csura999
Active Member
What do you guys think of the candidates?
Vote- Best Zoo Nominees: 2017 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards
Vote- Best Zoo Nominees: 2017 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards
USA Today--Vote for the best zoo in the United States
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drill
Well-Known Member
Im surprised by riverbanks and Cleveland and Cheyenne mountain zoo also surprised that la and of course toledo did not make it have been to Brookfield many times as i used to live in Chicago always changing was not impressed by alot of st Louis zoo reptile house was amazing and because of only a little snow rivers edge and 1904 bird cage were closed mediocre hoofstock exhibits with a variety of species and ancient indoor antelope house that looks like a prison insectarium was not bad and i did not visit children's zoo or apes aviary good but repetitive penguins and puffins good and monkeys good but also repetitive the bad part of the aviary is the raptor exhibits inside are just bars and a bare exhibit like the antelope house.
Saint Louis is #1 on the leaderboard right now 
These lists are always somewhat arbitrary and cause ZooChatters to choke. However I do feel this list is better than most similar ones I have seen. And I am very pleased to see my local Arizona Sonora Desert Museum on the list. Not as pleased to see Phoenix Zoo there, because while it is decent it is not necessarily great. The most severe error is the omission of Dallas Zoo, which is the best in the southwest and one of the top ten in the nation IMO. Including Fort Worth over Dallas is almost unforgiveable.
Also I have not been to Cleveland, but how did they get on the list? Anyway I voted of course for my local ASDM which I am happy to see is number two right now (behind St Louis which I do think is a great zoo).
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
I voted for Bronx although I love Columbus and San Diego and Bronx might be passed by Saint Louis and/or Omaha for me when I visit in May. IMO of the ones I've visited it is ridiculous Miami, Dallas, Detroit and North Carolina aren't on there while Riverbanks, Audubon, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Memphis should definitely not be on there. Of the ones I haven't seen I think Sedgwick County, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Kansas City should definitely be on there. Still it is much better than many other similar lists (I've seen Zoo America and Lion Country Safari ranked before).
Like @GraysonDP, I wonder why other great and/or famous zoos are not listed (e.g. Zoo Miami, Asheboro, San Diego Safari Park, Dallas Zoo and - as the newcomer of the last year - Fresno).
drill
Well-Known Member
Why shouldn't Cincinnati or Audubon be on their
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
Cincinnati has a stellar collection but mostly average/subpar exhibits. Audubon's exhibits are mostly average.
drill
Well-Known Member
Toledo zoo should be on there they have amazing exhibits Cleveland and riverbanks no
Well now I know how Cleveland got on the list (which I think almost every ZooChatter would agree does not belong). If you read the bios of the five experts they used, one worked at Cleveland Zoo for 35 years! No bias there? 
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
They should have used you as an expert instead since I have utmost confidence you would have not put Reid Park on the list despite your connections with the zoo.Well now I know how Cleveland got on the list (which I think almost every ZooChatter would agree does not belong). If you read the bios of the five experts they used, one worked at Cleveland Zoo for 35 years! No bias there?
How is Riverbanks and Fort Worth beating out Brookfield? It's clearly superior in both collection and quality. And where in the world is Minnesota and North Carolina! Don't even get me started on Woodland park being in last place!
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
It's really ridiculous! My list would go something like this:
Top Ten (NPO): Bronx, Saint Louis, Omaha, San Diego, Columbus, North Carolina, Sedgwick County, Woodland Park Zoo, Dallas, Miami
11-20 (NPO): Denver, Minnesota, Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Oregon, Brookfield, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Kansas City, National
Honorable Mentions: Busch Gardens, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Houston, Toledo
For those wondering how the rankings are progressing, it is just based on viewer votes which means whichever zoo has the best (or most aggressive) social media following will get their members to vote. All these rankings work the same way, the votes are a popularity contest and not an objective scoring. BTW members can vote once per day (so I am about to cast another vote for my local ASDM 
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The only way anyone can truly qualify to vote in a poll like this is if you've visited them all. I've only visited three of the shortlist. I know which is my favourite of those three, but that's pretty meaningless.
This is just a test of how many click-throughs a zoo can generate.
This is just a test of how many click-throughs a zoo can generate.
I think it's really more about how strong the fan bases are for each zoo. There's no such thing as an objectively "best" zoo; it's to see which one can generate the most support from the public.
Yah, that's a good way of looking at it - that's a key reason Brookfield, for example, has traditionally done mediocre in such polls. In today's day and age especially, the test of the zoo's fan base is often a test of how much they can rally locals behind it. Lincoln Park very much occupies the spot as Chicago's Zoo due to it's accessibility and position in the heart of the city - even though most dedicated zoo fans know it leaves to be desired in some key areas. Brookfield, however, lacks a significant fanbase that can be rallied behind it for such polls as a result.