- Koln Zoo
- San Diego Zoo
- Bronx Zoo
- Antwerp Zoo
- Toronto Zoo
- Pairi Daiza
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- Apenheul
- Artis Royal Zoo
- Roger Williams Park Zoo
Your Top 10 Zoos
- Thread starter ZooMania
- Start date
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
If I'm limiting myself to purely zoos I've been to (which is way less than aquaria), I will go with:
The LA Zoo is my local zoo, and probably would be higher if it uh...weren't in the state that it's in at the moment. Badly needs a lot more funding and renovations. It's still really fantastic in some aspects.
- San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Safari Park
- Minnesota Zoo
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Zoo Atlanta
- The Living Desert
- Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium
- Los Angeles Zoo
- San Francisco Zoo
- Santa Barbara Zoo
The LA Zoo is my local zoo, and probably would be higher if it uh...weren't in the state that it's in at the moment. Badly needs a lot more funding and renovations. It's still really fantastic in some aspects.
#1. Chester Zoo (UK)
#2. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (US)
#3. Whipsnade Zoo (UK)
#4. Saint Louis Zoo (US)
#5. Denver Zoo (US)
#6. Shedd Aquarium (US)
#7. Yorkshire Wildlife Park (UK)
#8. London Zoo (UK)
#9. Birmingham Wildlife Park (UK)
#10. Smithsonian National Zoo (US) [needs a revisit asap]
#11. Indianapolis Zoo (US)
#12. Lincoln Park Zoo (US)
#13. Hamerton Wildlife Park (UK)
The top six was really easy. YWP very likely deserves to be higher; I very clearly visited on an 'off day' when they were closing early and missed some major things. similarly, Birmingham is probably is a bit higher than it "deserves" but I was just wonderfully impressed with it for such a small facility and being an unplanned trip.
The tenth spot was by far the most difficult, almost a four way tie between the listed choice and three below. Smithsonian won because my memories of it are overwhelmingly positive, but the changes since means it could very well be lowered in a future trip. Indianapolis and Lincoln Park are both favorites of mine that feel somewhat overlooked and have strengths and weaknesses that feel almost complimentary to each other. Hamerton does some things better than both but is a very different kind of facility.
#2. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (US)
#3. Whipsnade Zoo (UK)
#4. Saint Louis Zoo (US)
#5. Denver Zoo (US)
#6. Shedd Aquarium (US)
#7. Yorkshire Wildlife Park (UK)
#8. London Zoo (UK)
#9. Birmingham Wildlife Park (UK)
#10. Smithsonian National Zoo (US) [needs a revisit asap]
#11. Indianapolis Zoo (US)
#12. Lincoln Park Zoo (US)
#13. Hamerton Wildlife Park (UK)
The top six was really easy. YWP very likely deserves to be higher; I very clearly visited on an 'off day' when they were closing early and missed some major things. similarly, Birmingham is probably is a bit higher than it "deserves" but I was just wonderfully impressed with it for such a small facility and being an unplanned trip.
The tenth spot was by far the most difficult, almost a four way tie between the listed choice and three below. Smithsonian won because my memories of it are overwhelmingly positive, but the changes since means it could very well be lowered in a future trip. Indianapolis and Lincoln Park are both favorites of mine that feel somewhat overlooked and have strengths and weaknesses that feel almost complimentary to each other. Hamerton does some things better than both but is a very different kind of facility.
Lori Patton
Well-Known Member
Although I've been to 18 facilities on the ZooChat forum list, some of them are museums and others are permanently closed. So, I'll pick out my top ten from these even though they aren't all technically zoos.
1. Los Angeles Zoo (Despite all of its problems, I've visited since the 1980s and have had many good experiences there.)
2. Marineland of the Pacific (This facility closed down in 1987, but it was wonderful with an assortment of animal shows and an amazing oceanarium. I also got to pet dolphins!)
3. Lion Country Safari in Irvine, California (This drive-through safari has been closed since 1984 so my memories are vague. However, it did leave a very positive impression on me at the time and it was quite an adventure for a little kid!)
4. Oregon Zoo (I haven't been there since 2003, but it was my home zoo for many years.)
5. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (This is one of those non-zoos on the list, but it does have fantastic dioramas of taxidermized animals and dinosaur fossils).
6. SeaWorld San Diego (This is another place I haven't visited for decades, but I greatly enjoyed the Shamu and dolphin shows along with the penguin and shark exhibits.)
7. San Diego Zoo Safari Park (When I visited, this was known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park and I rode on the now-defunct Wgasa Bush Line monorail.)
8. Aquarium of the Pacific (I visited the year it opened in 1998. When I heard the aquarium had a shark touch tank, I somehow envisioned petting great white sharks and thought that would be very dangerous. Imagine my relief when I saw the small carpet sharks in the touch pool!)
9. Santa Ana Zoo (I've recently become a member there and appreciate the investment the zoo has made in the Children's Zoo farm area.)
10. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (I first visited there on a school field trip when it was called the Cabrillo Marine Museum. It has expanded a lot over the years and is located within walking distance of the beautiful Cabrillo Beach.)
1. Los Angeles Zoo (Despite all of its problems, I've visited since the 1980s and have had many good experiences there.)
2. Marineland of the Pacific (This facility closed down in 1987, but it was wonderful with an assortment of animal shows and an amazing oceanarium. I also got to pet dolphins!)
3. Lion Country Safari in Irvine, California (This drive-through safari has been closed since 1984 so my memories are vague. However, it did leave a very positive impression on me at the time and it was quite an adventure for a little kid!)
4. Oregon Zoo (I haven't been there since 2003, but it was my home zoo for many years.)
5. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (This is one of those non-zoos on the list, but it does have fantastic dioramas of taxidermized animals and dinosaur fossils).
6. SeaWorld San Diego (This is another place I haven't visited for decades, but I greatly enjoyed the Shamu and dolphin shows along with the penguin and shark exhibits.)
7. San Diego Zoo Safari Park (When I visited, this was known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park and I rode on the now-defunct Wgasa Bush Line monorail.)
8. Aquarium of the Pacific (I visited the year it opened in 1998. When I heard the aquarium had a shark touch tank, I somehow envisioned petting great white sharks and thought that would be very dangerous. Imagine my relief when I saw the small carpet sharks in the touch pool!)
9. Santa Ana Zoo (I've recently become a member there and appreciate the investment the zoo has made in the Children's Zoo farm area.)
10. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (I first visited there on a school field trip when it was called the Cabrillo Marine Museum. It has expanded a lot over the years and is located within walking distance of the beautiful Cabrillo Beach.)
Based on the 313 Zoos I've been across 50 different countries:
1. Berlin Zoo
2. San Diego Zoo
3. Singapore Zoo
4. Tierpark Berlin
5. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
6. San Diego Zoo's Safari Park
7. Prague Zoo
8. Bronx Zoo
9. Singapore Night Safari
10. Burger's Zoo
I've yet to visit the following 5 major zoos, among others:
1. Pairi Daiza
2. Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden
3. ZooParc de Beauval
4. Schönbrunn Zoo
5. Seoul Grand Park Zoo
I could see at least Paira Daiza taking one of the top 10 spots.
1. Berlin Zoo
2. San Diego Zoo
3. Singapore Zoo
4. Tierpark Berlin
5. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
6. San Diego Zoo's Safari Park
7. Prague Zoo
8. Bronx Zoo
9. Singapore Night Safari
10. Burger's Zoo
I've yet to visit the following 5 major zoos, among others:
1. Pairi Daiza
2. Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden
3. ZooParc de Beauval
4. Schönbrunn Zoo
5. Seoul Grand Park Zoo
I could see at least Paira Daiza taking one of the top 10 spots.
Joker22Hero
Well-Known Member
- Zoo Leipzig
- Taipei Zoo
- Zoo Schönbrunn Wien
- Zoo Nürnberg
- Ueno Zoo
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- ZSL London
- Zoo Hellabrun München
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Themepark
- Zoo Augsburg
Planning to do Colchester, Chester and Whipsnade as well as Pairi Daiza this year, maybe Köln or Belfast, so might reshape the list a bit.
1. Bronx Zoo
2. Georgia Aquarium
3. Zoo Miami
4.Columbus Zoo
5. Seaworld Orlando
6. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
7.Jacksonville Zoo
8. Zoo Tampa
9. Zoo Atlanta
10. John Ball Zoo
I am going to give Cincinnati a mention it would be and should above a lot of these, but it has been many years since my visit. I may be able to go in the coming weeks.
2. Georgia Aquarium
3. Zoo Miami
4.Columbus Zoo
5. Seaworld Orlando
6. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
7.Jacksonville Zoo
8. Zoo Tampa
9. Zoo Atlanta
10. John Ball Zoo
I am going to give Cincinnati a mention it would be and should above a lot of these, but it has been many years since my visit. I may be able to go in the coming weeks.
