Date of visit: 3.18.17
Zoo Website: Welcome to the Racine Zoo | racinezoo.org
Racine marks my 10th zoo visit, it may not sound like a lot to some other members, but it is certainly an accomplishment for me.
Opened in 1923, and only 28 acres in size, Racine zoo is extremely small and urban, so much in fact, many animals could be viewed from peoples' backyard. When I arrived I was in complete shock at how tiny the parking lot is. Using my amazing math skills, I counted a grand total of 12 parking spots, half of those reserved for handicapped people. I can't imagine a busy Summer day here. There are 250 animals representing around 100 species in the zoos collection. The zoo itself lacks a truly spectacular exhibit, but has a few exhibits that could use a fresh lick of paint or even the bulldozer if required. Exhibit areas include, Land of the Giants, Vanishing Kingdom, Meerkat Manor, Tur Mountain, Andean Bear Ridge, Walkabout Creek, Great Cat Canyon, Barnyard Safari, Red tailed hawk Cage, Discovery Center and a Aviary for lesser storks and western tufted deer. It took me just under two hours in total to see everything. The entrance fee is dirt cheap with only 3$ for children and 4$ for adults. You could bring a family of 10 and it would probably cost less or just as much as one ticket to San Diego zoo. It was an enjoyable visit.
Ranking Key
- Excellent
- Above Average
- Average
- Below Average
- Awful
Entrance - The entrance at the zoo is very modern and I thought it would be worth a quick mention. In a corner of the gift shop is a okay aviary for a screech owl (Which is actually a downgrade from its former home). Outside the entrance/gift shop is a spacious yard for African tortoises.
Discovery Center - As the first greeting to the zoo is a very small discovery center, mainly used as a reptile building. Most of the building was very homemade with some borderline pet store looking terrariums behind glass. Species noted included green tree python, ornate box turtles, blue-tonged skinks, tree frogs, and a juvenile yellow anaconda among others. There is also a aquarium that is currently under renovation. The highlight of this forgettable building is a spacious nocturnal habitat for around 10 straw-colored fruit bats. Over all, I've seen worse, but that isn't saying much for this decent but ultimately weak building.
Walkabout Creek - Right after you leave the discovery center you cross a bridge to the main zoo that provides a complete over view of this impressive walk through Australia section. It was closed on my visit, but it is extremely large and is surrounded by a forest outcrop. Wallaroo's, emus and black necked swans are in the main walk through exhibit, while a solid tawny frogmouth aviary is near by. This area is certainly on of the better parts of the zoo.
Vanishing Kingdom - What is bragged to be one of the main areas of the zoo, that fancy name does not detract from the many faults of this architectural impressive building. The name "Kingdom" keeps real to its name considering the building is a literal castle. Half of the building is primates while the other half is completely carnivores. The primate half includes Indoor habitats for white handed gibbons, spider monkeys, emperor tamarins (Including some adorable babies) and orangutans. Yep, that's right. Racine joins Brookfield, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and others with their all indoor orangutan exhibit. It certainly provides them with some great climbing areas with a multitude of ropes hanging from the ceiling. However, it simply much to small for the pair that shares the concrete exhibit. An outdoor orangutan exhibit is being planned for the zoos next project, but it wont be that large if they do any way, why? There really isn't much space between the outdoor gibbon and spider monkey cages, speaking of. These tall cages are also packed with fake enrichment and little space. The other side of the building are 5 harp wired cages for carnivores. Including indoor exhibits for lions and Amur tigers that look nearly identical to Lincoln Parks horrendous lion house. The only reason these are better is that the building is very quiet and there are signs that shush the visitors, props to the zoo for going the extra mile. There are also a pair of cages for fossa (who look way bigger in person), and a single cage for a pair of amazon parrots (Who surprisingly started mimicking me). Connected to this building are the outdoor cat exhibits, which are dubbed...
Great Cat Canyon - The outdoor exhibits for the lions and tigers are nearly identical. Each have two glass viewing windows and a single pavilion for harp wire viewing. They are both the same in size and the only real difference is that the tiger exhibit has a climbing platform. Between the 2 exhibits is a rocky netted habitat for Canadian lynx, which is slightly above average.
Tur Mountain - Racine zoo is the holder of the last West Caucasian tur, or any tur species for that matter, in the United States. It was a pleasure to see these very rare mountain goats, but their exhibit is only average. The medium sized island is entirely mock rock with not a single shred of substrate or realism any where in the exhibit. The rock is poorly done, and while it does provide them with great climbing structures, I have seen this better done elsewhere. I must admit to have felt a bit of nostalgia while looking at the mountain, it brought back memories of Brookfield's now demolished ibex island.
Meerkat Manor - Ah, remember meerkat manor? That show on animal planet? Back when animal planet actually was about animals (Though the new Bronx zoo TV show is pretty good, so maybe their coming back). Any way, this pair of exhibits is perhaps one of the weakest points of the zoo. A meerkat exhibit is okay, it has some sand and a giant termite mount. However, the adjacent exhibit is pathetic. African penguins have a tacky mock rock atrocity that should've had a date with a bulldozer 10 years ago. Not to mention the even worse indoor exhibit that has disgusting concrete, and the glare is just ridiculous. The meerkat exhibit is just barely saving this zone from getting the
.
Andean Bear Ridge - There is only a single exhibit in this zone. It's home to a mixed species habitat for coati and Andean bears. There are 2 glass windows for viewing that are situated across from each other. The first one has hot wire which pretty much defeats the purpose of having glass in the first place. While the other provides a view of a lowered portion of the exhibit. The final viewing area is a raised deck which shows the entire yard. For Andean bears the exhibit is pretty good, but there are little to no climbing structures for coatis any where in the exhibit. Some more enrichment would be nice also but in terms of size, its pretty good.
Barnyard Safari - It's a goat pen... that's it. Next door is a nice arctic fox aviary with a good amount of space, but that's really it.
Swamp/Marsh Aviary - Another one of the zoos best in my opinion. Western tufted deer and lesser adjutant storks share this splendid netted exhibit. A medium sized creek runs throughout the marsh and there are ample hiding spaces for the animals within the swampy wilderness.
Land of the Giants - One of the only exhibits at the West end of the park, land of the giants is home to a trio of grassy exhibits for African ungulates. These include Masai giraffe, Hartman's mountain zebra, and black rhinos. They are all average in size. The zebra and rhino yards are lowered and separated from the public by a slope, while the giraffe yard has wired fencing and is about the size of the other 2 yards combined. A major downfall is the lack of indoor viewing, meaning that the animals can rarely been seen in the Winter. Another exhibit is being built currently by the rhinos. It is not known what it is, but it looks to be for a small African mammal. Over all, land of the giants is a very basic exhibit but is still fairly nice and another solid exhibit at the zoo.
Rudy the red Tailed Hawk - Another one of the zoos weakest points. A solitary red tailed hawk named Rudy lives in a cramped outdated cage. She is hidden away in a narrow path by Andean bear ridge. I felt like she was, forgotten. It almost made me a little sad to see her alone with really no space to fly.
Overall - Racine is a zoo that's well worth the visit if your in the area, despite its many flaws. Walkabout Creek and the Swamp aviary are some of the zoos best. While Meerkat Manor and the hawk cage are among the worst. The rest of the zoo is simply average, but makes very good use of its very limited space, and the views of Lake Michigan are wonderful.
Zoo Website: Welcome to the Racine Zoo | racinezoo.org
Racine marks my 10th zoo visit, it may not sound like a lot to some other members, but it is certainly an accomplishment for me.
Opened in 1923, and only 28 acres in size, Racine zoo is extremely small and urban, so much in fact, many animals could be viewed from peoples' backyard. When I arrived I was in complete shock at how tiny the parking lot is. Using my amazing math skills, I counted a grand total of 12 parking spots, half of those reserved for handicapped people. I can't imagine a busy Summer day here. There are 250 animals representing around 100 species in the zoos collection. The zoo itself lacks a truly spectacular exhibit, but has a few exhibits that could use a fresh lick of paint or even the bulldozer if required. Exhibit areas include, Land of the Giants, Vanishing Kingdom, Meerkat Manor, Tur Mountain, Andean Bear Ridge, Walkabout Creek, Great Cat Canyon, Barnyard Safari, Red tailed hawk Cage, Discovery Center and a Aviary for lesser storks and western tufted deer. It took me just under two hours in total to see everything. The entrance fee is dirt cheap with only 3$ for children and 4$ for adults. You could bring a family of 10 and it would probably cost less or just as much as one ticket to San Diego zoo. It was an enjoyable visit.
Ranking Key
- Excellent - Above Average - Average - Below Average - AwfulEntrance
- The entrance at the zoo is very modern and I thought it would be worth a quick mention. In a corner of the gift shop is a okay aviary for a screech owl (Which is actually a downgrade from its former home). Outside the entrance/gift shop is a spacious yard for African tortoises.Discovery Center
- As the first greeting to the zoo is a very small discovery center, mainly used as a reptile building. Most of the building was very homemade with some borderline pet store looking terrariums behind glass. Species noted included green tree python, ornate box turtles, blue-tonged skinks, tree frogs, and a juvenile yellow anaconda among others. There is also a aquarium that is currently under renovation. The highlight of this forgettable building is a spacious nocturnal habitat for around 10 straw-colored fruit bats. Over all, I've seen worse, but that isn't saying much for this decent but ultimately weak building.Walkabout Creek
- Right after you leave the discovery center you cross a bridge to the main zoo that provides a complete over view of this impressive walk through Australia section. It was closed on my visit, but it is extremely large and is surrounded by a forest outcrop. Wallaroo's, emus and black necked swans are in the main walk through exhibit, while a solid tawny frogmouth aviary is near by. This area is certainly on of the better parts of the zoo.Vanishing Kingdom
- What is bragged to be one of the main areas of the zoo, that fancy name does not detract from the many faults of this architectural impressive building. The name "Kingdom" keeps real to its name considering the building is a literal castle. Half of the building is primates while the other half is completely carnivores. The primate half includes Indoor habitats for white handed gibbons, spider monkeys, emperor tamarins (Including some adorable babies) and orangutans. Yep, that's right. Racine joins Brookfield, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and others with their all indoor orangutan exhibit. It certainly provides them with some great climbing areas with a multitude of ropes hanging from the ceiling. However, it simply much to small for the pair that shares the concrete exhibit. An outdoor orangutan exhibit is being planned for the zoos next project, but it wont be that large if they do any way, why? There really isn't much space between the outdoor gibbon and spider monkey cages, speaking of. These tall cages are also packed with fake enrichment and little space. The other side of the building are 5 harp wired cages for carnivores. Including indoor exhibits for lions and Amur tigers that look nearly identical to Lincoln Parks horrendous lion house. The only reason these are better is that the building is very quiet and there are signs that shush the visitors, props to the zoo for going the extra mile. There are also a pair of cages for fossa (who look way bigger in person), and a single cage for a pair of amazon parrots (Who surprisingly started mimicking me). Connected to this building are the outdoor cat exhibits, which are dubbed...Great Cat Canyon
- The outdoor exhibits for the lions and tigers are nearly identical. Each have two glass viewing windows and a single pavilion for harp wire viewing. They are both the same in size and the only real difference is that the tiger exhibit has a climbing platform. Between the 2 exhibits is a rocky netted habitat for Canadian lynx, which is slightly above average.Tur Mountain
- Racine zoo is the holder of the last West Caucasian tur, or any tur species for that matter, in the United States. It was a pleasure to see these very rare mountain goats, but their exhibit is only average. The medium sized island is entirely mock rock with not a single shred of substrate or realism any where in the exhibit. The rock is poorly done, and while it does provide them with great climbing structures, I have seen this better done elsewhere. I must admit to have felt a bit of nostalgia while looking at the mountain, it brought back memories of Brookfield's now demolished ibex island.Meerkat Manor
- Ah, remember meerkat manor? That show on animal planet? Back when animal planet actually was about animals (Though the new Bronx zoo TV show is pretty good, so maybe their coming back). Any way, this pair of exhibits is perhaps one of the weakest points of the zoo. A meerkat exhibit is okay, it has some sand and a giant termite mount. However, the adjacent exhibit is pathetic. African penguins have a tacky mock rock atrocity that should've had a date with a bulldozer 10 years ago. Not to mention the even worse indoor exhibit that has disgusting concrete, and the glare is just ridiculous. The meerkat exhibit is just barely saving this zone from getting the.Andean Bear Ridge
- There is only a single exhibit in this zone. It's home to a mixed species habitat for coati and Andean bears. There are 2 glass windows for viewing that are situated across from each other. The first one has hot wire which pretty much defeats the purpose of having glass in the first place. While the other provides a view of a lowered portion of the exhibit. The final viewing area is a raised deck which shows the entire yard. For Andean bears the exhibit is pretty good, but there are little to no climbing structures for coatis any where in the exhibit. Some more enrichment would be nice also but in terms of size, its pretty good.Barnyard Safari
- It's a goat pen... that's it. Next door is a nice arctic fox aviary with a good amount of space, but that's really it.Swamp/Marsh Aviary
- Another one of the zoos best in my opinion. Western tufted deer and lesser adjutant storks share this splendid netted exhibit. A medium sized creek runs throughout the marsh and there are ample hiding spaces for the animals within the swampy wilderness.Land of the Giants
- One of the only exhibits at the West end of the park, land of the giants is home to a trio of grassy exhibits for African ungulates. These include Masai giraffe, Hartman's mountain zebra, and black rhinos. They are all average in size. The zebra and rhino yards are lowered and separated from the public by a slope, while the giraffe yard has wired fencing and is about the size of the other 2 yards combined. A major downfall is the lack of indoor viewing, meaning that the animals can rarely been seen in the Winter. Another exhibit is being built currently by the rhinos. It is not known what it is, but it looks to be for a small African mammal. Over all, land of the giants is a very basic exhibit but is still fairly nice and another solid exhibit at the zoo.Rudy the red Tailed Hawk
- Another one of the zoos weakest points. A solitary red tailed hawk named Rudy lives in a cramped outdated cage. She is hidden away in a narrow path by Andean bear ridge. I felt like she was, forgotten. It almost made me a little sad to see her alone with really no space to fly.Overall - Racine is a zoo that's well worth the visit if your in the area, despite its many flaws. Walkabout Creek and the Swamp aviary are some of the zoos best. While Meerkat Manor and the hawk cage are among the worst. The rest of the zoo is simply average, but makes very good use of its very limited space, and the views of Lake Michigan are wonderful.
