How to approach a Texas zoo trip?

biggest_dreamer

biggest_dreamer

Well-Known Member
Next summer, I'll be in San Antonio for just over a week, accompanying my wife to a conference that I won't be attending myself. I have little interest in doing any generically "Texas" type things, so it only makes sense to try and hit as many zoos as I comfortably can. However, in attempting to research this all, it's really sinking in just how massive Texas is. I mean, of course it is! But knowing Texas is huge and attempting to figure out how to navigate it for myself are two entirely different things.

Also, before I get too far in, I'll state what I'm prioritizing outright: new/rare mammals (and above all, small mammals and carnivorans) are almost always going to be my top priority, followed by birds and then herps being a bit further down the list. Fish and inverts just don't have the same sort of sway. While I think I've been able to make a good list of what the AZA facilities in Texas offer, there's a solid chance I've still missed something, or might be overlooking a nice non-AZA.

The plan for now seems to be to fly into Dallas a few days before the conference starts, and hit Dallas World Aquarium and Dallas Zoo. DWA was utterly non-negotiable, and I almost considered Dallas Zoo skippable just based on the species list until I noticed the tuatara on second glance, the rare showstopper reptile. I assumed we'd want to do these on two separate days, but I suppose it's worth asking: is it feasible to combine them into one day?

From Dallas we move to San Antonio, where we'll be staying for the rest of the trip, from July 1-5. San Antonio Zoo seems like a nice no-travel zoo with a handful of compelling new lifers (ringtail, American mink, spectacled bear, secretarybird) as well as some rare favorites (yellow-footed rock wallaby, Matschie's tree kangaroo, bush dog). I know the bush dogs are downright ancient at this point, so fingers crossed they can hold out a bit longer. This would be the only other zoo my wife might be able to visit with me - everything else is going to be a solo venture. Aside from San Antonio Zoo, I did look into Sea World San Antonio due to it also being right there, but I can't really get a good sense of what notable species I could even find there, plus I'm not all too keen on going to what is predominately an amusement park by myself.

So with that, every other zoo I'm halfway interested in is going to be at least a three hour drive away, with most hovering around four. Eight hours there and back for any zoo is rough, so I'm honestly not too sure I want to fill out every day of the week, especially considering that one of them is July 4. Based on my cursory glances, I'd say the top zoos I'm interested in would be Gladys Porter Zoo and Fort Worth Zoo, both seemingly about 4 hours away. They both seem to offer the most of what I'm hoping to see. Houston and Abilene (at 3 and 4 hours away, respectively) both seem like potentially solid backup choices, or possibilities if I do wind up going for broke and doing zoos daily. I just can't place them over Gladys Porter or Fort Worth from a strictly species list perspective, but I also believe Houston in particular is supposed to be a noteworthy zoo, so... And then there's Fossil Rim as a potential wildcard. I'm not sure how I'd feel about taking a rental car through a safari park, but I guess they do have guided tours. I just think I'd prefer to take it solo. I haven't visited any safari parks in my adult life, so my life list is missing quite a few of their most common species (nilgai, Arabian oryx, aoudad, Nile lechwe, all of the usual deer besides fallow) and it'd be nice to finally check some of those off... although Gladys Porter does have nilgai and the oryx. Lastly, I did also look into Caldwell, Cameron Park, El Paso, and Ellen Trout, but for one reason or another (distance in El Paso's case, weak lineups in the others) they're completely out of consideration at this point.

Of course, species lists are only part of the equation. It's entirely possible that the exhibitry at one or more of these facilities is jaw-dropping or absolutely dismal and I just haven't realized it yet. That'll be the next thing I look into - I do know what to expect from DWA, at least. Or maybe there's a non-AZA that's either close by San Antonio or one of my other destinations that I could easily work in? Maybe something with a really compelling rare mammal? Everything I've found via Google hasn't inspired much enthusiasm towards the non-AZAs closest to San Antonio, but who knows what I haven't been able to find.

I know this is a lot, it's probably rambly, but any possible guidance would be very welcome. I can't imagine when I would ever be in Texas again after this, so I really want to make this trip count. If it would help, I could post the list I made of the most compelling species I found at each zoo I've considered, I just didn't want to bog down this post any more than it already is.
 
at San Antonio Zoo, if you want to see the bushdogs, my best recommendation is to rush over to their exhibit first thing when you get there, I have only had luck seeing them in the morning, usually by the afternoon they have gone back inside. Dallas has a handful of rare birds and reptiles so I definitely would not skip it(Perentie, Double-Eyed Fig Parrot, Chestnut-Backed Thrush, Maguari Stork, Harpy Eagle, Grey's Monitor, Spiny Hill Turtle, Dusky Gopher Frog, and of course the already mentioned Tuatara) they also recently got Maned Wolf. Fort Worth also has a very nice collection of rare birds and reptiles(Anegada Island Iguana for starters can only be seen at 3 other facilities in the US afaik). they also just opened up their new predator expansion which has African Leopards(most likely not pure ones though!) and the exhibit itself is really nice. If exhibitry is what you want though then Houston Zoo is a sure bet, the last 3 expansions, Texas Wetlands, Pantanal, and Galapagos Islands are all stunningly beautiful and some of the best exhibits of their class in all of the US.

and while not rare, baby animals are always nice to see, Dallas has a baby African Elephant, Fort Worth has a baby Asian Elephant, and Western Lowland Gorilla, San Antonio and Houston both have baby Okapis, Fort Worth's crowning achievement, their baby Gharials are sadly not on display yet
 
Great info, thanks! I knew about Houston's Pantanal and Galapagos exhibits, and they both sound really exciting, but overall Houston seems to have newer species that would be new to me than Gladys Porter or Fort Worth, so I'm really not sure how to prioritize them.

Another major factor that I initially hadn't even considered is the Texas summer heat. Unfortunately I can't exactly reschedule this trip since it necessarily coincides with a pre-existing conference. I'm really not sure how to even factor this in - I'm no stranger to South Carolina's or even Florida's summers, and hydrate religiously, but Texas seems to be an entirely different beast in this regard. I'm starting to worry that I may be aiming to bite off more than I can chew. Assuming the heat does wind up playing a major limiting factor here, I'd assume DWA is still a very safe bet, but beyond that I may want to come up with some more indoor aquariums or museums as backups.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
Great info, thanks! I knew about Houston's Pantanal and Galapagos exhibits, and they both sound really exciting, but overall Houston seems to have newer species that would be new to me than Gladys Porter or Fort Worth, so I'm really not sure how to prioritize them.

Another major factor that I initially hadn't even considered is the Texas summer heat. Unfortunately I can't exactly reschedule this trip since it necessarily coincides with a pre-existing conference. I'm really not sure how to even factor this in - I'm no stranger to South Carolina's or even Florida's summers, and hydrate religiously, but Texas seems to be an entirely different beast in this regard. I'm starting to worry that I may be aiming to bite off more than I can chew. Assuming the heat does wind up playing a major limiting factor here, I'd assume DWA is still a very safe bet, but beyond that I may want to come up with some more indoor aquariums or museums as backups.
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we had a real bad heat wave this year with days in the 100s, I would at least plan for the temps to range into the mid 90s, DWA is 90% indoors so nothing to worry about there, then most Texas Zoos are outdoors, I haven't been to Gladys Porter or Caldwell so I can't speak about them, but Fort Worth and San Antonio have several indoor sections, Fort Worth also has misters throughout the new predators exhibit. then Houston which has a few indoor buildings, Dallas has only the Gorilla observatory, reptile house and insect house for indoor exhibits. You might want to research some other indoor places if you think heat will be an issue. the only aquarium in San Antonio I know of is SeaWorld, and that's mostly outdoors.
 
If you are driving to SA from Dallas it may be worth stopping at Animal World &Snake Farm Zoo if you are into herps and also the Natural Bridge safari park if you like drive through safaris. That would hit most of your hoof stock list above and is more convenient than Fossil Rim.....if you are into herps the new Reptilandia outside of Austin (to the west) is a top destination, but it is kind of our of your way - unlike AWSF&Z or Natural Bridge which are pretty much right off the interstate. Both are decent non-AZA, and if you are not driving from Dallas they are actually pretty close to SA anyway.

Doing DWA and DZ in one day is possible, you may have to skip parts of DZ if you are not a fast walker. So prioritize if you have to.

If you are used to SC and Florida summers you will be fine. I lived in Austin for a while and have lived in Florida the rest of my life before and after.
 
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Herps generally are generally low priority, honestly, and a large part of that is because I'm terribly and frustratingly phobic of snakes. It's a bit hard to consider a reptile-heavy facility given that I'd have to be "on guard" pretty much the entire time.

How about Fort Worth and DWA in a single day? It only just occurred to me that they're fairly close to each other. I can give them each their own day, but being able to combine might make the difference of whether I can hit Houston or something too.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
Herps generally are generally low priority, honestly, and a large part of that is because I'm terribly and frustratingly phobic of snakes. It's a bit hard to consider a reptile-heavy facility given that I'd have to be "on guard" pretty much the entire time.
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No worries, I can understand that :)
How about Fort Worth and DWA in a single day? It only just occurred to me that they're fairly close to each other. I can give them each their own day, but being able to combine might make the difference of whether I can hit Houston or something too.
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It is probably possible, but the Fort Worth Zoo is over an hour from DWA (including walking to your car at DWA). Whereas DWA and DZ are about 10 minutes apart, so you lose a lot of time just driving. Heck even if you wanted to take the streetcar from DWA to DZ it would only take about 25 minutes.

Personally I think it makes more sense to do DWA and DZ together if you are doing them in one day....if I am honest DWA is not a full day place for me, so splitting it with DZ is a good option IMO.
 
I would agree with @SwampDonkey -- if you're looking to combine any DFW-area facilities, DZ and DWA would make the most sense given the distance between Dallas and Fort Worth, especially if your main goal for DZ is just the tuatara. It will still make for a very busy day.

With your phobia of snakes but desire to see the tuatara at Dallas, I will tell you now that the tuatara are in the first terrarium on the left of left-most hall in the back of the building (not the two halls immediately on your left as you enter). There are a lot of snakes throughout the Herpetarium (and all of the reptile buildings in the zoos you are considering), so hopefully having that knowledge ahead of time will help make it a less stressful experience for you.

That settled, I think doing Fort Worth and then DZ/DWA while you are first in DFW will make the most sense and be the best use of your time.

If you are wanting to prioritize species of exhibitry, Gladys Porter will win out over Houston any day. GPZ is a treasure trove of rare mammals that are soon to vanish and likely never return to American zoos. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this little time capsule of a zoo back in January; however, know that the exhibitry is often very dated, which is fine for some taxa but is jarring to see for others.

Again, if you are looking to prioritize species and efficiency, Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch will give you most of the same hoofstock species as Fossil Rim (NBWR: + barasingha, Grant's gazelle, red lechwe, common eland, impala, lowland nyala, nilgai, plains zebra; FR: + roan antelope, red deer, Hartmann's mountain zebra -- being the differences); however, NBWR is a less aesthetically pleasing facility that definitely appears over carrying capacity with its herds (that said, for a non-AZA drive-through, it is by and large one of the better ones out there).

I never made it to SeaWorld San Antonio while I lived in Texas, so I cannot comment on the experience of that facility.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
I did look into Sea World San Antonio due to it also being right there, but I can't really get a good sense of what notable species I could even find there
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Well, there's killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins, although you might've seen them in Florida. They lack walruses or other uncommon pinnipeds as I understand it.

Kudu21 said:
GPZ is a treasure trove of rare mammals that are soon to vanish and likely never return to American zoos.
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I can think of a long-nosed potoroo, a mantled howler, harnessed bushbucks, pileated gibbons, Müller's gibbons, gaurs, Peruvian spider monkeys, great plains skinks, island apple snails (although they're extremely invasive), and Philippine crocodiles. Is there anything I'm forgetting?
 
wild boar said:
Well, there's killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins, although you might've seen them in Florida. They lack walruses or other uncommon pinnipeds as I understand it.


I can think of a long-nosed potoroo, a mantled howler, harnessed bushbucks, pileated gibbons, Müller's gibbons, gaurs, Peruvian spider monkeys, great plains skinks, island apple snails (although they're extremely invasive), and Philippine crocodiles. Is there anything I'm forgetting?
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the potoroo passed away asfaik, they still have brush-tailed bettong but not as rare, short-beaked echidna are also rare and in their collection, alongside Gray's Montitors and Central American Bushmasters(if only their pangolins were on display)
 
King of Komodo Dragons said:
the potoroo passed away asfaik, they still have brush-tailed bettong but not as rare, short-beaked echidna are also rare and in their collection, alongside Gray's Montitors and Central American Bushmasters(if only their pangolins were on display)
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An inspection report from early summer lists a single potoroo, which I'm inclined to believe is accurate.
 
I did a similar trip before Covid, although mostly really for wildlife and other sights. Gladys Porter Zoo is really a long drive from others. It took me best part of a day to drive one way. I needed a whole day for DWA, because of huge number of birds poorly visible in giant aviaries. Try to talk to some staff (I talked with a very nice male keeper) what is where. And I still missed some birds. I combined Dallas Zoo and Fort Worth zoo in one day, it is only ca 1 hour by car between them. They are both much larger than DWA, but it is easier to see most animals. Houston zoo was good and I did it on half a day before the space center. I did not visit San Antonio.
 
Also, in regards to Houston, there is a good natural science museum in the same park as the zoo. The two could easily be combined into one day.
 
Kudu21 said:
With your phobia of snakes but desire to see the tuatara at Dallas, I will tell you now that the tuatara are in the first terrarium on the left of left-most hall in the back of the building (not the two halls immediately on your left as you enter). There are a lot of snakes throughout the Herpetarium (and all of the reptile buildings in the zoos you are considering), so hopefully having that knowledge ahead of time will help make it a less stressful experience for you.
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Thanks, I really appreciate this. Luckily I'll be doing Dallas Zoo with my wife, and she's very accustomed to scouting out reptile houses and letting me know what's "safe" to look at, so this one shouldn't be so bad. I may wind up skipping the reptile houses at the zoos I tackle solo unless I find something else that's particularly enticing... although the tuatara is sort of in a league of its own in that regard.

Kudu21 said:
Again, if you are looking to prioritize species and efficiency, Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch will give you most of the same hoofstock species as Fossil Rim (NBWR: + barasingha, Grant's gazelle, red lechwe, common eland, impala, lowland nyala, nilgai, plains zebra; FR: + roan antelope, red deer, Hartmann's mountain zebra -- being the differences); however, NBWR is a less aesthetically pleasing facility that definitely appears over carrying capacity with its herds (that said, for a non-AZA drive-through, it is by and large one of the better ones out there).

I never made it to SeaWorld San Antonio while I lived in Texas, so I cannot comment on the experience of that facility.
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Natural Bridge seems like a fairly safe visit, considering it's less than an hour away compared to the 3-4 hours of most places. Laid out like that, Fossil Rim really only has the red deer as a new species for me while Natural Bridge has the barasingha, Grant's gazelle, lechwe, and nilgai. Seems like it could make for a nice midweek breather day.

As for Sea World... yeah, I really only ever considered it back before I was committed to renting a car and was toying with the idea of just Ubering around San Antonio for most of the week, so it's pretty much off the table entirely.

Jurek7 said:
I did a similar trip before Covid, although mostly really for wildlife and other sights. Gladys Porter Zoo is really a long drive from others. It took me best part of a day to drive one way.
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Oh? Google Maps says it's right at 4 hours away from the San Antonio River Walk, where I'll be staying. Obviously that's a bit of a drive, but it's about the same as San Antonio to DFW. I guess if you were going from DFW to Gladys Porter it'd be about double that... or am I missing something and shouldn't be expecting Google Maps to be at least roughly accurate for whatever reason?

SwampDonkey said:
Also, in regards to Houston, there is a good natural science museum in the same park as the zoo. The two could easily be combined into one day.
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Just looked into this and it looks really nice. If I do wind up doing Houston, this will likely get added on. Or maybe even as a solo thing if the heat does wind up kicking my ass that bad earlier in the week.

So all that being said, I think my itinerary is very roughly looking like this (first 4 days are more or less locked in place):
  • Friday 6/28 - arrive at either DFW or DAL (tbd), Dallas World Aquarium
  • Saturday 6/29 - Dallas Zoo
  • Sunday 6/30 - non-zoo day
  • Monday 7/1 - San Antonio Zoo
  • Tuesday 7/2 - Gladys Porter Zoo or Fort Worth Zoo
  • Wednesday 7/3 - Houston Zoo + Museum of Natural Science?
  • Thursday 7/4 - Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch?
  • Friday 7/5 - Fort Worth Zoo or Gladys Porter Zoo
  • Saturday 7/6 - leave
I hesitate to fully commit to Houston out of fear of burnout, and I definitely don't want to do a proper zoo on the 4th due to crowds. Honestly maybe the 5th should be avoided as well due to four-day-weekend crowds, but there's no other way to fit things together if I'm wanting to keep Fort Worth and Gladys Porter (8 hour round trip each) separated.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
So all that being said, I think my itinerary is very roughly looking like this (first 4 days are more or less locked in place):
  • Friday 6/28 - arrive at either DFW or DAL (tbd), Dallas World Aquarium
  • Saturday 6/29 - Dallas Zoo
  • Sunday 6/30 - non-zoo day
  • Monday 7/1 - San Antonio Zoo
  • Tuesday 7/2 - Gladys Porter Zoo or Fort Worth Zoo
  • Wednesday 7/3 - Houston Zoo + Museum of Natural Science?
  • Thursday 7/4 - Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch?
  • Friday 7/5 - Fort Worth Zoo or Gladys Porter Zoo
  • Saturday 7/6 - leave
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Are you flying into and out of the same place or going open jaws? The route above has a bit of back-tracking if you are going in and out of Dallas.
 
Into Dallas, stay in Dallas through Saturday, spend Sunday in Austin, rest of the trip starting Monday in San Antonio and then fly out of San Antonio is the plan. In a perfect world I'd probably spend one more night in Dallas to hit Fort Worth Zoo while there, but I've also got to work with my wife's conference dates so doubling back is unavoidable if I'm wanting to do DWA, DZ, and FWZ.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
Into Dallas, stay in Dallas through Saturday, spend Sunday in Austin, rest of the trip starting Monday in San Antonio and then fly out of San Antonio is the plan. In a perfect world I'd probably spend one more night in Dallas to hit Fort Worth Zoo while there, but I've also got to work with my wife's conference dates so doubling back is unavoidable if I'm wanting to do DWA, DZ, and FWZ.
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Got it, that makes sense then! Let me know if you have any questions about Austin too, I lived there for a while and go back a couple times a year, it is a nice city. Austin Zoo is forgettable, there are some nice parks and wineries in the area, however.
 
How is San Antonio Aquarium? Based on the almost complete lack of discussion here, I assume it's not particularly notable, and its most recent USDA report doesn't really captivate me even though it has a few lifer birds (and woodchuck, which would also be a lifer if it's actually on exhibit). Still, I was thinking it mightbe easy enough to combine with Natural Bridge, or just to keep in my back pocket if there's a rainy day or if I'm just totally burnt out on the extended day trips.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
How is San Antonio Aquarium? Based on the almost complete lack of discussion here, I assume it's not particularly notable, and its most recent USDA report doesn't really captivate me even though it has a few lifer birds (and woodchuck, which would also be a lifer if it's actually on exhibit). Still, I was thinking it mightbe easy enough to combine with Natural Bridge, or just to keep in my back pocket if there's a rainy day or if I'm just totally burnt out on the extended day trips.
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I have not been, but just to be sure, there are two aquariums in SA. There is the "San Antonio Aquarium" and Sea Life San Antonio. While I have not been to either, Sea Life is probably a much better facility.

IIRC, the person that owns the San Antonio Aquarium also owns Austin Aquarium and is somehow involved in the Houston Interactive Aquarium, all rather dubious facilities. She was the wife of Ammon Covino who founded the SeaQuest aquariums and also previously owned the other City Aquariums (Portland, Boise, etc.). He went to jail for trafficking wild fish and sharks from Florida. I think that I have that all right....regardless, less than stellar conservationists.....

Sea Life is another of the Merlin owned aquariums, but is not currently AZA accredited for reasons beyond me.

If you are looking to combine something with Natural Bridge I would do Animal World Snake Farm, it is a much more respectable facility, only about 20 minutes away and back in the direction of I35.....or Sea Life San Antonio if you want something completely indoors and aquatic.
 
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