brookfield has always been a full day for me and as a child we almost never completed it. As a kid, we usually skipped Be a Bird (based on a a false impression it had no live animals) Perching Bird House and Reptile House, all of which I regret and especially wish I could visit today. We stopped visiting both children's zoos for a long time when I was a teenager, partly due to the upcharges at both.

I was almost a little shaken a few months ago to actually finish the entire zoo in a day (save Indian Lake) because it had always seemed unattainable, and that included both children's zoos, underwater dolphin viewing, extra time to try to see the pangolin (We just missed it, turns out) and a revisit to Australia House on the way out. So if you do open to close it's definitely possible to see everything, although if you plan to do a dolphin show that might mess things up, particularly since it's a bit isolated a spot.

Dolphins are in Minnesota right now, so that’s a non-issue for us. I definitely want to prioritize the indoor stuff, as I learned the hard way that buildings close at 4:30, which denied me the opportunity to see the Clouded Leopard Rainforest on my first visit.
Does the entrance you go through matter at Brookfield? I think North is better since it’s closer to Fragile Kingdom, which means I can see animals on the way out.

 

[JVM]

Dolphins are in Minnesota right now, so that’s a non-issue for us. I definitely want to prioritize the indoor stuff, as I learned the hard way that buildings close at 4:30, which denied me the opportunity to see the Clouded Leopard Rainforest on my first visit.
Does the entrance you go through matter at Brookfield? I think North is better since it’s closer to Fragile Kingdom, which means I can see animals on the way out.

Brookfield Zoo members get free parking at the North Gate but not the south, so it matters in that sense. I similarly use the north and jump right into the Fragile Kingdom. Makes a much bigger difference at opening hour - last visit was my first time seeing the clouded leopard or sloth bear in years.

I used the North Gate once ir twice as a child and the Bear Grottos area felt like a welcome plaza, which is part of why I am so profoundly disappointed by how dead that area is today.

 

[birdsandbats]

I think Lincoln Park can be done in roughly four hours if you skip the farm. I went from 11-3 in December and rushed the bird house past enjoying it, and fully missed a few of the hoofed animals, but had lunch earlier and watched the seal and gorilla demonstrations, which of course took some time. I had an additional two hours on my next visit (though I arrived a bit later) and was able to see everything (except the farm) with time to spare for a few choice exhibits.

The Shedd Aquarium is extremely easy to rush through, but I recommend taking your time there, intentionally. You can glance in each tank in Amazon Rising or Wild Reef and move on quickly, but I think the narrative is critical to what makes those exhibits special, especially when there are quite a few simplified Amazon and reef tanks in the country. I think the signage is worth giving special attention to there, but it will make your visit longer. I really recommend taking the full day.

Some will say you can fit Lincoln Park and the Shedd into a day, but I personally don't recommend it unless it is your only chance/opportunity to see both facilities. Better than nothing for sure.

Brookfield has always been a full day for me and as a child we almost never completed it. As a kid, we usually skipped Be a Bird (based on a a false impression it had no live animals) Perching Bird House and Reptile House, all of which I regret and especially wish I could visit today. We stopped visiting both children's zoos for a long time when I was a teenager, partly due to the upcharges at both.

I was almost a little shaken a few months ago to actually finish the entire zoo in a day (save Indian Lake) because it had always seemed unattainable, and that included both children's zoos, underwater dolphin viewing, extra time to try to see the pangolin (We just missed it, turns out) and a revisit to Australia House on the way out. So if you do open to close it's definitely possible to see everything, although if you plan to do a dolphin show that might mess things up, particularly since it's a bit isolated a spot.

This is making Brookfield sound like a one day affair, maybe 1.5 if you need/want more time at anything in particular.

I've done "all"* of Brookfield including the dolphin show in a single day. Of course, Brookfield doesn't have dolphins right now so that's a non-issue.

*This was not including Butterflies or Hamill Family Wild Encounters but I figure no one cares about those.

 

[nczoofan]

For some reason with all the expansions and walking Fort Worth fees like a full-day struggle to complete. Its fully dependent on pacing but MOLA and Texas Wild are both hour long complexes if you stop at each exhibit. As well with the new carnivore complex coming this year and rainforest section in 2025, it’ll fit in firmly with the other zoos on the list.

Houston also may qualify soon as a zoo that people struggle to complete in a day. Houston is better laid out though, requiring less backtracking and long walks.

 

[ifesbob]

I've done "all"* of Brookfield including the dolphin show in a single day. Of course, Brookfield doesn't have dolphins right now so that's a non-issue.

*This was not including Butterflies or Hamill Family Wild Encounters but I figure no one cares about those.

What was the speed of movement like? Fast, leisurely, rushed, etc?

 

[birdsandbats]

What was the speed of movement like? Fast, leisurely, rushed, etc?

I walk pretty leisurely, trying to find every animal and occasionally taking photos. It was a very exhausting day though. I arrived when the zoo opened at 9:30 and left around 5:30.

 

[Joseph G]

What was the speed of movement like? Fast, leisurely, rushed, etc?

I’ll spare you the route breakdowns, but if you use the North Entrance and go clockwise around the zoo, you will be picking up the pace at the end of the day to make it to Australia. Probably the most brutal stretch of the day.

 

[birdsandbats]

I’ll spare you the route breakdowns, but if you use the North Entrance and go clockwise around the zoo, you will be picking up the pace at the end of the day to make it to Australia. Probably the most brutal stretch of the day.

I never felt rushed on the visit I was referring to.

 

[JVM]

The dolphins are only gone for the season, so I felt it was still worth mentioning. They haven't been permanently phased out of the zoo yet.

 

[pachyderm pro]

I have some bias here, but I'm honestly a little surprised at how many people find Brookfield to be a full day zoo. Obviously for someone who visits as often as I do, I tend not to linger as long unless something interesting is going on. However, I think a first-timer can reasonably get through it all in six hours, especially if they skip Wild Encounters and the play zoo. The grounds are really spread out and you'll often do a lot of walking between exhibits, although some of these spaces are currently in the process of being filled with additional enclosures. I think it once was a full day zoo and in the future will once again be a full day zoo, but at this exact moment in time I don't think it is.

Of the zoos I've visited so far, San Diego, Omaha, Saint Louis and Miami were the only ones that really felt like they take a full day to see properly, two in San Diego's case. I have tentative plans to visit San Diego again this year and it'll be the first time I'll spend two days there back-to-back. I was pretty efficient during my last visit (2018), but there are still bits I've yet to see properly. Plus, it's nice not to rush a zoo of this caliber and really take everything in at a calm pace.

 

[TZDugong]

San Diego is the only zoo I've visited that was a struggle to get through in a day; I managed to see pretty much everything but had to rush through the reptile exhibits and children's zoo. With the new children's zoo opening up after my visit, SDZ may now be a 1.5-day zoo for me.

Other than that, Omaha and Bronx were both full-day visits but I didn't feel nearly as rushed as I did at SDZ. I had the time to re-visit my favourite parts of both collections as well as spend a good chunk of time at every exhibit. Every other place I've visited has been in well under an entire day

Monterey is easy to do in around four hours, but is also easy to spend all day if you catch a bunch of the feeding presentations and take some time wildlife watching off the back deck. Just depends on personal preference.

Yeah, Monterrey doesn't really have that many exhibits, but so many of the ones they do have are great. I spent probably around an hour each at the Kelp Forest and Open Sea tanks alone, and of course the feeding presentations are a must-see.

 

[Joseph G]

I have some bias here, but I'm honestly a little surprised at how many people find Brookfield to be a full day zoo.

I am the kind of person who walks into Desert’s Edge and somehow ends up watching a porcupine play with enrichment for half an hour, so my pacing might be a little off

 

[Pleistohorse]

Bronx Zoo is a definite will not see everything in a day zoo and that’s without cataloguing or seriously photographing the exhibits and residents.

I remember the Smithsonian being that way too (but that is a zoo I haven’t been too in many years).

During my recent Roadtrip, I found myself at the Brookfield and Henry Doorly Zoos from open to close.

Denver, North Carolina, and Miami Zoos were nearly so.

I was at North Carolina from about an hour after opening until they closed and was at the Denver and Miami Zoos at opening and left about an hour or so before they closed.

At Brookfield and Omaha I was there when the gates opened and ushered out when they closed.

I got Minnesota done in a half-day…but felt rushed towards the end. A second run through the exhibits would have been great.

I had the time to spend a second day at Henry Doorly and that greatly improved my experience.

It is nice when possible to visit most zoos on multiple days. I’ve been able to do this at the Frankfurt Zoo, the Alaska Zoo and the Honolulu Zoo (which might hold the record at six visits in six days).

 

[birdsandbats]

Others zoos I haven't mentioned yet that take me a full day would be Minnesota, Saint Louis, Milwaukee, Wildwood Wildlife Park, Detroit, and DAK (without rides other than the safari twice).

 

[JVM]

I've been thinking about this on and off over a few days and I do think even when there are skippable exhibits, they should still be factored into whether or not a zoo is a full day or not, because ultimately which exhibits we choose to visit or not is still a little subjective, and even a large zoo could become a half-day based on how much we choose to skip. I have often skipped farms and I imagine that's very common for users here, but having to skip things even by choice still often feels like a less complete trip to me.

I feel differently about shows because they are events, time and location specific and not always completely regular. You can choose to visit the Children's Zoo any time and work around your own pace, but you might have to wait in a specific seat for a while to watch a dolphin or a bird show.

 

[snowleopard]

Without a doubt, with the total of 170 species between the two new sections (Wildlife Explorers Basecamp and Africa Rocks), San Diego Zoo is a two-day experience. I recently spent 8 hours there and walked 17,000 steps and I still didn't quite see everything and I spent another 6 hours on a second day. A single day would be well and truly rushed and a second day allows for a nice exploration of the whole zoo. If someone is a major birdwatcher or wants to linger at every single herp terrarium, then San Diego needs two very long days or even three days!

By contrast, San Diego Zoo Safari Park took me 5 hours in 2017 and then 5 hours again this month and I was even with 3 friends and we had a leisurely lunch. However, we skipped the Hidden Jungle walk-through aviary and I only gave the Wings of the World aviary a cursory walk-through, so if one was a birdwatcher then I could see at least another hour being added on. I suspect that the Elephant Valley development will bump up the time a little when it opens in late 2025 as there are some regular visitor trails that are currently closed in that area.

Elsewhere in the U.S., I spent 7 full hours at Omaha in 2018 and saw everything, but since then the second half of Asian Highlands has been finished, and Sea Lion Shores has opened, so seeing everything at Omaha in a day is probably tight now. Bronx is definitely a two-day zoo, partly because their hours (for a major zoo) are the worst and therefore there's never enough time to see everything. I was at Columbus in 2008 and with several new exhibits opening since then, I would imagine that zoo is also tricky to see in a day.

San Diego, Omaha, Bronx, Columbus = two day zoos? And to no surprise at all, those are regarded (along with Saint Louis) as the 'best' group of zoos in the country.

 

[birdsandbats]

Without a doubt, with the total of 170 species between the two new sections (Wildlife Explorers Basecamp and Africa Rocks), San Diego Zoo is a two-day experience. I recently spent 8 hours there and walked 17,000 steps and I still didn't quite see everything and I spent another 6 hours on a second day. A single day would be well and truly rushed and a second day allows for a nice exploration of the whole zoo. If someone is a major birdwatcher or wants to linger at every single herp terrarium, then San Diego needs two very long days or even three days!

By contrast, San Diego Zoo Safari Park took me 5 hours in 2017 and then 5 hours again this month and I was even with 3 friends and we had a leisurely lunch. However, we skipped the Hidden Jungle walk-through aviary and I only gave the Wings of the World aviary a cursory walk-through, so if one was a birdwatcher then I could see at least another hour being added on. I suspect that the Elephant Valley development will bump up the time a little when it opens in late 2025 as there are some regular visitor trails that are currently closed in that area.

Elsewhere in the U.S., I spent 7 full hours at Omaha in 2018 and saw everything, but since then the second half of Asian Highlands has been finished, and Sea Lion Shores has opened, so seeing everything at Omaha in a day is probably tight now. Bronx is definitely a two-day zoo, partly because their hours (for a major zoo) are the worst and therefore there's never enough time to see everything. I was at Columbus in 2008 and with several new exhibits opening since then, I would imagine that zoo is also tricky to see in a day.

San Diego, Omaha, Bronx, Columbus = two day zoos? And to no surprise at all, those are regarded (along with Saint Louis) as the 'best' group of zoos in the country.

When I visited Omaha for the fist time in 2021, I was not able to fit the zoo into a single day, but it was close. I saw everything in the first day except the Children's Zoo (which is very skippable), the insectarium and the aquarium. I could have seen the insectarium I think if I had planned my route a bit better, but I just decided to save it for the second day (as there was no way I dared miss the aquarium).

I spend a lot of time looking for birds in any aviary, but if I lingered less in those areas I probably could have had time for the aquarium.

 

[15399]

Bronx is definitely a two-day zoo, partly because their hours (for a major zoo) are the worst and therefore there's never enough time to see everything.

I'm not sure that Bronx is really a two-day zoo. On my recent visit, we arrived shortly after opening (planned for opening, but traffic) and on that day saw almost the entire zoo (we missed the two Bird Houses, Sea Bird Aviary, and Tiger Mountain, but saw everything else). We also left the zoo about an hour before closing in order to get back to New Jersey sooner (where we were staying). I'm positive if we were there open to close and prioritized moving at a fast pace, we could've seen everything in a single day.

On the second Bronx Zoo day, we left the zoo around 1 pm, and that was more than enough time to see everything missed on Day 1 and re-visit some highlights (Madagascar, Wild Asia Monorail, Congo Gorilla Forest, World of Reptiles) from the first day. So all-in-all, I'd say Bronx Zoo is a solid 1.5 day zoo, although that could be shortened or lengthened depending on how much time one wants to spend at different areas and how long the lines are for the paid attractions.

 

[TinoPup]

As I said in the Omaha thread, I'm pretty certain SDZ would be a three day zoo for me.

Columbus took me 2 days. It was during their shorter hours, and I did one bts experience, which slowed me down a lot (I try to get to the meeting spot really so early in case I get lost or something). Before I had decided to stay a second day I was really rushing to fit stuff in, I would have preferred taking my time.

Omaha was definitely one day. The only thing I skipped was the insect building, but I did have a few hours left; I just didn't feel like going back to it. I had two sit down meals while there and took my time everywhere.

Bronx will always be a two day zoo for me. I only ever go for one day, so just don't see everything each visit. The amount of walking, with some required backtracking, is part of it, along with the major lack of bathrooms.

Smithsonian I can do in one day but I'm not happy by the end of it Cincinnati was a very full day.

In Canada, Toronto and Zoo Sauvage are long days.

Visited Columbus again last month, and I'm solid in thinking it's a two day zoo. We managed to do everything but the gorilla house, aquarium, sea lion tunnel, and farm (all deliberate skips to save time), but this was knowing all of the paths this time and going in with a set plan. I definitely felt like I was rushing sometimes. I only lingered a bit at the wolverines (they were just given bones), and the main cheetah exhibit. All of the aviaries were open, I spent a little more time in them than the average person but not as much as I'd like/didn't see every species. I had planned on going back to several exhibits, especially the sea lion tunnel and the North American aviary again, but ran out of time. Absent on my first visit were most of the aviaries (all but North America were closed because of cold weather/avian flu), the kangaroo walk through, the new orangutan building, and the boat ride (we barely had a line, at least). We had one sit down meal, where I chose a table to see the baby colobus (one of the cutest things ever).

 

[birdsandbats]

Visited Columbus again last month, and I'm solid in thinking it's a two day zoo. We managed to do everything but the gorilla house, aquarium, sea lion tunnel, and farm (all deliberate skips to save time), but this was knowing all of the paths this time and going in with a set plan. I definitely felt like I was rushing sometimes. I only lingered a bit at the wolverines (they were just given bones), and the main cheetah exhibit. All of the aviaries were open, I spent a little more time in them than the average person but not as much as I'd like/didn't see every species. I had planned on going back to several exhibits, especially the sea lion tunnel and the North American aviary again, but ran out of time. Absent on my first visit were most of the aviaries (all but North America were closed because of cold weather/avian flu), the kangaroo walk through, the new orangutan building, and the boat ride (we barely had a line, at least). We had one sit down meal, where I chose a table to see the baby colobus (one of the cutest things ever).

On my single visit in 2019 (so pre-Animal Encounters Village if that changes much) I found Columbus to be an easy one day zoo. I saw the entire zoo (including a long lunch, an animal show and my usual lingering for long periods of time in all the free-flight aviaries) with several hours to spare.

Their hours appear to have been shortened since that visit by about 2 hours though, and as I mentioned the Animal Encounters Village has been added since then.