Personally I would not skip Metro Richmond. I have not been, but it is on my short list. I like to see decent non-AZA zoos when possible as it helps me keep a perspective that the AZA is certainly the bar that zoos in the US are judged against, but one does not have to be AZA accredited to be decent.
If you are interested in a safari park you could add Atlanta Safari Park, you will be driving right past it anyway. There isn't anything particularly special about it, but it is fun drive through safari with a small walk through area with budgie aviary and domestics.
I would 100% agree with you on Metro Richmond, I went and really enjoyed my experience. Quite a few rarities and most of them are easy to see (except for the stuff around the safari ride, took me a minute see the Indian muntjac. ) I did Virginia safari park in the same day which was fun and I thought it was quite a nice facility, but unless you really wanna see king cheetah, you can skip it.
Planning a trip next spring. From Cincinnati, Ohio and traveling to Smithsonian zoo, then metro Richmond zoo, North Carolina zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium. Would this be possible to do in 7 to 9 days?
I have actually visited all but one of the zoos you mentioned (I have not been to Metro Richmond). But in short, yes, I believe this trip is perfectly doable in 7-9 days (you may only need 8 days max) even if you do only one facility per day. Here are my thoughts.
Are you driving the entire way? It's about an 8 hours drive from Cincinnati to Washington D.C, but after that, your targets are no more than 3.5 hours away. It's about 3 hours from D.C to Richmond, then just a hair under 3.5 hours from Richmond to Asheboro (NC Zoo), then about 3 hours from Asheboro to Columbia (Riverbanks), and then just over 3 hours from Columbia to Atlanta.
Also, do you know when during the spring this trip will happen? I personally would recommend doing this no earlier than April since that is when most zoos resume their summer operating hours (giving you more time and leeway for each visit).
I could do this trip in about 7-8 days; I think the biggest factor will be if you dedicate a day each to the zoo and aquarium in Atlanta or combine them in one day (I did a full day at each when I was in Atlanta back in 2022). For the rest, you may need to do one facility per day + driving because otherwise I don't see where else you could do more than one zoo in a day without being extremely pressed for time.
An example trip could look something like this, assuming you are driving the whole way.
Day 1 - Drive to D.C (8 hours)
Day 2 - Smithsonian Zoo then Drive to Richmond (3 hours drive)
Day 3 - Metro Richmond Zoo then drive to Asheboro (3.5 hours drive)
Day 4 - North Carolina Zoo then drive to Columbia (3 hours)
Day 5 - Riverbanks Zoo then drive to Atlanta (3 hours)
Day 6 - Zoo Atlanta (or combine with Aquarium)
Day 7 - Georgia Aquarium (or drive home (6.5 hours) if you did also did the aquarium on day 6; it's 6 hours back to Cincinnati)
Day 8 - Drive home (6.5 hours) if you did Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium in one day
My thoughts on the facilities (except Metro Richmond, which I have not visited)
Smithsonian National Zoo - This zoo is free, but you must still reserve an entry pass. They charge for parking, and their parking does not open until the zoo does. By the time you visit, this zoo will likely switch to their summer hours (8am-6pm), giving you plenty of room to time and pace your visit. This one can be done in less than a full day, but only if you do each exhibit once. It's a species rich zoo and not exactly small in acreage either. Recommend at least 5 hours.
North Carolina Zoo - I would recommend a full day here, especially if it's your first time. It may not be the most species-rich zoo, but it's pretty big with a lot of walking. Also, I would recommend checking out the Zoofari, which is a Safari tour that runs Apr-Oct, to get better views of their massive Watani Grasslands exhibit. Recommend 2.5-3 hours per side, so 5-6 hours minimum.
Riverbanks Zoo - Not a big zoo, so doesn't need a full day (didn't stop me from doing a full day lol). But I would still recommend at least 4-5 hours to see everything as they have a really good Reptile/Aquarium House and Bird House. Might be a full day if you also want to check out the gardens.
Zoo Atlanta - Also not a big zoo, and their Giant Pandas have returned to China (although Smithsonian will likely net you that credit), so that's one less major draw for this zoo. Still, they have a fantastic Reptile House (my current #1, in fact) and some of the best primate exhibits outside of the Bronx. Might not need a full day here either, but still would recommend no less than 4 hours.
Georgia Aquarium - They have longer operating days then most, open from 9am to as early as 6pm or as late as 9am (they were doing 9am-9pm during the weekdays when I visited back in May 2022), giving you lots of flexibility in timing and pacing, especially if you decide to combine the zoo and aquarium in one day. Recommend at least 3-4 hours (although I spent the full 12 hours here, so I may not be the best person to ask about pacing lol).
Planning a trip next spring. From Cincinnati, Ohio and traveling to Smithsonian zoo, then metro Richmond zoo, North Carolina zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Aquarium. Would this be possible to do in 7 to 9 days?
I think a lot of the prioritization is going to come down to whether one wants to see as many rare species as possible, focus on high quality exhibits, or just cast a wide net and hit as many relatively noteworthy zoos within it as is feasible. If you want to focus on high quality exhibits, then Metro Richmond is by far the weak link here. But if you want to see some very rare species (mostly monkeys, but also a handful of ungulates in this case), then it should be an easy lock. Of course, I'm not saying that any of these zoos need to be deprioritized, because either way this should be comfortably doable within the timeframe suggested. I just don't think that there's any real grounds to definitively say what should or shouldn't be a priority given that @Barbmom hasn't actually stated their interests/priorities for this trip or their general zoogoing habits.
Like, on the flip side of the Metro Richmond thing, North Carolina has stunning exhibitry. Absolutely massive enclosures. But off the top of my head, I think the only species I've seen that are unique to this facility for me are parakeet auklet, fringe-eared oryx, and gray mouse lemur (just checked and can extend this list to include thick-billed murre and a half dozen or so herps). I know that parakeet auklets aren't kept anywhere else, but if one is trying to just see as many novel species as possible and don't find these three appealing, maybe North Carolina could be a lower priority for this sort of trip. I love this zoo so I could never actually recommend deprioritizing it without more context, but it really does just all come down to priorities.
Actually now that I think about it, maybe Greensboro Science Center is worth looking into too if you haven't, and find yourself with a bit of extra time the day before or after North Carolina Zoo. While I haven't actually been to this one, they've got a surprisingly large and interesting collection for what you might not initially think of as a zoo.
None of these zoos are full day zoos in my experience, I have only visited 4 of them (NC, 2 Atlanta, and portion of Smithsonian) and it took me about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to do the NC zoo. I skipped stream side though. Definitely possible in 7 days.
Your longest day will most likely be DC or NC, and I think it’s possible to do a double hitter in Atlanta.
If you got through the NC Zoo inn less than 2 hours, you must have been flying. There is no way that you can go through and look at every exhibit in this time frame.
) I did Virginia safari park in the same day which was fun and I thought it was quite a nice facility, but unless you really wanna see king cheetah, you can skip it.
