Zoo Miami Zoo Miami 2008-2010

Zooplantman said:
And for heaven's sake do NOT go there on a sunny summer day. It is the hottest, most uncomfortable zoo I've ever been to on the wrong day (not a whole lot of shade....but Sedgwick County Zoo isn't exactly the land of big trees either ;) )
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice. That's why I usually plan my trip during spring or fall. For southern zoos, I plan them a little later during the year. You are right, wichita is pretty hot during summer. 100 degrees above for days on end is no joke. Any shade from the trees is pointless since you will be engulfed by hot air coming up from the ground anyway.

Wow, black duiker! I am crazy for rare ungulates.
 
How much is 100 degrees in celcius because once i visited Melbourne zoo in 42 degree celcius weather but it was pleasant because it is very shady and i think the hot weather turned most people off coming. It's busier on rainy days then this day that i went and i don't really mind hot weather.
 
PAT said:
How much is 100 degrees in celcius because once i visited Melbourne zoo in 42 degree celcius weather but it was pleasant because it is very shady and i think the hot weather turned most people off coming. It's busier on rainy days then this day that i went and i don't really mind hot weather.
Click to expand...

Sorry mate,

Fahrenheit is the measure denoting temperature in the US. :eek:
 
Sorry that's what i meant. What is 100 degrees fahrenheit in celcius. I got them all mixed up.
 
PAT said:
How much is 100 degrees in celcius because once i visited Melbourne zoo in 42 degree celcius weather but it was pleasant because it is very shady and i think the hot weather turned most people off coming. It's busier on rainy days then this day that i went and i don't really mind hot weather.
Click to expand...

It's just under 38 C

But The Miami Zoo has large areas with little shade and the humidity doesn't help. They are very concerned with the problem and add trees. When "Amazon and Beyond" was being designed, the zoo - as well as the design team - felt providing trees for shade was a priority.
 
Also , the majority of the summer in Southern Australia is a dry heat , which once you have gotten used to the temperature , it is more bearable than a humid heat of the same temperature .
38 degrees in Melbourne is a nice hot day .
100 degrees in Miami usually equates to that much humidity , and is a real draining killer . Pack 16 spare shirts with you on that day, if you are going to be out and about !
 
Historical Timeline

1975 - Groundbreaking
1976 - Quarantine building and Perimeter fence/moat
1980 - Preview Center (July 4)
1981 - Grand Opening (December 12); Eurasian Lobe
1982 - Monorail and additional African Lobe exhibits (25 acres/6 exhibits)
1984 - Wings of Asia (December)
1985 - additional African Lobe exhibits (55 acres/3 exhibits)
1986 - additional African Lobe exhibits to Monorail Station #4 (10 acres/2 exhibits)
1988 - Australian Lobe; 1st Koalas arrived
1989 - PAWS (replaced Sulawesi); 1st Koala birth
1990 - Asian River Life
1992 - Hurricane Andrew destroyed much of zoo; Reopened December 18th after being closed since August 24th
1995 - Koalas returned
1996 - Komodo Dragon Encounter
1999 - Andean Condor exhibit
2000 - Meerkat exhibit (PAWS)
2001 - Dr. Wilde’s World
2003 - Wings of Asia
2006 - Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station
2008 - Amazon and Beyond
 
I will possibly be visiting this zoo in December, as when I return to Canada from Trinidad & Tobago my wife will meet me in Miami for a mini-vacation. By coincidence the Miami Metrozoo is opening the massive, $50 million "Amazon & Beyond" set of habitats on December 6th and so with some luck and some skillful planning we will visit the zoo on that day. I'll have to take at least a couple of hundred photos to be later posted here on ZooChat!

Does anyone know for sure if the date of December 6th is cast in stone, as I have also heard December 5th mentioned. I'd be willing to rearrange the schedule by a day or two to ensure that we are there when this 27-acre area opens to the public. That acreage includes everything (not just animal enclosures) and although named as the official size it might be a tad generous. Also, does anyone have any maps or blueprints of what to expect with the enormous addition to the zoo?

@Okapikpr: I'm guessing that you could be a valuable source of information here...haha.
 
Check out this website. These plans are from many years ago, parts of its have been taken out and changed. So dont expect everything you see on this website. But this is the jest of the new area.

Rhythm of the Tropics at Miami Metrozoo

Originally this area was planned to house additional African exhibits to complete the Main Path and the African Lobe. But Hurricane Andrew changed all of that. Up until recently, you could take the monorail over this area and see the footprint of what was to be.
 
@okapikpr: thanks for the link, even though there are evidently some changes that have taken place. That entire area of the zoo looks as if it will be simply fantastic, and hopefully things work out and I'm able to visit and then later post a couple of hundred shots here at ZooChat.
 
mstickmanp said:
Wow, that exhibit looks amazing! The list of species is even more impressive.
Click to expand...

Hi

The Project has been downsized considerably since those initial concepts. Fewer animals, no Cloud Forest Building. Every time we sent plans out to get estimates, construction costs had gone up!

The plan shown lets you see why the hype about the acreage is more marketing then anything else. Only a fraction of the site has been developed for the exhibits.

Anyway, back to snowleopard's question.
Last I heard from Jones & Jones (a couple of weeks ago) opening was firm for December 6. I'm told there are already big billboards up with that date and everything looks on schedule, so the date will likely be firm.
 
Great link, thanks Okapikpr, the original plans look amazing, so hopefully not too much was scrapped..?
 
Barring any unforseen disasters my wife and I will be at the Miami Metrozoo on Saturday, December 6th to see the 600 animals that have been added to the zoo in the $50 million "Amazon & Beyond" set of habitats. We are in Miami for 4-5 days and so the possibility of hitting other wildlife attractions is highly likely...and I'm attempting to work out the details of maybe renting a car and also seeing Disney's Animal Kingdom while we are in southern Florida. Some people dismiss that park as nonsense, while others hail it as one of the 5 best zoos in North America. I might never be near there again, and so I'd hate to miss out on an opportunity to check the place out. Is it worth it?
 
Don't miss out on Disney, the exhibit design is amazing. No other African savannah in the nation is nearly as convincing as Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Back on topic, when does Amazon and Beyond open? I couldn't find that in the article anywhere.
 
I agree with ituri. I'd go see Animal Kingdom over Miami Metrozoo any day if I had never seen either.

The Miami "Amazon and Beyond" opens December 6th. Snowleopard will get crushed :rolleyes:
 
I will definitely get crushed in Miami...haha...but there isn't much in the way of options there. After being away from my wife for 10 weeks in Trinidad & Tobago (teaching high school) we will be meeting up for 4-5 days in Miami and then heading on a week-long cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Neither of us have ever been on a cruise before, but I'm just as excited to see some zoos in Florida.

Can anyone just drop in at Disney's Animal Kingdom, or do you have to reserve a room at the lodge? It appears that there are day passes for the park, but would anyone recommend that we spend more than one day there? It's pure coincidence that Miami Metrozoo is opening a massive new exhibit while we are down there, and if we arrange a car rental then we could hit DAK and possibly the Palm Beach Zoo or African Lion Safari.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top