Zoo road trip recommendations

NotTheFluff

NotTheFluff

Member
Hi I hope this is the right place to post this.

So I'm graduating in December and was hoping that while I'm still working on putting out applications to various zoos and facilities in January to take a road trip to visit as many as possible.
I'd be traveling from southern Wisconsin to Florida and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for zoos or other captive or wild facilities to visit in between. I'm definitely up to some zig zaging.
 
That's a long trip and there's lots of great zoos you could potentially visit.

The obvious stop is the three famous Chicago collections - Brookfield, Shedd, and Lincoln Park. These are among the best zoos in the country and if you haven't seen them already then you must.

Saint Louis has a large (and free!) world-class zoo that is well-worth seeing, as well as an aquarium I don't know much about but I have heard good things.

There's also the four "Ohio greats" of Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Cleveland is kind of the "fifth wheel" here (ignore the fact that I listed four zoos) but Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus are all well worth seeing. Of course, all of these other than Cincinnati are a bit out of the way for a trip from Wisconsin to Florida. There's also the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky just on the other side of the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

Louisville has a large zoo that I admit I don't know much about.

There's several major zoos in Tennessee including Memphis, Nashville and the Tennessee Aquarium.

Of course, Atlanta would be a "must-stop" destination with Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium.

I don't know how far down Florida you're planning to go but Florida has SO MANY zoos. Probably the most notable ones are St. Augustine, Tampa, DAK, and Miami.
 
I suppose I don't know what zoos you've been to Wisconsin to begin with. Have you visited Milwaukee, Henry Vilas, Wildwood Zoo, and ICF?
 
You'll probably be going through Ohio, so checking out the Big 4 zoos (Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland) would be my recommendation. There's also Akron Zoo, The Wilds and African Wildlife Safari that might be worth a visit.

Florida is my current home state and I can strongly recommend Zoo Miami if you're heading to the area. Palm Beach Zoo and Lion Country Safari are also good places I've been to that are worth checking out, but nowhere on Miami's level. If you're heading to Tampa, you can buy a Tampa Bay CityPASS and get access to Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens, Clearwater & Florida Aquariums for only around $135; Busch Gardens alone would be around that price without the pass.

If you stop by Georgia, I'd recommend Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta as well.
 
birdsandbats said:
I suppose I don't know what zoos you've been to Wisconsin to begin with. Have you visited Milwaukee, Henry Vilas, Wildwood Zoo, and ICF?
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So I'm a Wisconsin native and Milwaukee is actually my home town zoo.
I have other plans to visit the NEW zoo in green Bay for the first time as well as re visit Henry vilas at some other time outside the road trip.

I had the great pleasure of going to the ICF on a class trip for college last semester.
 
SusScrofa said:
You'll probably be going through Ohio, so checking out the Big 4 zoos (Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland) would be my recommendation. There's also Akron Zoo, The Wilds and African Wildlife Safari that might be worth a visit.

Florida is my current home state and I can strongly recommend Zoo Miami if you're heading to the area. Palm Beach Zoo and Lion Country Safari are also good places I've been to that are worth checking out, but nowhere on Miami's level. If you're heading to Tampa, you can buy a Tampa Bay CityPASS and get access to Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens, Clearwater & Florida Aquariums for only around $135; Busch Gardens alone would be around that price without the pass.

If you stop by Georgia, I'd recommend Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta as well.
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Oooo I'll definitely look into that city pass. We're going at least as far as Orlando because I have a friend I'm visiting near there.
Georgia Aquarium and Atlanta zoo are definitely being put on the list along with St Louis since it's been an age since I've been there and I loved it
 
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TinoPup said:
What animals are you interested in? What sort of zoos do you like? How long is your trip going to take? There's hundreds of options on that route.
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The answer is all animals, I enjoy interactive encounters if possible, and we're trying to keep it to only a week or week and a half there and back
 
NotTheFluff said:
Hi I hope this is the right place to post this.

So I'm graduating in December and was hoping that while I'm still working on putting out applications to various zoos and facilities in January to take a road trip to visit as many as possible.
I'd be traveling from southern Wisconsin to Florida and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for zoos or other captive or wild facilities to visit in between. I'm definitely up to some zig zaging.
Click to expand...
Hello fellow December graduate! It's hard to suggest anything without knowing your preferences and/or limitations, but if I was given free reign I would look at a lineup of
  • Chicago
  • Indianapolis
  • Colombus
  • Cincinnati
  • Louisville
  • St. Louis
  • Memphis
  • Nashville
  • Chattanooga
  • Atlanta, before going on into Florida
 
BigNate said:
Hello fellow December graduate! It's hard to suggest anything without knowing your preferences and/or limitations, but if I was given free reign I would look at a lineup of
  • Chicago
  • Indianapolis
  • Colombus
  • Cincinnati
  • Louisville
  • St. Louis
  • Memphis
  • Nashville
  • Chattanooga
  • Atlanta, before going on into Florida
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TinoPup said:
There *and* back in a week and a half? Or each way?
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Just for a reference in time, the schedule by @BigNate above would take (not accounting for driving time):
-1 full day at Brookfield
-1 full day at Shedd
-About half a day at Lincoln Park
-2-3 hours at Indianapolis
-1 full day at Columbus
-1 full day at Cincinnati (and another while if you also plan on visiting Newport)
-1 full day at Louisville
-1 full day at Saint Louis
-1 full day at Memphis
-1 full day at Nashville
-About half a day at Tennessee Aquarium (a full day if you also visit Chattanooga Zoo)
-1 full day at Zoo Atlanta
-1 full day at Georgia Aquarium
-and potentially more time at Floridian zoos...
 
birdsandbats said:
Just for a reference in time, the schedule by @BigNate above would take (not accounting for driving time):
-1 full day at Brookfield
-1 full day at Shedd
-About half a day at Lincoln Park
-2-3 hours at Indianapolis
-1 full day at Columbus
-1 full day at Cincinnati (and another while if you also plan on visiting Newport)
-1 full day at Louisville
-1 full day at Saint Louis
-1 full day at Memphis
-1 full day at Nashville
-About half a day at Tennessee Aquarium (a full day if you also visit Chattanooga Zoo)
-1 full day at Zoo Atlanta
-1 full day at Georgia Aquarium
-and potentially more time at Floridian zoos...
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Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium should be able to be done on the same day especially with the aquarium being open until 8/9 PM. I went back in 2019 I believe, but the zoo wasn't huge back then. It could be done in about 2-3 hours.
 
birdsandbats said:
Just for a reference in time, the schedule by @BigNate above would take (not accounting for driving time):
-1 full day at Brookfield
-1 full day at Shedd
-About half a day at Lincoln Park
-2-3 hours at Indianapolis
-1 full day at Columbus
-1 full day at Cincinnati (and another while if you also plan on visiting Newport)
-1 full day at Louisville
-1 full day at Saint Louis
-1 full day at Memphis
-1 full day at Nashville
-About half a day at Tennessee Aquarium (a full day if you also visit Chattanooga Zoo)
-1 full day at Zoo Atlanta
-1 full day at Georgia Aquarium
-and potentially more time at Floridian zoos...
Click to expand...

Mhm, that's why I asked. And that doesn't include driving time between everywhere. I cram a lot of places into trips but I also visit a lot of smaller places that are near one another, and tend to stay in one area so I can organize places by opening/closing times. For trips you have to figure out a way to prioritize what you want to see - certain species? Completeness of places in an area? Major facilities? Reptile houses? - or you could turn something into months.

Though NotTheFluff isn't traveling alone, at least, so can switch off on driving.
 
TinoPup said:
Mhm, that's why I asked. And that doesn't include driving time between everywhere. I cram a lot of places into trips but I also visit a lot of smaller places that are near one another, and tend to stay in one area so I can organize places by opening/closing times. For trips you have to figure out a way to prioritize what you want to see - certain species? Completeness of places in an area? Major facilities? Reptile houses? - or you could turn something into months.

Though NotTheFluff isn't traveling alone, at least, so can switch off on driving.
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We'd probably actually skip northern Illinois because part of my family is from Chicago so we visit shed regularly, although I'm very excited for their renovations to the entrance area. Brookfield is also my home zoo and a regular visit. Since it's a short trip I know we'll have to narrow our list down from everyones suggestions but I'm happy to at least have a starting point of places y'all recommend!!
 
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These are some really helpful notes for sometime when I hope to do a trip like this of my own.
 
I highly recommend Cincinnati and Columbus in Ohio. St. Louis is also top notch if you go that path instead. Indianapolis is probably skippable unless you really want to see dolphins. Walruses are off exhibit rn. If that changes might be worth it. I very much recommend the Tennessee Aquarium. Highly underrated. Chattanooga Zoo is definitely skippable. Probably better worth spending the rest of the day driving elsewhere instead. Nashville is also a very solid zoo, but has nothing save cassowaries that can’t be found at the others as far as I remember. Just some good presentation / design.
 
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