Every Spring, USA Today’s Readers’ Choice opens up their voting for Best Zoo. Voting is open from March 22-April 22, giving readers the chance to vote once daily. The top 10 will be announced on May 3. To vote for best zoo, click here.
Although we have not visited all 20 of these zoos, we wanted to share our thoughts on the ones we have visited, giving you insight as to how they stack up.
Brookfield Zoo:
Last Year: Nominated, but not top 10
Zoo With Us Ranking: 13
Insight: Each year Brookfield gets recognized with a nomination for this category. The committee recognizes Brookfield’s commitment to species preservation and animal conservation based on how they are actively involved in breeding programs and relocating animals to continue their species. From a frequent visitor’s perspective, Brookfield lacks the wow factor that many other zoos provide. Long walks between exhibits make it difficult to see the whole zoo in a short amount of time, and the zoo’s newest exhibits come with an extra cost to the visitor.
Cincinnati Zoo:
Last Year: 3
Zoo With Us Ranking: 7
Insight: The Cincinnati Zoo is also very active in breeding and species survival programs. Although they don’t have very many “new” exhibits, they’re constantly introducing new animals and keeping exhibits fresh. This zoo is basically a large circle, making it very easy visit (we speed-walked thru it in 45 minutes once!). Recently, Fiona the hippo has become a highlight due to being born premature and needing constant keeper support to stay alive. That area of the zoo stays pretty busy with visitors hoping to see her, but the zoo also has a large giraffe area, an African Savanna, and is one of 2 places in the country outside of Florida to host manatees.
Columbus Zoo:
Last Year: Nominated, but not top 10
Zoo With Us Ranking: 2
Insight: Since we first visited in 2015 we’ve been in love with this zoo. The zoo’s curator is the famous Jack Hannah, which results in this zoo having a larger collection of animals than most any other zoo. The zoo is set up in regions, with each regions boasting a large volume of animals that rivals a small zoo. Highlights include Heart of Africa with a savanna, lions, and cheetahs; Polar Frontier, with an underwater polar bear viewing, and Australia & Islands, with a walk-thru kangaroo exhibit, koalas, and a lorikeet feeding area. This zoo is the other zoo in the country (of 2) outside of Florida that has manatees.
Indianapolis Zoo:
Last Year: Nominated, but not top 10
Zoo With Us Ranking: 6
Insight: This might be the smallest zoo in the list of 20 nominees. All of the exhibits are pretty close together, and it’s a great zoo to walk through during the holidays to view the lights. It’s the only zoo we’ve visited that has walruses, and it also boasts an underwater dolphin viewing that is absolutely spectacular. The Africa section takes you on a journey that includes giraffes and elephants, and the orangutan exhibit is unique and worthy of praise.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo:
Last Year: 2
Zoo With Us Ranking: 1
Insight: In our opinion, the only thing holding back this zoo from a number 1 ranking was a lower profile on social media to gain enough supporters. This zoo is by far the largest we’ve visited (and I believe is still considered to be the largest in terms of square footage in the country). Both indoor and outdoor exhibits created lifelike habitats unseen elsewhere. The lion exhibit include a mountains rock where the lions can hike upward; the walk-in lemur exhibit is the only one we’ve visited; the “Creatures of the Night” indoor exhibit gives you a great viewing opportunity of crocodiles and other nocturnal animals; the list goes on and on. The long stretch of land for the elephants is probably the most impressive part of this zoo, and in our minds it is a clear #1.
Saint Louis Zoo:
Last Year: 1
Zoo With Us Ranking: 3
Insight: In 2018 St Louis took home top honors for best zoo, as well as best exhibit for “Sea Lion Sound”. This zoo has a great online presence, but what probably keeps them near the top every year is the fact that this zoo is free. Most of the other zoos in this list cost north of $15 per person, which can quickly add up for a family. The fact that this zoo is nearly as large as the other best zoos in the country and remains free is very impressive. While it does boast some great exhibits like the sea lions, grizzly bears, polar bear, and penguins, some of the exhibits like big cats and hoofstock are very outdated. We still put this one in our top 3, but it would need some renovations to surpass Omaha in our eyes.
Other zoos:
Bronx Zoo: This zoo didn’t really appear on these lists until recently, perhaps partially due to its appearance on the tv show “The Zoo”. The show allows you to get to know many keepers and animals at the zoo, and talks constantly about how they’re trying to break the stereotype of zoos keeping animals behind bars, and instead preserving their habitats and showcasing them to the public.
San Diego Zoo: We haven’t visited this as a family, but hope to in the future. It’s very large, and we feel could rival Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. It’s also one of just four zoos in the country to have pandas.
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