The second option: to rent a car and make a big loop. High on the wishlist and most likely stops in the loop will be Atlanta, Omaha, Cincinnati, Columbus and Saint Louis.
Of these three, which would you recommend? And thanks for the info!
Road trip recommendations
- Thread starter willem
- Start date
The second option: to rent a car and make a big loop. High on the wishlist and most likely stops in the loop will be Atlanta, Omaha, Cincinnati, Columbus and Saint Louis.
Of these three, which would you recommend? And thanks for the info!
Fantastic, that will be a great trip.
I know it is not addressed to me, but I would make it Brookfield if you are just into zoos mostly. You could also do Lincoln park and Shed in one long day if you want to hit two places.
Persephone
Well-Known Member
I, personally, prefer Lincoln Park as a daytrip experience, but if you only get one chance to see one of them go for Brookfield.
I would really encourage you to try to fit all three of Chicago's major zoological facilities if you can.
Brookfield has the larger collection overall and a much larger campus with some fantastic indoor exhibits especially, and is especially superior for hoofstock, but if you're more into birds or primates, Lincoln Park might be more worth your trip.
Brookfield has the larger collection overall and a much larger campus with some fantastic indoor exhibits especially, and is especially superior for hoofstock, but if you're more into birds or primates, Lincoln Park might be more worth your trip.
Shedd is absolutely the zoo to prioritize in Chicago. Amazing collection (well over a thousand species!) in world-class exhibits. Perhaps the best aquarium in the world, maybe even the best zoo. It takes a full day to see, I wouldn't try to combine it with the same day as Lincoln Park.
Tomorrow I will fly to Chicago! The full list of zoos I would like to visit (very ambitious, but I will skip some if it proves to be too much):
Lincoln Park Zoo
Shedd Aquarium
Columbus Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Georgia Aquarium
Memphis Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
Kansas City Zoo
Henry Doorly Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Safari
Seaworld San Diego
Lincoln Park Zoo
Shedd Aquarium
Columbus Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Georgia Aquarium
Memphis Zoo
Saint Louis Zoo
Kansas City Zoo
Henry Doorly Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Safari
Seaworld San Diego
Will you be posting your thoughts on the collections you end up visiting? I think I speak for others when I say it’s interesting to see what non-Americans think of our zoos. Safe travels!
Thank you! I will!
cloudedleopard611
Well-Known Member
I hope you enjoy your visit to the Saint Louis Zoo! Let me know if you would like any advice for your visit!
I’m about to depart to Columbus Zoo, but because of the jetlag awake way to early, so time for a short update.
The first day I visited Shedd aquarium. The building and situation outside (directly near Lake Michigan) is excellent. Inside, the first three halls were nice but nothing special. The round tank in the middle and the Amazon hall wasn’t visible because of construction works. By then I was seriously doubting why so many people adore this place.
But the I entered wild reef. Beautifully done! And after that the shark tank. Not that big, but what an incredible species and some very large individuals! And the best for last. The tention built up to a first glimps of the belugas is done well, but the under water view is extraordinairy. Although I liked the lightning in Valencia better, this pool seems so much biggen and less artificial. And then the dolphin tank, that looked even bigger! What a great viewing area (above ánd under water) and beautiful species. I wont talk much about the sealion enclose, what a contrast. Sea otter idem dito, but less painfull.
Overall I think this aquarium did indead felt a bit like Valencia, but more spectaculair and nicely done.
The first day I visited Shedd aquarium. The building and situation outside (directly near Lake Michigan) is excellent. Inside, the first three halls were nice but nothing special. The round tank in the middle and the Amazon hall wasn’t visible because of construction works. By then I was seriously doubting why so many people adore this place.
But the I entered wild reef. Beautifully done! And after that the shark tank. Not that big, but what an incredible species and some very large individuals! And the best for last. The tention built up to a first glimps of the belugas is done well, but the under water view is extraordinairy. Although I liked the lightning in Valencia better, this pool seems so much biggen and less artificial. And then the dolphin tank, that looked even bigger! What a great viewing area (above ánd under water) and beautiful species. I wont talk much about the sealion enclose, what a contrast. Sea otter idem dito, but less painfull.
Overall I think this aquarium did indead felt a bit like Valencia, but more spectaculair and nicely done.
If Amazon Rising and Caribbean Reef had been open you would have had a very different (much more positive) experience with Shedd. But even without them, you can truly see the aquarium's greatness.
The adoration people have for Shedd isn't just for the exhibitry, rather the collection. There isn't a single other facility on the planet where you can find such a vast quantity of species under one roof. If you were feeling underwhelmed at times, that's likely due to the unfortunate timing of your visit, as the aquarium just began work on the first phase of its centennial revitalization project which involves replacing the central reef tank and adding an expanded arapaima tank in the Amazon gallery. If you weren't very fond of the main galleries, you'll be happy to learn that they will all be renovated or replaced in the coming years as part of the second phase of the project, although many zoo-nerds are still skeptical of how the end result will turn out.
Glad you enjoyed your first stop of the trip and I look forward to hearing about the rest.
Actually the whole building was full of advertisement all kinds of renovations, which is always good as a teaser to visit again imo.
There are many nice examples of those classic galleries in Europa, like in Artis (Amsterdam) or Antwerps (both on a much smaller scala though).
I try to visit both Berlins once a year. Now there you feel overwhelmed species numbers wise!
And a good reason to go back! I really liked the vibe of the city. Somehow it felt a bit European, and I would like to visit it again and spend more time on non zoo nerd things!
Next stop: Lincoln park Zoo. I arrived comfortably early at 8 , just to see the gates being opened (No problem to get up this early with an European jetlag),just to find out that everything else besides the gates opens at 10… At least I got the chance to have a good look on the duck pond, and visited the nature track next to the zoo.
The zoo itself is wonderfull. A very nice romantic vibe, a bit like Berlin Zoo or Antwerp. I really liked the bird house and the small animal and reptile house, but absolute highlights for me were the great apen complex and the African journey (except the pygme hippo enclosure). I wasn’t a great fan of the monkey house. Some enclosures were definitely too small. The pepper family wildlife center (what a name…) was beautiful on the outside. Inside it felt a bit emty, like an older version of the Alfred Brehm building stripped of its interior. Speaking of going back in time, I also liked the circle of (sometimes a bit shabby, mainly for hoofstock) enclosures. This was a nice free(!) zoo.
To me, and I'm only speaking for me, the central reef was the Shedd's most iconic exhibit and absolute centerpiece. It's so hard to imagine the place without it. I feel bad for anyone who may be visiting from out of town during this transition since two of the four best exhibits are out of commission.
Appreciate the comparisons and perspective. I agree with you on the Wildlife Center interior feeling empty; having been there on days the lions were not around, the entire building becomes superfluous. The primate building definitely has some exhibits that are too small although I value the collection immensely.
Very much appreciate the kind words to Lincoln Park!
Appreciate the comparisons and perspective. I agree with you on the Wildlife Center interior feeling empty; having been there on days the lions were not around, the entire building becomes superfluous. The primate building definitely has some exhibits that are too small although I value the collection immensely.
Shedd actually keeps a few hundred more species than Berlin Zoo.I try to visit both Berlins once a year. Now there you feel overwhelmed species numbers wise!
Shedd actually keeps a few hundred more species than Berlin Zoo.
Yes I know, but it feels the other way around!
Do you have a 5.5 hour drive ahead of you now? It will probably serve as a litmus test for the rest of your trip, as there is almost nothing but corn and soy fields between Chicago and the Ohio cities. Safe travels!
And that would be largely because Amazon Rising wasn't open, I'm sure.Yes I know, but it feels the other way around!
To be fair, even with Amazon Rising open, a very large percentage of the collection is off exhibit or not seen one way or another. The last time I bothered to count, it was closer to 800 species signed, of which I saw around 450, meaning that one would probably see more species at zoo Berlin than Shedd.
Fish are easier to move around, leave unsigned, and be missed than the countless birds, mammals, and other taxa of the Berlins.
I love Shedd, and its species rotation means that there is always something new, but I also think that certain posted numbers can be misleading.