# Excellent zoos worth visiting **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059 "2007-01-07T17:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/1 "2007-01-07T17:05:26Z")
Well, my country, the Bahamas, only has one zoo. It doesn’t have the diversity as the American zoos and it is certainally not very big. Any zoos that are definately worth a trip oversees? I suppose a good zoo should have a wide diversity of animals, enclosures must mimic the animal’s natural habitats as closely as possible, aniamls well treated, educational and entertaining. I hear many good things about San Diego Zoo and bad things about the National zoo in Washington DC. Any other zoos, US and non US zoos, worth a visit? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/2 "2007-01-07T17:29:50Z")
The ones you mentioned are certainly worth a trip. New Orleans has a great zoo as does Cincinnati. If you are interested in zoos that are still impressive but not in the top two or three, there are a whole bunch of them that would still be great by world standards. I was impressed by the zoo in Tulsa, Oklahoma for example. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/3 "2007-01-07T17:34:12Z")
[Columbus, Ohio](http://www.colszoo.org/) has an excellent zoo. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/4 "2007-01-07T17:35:14Z")
> **[Animal Talent Agency|Cinemazoo| Animal booking agent](http://www.cinemazoo.com)** > > Cinemazoo is the oldest animal talent agency in Canada. Animal booking agent for talented animals for event planners, film studios, birthday party themes, corporate events Mine, of course. It’s only about an hour long tour but if you’re anywhere near Vancouver, it’s well worth a look. You have to call ahead for an appointment. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/5 "2007-01-07T17:39:50Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] [Columbus, Ohio](http://www.colszoo.org/) has an excellent zoo. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s what I was going to mention. I haven’t been there in a while, but when I was growing up it was a fun place to visit. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/6 "2007-01-07T18:09:17Z")
The [Toronto Zoo](http://www.torontozoo.com/) is one of the best zoos I’ve ever visited. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/7 "2007-01-07T18:09:56Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] [Columbus, Ohio](http://www.colszoo.org/) has an excellent zoo. [/QUOTE] I wasn’t impressed, but I visited in January, which may have had something to do with it. Cincinnati’s is very good - they have a very very very good cat house, and an insect building which is quite nice - and is also known as the home of the last passenger pigeon; I like Denver’s too - I’m a member. Neither is worth an overseas trip just to visit though, but if you’re in the area… Kansas City, if you visit in the summer, has an excellent African exhibit. In the winter, not so good. Omaha has a terrific tropical building. The Toronto Zoo is spectacular, unless it’s gone down since I last was there 15 years ago. If you can’t tell, I’m a zoo freak! I stop at at least one on every road trip. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/8 "2007-01-07T18:37:48Z")
My hometown, Columbia, SC, has an excellent zoo, particularly considering the size of the city. We used to be among the top ten zoos in the country; I don’t know where we stand now, but the zoo is very nice. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/9 "2007-01-07T18:39:47Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] If you can’t tell, I’m a zoo freak! [/QUOTE] Hmm? Moderates SD, zoo freak. Yup! Fits! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/10 "2007-01-07T18:45:18Z")
One of my favorites is the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Children’s Zoo. They have the best Australian animal exhibit I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/11 "2007-01-07T18:47:12Z")
The National Zoo in Washington D.C., Toronto Zoo in Toronto, Canada and San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California are the three super zoos I’ve seen. One day is not enough for any of them. Sensational zoos. The National Zoo, incidentally, is free! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/12 "2007-01-07T19:04:44Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] My hometown, Columbia, SC, has an excellent zoo, particularly considering the size of the city. We used to be among the top ten zoos in the country; I don’t know where we stand now, but the zoo is very nice. [/QUOTE] I barely remember going to that zoo when I was a kid. All I really remember is the penguins. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/13 "2007-01-07T19:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=BluePitbull] I hear many good things about San Diego Zoo and bad things about the National zoo in Washington DC. [/QUOTE] I wonder in what context you heard that the National Zoo in DC is bad? I’ve been going there since 1950(born and raised around the area) and have always found it to be as good as it gets in the zoo biz. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/14 "2007-01-07T19:18:01Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] I wonder in what context you heard that the National Zoo in DC is bad? I’ve been going there since 1950(born and raised around the area) and have always found it to be as good as it gets in the zoo biz. [/QUOTE] Well, I wasn’t so sure how accurate Wikipedia is > **[National Zoo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Zoo#Animal_care_controversies_and_dark_times_at_the_zoo)** > > National Zoo, National Zoological Garden, or National Zoological Park may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/15 "2007-01-07T19:25:13Z")
Some [National Zoo Cams](http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/) I am a FONZ (Friend of the National Zoo) and I think it is great (the Amazonia exhibit is especially unique). It is a top ten U.S. Zoo (IMHO). Having said that, there were a series of Animal deaths that led to several investigations [this (free reg required)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/06/29/GR2005062901572.html) is a fair outcome of the investigations (IMO again) – there were some problems and that comes from someone who is very emotionally invested in the National Zoo. The [Baltimore Zoo](http://www.marylandzoo.org/index.aspx) although not really wolrd calss, does a bunch of cool stuff for young kids and my guess would be a “top tenner” for the 5 and under crowd and worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/16 "2007-01-07T20:07:24Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] The Toronto Zoo is spectacular, unless it’s gone down since I last was there 15 years ago. [/QUOTE] Well, it’s not that it’s gone downhill. The problem is that it’s gone _nowhere_. Nothing has been updated since it opened (AFAIK) and its age is most definitely showing - crowded and dingy pavillions, grossly inadequate restroom facilities, tiny ‘gift’ shop (for the size of the zoo and the numner of visitors it gets), and insufficient “transportation” within the zoo itself. Regarding the last point, the [Toronto Zoo](http://www.torontozoo.com/AboutTheZoo/) is huge (710 acres) with miles of walking trails. So, if you have little kids, elderly grandparents, or if, you, yourself, have any type handicap which makes walking difficult, it can be quite a challenge. It’s also worth noting that Toronto’s population, if you include the various surrounding ‘bedroom’ communities is now over four million (at least double what it was 15 years ago). And, it seems, everybody wants to go the zoo. It also gets a _lot_ of visitors and tourists of whom, it seems, the majority want to go the zoo. Translation - it’s CROWDED! Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great zoo. But, like so many things in the last decades, it’s been seriously underfunded. Now, as its crowds grow, what were once adequately sized pavillions, have become stiflingly crowded. When combined with the ‘natural’ climate inside the buildings, it can make for a most unpleasant experience. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/17 "2007-01-07T20:55:47Z")
Long-time San Diego Zoo visitor here. I spent many a summer day there back in the late 60’s. My parents would drop my brother and I off when they wanted some time to themselves–we loved it! When it’s crowded, though, it isn’t worth visiting. I always tell people to go first thing in the morning. With the right game plan, you can hit all the highlights before the masses arrive. Trying to get a glimpse of certain animals from behind a throng 4 or 5 deep is not my idea of fun. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/18 "2007-01-07T21:13:08Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] I always tell people to go first thing in the morning. With the right game plan, you can hit all the highlights before the masses arrive. Trying to get a glimpse of certain animals from behind a throng 4 or 5 deep is not my idea of fun. [/QUOTE] Amen to going early to any zoo. Not only can you avoid the largest crowds, you sometimes see animals that are outside. Quite often, during the heat of the day, they disappear inside. ---
**Author:** ![goldenmean1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@goldenmean1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldenmean1975)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/19 "2007-01-07T21:18:38Z")
St. Louis has a great zoo that is free and it has Grants Farm which is a nice place to visit too. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059/20 "2007-01-07T21:33:51Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] Amen to going early to any zoo. Not only can you avoid the largest crowds, you sometimes see animals that are outside. Quite often, during the heat of the day, they disappear inside. [/QUOTE] Thanks, I will definately do that, I wake up early anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-zoos-worth-visiting/387059.md?page=2)