Those familiar with my road trip threads will recognize this posting from the past, and I've simply updated the master list to now include 12 zoos and edited a few phrases here and there. There are also a number of truly wonderful aquariums in North America, and I'd rank Shedd(#1), Georgia(#2), Monterey Bay(#3) and Vancouver(#4) as arguably the four best I've seen. However, for this list I'll stick to zoos.
MY TOP TWELVE ZOOS IN NORTH AMERICA:
#1 - San Diego Zoo: For me this is a no-brainer, and to be perfectly honest only the Bronx Zoo is even close to being a contender. The beautiful climate, giant pandas, immense reptile collection, excellent polar bear plunge, staggering number of bird species, brilliant Monkey Trails and Forest Tales boardwalk exhibits, gorgeous gorilla and bonobo enclosures, Ituri Forest, Tiger River...and the list goes on and on. I love the fact that I could visit this zoo at any time of the year and everything would be open and accessible, and that the only building on the entire 100 acres is the reptile house. This is truly an open-air, amazing zoo and in my mind without a doubt the best that North America has to offer.
#2 - Bronx Zoo: There is a high-quality level of exhibit design at this world-class zoo. The Congo Gorilla Forest is breathtaking, and maybe the best set of zoo habitats in North America. JungleWorld still holds up well after a couple of decades, Himalayan Highlands is superb, Tiger Mountain is excellent, the new Madagascar house is brilliantly done, Baboon Reserve is a wonder to behold, the bird collection is vast, and probably 85% of the exhibits are at least of average quality or better. The Wild Asia monorail tour could be spruced up a bit, and sadly in winter I've heard from many people that the zoo is vastly different. No Wild Asia tour, possibly no gorillas, other animals locked indoors for weeks on end...and here is where the zoo lacks San Diego's sunshine. Instead visitors during all seasons go from building to building (at least 7-8 in total) that truly defines a zoo that is located in a northern climate.
#3 - Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: This zoo aims high and some have criticized their enormous buildings as having too small animal exhibits. I believe that the amazing qualities far outweigh the flaws, and anyone who visits this midwest zoo finds its big 3 buildings astonishing. The Lied Jungle is the largest indoor rainforest on the planet, and in my opinion (and I've seen the Masoala forest in Zurich) the best. The Desert Dome is the largest and best of its kind, and the Kingdoms of the Night nocturnal house is also the biggest and best of its kind on the planet. Those three knockout exhibits, even with their flaws, elevate this zoo into the top twelve. One could go home happy after those buildings and leave it at that. However, the orangutan exhibit is probably the tallest in North America, the gorilla exhibit is somewhat mazelike and above average, the Scott Aquarium is simply superb and it contains a top-class penguin exhibit, and the 4-acre aviary is so big that it's impossible to see the other end once you enter. However, Omaha's big cat complex is dreadful, the bear grottoes are dilapidated, and much of the rest of the zoo is simply average. The pros outweigh the cons here, and with a massive Madagascar Forest complex, an Arctic area, and possibly a 12-acre elephant paddock opening in the next few years this zoo will cement its position in my #3 slot.
#4 - Columbus Zoo: I know probably 5 people here at ZooBeat who think this is without a doubt a top 5 zoo, and I can name a few others who don't think that I should have it in my top ten at all. I believe that 90% of the enclosures at this zoo are average or above average, even though it lacks a killer exhibit like many other top ranked zoos. The zoo is organized perhaps better than any single other zoo that I've ever been to, with only a few exceptions to the geographic zoning principle. The new Asia Quest section features an awesome pair of exhibits for the amur tigers and sun bears; the African Forest has a Howletts-style gorilla enclosure and the best bonobo exhibit in North America; Manatee Coast has an excellent pool for its sea cows; the Australia section is an absolute knockout (and I used to live in Australia when I was a kid); the elephant building is the largest in North America and comes with an expansive outdoor paddock; and the North American section is the oldest part of the zoo and still first-class. I'm perplexed when the occasional person criticizes this zoo, as there is very little wrong with it. Next year's Polar Frontier complex, and 2012's 70-acre African Savanna should keep this zoo high on anyone's list.
#5 - Woodland Park Zoo: The rain in Seattle is definitely a factor with this zoo, as I visit it at least every 6 months and invariably get wet while doing so. I'm a little unsure if I illustrate bias in my decision to put this zoo in my top 5, but then a number of people that I contacted here at ZooBeat also rank it quite high. About 30 years ago this establishment transformed the zoo world with its style of naturalistic exhibits, and at least 80% of the zoo is of a very high quality. The Asian section with its orangutans, malayan tapirs and asian elephants is excellent; the nocturnal house isn't large but is one of the better ones in North America; the indoor children's Zoomazium is unique, the African Savanna is a bit dated now but still holds up well after 30 years and has an excellent African wild dog exhibit; the Tropical Rain Forest area has a terrific jaguar exhibit and a pair of old yet top-notch gorilla habitats; and the Northern Trail habitats are the best of the lot. Grizzly bears, river otters, elk, wolves, bald eagles and rocky mountain goats all live in this award-winning set of exhibits, and only the Bronx has more exhibit awards than this zoo.
#6 - Miami Metrozoo: I don't mind the seemingly endless row of moated enclosures at this massive zoo, and instead adore the fact that there are bascially zero cages, bars, pits or grottoes anywhere to be found on the zoo grounds. The variety of hoofstock and pachyderms is fantastic, animals from Asia, Africa and South America are comprehensively collected, and the brand new, $50 million "Amazon & Beyond" set of habitats should age well over time. The "Wings of Asia" aviary is one of the best walk-through aviaries I've ever seen, and the expansive enclosures mean that all of the animals have loads more room than they do at many other zoos. The one thing that is missing are animal species from North America, but the zoo already has an enormous collection.
#7 - San Diego Wild Animal Park: The monorail trip is not the best way to see this zoo, as sometimes mere seconds pass and the journey continues to another destination point. But the sheer volume of animals here is astonishing, and this park along with the San Diego Zoo packs a one-two zoo punch that is not equalled anywhere on the planet. The Nairobi Village, large elephant yard, lion camp, Mombasa Lagoon, Condor Ridge, Heart of Africa walkway, etc, all combine to make an awesome zoo-going experience. It is perhaps as close to Africa as I've ever been, has many more species than Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the best of the open-range zoos.
#8 - Detroit Zoo: This is a choice that shouldn't really surprise those people who steadfastly followed my epic trip across Canada and the United States last summer. The sublime Arctic Ring of Life, 4-acre polar bear/seal/fox habitat is the second best set of exhibits in North America. Only the Bronx's Congo Gorilla Forest can challenge it for that distinction. Those that complain about polar bear enclosures (people like me!) should see the mighty white beasts ambling across grass and swimming over the pedestrian walk-through tunnel. But Detroit not only has the best polar bear exhibit, it also has the best amphibian building in North America ("Amphibiville"), the largest chimpanzee habitat, the best aardvark exhibit, the best tree kangaroo exhibit, the best red panda exhibit, the best binturong exhibit, the largest red kangaroo exhibit, etc. All of the outdoor paddocks for its hoofstock are enormous and far larger than most other zoos. The zebra, vulture, Brazilian tapir and penguin habitats are all amongst the largest of their kind, and I really enjoyed this spacious, historic zoo. This was the first zoo in North America to be competely designed without bars, and large moated habitats are around every corner. There are still some carnivore grottoes that should be either torn down or renovated, but at least 80% of this zoo pleased me immensely. Those that don't rank it highly should re-visit it to appreciate the lack of any bars or cages, and it has some similarities to Miami Metrozoo in that regard.
#9 - Oklahoma City Zoo: For some people this will probably be the most shocking zoo on my list. Oklahoma...has Snowleopard gone crazy? Initially I didn't think that it would make the cut, but after going back to it again and again in my mind I realized that this zoo is an underrated gem that simply cannot be ignored. The opening of 2007's "Oklahoma Trails" added 8 acres and 800 animals to the zoo, and for those that have only seen it before 2007 it's time to go back again. Those new North American exhibits that have been added are excellent, with a wide variety of all types of animalls. There are 11 different ecosystems that are covered, including huge black bear/red fox and grizzly bear habitats with enormous pools. Aside from the award-worthy, outstanding Oklahoma Trails section of the zoo, there is also one of the best cat complexes in North America. There are 9 feline species over 4 acres of space, and all of the exhibits are above average. Also around the zoo are the best collection of wild dogs in the western hemisphere on "Wild Dog Drive"; an above average set of 4 enclosures for orangutans, chimpanzees and 2 groups of gorillas; huge hoofstock paddocks, large indian and black rhino fields, an impressive collection of antelope, and other spacious enclosures such as the large giraffe paddock. There is still work to be done here, but 2009's multi-acre children's zoo and 2011's massive, $23 million Asian Zone will cement this zoo's position in my top ten list.
#10 - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: An all-North American collection of animals, but the diversity of creatures that can be found in the desert is nothing short of astonishing. This "zoo" has the best location of perhaps any park in the entire world, as one has to drive miles out into the middle of nowhere before locating this small yet brilliant institution in the centre of a seemingly never-ending desert. This establishment is famous for its high-quality exhibits, such as the desert loop trail with its peccaries and coyotes, cat canyon with small felines, the staggeringly gorgeous walk-through hummingbird aviary, the desert grassland and "life on the rocks" habitats, and the list goes on and on. Wild lizards and an assortment of birds are all around this open-air collection, and even though it is small and can be seen in a few hours I feel as if it's one of the best designed and all-around amazing zoos in North America.
#11 - Denver Zoo: This is one of the most complete zoos on the continent, with a diverse and vast collection. I visited in May of 2006, and was immediately impressed with "Predator Ridge" and its rotating lions, spotted hyenas and african wild dogs. The "Primate Panorama" section of the zoo is brilliant, with almost 30 different species of primates in mainly spacious and naturalistic habitats. The hoofstock collection is almost unbeatable, the tropical rainforest building is above average, the massive bird house is excellent, and the Northern Shores section of the zoo is above average. With the 10-acre, rotating exhibits for asian elephants, indian rhinos and malayan tapirs set to open in the next couple of years this already large zoo will only get better.
#12 - Minnesota Zoo: The opening of 2007's "Russia's Grizzly Coast" has elevated this zoo into the upper echelon of collections in North America. On top of the brilliant exhibits for grizzlies, sea otters, wild boars and amur leopards the zoo also has an extensive Northern Trail area that is top notch. There lies the largest tiger exhibit on the continent, and a series of massive paddocks for a range of hoofstock. The Minnesota Trail set of habitats is also highly impressive, and this is easily one of the best zoos around for North American animals. What brings the zoo down are the indoor areas, as I found the Dolphin Discovery Bay building to be far too small and inadequate, and the 1.5 acre Tropics Trail building contains some wonderful species but in enclosures that are a little on the tiny side.
MY TOP TWELVE ZOOS IN NORTH AMERICA:
#1 - San Diego Zoo: For me this is a no-brainer, and to be perfectly honest only the Bronx Zoo is even close to being a contender. The beautiful climate, giant pandas, immense reptile collection, excellent polar bear plunge, staggering number of bird species, brilliant Monkey Trails and Forest Tales boardwalk exhibits, gorgeous gorilla and bonobo enclosures, Ituri Forest, Tiger River...and the list goes on and on. I love the fact that I could visit this zoo at any time of the year and everything would be open and accessible, and that the only building on the entire 100 acres is the reptile house. This is truly an open-air, amazing zoo and in my mind without a doubt the best that North America has to offer.
#2 - Bronx Zoo: There is a high-quality level of exhibit design at this world-class zoo. The Congo Gorilla Forest is breathtaking, and maybe the best set of zoo habitats in North America. JungleWorld still holds up well after a couple of decades, Himalayan Highlands is superb, Tiger Mountain is excellent, the new Madagascar house is brilliantly done, Baboon Reserve is a wonder to behold, the bird collection is vast, and probably 85% of the exhibits are at least of average quality or better. The Wild Asia monorail tour could be spruced up a bit, and sadly in winter I've heard from many people that the zoo is vastly different. No Wild Asia tour, possibly no gorillas, other animals locked indoors for weeks on end...and here is where the zoo lacks San Diego's sunshine. Instead visitors during all seasons go from building to building (at least 7-8 in total) that truly defines a zoo that is located in a northern climate.
#3 - Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: This zoo aims high and some have criticized their enormous buildings as having too small animal exhibits. I believe that the amazing qualities far outweigh the flaws, and anyone who visits this midwest zoo finds its big 3 buildings astonishing. The Lied Jungle is the largest indoor rainforest on the planet, and in my opinion (and I've seen the Masoala forest in Zurich) the best. The Desert Dome is the largest and best of its kind, and the Kingdoms of the Night nocturnal house is also the biggest and best of its kind on the planet. Those three knockout exhibits, even with their flaws, elevate this zoo into the top twelve. One could go home happy after those buildings and leave it at that. However, the orangutan exhibit is probably the tallest in North America, the gorilla exhibit is somewhat mazelike and above average, the Scott Aquarium is simply superb and it contains a top-class penguin exhibit, and the 4-acre aviary is so big that it's impossible to see the other end once you enter. However, Omaha's big cat complex is dreadful, the bear grottoes are dilapidated, and much of the rest of the zoo is simply average. The pros outweigh the cons here, and with a massive Madagascar Forest complex, an Arctic area, and possibly a 12-acre elephant paddock opening in the next few years this zoo will cement its position in my #3 slot.
#4 - Columbus Zoo: I know probably 5 people here at ZooBeat who think this is without a doubt a top 5 zoo, and I can name a few others who don't think that I should have it in my top ten at all. I believe that 90% of the enclosures at this zoo are average or above average, even though it lacks a killer exhibit like many other top ranked zoos. The zoo is organized perhaps better than any single other zoo that I've ever been to, with only a few exceptions to the geographic zoning principle. The new Asia Quest section features an awesome pair of exhibits for the amur tigers and sun bears; the African Forest has a Howletts-style gorilla enclosure and the best bonobo exhibit in North America; Manatee Coast has an excellent pool for its sea cows; the Australia section is an absolute knockout (and I used to live in Australia when I was a kid); the elephant building is the largest in North America and comes with an expansive outdoor paddock; and the North American section is the oldest part of the zoo and still first-class. I'm perplexed when the occasional person criticizes this zoo, as there is very little wrong with it. Next year's Polar Frontier complex, and 2012's 70-acre African Savanna should keep this zoo high on anyone's list.
#5 - Woodland Park Zoo: The rain in Seattle is definitely a factor with this zoo, as I visit it at least every 6 months and invariably get wet while doing so. I'm a little unsure if I illustrate bias in my decision to put this zoo in my top 5, but then a number of people that I contacted here at ZooBeat also rank it quite high. About 30 years ago this establishment transformed the zoo world with its style of naturalistic exhibits, and at least 80% of the zoo is of a very high quality. The Asian section with its orangutans, malayan tapirs and asian elephants is excellent; the nocturnal house isn't large but is one of the better ones in North America; the indoor children's Zoomazium is unique, the African Savanna is a bit dated now but still holds up well after 30 years and has an excellent African wild dog exhibit; the Tropical Rain Forest area has a terrific jaguar exhibit and a pair of old yet top-notch gorilla habitats; and the Northern Trail habitats are the best of the lot. Grizzly bears, river otters, elk, wolves, bald eagles and rocky mountain goats all live in this award-winning set of exhibits, and only the Bronx has more exhibit awards than this zoo.
#6 - Miami Metrozoo: I don't mind the seemingly endless row of moated enclosures at this massive zoo, and instead adore the fact that there are bascially zero cages, bars, pits or grottoes anywhere to be found on the zoo grounds. The variety of hoofstock and pachyderms is fantastic, animals from Asia, Africa and South America are comprehensively collected, and the brand new, $50 million "Amazon & Beyond" set of habitats should age well over time. The "Wings of Asia" aviary is one of the best walk-through aviaries I've ever seen, and the expansive enclosures mean that all of the animals have loads more room than they do at many other zoos. The one thing that is missing are animal species from North America, but the zoo already has an enormous collection.
#7 - San Diego Wild Animal Park: The monorail trip is not the best way to see this zoo, as sometimes mere seconds pass and the journey continues to another destination point. But the sheer volume of animals here is astonishing, and this park along with the San Diego Zoo packs a one-two zoo punch that is not equalled anywhere on the planet. The Nairobi Village, large elephant yard, lion camp, Mombasa Lagoon, Condor Ridge, Heart of Africa walkway, etc, all combine to make an awesome zoo-going experience. It is perhaps as close to Africa as I've ever been, has many more species than Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the best of the open-range zoos.
#8 - Detroit Zoo: This is a choice that shouldn't really surprise those people who steadfastly followed my epic trip across Canada and the United States last summer. The sublime Arctic Ring of Life, 4-acre polar bear/seal/fox habitat is the second best set of exhibits in North America. Only the Bronx's Congo Gorilla Forest can challenge it for that distinction. Those that complain about polar bear enclosures (people like me!) should see the mighty white beasts ambling across grass and swimming over the pedestrian walk-through tunnel. But Detroit not only has the best polar bear exhibit, it also has the best amphibian building in North America ("Amphibiville"), the largest chimpanzee habitat, the best aardvark exhibit, the best tree kangaroo exhibit, the best red panda exhibit, the best binturong exhibit, the largest red kangaroo exhibit, etc. All of the outdoor paddocks for its hoofstock are enormous and far larger than most other zoos. The zebra, vulture, Brazilian tapir and penguin habitats are all amongst the largest of their kind, and I really enjoyed this spacious, historic zoo. This was the first zoo in North America to be competely designed without bars, and large moated habitats are around every corner. There are still some carnivore grottoes that should be either torn down or renovated, but at least 80% of this zoo pleased me immensely. Those that don't rank it highly should re-visit it to appreciate the lack of any bars or cages, and it has some similarities to Miami Metrozoo in that regard.
#9 - Oklahoma City Zoo: For some people this will probably be the most shocking zoo on my list. Oklahoma...has Snowleopard gone crazy? Initially I didn't think that it would make the cut, but after going back to it again and again in my mind I realized that this zoo is an underrated gem that simply cannot be ignored. The opening of 2007's "Oklahoma Trails" added 8 acres and 800 animals to the zoo, and for those that have only seen it before 2007 it's time to go back again. Those new North American exhibits that have been added are excellent, with a wide variety of all types of animalls. There are 11 different ecosystems that are covered, including huge black bear/red fox and grizzly bear habitats with enormous pools. Aside from the award-worthy, outstanding Oklahoma Trails section of the zoo, there is also one of the best cat complexes in North America. There are 9 feline species over 4 acres of space, and all of the exhibits are above average. Also around the zoo are the best collection of wild dogs in the western hemisphere on "Wild Dog Drive"; an above average set of 4 enclosures for orangutans, chimpanzees and 2 groups of gorillas; huge hoofstock paddocks, large indian and black rhino fields, an impressive collection of antelope, and other spacious enclosures such as the large giraffe paddock. There is still work to be done here, but 2009's multi-acre children's zoo and 2011's massive, $23 million Asian Zone will cement this zoo's position in my top ten list.
#10 - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: An all-North American collection of animals, but the diversity of creatures that can be found in the desert is nothing short of astonishing. This "zoo" has the best location of perhaps any park in the entire world, as one has to drive miles out into the middle of nowhere before locating this small yet brilliant institution in the centre of a seemingly never-ending desert. This establishment is famous for its high-quality exhibits, such as the desert loop trail with its peccaries and coyotes, cat canyon with small felines, the staggeringly gorgeous walk-through hummingbird aviary, the desert grassland and "life on the rocks" habitats, and the list goes on and on. Wild lizards and an assortment of birds are all around this open-air collection, and even though it is small and can be seen in a few hours I feel as if it's one of the best designed and all-around amazing zoos in North America.
#11 - Denver Zoo: This is one of the most complete zoos on the continent, with a diverse and vast collection. I visited in May of 2006, and was immediately impressed with "Predator Ridge" and its rotating lions, spotted hyenas and african wild dogs. The "Primate Panorama" section of the zoo is brilliant, with almost 30 different species of primates in mainly spacious and naturalistic habitats. The hoofstock collection is almost unbeatable, the tropical rainforest building is above average, the massive bird house is excellent, and the Northern Shores section of the zoo is above average. With the 10-acre, rotating exhibits for asian elephants, indian rhinos and malayan tapirs set to open in the next couple of years this already large zoo will only get better.
#12 - Minnesota Zoo: The opening of 2007's "Russia's Grizzly Coast" has elevated this zoo into the upper echelon of collections in North America. On top of the brilliant exhibits for grizzlies, sea otters, wild boars and amur leopards the zoo also has an extensive Northern Trail area that is top notch. There lies the largest tiger exhibit on the continent, and a series of massive paddocks for a range of hoofstock. The Minnesota Trail set of habitats is also highly impressive, and this is easily one of the best zoos around for North American animals. What brings the zoo down are the indoor areas, as I found the Dolphin Discovery Bay building to be far too small and inadequate, and the 1.5 acre Tropics Trail building contains some wonderful species but in enclosures that are a little on the tiny side.
)