Kansas City or Oklahoma City

Better Option

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    11
USZOOfan42

USZOOfan42

Well-Known Member
Which zoo is a better option? I am possibly planning a trip to Dallas next spring and doing OKC/KC zoo, Dallas Zoo, FWZ and DWA. I know the two options have their rarities (Tanuki, Ratel, Lion Tailed Macaque).
 
I visited Texas in July and made sure to go up to Oklahoma to hit OKC Zoo. It was one of the best zoos in a trip full of amazing zoos (I'd probably place it just below Fort Worth overall). I can’t compare the two since I haven’t been to Kansas City, but I can at least emphatically recommend OKC. They're pretty significant distances apart, though. Are you planning on driving or flying from Dallas? OKC was a very comfy, straightforward day trip drive from Dallas for me (albeit 4 hours each way) but KC looks to be about twice that - that alone would make OKC even more appealing for me.

Also, perhaps a bit pedantic, but OKC actually has raccoon dogs, as in the mainland species. Japan's tanukis are now considered its own separate species. I'm as guilty as anyone of using the two interchangeably still, though.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
I visited Texas in July and made sure to go up to Oklahoma to hit OKC Zoo. It was one of the best zoos in a trip full of amazing zoos (I'd probably place it just below Fort Worth overall). I can’t compare the two since I haven’t been to Kansas City, but I can at least emphatically recommend OKC. They're pretty significant distances apart, though. Are you planning on driving or flying from Dallas? OKC was a very comfy, straightforward day trip drive from Dallas for me (albeit 4 hours each way) but KC looks to be about twice that - that alone would make OKC even more appealing for me.

Also, perhaps a bit pedantic, but OKC actually has raccoon dogs, as in the mainland species. Japan's tanukis are now considered its own separate species. I'm as guilty as anyone of using the two interchangeably still, though.
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I would plan on driving, the only influence for OKC is the tanuki, ratel and okapi.
 
I’ve been to both in the last year or so. It really comes down to individual preference and if there is a certain species you’d like to see that’s at one zoo and not the other (polar bear and hippo at Kansas City, for example). Both are excellent zoos with a lot of high quality exhibits - I particularly enjoyed KC’s new aquarium, but haven’t yet seen the African area at Oklahoma. I think I like OKC better than KC overall, but you can’t go wrong visiting either
 
Kansas has Allen's swamp and Stuhlmann's monkeys
Oklahoma has red-flanked duikers, Texas white-tailed deer and swift foxes
 
USZOOfan42 said:
Which zoo is a better option? I am possibly planning a trip to Dallas next spring and doing OKC/KC zoo, Dallas Zoo, FWZ and DWA. I know the two options have their rarities (Tanuki, Ratel, Lion Tailed Macaque).
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I would say it comes down to how much you enjoy aquaria. With its additions over the last few years, I think Kansas City has become one of the better zoo/aquarium hybrids in America, at least as good as Toledo and better than Pittsburgh. I've noticed that those who are not so impressed by Kansas City tend to be people who are not fans of aquaria in general. It probably also suffers from being within a few hours driving distance from Omaha, which is arguably the #1 zoo in the country.

I'd choose Kansas City over OKC easily, but this is largely due to being so impressed by the Sobela Aquarium.
 
In my opinion, both zoos are pretty comparable. I visited OKC Zoo for the first time this past week, and Kansas City is my local zoo that I visit on a regular basis. They both have a few great exhibit complexes that are definitely worth seeing. Kansas City has the Sobela Ocean Aquarium and the huge African Zone. The chimpanzee exhibit in the African section is one of my favorite Zoo exhibits that I have seen in person. Oklahoma City has Oklahoma Trails, Sanctuary Asia, and Expedition Africa. Oklahoma Trails is a very comprehensive native species complex, while Sanctuary Asia features an excellent Asian elephant exhibit. I didn't find most of Expedition Africa to be too exciting, but the renovated historic Pachyderm House turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the zoo, as it displayed a diverse collection of small African animals, many of which are quite rare in US zoos.

If you're looking for rarities, both zoos have their fair share. Kansas City has several rare primates, both zoos have a handful of uncommon birds, and OKC has a very nice herp collection. Kansas City, on the other hand, has a very tiny herp collection, but they do have plenty of saltwater fish and invertebrates in the aquarium.

Overall, I think I prefer Oklahoma City over Kansas City, but they are both great zoos, and it mainly comes down to what exhibit complexes or species you are interested in seeing the most. I'm not a huge aquarium fan, but herps are my favorite group of animals to see in zoos, one of the main reasons that I personally like OKC just a little more.
 
I haven't been to Kansas City, but I can toss out another recommendation for OKC! My visit was kind of a rushed mess on a dangerously hot day, so I didn't get to see everything, but I was happy with most of what I did get to. The elephant exhibit is high tier, and the North American wildlife area was set up very nicely. If you do choose OKC, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time! It's a big zoo with a lot of ground to cover, definitely not a place you want to try and blow through in two hours or something.
 
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