Two-Day Zoos

[Jurek7]

For me, the only zoos which came close were Bronx Zoo and Toronto due to sheer size, and Dallas World Aquarium because of birds hidden in back aviaries and the large communal hall, some of which spend almost all the time in areas not visible to visitors.

I can offer some tips to those, who wish to see every species on just one visit. Not everybody wants or has possibility to spend several days in one zoo.
- Do a pre-work. Check what species are at the zoo, and at least general layout.
- Visiting early morning, first go to small mammals and external bird aviaries. They are the most tricky ones, because they hide.
- If you see a keeper working in an exhibit, this is a good sign. Hidden animals often emerge to eat food or check whats going on. This is also a good opportunity to ask about some species you are unsure to see.
- If animal is not present, return once or twice in different times during the day It may be active then.
- In big communal aviaries and big houses, don't try too hard to spot birds hidden in the vegetation. Instead locate food trays and spend 20-30 min near each of them. This is more boring, but more productive. A small bird normally eats every 20-30 minutes.
- Before leaving the zoo, check the plan that you did not forget some exhibit.
I understand some people will spend hours just looking at their favorite animal or photographing, but these are tips for species-twitchers.

 

[Zooish]

As some have mentioned, Bronx can be a one day zoo if they'd open earlier at say 9am (an extra hour makes a lot of difference), and if you don't double back to see exhibits twice.

 

[Alex Bensky]

Wow...lots of great responses to this thread! Clearly a zoo visit boils down to personal taste, as has been pointed out on a few occasions already. I know a zoo enthusiast who claims that they saw everything at San Diego Zoo in 6 hours...while most zoo nerds take two days to make their rounds at that world-famous attraction. A very young zoo friend of mine is not a big fan of reptiles and amphibians, and so (hypothetically speaking) if he were to venture far afield to Wroclaw Zoo then I suppose he'd be done and dusted in not much more than half the day...while I enjoy Reptile Houses and the one at Wroclaw is apparently jam-packed with delights.

Opening hours is a major factor in my opinion. The Bronx Zoo is open from 10:00 - 5:00 year-round and 7 hours is NOT enough time to see everything; the hours there are most unfortunate for zoo enthusiasts. On the other hand, Pairi Daiza has brilliant hours in July and August, being open for 11 hours per day and even 13 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Surely enough time to see it all, right? Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is open for 8 hours in the summer and the buildings are actually open for 9 hours during the peak season. It took me a full 8 hours to see everything last summer and I didn't double-back into any of the buildings. However, in the winter Omaha is only open for 6 hours (buildings for 7 hours) and that is NOT enough time to see one of the world's great zoos. The zoo promotes a second day via posters and signs near the admission booths, and even this morning I visited the zoo's website and after selecting a ticket a statement reads: "Upgrade to Two Day Admission - Add a second day at the Zoo for half the cost! (Must be used consecutively with first day.)" My point is that both Bronx and Omaha could conceivably be one-day zoos if they had summer hours like Pairi Dazia.

Of course we are all looking at zoos through the lens of being zoo enthusiasts, which admittedly was something I stated in the opening of this thread. When I take my wife and 4 young kids south to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo (a round-trip drive of 5 hours!) we NEVER see the whole zoo in a day. There have been occasions when we spend 5 hours driving there and back and 5 hours at the zoo but only see a third of what is on offer. Young kids drag their feet around whenever they get tired and walk at the speed of drunken sloths, plus they get hungry and lunch is a full hour, plus there is an outdoor play area and an indoor Zoomazium center, plus there are wild squirrels rampaging around. We have plenty of squirrels in our backyard (as well as deer, raccoons, opossums, coyotes and the odd bear or cougar) but when at the zoo the kids are enthralled by squirrels and run past boring old gorillas and part of my heart breaks. Haha! If I took my brood to Berlin Zoo we'd probably get through the aquarium and by then it would be closing time!

I am in Seattle every couple of years or so and while it's a fine zoo, it can easily be done in a day...under certain circumstances. Seeing a zoo with kids reminds me of Robert Benchley's line that there are two kinds of train travel, first class, and with children.

Last time I was in San Diego I did the zoo in a day but I opened it at nine a.m. and they had to throw me out at five p.m. The Society for American Baseball Research convention is being held there this year so I'll go back and watch how the time goes.

I've been able to do the Bronx and Brookfield in one day but I was by myself so I could budget my time as I liked.

 

[Imperator Furiosa]

I saw Brookfield mentioned as a possible two day zoo and, quite honestly I wouldn't consider it one. I'm usually able to get through the entirety of it in about 4 hours during the off season and 5-6 hours during the busy season. Even when I've gone with my mother, who has knee problems and can't walk quickly, we're still able to get through it all in about that same amount of time.

Last time I was at Bronx I missed three exhibits (Himalaya Highlands, the Children's Zoo, and the Giraffe House), so next time I go I'll try to prioritize those. I also spent about 45 minutes sitting down because I was sick due to a then untreated health issue, which definitely cut into my time viewing exhibits. I still don't know if I'd be able to make it through everything but I certainly have a better chance now.