Zoo road trip with son

birdsandbats said:
If you tell use what kind of "wildlife refuge locations" you're interested in that could help a lot. Were there any specific animals you were looking for in the wild?
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To be honest my son is interested in anything animals. I enjoy the aquariums more but it’s really a trip for him.
 
CMP said:
How much are you willing to drive each day? A possible itinerary could be:

1: Drive to Chicago, can do Fort Wayne and/or Indiana Dunes National Park on the way
2: Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. A large zoo with exciting species like pangolin
3: Drive to Omaha, can do Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines or stop at Nachusa Grasslands or any number of wildlife areas along the way
4: Do Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. Massive zoo that stands as one of the best in the country and even world
5: Drive to Kansas City, can stop at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, can try other things around KC if you get there early
6: KC zoo, a large zoo that is well known for its Africa section, opened a new aquarium, drive to ST louis
7: St. Louis Zoo, drive to Memphis
8: Memphis zoo, really uniquely themed zoo, can also see the Bass Pro Pyramid on the Mississippi which is cool
9: Drive to Nashville, Nashville Zoo
10: Drive back to Ohio, could do Mammoth Cave National Park in the morning

This hits: Brookfield, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, and Nashville Zoo, among the best in the country, as well as potentially one or two smaller places along the way, two national parks, and one or two renowned wildlife refuges.

One or two places could be cut out if you wanted to reduce driving or spend more time at one spot or the other. This itinerary is ambitious but easily doable without rushing in my opinion.

Are there specific zoo animals you and your son would like to see? Also, any natural areas or wildlife you are both interested in?
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I think this is the itinerary we are shooting, starting to make hotel reservations. Milwaukee worth making a visit after Chicago? Might eliminate Memphis as it adds a good bit of mileage to the trip unless it is really a must see.
 
Dontipton said:
I think this is the itinerary we are shooting, starting to make hotel reservations. Milwaukee worth making a visit after Chicago? Might eliminate Memphis as it adds a good bit of mileage to the trip unless it is really a must see.
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If you're going straight to Omaha after it probably isn't worth the detour. The zoo is quite dated in many aspects and doesn't have much you won't see elsewhere on this trip. Sounds like you have a solid itinerary ahead of yourself filled with some of my favorite collections.
 
Dontipton said:
To be honest my son is interested in anything animals. I enjoy the aquariums more but it’s really a trip for him.
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There's interesting wildlife everywhere if you know how to look. I could recommend hundreds or thousands of interesting places to see wildlife, so if you're interested in wild animals it would be useful to know what types so I know how to narrow it down. Wildlife are, of course, never a guarantee and require a bit of skill and a lot of luck to see most of the time.
 
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