What are the best American zoos NOT in the book of America's top 80 Zoos

R

RhinoHippoElephantGiraffe

Well-Known Member
I know many of you know the book by @Tim Brown and @snowleopard of the top 80 zoos and 20 aquariums in the country. However, I have noticed that some zoos that you'd expect to be on there aren't actually there. I am only doing zoos, not aquariums for this. I also want to know what you guys think is the best zoo not in the top 80. The list is in no particular order, and there are 20 zoos on this list to make 100. Here is the list:
- Mesker Park (most likely the #81 zoo)
- Winston Wildlife Safari
- Ellen Trout
- Greenville
- Potter Park
- Prospect Park
- Jackson
- Lincoln Children's Zoo
- Lee Richardson
- Metro Richmond
- Central Florida
- Gulf Breeze
- Alaska
- Seneca Park
- Lion Country Safari Loxahatchee
- Franklin Park
- Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- Chattanooga
- Rolling Hills
 
RhinoHippoElephantGiraffe said:
I know many of you know the book by @Tim Brown and @snowleopard of the top 80 zoos and 20 aquariums in the country. However, I have noticed that some zoos that you'd expect to be on there aren't actually there. I am only doing zoos, not aquariums for this. I also want to know what you guys think is the best zoo not in the top 80. The list is in no particular order, and there are 20 zoos on this list to make 100. Here is the list:
- Mesker Park (most likely the #81 zoo)
- Winston Wildlife Safari
- Ellen Trout
- Greenville
- Potter Park
- Prospect Park
- Jackson
- Lincoln Children's Zoo
- Lee Richardson
- Metro Richmond
- Central Florida
- Gulf Breeze
- Alaska
- Seneca Park
- Lion Country Safari Loxahatchee
- Franklin Park
- Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- Chattanooga
- Rolling Hills
Click to expand...

Is Mesker Park that good? I’d have thought Roger Williams was the toughest call of those that didn’t make it but you don’t mention it…
 
RhinoHippoElephantGiraffe said:
I know many of you know the book by @Tim Brown and @snowleopard of the top 80 zoos and 20 aquariums in the country. However, I have noticed that some zoos that you'd expect to be on there aren't actually there. I am only doing zoos, not aquariums for this. I also want to know what you guys think is the best zoo not in the top 80. The list is in no particular order, and there are 20 zoos on this list to make 100. Here is the list:
- Mesker Park (most likely the #81 zoo)
- Winston Wildlife Safari
- Ellen Trout
- Greenville
- Potter Park
- Prospect Park
- Jackson
- Lincoln Children's Zoo
- Lee Richardson
- Metro Richmond
- Central Florida
- Gulf Breeze
- Alaska
- Seneca Park
- Lion Country Safari Loxahatchee
- Franklin Park
- Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- Chattanooga
- Rolling Hills
Click to expand...

Have you actually been to any of these yourself to say they are the best of the ones that didn't make the cut?
 
Wildwood Wildlife Park. This zoo is huge, of fairly high quality, and would be well-known if it wasn't in the middle of nowhere. :p

EDIT: Also I highly doubt Mesker Park of all places would be the one that just missed out of the book.
 
RhinoHippoElephantGiraffe said:
I know many of you know the book by @Tim Brown and @snowleopard of the top 80 zoos and 20 aquariums in the country. However, I have noticed that some zoos that you'd expect to be on there aren't actually there. I am only doing zoos, not aquariums for this. I also want to know what you guys think is the best zoo not in the top 80. The list is in no particular order, and there are 20 zoos on this list to make 100. Here is the list:
- Mesker Park (most likely the #81 zoo)
- Winston Wildlife Safari
- Ellen Trout
- Greenville
- Potter Park
- Prospect Park
- Jackson
- Lincoln Children's Zoo
- Lee Richardson
- Metro Richmond
- Central Florida
- Gulf Breeze
- Alaska
- Seneca Park
- Lion Country Safari Loxahatchee
- Franklin Park
- Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- Chattanooga
- Rolling Hills
Click to expand...
I think that Lion Country takes this list, with Central Florida, Gulf Breeze and Metro Richmond following behind.
 
Well nothing there that makes me think we missed out...Ive been to all but four of those listed and nothing about them makes me think we missed anything major.Lion Country? Like all safari parks i was bit underwhelmed. Gulf Breeze ,Metro Richmond...okay, but with a definite "privately-owned" British/French feel about them. Id probably go Central Florida or Franklin Park if it was "101 zoos".
 
birdsandbats said:
Wildwood Wildlife Park. This zoo is huge, of fairly high quality, and would be well-known if it wasn't in the middle of nowhere. :p

EDIT: Also I highly doubt Mesker Park of all places would be the one that just missed out of the book.
Click to expand...
Well..when i was there 5 years ago(Wildwood) i had to tell the owners that you would not get away with concrete floored corn-crib cages in the UK(and there were quite a few of these). The response was "how do you keep them clean then?"...I felt like i had stepped back 50 years!
 
I should make it clear that meant Wildwood WILDLIFE Park not the other one. There are two Wildwoods in the UK too..I`ll bet I`m the only person in the world that has been to all four!
 
Tim Brown said:
Well..when i was there 5 years ago(Wildwood) i had to tell the owners that you would not get away with concrete floored corn-crib cages in the UK(and there were quite a few of these). The response was "how do you keep them clean then?"...I felt like i had stepped back 50 years!
Click to expand...
You'd barley recognize the collection now, they've come a long way since then.
 
Tim Brown said:
I should make it clear that meant Wildwood WILDLIFE Park not the other one. There are two Wildwoods in the UK too..I`ll bet I`m the only person in the world that has been to all four!
Click to expand...
Yes, the Wildwood Zoo in Marshfield is truly something, isn't it - though clearly to small to fit the purposes of your book.
 
Tim Brown said:
Well nothing there that makes me think we missed out...Ive been to all but four of those listed and nothing about them makes me think we missed anything major.Lion Country? Like all safari parks i was bit underwhelmed. Gulf Breeze ,Metro Richmond...okay, but with a definite "privately-owned" British/French feel about them. Id probably go Central Florida or Franklin Park if it was "101 zoos".
Click to expand...
Honestly, Central Florida is decidedly mixed IMO. The herps are good, and there are a few nice habitats, but overall a lot of it is really aging and in need of replacement. All the primates need updated or at least larger cages, and the cougar cage is sadly small. But it's a nice small city zoo with a lot of potential.
 
@Tim Brown and I were quite amicable when it came to choosing the 80 zoos and for sure the zoo that was closest to making the cut was Franklin Park. It's in a major city (Boston), has a big tropical house, and has a nice new outdoor gorilla complex that looks impressive. In truth, there weren't any other zoos that we strongly considered.

If anything, the selection of aquariums was much more difficult. There are at least 175 public aquariums in the United States, with several notable ones that missed the final cut of 20 in our book. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (Louisiana), Newport Aquarium (Kentucky) and Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (Utah) are three that are all good, but not quite impressive enough to crack the book. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top