Brookfield Zoo Favorite Brookfield Zoo Exhibits

[JVM]

Recently in conversation with another member, I was thinking about how that while Brookfield Zoo garners a lot of local discussion on the site, I don't really know of any specific exhibits at the zoo that are particularly well-liked or otherwise discussed in depth. This is in contrast to some other zoos in the area which seem to have a clear winner here and there. Still, it made me curious to inspire some discourse on Brookfield Zoo's exhibits!

I think Wolf Woods is the best-designed exhibit in the zoo, but I have only seen it active maybe twice over fifteen years so it feels hard for me to express my appreciation in detail. I find Habitat Africa! The Forest is the highlight of many visits as I appreciate the unique species it holds and how it's location in the more forested part of the zoo lends to its environment well. There are no historical abc species here -- okapi, red river hog, duikers and the sorely missed buffalo are all nonetheless really interesting animals in decent exhibits, with the okapi a great choice of anchor, and the building is quite charming, even before it held the zoo's most popular online resident!

I tend to enjoy a lot of the indoor exhibits most - Australia House has many locally unique species held indoors in addition to the excellent kangaroo exhibit, Desert's Edge and Clouded Leopard Rainforest are must-stops for me on every visit now, even if they are dated and CLR has made a difficult trade-off or two, and the Swamp is a great exhibit I often feel I don't appreciate as much as it deserves. I've also always been impressed with the variety at the Living Coast, though I do miss the vampire bats and chinchillas adding a small mammalian touch to the building. Reptiles and Birds has grown into a fantastic reptile building as well.

I'm also fond of Pachyderm House in its current incarnation -- yes, the aging infrastructure has to go, I don't deny that for a second -- but with the elephants gone, the increased focus on smaller species, the outdoor exhibits actually shine really well in my opinion, and the animals have indoor and outdoor access so I'm not troubled by the indoor exhibit. I've also really come to appreciate Habitat Africa! The Savannah, although I do really wish they could mix the exhibits a little more again.

Out of the defunct exhibits, I really miss the Aardvark House as I think many of my posts have described here.

 

[groundskeeper24]

I really enjoy the mixed bird/reptile buildings. It may be slapdash to some, but I think they are interesting random-ish groups of animals inside some fairly old buildings.

Also like Habitat Africa, both the savannah and the forest. I go to the zoo infrequently enough that the forest still seems pretty immersive to me on the outdoor trails. The mixture of animals, both large and small is great. The savannah building kopje is something I've always liked as well.

A lot of what I like about Brookfield isn't so much about megafauna or flashy exhibitry. It's more a matter of not quite knowing what I'll find in each building as they repurpose them. Even the pachyderm building is great Imo despite lacking elephants. They took smaller species in to utilize the space and although he indoor areas are still not good, most outdoor yards seem quite large and appropriate for things like capybara and pygmy hippos.

Strangely, Tropic World, which used to be the most exciting exit in the zoo for me, seems to be pretty meh these days. It's a strange contrast. The zoo does a great job in repurposing outdated buildings in most cases, but the one that stood as the centerpiece may be the least salvageable.

 

[biggest_dreamer]

I visited Brookfield for the first time back in September, and hands down the area that left the most powerful impression was the Australia house. Prior to the stars aligning to make this near-impromptu trip happen, I'd never dreamed of ever being able to see wombats or echidnas, but even then they only made up a portion of why the Australia complex was so memorable. Kookaburras in a naturalistic habitat, a lovingly curated collection of terrarium species, multiple macropods in proper enclosures that aren't just dusty walkabouts. It's such a far cry from the lazy phoned in setup so many zoos use.

The desert and rainforest houses left strong impressions too, and I feel incredibly lucky to have seen every denizen of both of them actually active (save for the sleepy ocelot) - apparently quite a feat even for zoo regulars. Both were themed in a way that enhanced the experience rather than detracted, and it helps that in general small mammals tend to be my favorite species. Seeing effective houses like these is pretty uncommon in the south, so The Swamp, Kopje, and African forest all also stand out a ton in my mind - especially the last of which, where seeing the pangolin in action felt genuinely otherworldly.

I know Tropic World is a major point of contention, and while I totally understand why, I also managed to be utterly blown away by the sheer scale of it all. It was unlike anything else I've ever seen, and it was oh so easy to imagine it in its heyday with countless species interacting in a makeshift ecosystem. Seeing the gibbons and otters coexist was already a treat.

 

[Joseph G]

I dearly miss the Reptile and Small Mammal Houses. I’d rush to both of those as a kid and had to be dragged out of them.

For exhibits that are still standing, just based on nostalgia, I can find a reason to say all of them are my favorite on any given day. But in terms of time spent in and actually still enjoying it, Clouded Leopard Rainforest is probably my favorite. In my opinion, the clouded leopard habitat is only second to Nashville if you want to see them displaying natural behaviors. The binturongs and fishing cat are fine, but tracking the Prevost’s squirrels in the overhead tunnels is always a treat.

In its heyday, I would’ve said Living Coast. As much as I want to still love it, it just hasn’t aged well.

 

[JVM]

It seems like a common thread is a love for the indoor exhibits!

I really enjoy the mixed bird/reptile buildings. It may be slapdash to some, but I think they are interesting random-ish groups of animals inside some fairly old buildings.

Also like Habitat Africa, both the savannah and the forest. I go to the zoo infrequently enough that the forest still seems pretty immersive to me on the outdoor trails. The mixture of animals, both large and small is great. The savannah building kopje is something I've always liked as well.

A lot of what I like about Brookfield isn't so much about megafauna or flashy exhibitry. It's more a matter of not quite knowing what I'll find in each building as they repurpose them. Even the pachyderm building is great Imo despite lacking elephants. They took smaller species in to utilize the space and although he indoor areas are still not good, most outdoor yards seem quite large and appropriate for things like capybara and pygmy hippos.

Strangely, Tropic World, which used to be the most exciting exit in the zoo for me, seems to be pretty meh these days. It's a strange contrast. The zoo does a great job in repurposing outdated buildings in most cases, but the one that stood as the centerpiece may be the least salvageable.

I really love what Reptiles and Birds has become and it is starting to feel like the Reptile House that was lacking for many years. I was especially pleased when the Gray's monitor arrived. I often feel disappointed by Feathers and Scales today though. The two larger aviaries are fine to great but I find the terrariums too small and I miss some of the bird species that were housed in there years ago - the toucan and conure for example.

I agree on the pachyderm house. The interior is deeply unpopular but I only appreciate the outdoor yards more on every visit.

My first visit to Tropic World was magical - passing under the waterfall and being overwhelmed by birds, monkeys everywhere, a sloth, the anteater and tapir being like blink and you miss it cameos. It was better for welfare to move out the pachyderms but I often feel like a vital aspect of the exhibit was lost all at once. It's become a very empty exhibit in recent years although I anticipate some of this is due to the upcoming construction.

I visited Brookfield for the first time back in September, and hands down the area that left the most powerful impression was the Australia house. Prior to the stars aligning to make this near-impromptu trip happen, I'd never dreamed of ever being able to see wombats or echidnas, but even then they only made up a portion of why the Australia complex was so memorable. Kookaburras in a naturalistic habitat, a lovingly curated collection of terrarium species, multiple macropods in proper enclosures that aren't just dusty walkabouts. It's such a far cry from the lazy phoned in setup so many zoos use.

The desert and rainforest houses left strong impressions too, and I feel incredibly lucky to have seen every denizen of both of them actually active (save for the sleepy ocelot) - apparently quite a feat even for zoo regulars. Both were themed in a way that enhanced the experience rather than detracted, and it helps that in general small mammals tend to be my favorite species. Seeing effective houses like these is pretty uncommon in the south, so The Swamp, Kopje, and African forest all also stand out a ton in my mind - especially the last of which, where seeing the pangolin in action felt genuinely otherworldly.

I know Tropic World is a major point of contention, and while I totally understand why, I also managed to be utterly blown away by the sheer scale of it all. It was unlike anything else I've ever seen, and it was oh so easy to imagine it in its heyday with countless species interacting in a makeshift ecosystem. Seeing the gibbons and otters coexist was already a treat.

I know that stars aligning trip feeling -- that was me at Denver last year. It's always interesting to hear first time visit impressions. Glad you appreciated some of the same exhibits as me and especially happy you got to see so many active animals! I am a local and I still haven't had the pleasure to see the active pangolin, although my last visit was right after feeding time and right before they changed which individual was on display. I've had the pleasure to see the black-footed cat active more than once though!

I dearly miss the Reptile and Small Mammal Houses. I’d rush to both of those as a kid and had to be dragged out of them.

For exhibits that are still standing, just based on nostalgia, I can find a reason to say all of them are my favorite on any given day. But in terms of time spent in and actually still enjoying it, Clouded Leopard Rainforest is probably my favorite. In my opinion, the clouded leopard habitat is only second to Nashville if you want to see them displaying natural behaviors. The binturongs and fishing cat are fine, but tracking the Prevost’s squirrels in the overhead tunnels is always a treat.

In its heyday, I would’ve said Living Coast. As much as I want to still love it, it just hasn’t aged well.

I would love to hear more memories of the old small mammal and reptile houses. I had a video as a kid with very brief footage of the small mammal house and spent two or three visits to Brookfield trying to find it, as if it had simply been left off the map; nobody had told me the newly opened Play Zoo was the same building.

In terms of Living Coast not having aged well, do you mean that the original exhibit concept feels out of date or just that the changes over the last several years have made it a less interesting/exciting exhibit?

 

[Black Footed Beast]

As someone who has been there many times, I would have to say my favorite exhibit would either have to be The Swamp or Habitat Africa: The Forest, not to say I don't like the other parts, but those two enclosures are probably one of the first things I think of whenever I visit the Zoo, mainly due to the way they're presented or the species that live there.

 

[Pleistohorse]

I really enjoyed the Bison Exhibit. I thought it was very nicely done. Showcasing the species as an animal of wide open spaces and the conservation history it shares with Zoological Gardens dating back to the classical period of zoo design and architecture.

 

[Gondwana]

For me the thing that makes Brookfield feel cohesive is the extensive stock of semi-immersive indoor exhibits. They're not quite at the level of African Journey at Lincoln Park or Madagascar at Bronx, but Brookfield did it first. I especially liked the Swamp when it was purely focused on North American species. Parts of the Desert's Edge building are also really well done, particularly the fox exhibit with the night sky effect and the open bridge/canyon exhibits before they were meshed in.

 

[Pleistocene891]

I loved the living coast and the swamp. Very unique exhibits that aren’t replicated in many zoos.

 

[Joseph G]

I would love to hear more memories of the old small mammal and reptile houses. I had a video as a kid with very brief footage of the small mammal house and spent two or three visits to Brookfield trying to find it, as if it had simply been left off the map; nobody had told me the newly opened Play Zoo was the same building.

In terms of Living Coast not having aged well, do you mean that the original exhibit concept feels out of date or just that the changes over the last several years have made it a less interesting/exciting exhibit?

There’s much less I remember about the Small Mammal House without referencing the footage I just discovered on YouTube. It was just a lot of species I wasn’t familiar with as a child who loved animals. It was a very mysterious and quiet building most of the time, especially the nocturnal portion.

However, the Reptile House is much fresher in my brain! The King Cobra as soon as you walked in was always my favorite. I distinctly remember the day my aunt and I saw it displaying it’s hood. I also remember the alligator (or crocodile? I am not 100% sure) exhibits that were just cement pools at the east end of the building. I loved reptiles as a kid, and it’s definitely more nostalgia than anything, but that was really a classic reptile house.

As for the Living Coast, the first large tank used to be all moon jellies. It was very impressive to walk in and see a tank of that size with nothing else but that. I don’t remember the exact list of species in the second large tank, but I remember it being a bit more diverse and full than what it is now. The water wall never being on anymore is always a sore subject with me. I do also miss the pelicans that used to be in the domed room with the penguins and Inca terns. I guess it’s less about the exhibit being outdated and more just drifting away from the original concept.

 

[birdsandbats]

I generally really like all of Brookfield, perhaps more than most. In no particular order, both Habitat Africas (especially the indoor portions), The Swamp, The Fragile Kingdom, Australia, and The Living Coast are the best exhibits in the zoo (although I wish The Living Coast would transition back to only South American species). Tropic World would have made the list it still had a wide variety of animals, but it feels so empty right now.

 

[pachyderm pro]

I never got around to replying to this thread initially, but when thinking about how much of the zoo will be changing soon I figured it's better late than never. This may sound peculiar to some, but my favorite exhibit in the whole zoo is probably the most objectively flawed: the pachyderm house.

In fact, the pachyderm house was the inspiration for my username on this site - pachyderm fan may have been more appropriate, but alliteration is fun. Some of my most significant childhood memories at the zoo were from this building. I can still recall seeing my first elephant walking along the cable fence in the outdoor yard and being amazed at how such a massive animal could move so quietly. I can also remember searching for the nile hippo up on the elevated viewing deck. Just as I was about to give up and leave, it popped its head out of the water to get some air which was thrilling. These species have been gone for over a decade, but the memories remain. Thanks to this building I can even say I'm one of the lucky few who've been sprayed by both a tapir and a rhino. For all its problems you really are able to get close to the animals both inside and out and the interior stalls provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. Of course the building's design is astonishing. From the art-deco inspired entrance to the towering arches, it's a marvelous piece of architecture with an intensely rich history. Before we knew the building's future I had accepted its demise as I was under the impression it was beyond saving, but knowing that this house still has a future is amazing. Thrilled to see how it'll be adapted in the coming years as part of the savanna project.

Nostalgia aside, the Australia House and Habitat Africa! The Forest seems to be where I most enjoy my time nowadays. I am super excited to see what comes of the new Australia enclosures being added next year, although I'm glad they are mostly leaving the existing building alone. For all of the macropod walkabouts in the world, it's immensely refreshing to see an entire building dedicated to smaller reptiles and weird nocturnal species. Once the collection is buffed out with koala, tree kangaroo and others following the renovation, it may be my new favorite place in the zoo. For Habitat Africa! The Forest, it's probably the most successful outdoor complex at the zoo when it comes to immersion and features some wonderful species. Okapi being the anchor tenants of a major exhibit is unheard of and where else can you see a pangolin and sengis under the same roof? Honorable mention to Feathers and Scales as well; a house I didn't frequent much as a kid that has become a must-see for every visit. The large rainforest aviary is one of my favorite individual enclosures in the zoo and it's fun to look up and see which species decide to hang out near the ceiling on that day. The Sonoran desert aviary is also a consistently dynamic affair even with only a few species.