People ask us all the time: “How have you visited so many zoos? Are there that many around us?” While the answer to the second question is yes, there are more zoos within driving distance of us than you’d think, that’s not the only reason. We take “Zoocations”, which are trips where the main destinations are zoos. This has turned into a fun source of family vacations for us. While a zoocation might not be your ideal trip, you can weave this method into your existing vacations and enjoy the best zoos, or the best exhibits, without altering your travel patterns! You just need some zoo destinations to get you started!
In 2014 we took our first Zoocation. The first was a four-day trip to Indiana and Ohio where we visited three zoos. We’ve done five more similar Zoocations, with our largest accomplishing ten zoos this past summer. For us, we pick the zoos and then plan the trip around it. However, if you have a trip (or destination) in mind, it’s very easy to find a zoo (or zoos) along the route. So we thought we’d help you out with some potential zoo destinations for your next trip.
Options:
All of the options listed below are grouped geographically. Our recommendation will consider a starting point from the west suburbs of Chicago (our home base). Starting from other places would still lead to many of these same zoo destinations, but others might come into play depending on your route.
Destination: Branson, MO
Zoo Options: St. Louis Zoo, Grant’s Farm, Henson Robinson Zoo (Springfield, IL), Peoria Zoo, Dickerson Park Zoo (Springfield, MO), Branson’s Promised Land Zoo
Best Zoo: St. Louis
Animal Highlights: Penguins (St. Louis); Giraffe Feeding (Peoria, Dickerson Park); Elephants (St. Louis, Grant’s Farm, Dickerson Park)
Furthest Zoo: 7.5 hours
Synopsis: This trip takes you down I-55 through Illinois. The biggest attraction here is the Saint Louis Zoo, which is free. At the Saint Louis Zoo, you can see hippos, elephants, polar bears, penguins, and their world famous Sea Lion Sound exhibit (2018 winner of Best Exhibit). This zoo is in our top three. If you don’t mind driving, it’s just a 4.5 hour drive from Chicago. Driving with children, we recommend a stop along the way at a smaller zoo, like Peoria. When you get closer to Branson, Springfield is a nice change of pace to see the Dickerson Park Zoo (also consider seeing the World’s Largest Fork, and Lambert’s Cafe, home of the throwed rolls).
Destination: Ohio
Zoo Options: Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Toledo Zoo, Indian Creek Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Fort Wayne Zoo
Best Zoo: Columbus Zoo
Animal Highlights: Cheetah Run Demonstration (Columbus, Cincinnati); Elephant feeding (Cleveland); Manatees (Columbus, Cincinnati); Giraffe Feeding (All)
Furthest Zoo: 6 hours
Synopsis: Our very first Zoocation in 2014 took us to Fort Wayne, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Toledo, Indian Creek, and Cleveland are on the north side of the state and could be included on a trip to Michigan. The Ohio trip with Columbus and Cincinnati provides a very strong duo of zoos, as both of those are in our top five. The two zoos have many similarities shared by very few other zoos, including a manatee building (only zoos outside of Florida to have them) and a cheetah run, showing off cheetahs running at top speeds. Both of these zoos demand 6+ hours, so be sure to clear out a full day for each of them.
Destination: Louisville, KY
Zoo Options: Louisville Zoo, Mesker Park Zoo, Scovil Zoo, Columbian Park Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo
Best Zoo: Indianapolis
Animal Highlights: Baby Elephant (Louisville); Walruses (Indianapolis); Flamingo Feeding (Indianapolis); Sloth Encounter (Columbian Park)
Furthest Zoo: 5.5 hours
Synopsis: While the Louiville Zoo would be the southern-most stop on this trip, the highlight to us is the Indianapolis Zoo. At Indianapolis you can feed giraffes, lorikeets, budgies, and flamingos. You can attend a Dolphin or “Magnificent Macaws” show (macaws only in the summer), and you can sharks in a touch tank. This zoo is also one of only six in the country to have walruses. On your way to Indianapolis, be sure to book an animal encounter (only $45 total for three people) at the Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette. We’ve done both the tamandua and sloth encounters there. When you finally make it to Louisville, check out their baby elephant Fitz. If it’s summertime, budget some time for the Papa John’s Splash Pad.
Destination: Nebraska
Zoo Options: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines), Niabi Zoo (Quad Cities)
Best Zoo: Omaha’s Henry Doorly
Animal Highlights: Giraffe Feeding (All); Desert Dome and Nocturnal Exhibit (Omaha); Renovated Tiger Exhibit (Omaha, Lincoln, Blank Park)
Furthest Zoo: 7 hours
Synopsis: It’s a long, lonely drive out to Nebraska from Chicago, but it’s worth it. Along the way, (in addition to the World’s Largest Truck Stop), you can stop at the Niabi and Blank Park Zoos (all along the same highway). When in Omaha, plan for at least 8 hours of zoo, or two days if you can. The indoor exhibits are amazing, so a non-Summer trip will help avoid the crowds. Being the largest zoo in the country, it gets crazy busy in the summer. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo is just an hour drive south. They added tigers, giraffes, and spider monkeys in 2019, and are set for another addition in 2020 which will include cheetahs and anteaters.
Destination: Pure Michigan
Zoo Options: Washington Park Zoo (Michigan City), Potawatomi Zoo (South Bend), Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek), John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids), Potter Park Zoo (Lansing), Detroit Zoo
Best Zoo: Detroit Zoo
Animal Highlights: Penguin Exhibit (Detroit); Bison Feeding (Potawatomi); Pregnant Rhino (Potter Park): New/Unique Tiger Exhibit (John Ball, Detroit); African Savanna (Binder Park)
Furthest Zoo: 5 hours
Synopsis: As mentioned above, you could tack on some northern Ohio zoos to this trip. We would strongly recommend a stop in South Bend at the Potawatomi Zoo. They have bison feeding opportunities on the weekends. In Lansing, you can visit Doppsee, the zoo’s female rhino, and her newly born calf, who should be on exhibit in the Spring. The John Ball and Binder Park Zoo’s are a bit larger than Potter Park and Potawatomi, and include beautiful scenery. The highlight of the trip would be the Detroit Zoo. Although currently closed, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is the star attraction. The zoo also boasts a great polar bear exhibit, and a newly renovated tiger exhibit.
Destination: Northern Wisconsin (Door County)
Zoo Options: NEW (Green Bay) Zoo, Milwaukee Zoo, Racine Zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo
Best Zoo: Milwaukee Zoo
Animal Highlights: New Elephant Exhibit (Milwaukee); Sea Lion Feeding (Milwaukee); Penguin Feeding (Green Bay): Giraffe Feeding (Milwaukee, Racine, Green Bay)
Furthest Zoo: 3.5 hours
Synopsis: If you’re vacationing to Wisconsin, you might be better off searching for wildlife in the great outdoors than scheduling some zoo trips. Sure, there are some nice zoos in Wisconsin, but it’s not the mighty conglomerate that Ohio or others have. Milwaukee is best zoo from this group, with a newly renovated Adventure Africa exhibit. This exhibit gives their elephants much more room than did the previous enclosure. They recently added a third elephant, and are also in the process of expanding their hippo exhibit. Green Bay, Madison, and Racine are home to smaller zoos. Each one is charming in its own way. We like the badger exhibit at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, the moose exhibit in Green Bay, and the rhino exhibit at Racine.
Destination: Smokey Mountains (Tennessee)
Zoo Options: Nashville Zoo, Knoxville Zoo, Chattanooga Zoo
Best Zoo: Nashville Zoo
Animal Highlights: New Rhino Exhibit (Nashville); World’s Best Bathroom Finalist (Nashville); Walk with Kangaroos (Nashville); New Langur Exhibit (Knoxville): New Lion Exhibit – Winter 2019 (Chattanooga); Camel Rides (Chattanooga, Knoxville)
Furthest Zoo: 10 hours
Synopsis: If you’re coming from Chicago, Tennessee probably isn’t a viable option for a long weekend. However, there are so many things to do in Tennessee that you could make this a week long destination. Our trips to the Tennessee zoos were along our route on trips to Georgia and Florida. Both Nashville and Knoxville were under construction during our visits in 2015, and have done a lot of renovations and expansions since then. Chattanooga is also currently working on an expansion to bring some larger animals (giraffes for example) to the zoo by 2020.
Thanks for reading about our favorite Midwest Zoo Destinations. For a full listing of zoos we’ve visited and information on them, check out the Zoo Information Guide.
Don’t see your vacation destination on here? Check out article on the Best Zoo in Each State for some more ideas!
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