That sounds amazing! And thank you for the layout map too - I have a go at using it as a basis for a zoo in Planet Zoo!
Real life zoos to visit
- Thread starter lala2021
- Start date
We don't live far from Yorkshire wildlife park. We love it there. They expanded not long ago and I believe more expansion in the near future.
We also tend to find a zoo anywhere we go. We went to Colchester zoo one year and really liked it there. Theres a few smaller places in the area too.
London has the best penguin pool. We were sat there for ages. Weve done Edinburgh too but pandas were a no show unfortunately. Chester we visit at least once a year, its a couple of hours drive for us. Blackpool zoo we weren't so keen on, the dinosaur bit was a bit weird to us but im sure kids love it. Whipsnade, was a good day out but we got soaking wet
, we now pack full waterproofs.
Abroad weve been to loro Park(Tenerife)
, Palmitos Park (gran caneria), xcaret (Mexico, not really a zoo but has animals). Cant remember what we did in lanzarote, we always do something animal wise. Were going to Turkey this year and will be doing a boat trip that stops at a turtle rescue
We also tend to find a zoo anywhere we go. We went to Colchester zoo one year and really liked it there. Theres a few smaller places in the area too.
London has the best penguin pool. We were sat there for ages. Weve done Edinburgh too but pandas were a no show unfortunately. Chester we visit at least once a year, its a couple of hours drive for us. Blackpool zoo we weren't so keen on, the dinosaur bit was a bit weird to us but im sure kids love it. Whipsnade, was a good day out but we got soaking wet
, we now pack full waterproofs. Abroad weve been to loro Park(Tenerife)
, Palmitos Park (gran caneria), xcaret (Mexico, not really a zoo but has animals). Cant remember what we did in lanzarote, we always do something animal wise. Were going to Turkey this year and will be doing a boat trip that stops at a turtle rescue
I hardly know zoos outside of Germany, but Leipzig is by far the best, I would say. I also liked Frankfurt a lot and Hagenbeck in Hamburg (this one I visited as a kid, so it might have changed a lot). In southern Germany there is the Wilhelma in Stuttgart which is a city zoo with some older and less appealing habitats, but amazing greenhouses and gardens.
Also worth a visit is the zoo in Zürich in Switzerland which as very beautiful and modern habitats. Close to it is Basel which I haven't visited myself, but is also said to be very nice.
Also worth a visit is the zoo in Zürich in Switzerland which as very beautiful and modern habitats. Close to it is Basel which I haven't visited myself, but is also said to be very nice.
In France, I'd first recommend going to Doué-la-Fontaine for its exhibitry. Other very good zoos would include Branféré, la Vallée des Singes, Villars-les-Dombes, Sigean, Parc animalier d'Auvergne... Most of them have smaller collections than, say, big german zoos, but they all have very interesting setting or exhibitry (Doué with the two big aviaries, Branféré being a castle-zoo with a good walkthrough area, la Vallée des Singes and Auvergne with enormous naturalistic enclosures, Sigean with the mediterranean safari which really looks like Africa, Villars with a lot of aviaries too and the panoramic tower for birdwatching). (Disclaimer : I haven't been to all of them, even though I plan to.)
There's a lot of other good or decent zoos in France, I'd just recommend you to absolutely avoid La Palmyre which is stuck in the 80s with awfully small enclosures for the animals.
A few decent threads if you're interested : https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/europes-50-must-see-zoos.469835/ for Europe, https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/into-the-unknown-zoos-of-western-france.477474/ for western France in particular.
There's a lot of other good or decent zoos in France, I'd just recommend you to absolutely avoid La Palmyre which is stuck in the 80s with awfully small enclosures for the animals.
A few decent threads if you're interested : https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/europes-50-must-see-zoos.469835/ for Europe, https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/into-the-unknown-zoos-of-western-france.477474/ for western France in particular.
When I saw the title I was going to say Chester Zoo as I'm also relatively local to it and it is an amazing zoo! But you're also local to it so you know this.
I think my favourite zoo I've visited aside from Chester has to be Prague Zoo and as a bonus you get to visit Prague. It was really cheap and they have Przewalski's Wild Horses amongst many others. I've also visited Blijdorp in Rotterdam a few times - most famous animal there is Bokito, a gorilla who broke out many years ago. I've been to other zoos in the Netherlands and those were good too, but some are relatively small. The zoo ethics are similar to our own in the UK, which is the most important thing to me. I do not like zoos that do not priortise animal welfare and conservation.
I've been trying to visit Vienna for a couple of years but Covid has got in the way, but I'd really like to go to the zoo there.
I think my favourite zoo I've visited aside from Chester has to be Prague Zoo and as a bonus you get to visit Prague. It was really cheap and they have Przewalski's Wild Horses amongst many others. I've also visited Blijdorp in Rotterdam a few times - most famous animal there is Bokito, a gorilla who broke out many years ago. I've been to other zoos in the Netherlands and those were good too, but some are relatively small. The zoo ethics are similar to our own in the UK, which is the most important thing to me. I do not like zoos that do not priortise animal welfare and conservation.
I've been trying to visit Vienna for a couple of years but Covid has got in the way, but I'd really like to go to the zoo there.
My favourite zoos in Europe that I've visited and can recommend are Burger's Zoo Arnheim (Netherlands), Zurich Zoo and Basel Zoo in Switzerland, Vienna in Austria and Leipzig as well as Cologne in Germany.
I can also recommend both zoos in Berlin (Zoologischer Garten being the oldest zoo in Germany and the zoo with the most sepcies in the world and Tierpark being one of the largest zoos in Europe), they are not the most modern zoos but are developing a lot in the moment, at the moment one of the biggest African elephant houses and enclosures in Europe is being built in the Tierpark.
I can also recommend both zoos in Berlin (Zoologischer Garten being the oldest zoo in Germany and the zoo with the most sepcies in the world and Tierpark being one of the largest zoos in Europe), they are not the most modern zoos but are developing a lot in the moment, at the moment one of the biggest African elephant houses and enclosures in Europe is being built in the Tierpark.
can't wait to start planning a trip!
I'm gonna list a couple of zoos I've been to:
Most here know that I talk about the Houston Zoo, quite often, because it's my local zoo. After it got a new CEO, there has been major changes. We got gorillas for our Africam Forest area. We got a brand new Texas Wetlands in the center of the zoo next to the Cypress Cafe, and we got a brand new South America Pantanal section (my favorite). This is only half of phase 1, because there are so many plans to bring the zoo to life. For further info, check out https://www.houstonzoo.org/houston-zoo-construction-update/ and also type in "Houston Zoo roadmap" in your browser.
Ok, another zoo. Moody Gardens. This is a trio of pyramids in Galveston, TX. 1 is a museum, never been to. Another is a jungle house, with birds, monkeys, a pool of water with stingrays. Very nice. And the 3rd is an aquarium with sharks, penguin, etc.
Next up, Irapuato Zoo. This zoo, set in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, isn't all big and a little rundown. But, ever since all the Japanese immigrants arrived, it's gotten better and better, with a revamped entrance, they repaired the train, fixed up some playgrounds, etc. It's been years, and I wonder what it'll be like now.
Another zoo, Leon Zoo, in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I've been 1 time, and don't remember much. But they did have a small safari enclosure.
That's about it, I guess, that I can really remember. I've been to more but don't remember enough to list them
Most here know that I talk about the Houston Zoo, quite often, because it's my local zoo. After it got a new CEO, there has been major changes. We got gorillas for our Africam Forest area. We got a brand new Texas Wetlands in the center of the zoo next to the Cypress Cafe, and we got a brand new South America Pantanal section (my favorite). This is only half of phase 1, because there are so many plans to bring the zoo to life. For further info, check out https://www.houstonzoo.org/houston-zoo-construction-update/ and also type in "Houston Zoo roadmap" in your browser.
Ok, another zoo. Moody Gardens. This is a trio of pyramids in Galveston, TX. 1 is a museum, never been to. Another is a jungle house, with birds, monkeys, a pool of water with stingrays. Very nice. And the 3rd is an aquarium with sharks, penguin, etc.
Next up, Irapuato Zoo. This zoo, set in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, isn't all big and a little rundown. But, ever since all the Japanese immigrants arrived, it's gotten better and better, with a revamped entrance, they repaired the train, fixed up some playgrounds, etc. It's been years, and I wonder what it'll be like now.
Another zoo, Leon Zoo, in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I've been 1 time, and don't remember much. But they did have a small safari enclosure.
That's about it, I guess, that I can really remember. I've been to more but don't remember enough to list them
Take a trip to USA, I shall provide you with my recommendations from experience. Now there are many zoos in USA but I ask that you please support zoos that are AZA accredited. I have been to some that do not have it and you can tell.
Smithsonian national park zoo, located in Washington D.C. has a large variety of animals
Bronx zoo, this one will take you all day and is located in New York City. Or you can watch and enjoy it on the show The Zoo on animal planet.
Beardsley zoo, located in Bridgeport, CT. I grew up in a neighboring town, therefore I went to that zoo every year. Nice variety of NA and SA animals. Some Asian animals that are temporary residents.
Woodland park zoo, located in Seattle, WA. The only zoo I have been to since playing PZ, I liked the themes per zone, the names of the zones and the aviary.
San Diego zoo, located in San Diego, CA. The zoo is an all day trip and there is a safari park that is separate. I was just in San Diego but I had to pick between whale watching or zoo and I picked whales.
Smithsonian national park zoo, located in Washington D.C. has a large variety of animals
Bronx zoo, this one will take you all day and is located in New York City. Or you can watch and enjoy it on the show The Zoo on animal planet.
Beardsley zoo, located in Bridgeport, CT. I grew up in a neighboring town, therefore I went to that zoo every year. Nice variety of NA and SA animals. Some Asian animals that are temporary residents.
Woodland park zoo, located in Seattle, WA. The only zoo I have been to since playing PZ, I liked the themes per zone, the names of the zones and the aviary.
San Diego zoo, located in San Diego, CA. The zoo is an all day trip and there is a safari park that is separate. I was just in San Diego but I had to pick between whale watching or zoo and I picked whales.
I really regret not pushing harder to go here when I was in Colorado a few years back. I stayed in Denver but took a bus tour of Pike's Peak (which was phenomenal), located in Colorado Springs alongside the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. But since that took up most of the day and it was an hour out from where we were staying, that was all we were able to do in Colorado Springs. I've got a friend that lives there and he takes his kids every few weekends and he's always sending me pictures of it. Seems like a great zoo. I hate that I didn't get to see their mountain tapir before it died a few months ago.
I did visit Denver Zoo on that trip though, which might honestly be the best zoo I've ever been to.
Burger's Zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands 
It is not just a zoo, but also features beautiful landscape displays. It has huge domes that send you to tropical jungles, to a Caribbean mangrove, to a hot dry desert, and to the depths of the ocean. They also do a lot for conservation and they breed coral.
It is not just a zoo, but also features beautiful landscape displays. It has huge domes that send you to tropical jungles, to a Caribbean mangrove, to a hot dry desert, and to the depths of the ocean. They also do a lot for conservation and they breed coral.
That said, I feel like I've ultimately a very, very small number of zoos. Just going by the AZA list, I've been to the following:
Brookgreen Gardens, S.C.
Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, Tenn.
Denver Zoological Gardens, Colo.
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Fla.
Greenville Zoo, S.C.
Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, Ill.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, S.C.
Virginia Zoological Park, Va.
Western North Carolina Nature Center, N.C.
Zoo Atlanta, Ga.
As well as a handful of non-AZA, but they've been universally awful (at best) for one reason or another. Adding aquariums to the mix adds the following:
Georgia Aquarium, Ga.
John G. Shedd Aquarium, Ill.
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
SeaWorld Orlando, Fla.
South Carolina Aquarium, S.C.
Tennessee Aquarium, Tenn.
I'll probably be adding Knoxville Zoo to the list in about two months, then hopefully a double dip with North Carolina Zoo and Greensboro Science Center within the not-too-distant future. But that's it, really. Feels like barely a scratch on the surface of the number of zoos out there, especially considering how many of these are smaller or lacking renown. Denver and Lincoln Park are hands down the best and the only ones I could recommend without any caveats. Honestly writing this list out like this makes me want to go out and visit new zoos right now.
Brookgreen Gardens, S.C.
Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park, Tenn.
Denver Zoological Gardens, Colo.
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Fla.
Greenville Zoo, S.C.
Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, Ill.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, S.C.
Virginia Zoological Park, Va.
Western North Carolina Nature Center, N.C.
Zoo Atlanta, Ga.
As well as a handful of non-AZA, but they've been universally awful (at best) for one reason or another. Adding aquariums to the mix adds the following:
Georgia Aquarium, Ga.
John G. Shedd Aquarium, Ill.
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
SeaWorld Orlando, Fla.
South Carolina Aquarium, S.C.
Tennessee Aquarium, Tenn.
I'll probably be adding Knoxville Zoo to the list in about two months, then hopefully a double dip with North Carolina Zoo and Greensboro Science Center within the not-too-distant future. But that's it, really. Feels like barely a scratch on the surface of the number of zoos out there, especially considering how many of these are smaller or lacking renown. Denver and Lincoln Park are hands down the best and the only ones I could recommend without any caveats. Honestly writing this list out like this makes me want to go out and visit new zoos right now.
Eh, such is life. Personally I’ve visited two zoos, two aquariums, a Mexican theme park/zoo (Xcaret), and a couple of museums, plus the Duke lemur center
For the Netherlands I recommend my local zoo Burgers Zoo Arnhem, which might be named here couple of times already. Most famous for their various ecodisplays in which they try to mimic a real biome, like the mangrove of Belize, tropical rainforest, the North American desert, African Savannah in Safari and Malaysia's Rimba. Best feature personally is Ocean, where you start at the shallow lagoons and move deeper and deeper into the ocean, passing Europe's biggest captive live coral!
Species wise I would recommend Rotterdam Zoo from the Netherlands. I also live close yo the border with Germany, meaning I get bonus zoo's around the corner. I really liked ErlebenisZoo Gelsenkirchen, but Duisburg Zoo is my favorite zoo in the Ruhr area. Berlin Zoo and Prague Zoo are amazing as well but more further away from me. Same for Chester Zoo.
Species wise I would recommend Rotterdam Zoo from the Netherlands. I also live close yo the border with Germany, meaning I get bonus zoo's around the corner. I really liked ErlebenisZoo Gelsenkirchen, but Duisburg Zoo is my favorite zoo in the Ruhr area. Berlin Zoo and Prague Zoo are amazing as well but more further away from me. Same for Chester Zoo.
For Dutch (Netherlands) zoos there are many worth visiting. It really also depends on what you like in zoos.
Burger's Zoo was mentioned above, which is great if you are into visiting ecosystems/biomes. Like for example, there is this big building with 3 areas in it, but let's focus on the main area Burger's Bush. This is a tropical biome with tons of birds, some fruit-eating bats, etc. moving really freely throughout this building. So it may be that you miss about half, if not more, of the species in this building. On the other hand, you get the sense of exploration and really looking for a species in between the dense vegitation.
If you like the feel of an African safari though, I would recommend Beekse Bergen. They predominantly have African species and you can visit the park via car, zoo bus, boat and walking. So you can do multiple safaris and have different views or even species you can find. A lot of the hoofstock species also live in big mixed habitats which is nice to experience.
If you like more quirky animal species and/or small zoo experiences there are a couple of good ones as well. ZooParc Overloon comes to mind as well as Best Zoo and Faunapark Flakkee. That last one is really tiny, but it has some interesting species you won't often find in the big budget zoos.
If you like more traditional zoos than Artis or Blijdorp are good options. Not a fan of Artis myself as I feel it is too old fashioned, but Blijdorp is nice for a traditional zoo.
If you like a zoo that is really focussed on the child visitors and encourages exploration etc.Dierenpark Amersfoort is really nice.
And last, but not least, if you like a more speciality zoo, in this case monkeys and apes, you cannot go wrong with a visit to Apenheul. Keep in mind when you go there though that quite a few of the smaller monkeys are semi-free roaming. So, don't go there if you are afraid of animals coming too close. The monkeys will come right up to you and even sit on your shoulder, try to see if you have something in your pockets, etc. You even get special monkey-proof bags before entering the park to keep your stuff safe from the monkeys.
Bonus: the Netherlands is small enough that you don't have to settle for visiting just one of these zoos. You can visit multiple in a single trip to this country.
Burger's Zoo was mentioned above, which is great if you are into visiting ecosystems/biomes. Like for example, there is this big building with 3 areas in it, but let's focus on the main area Burger's Bush. This is a tropical biome with tons of birds, some fruit-eating bats, etc. moving really freely throughout this building. So it may be that you miss about half, if not more, of the species in this building. On the other hand, you get the sense of exploration and really looking for a species in between the dense vegitation.
If you like the feel of an African safari though, I would recommend Beekse Bergen. They predominantly have African species and you can visit the park via car, zoo bus, boat and walking. So you can do multiple safaris and have different views or even species you can find. A lot of the hoofstock species also live in big mixed habitats which is nice to experience.
If you like more quirky animal species and/or small zoo experiences there are a couple of good ones as well. ZooParc Overloon comes to mind as well as Best Zoo and Faunapark Flakkee. That last one is really tiny, but it has some interesting species you won't often find in the big budget zoos.
If you like more traditional zoos than Artis or Blijdorp are good options. Not a fan of Artis myself as I feel it is too old fashioned, but Blijdorp is nice for a traditional zoo.
If you like a zoo that is really focussed on the child visitors and encourages exploration etc.Dierenpark Amersfoort is really nice.
And last, but not least, if you like a more speciality zoo, in this case monkeys and apes, you cannot go wrong with a visit to Apenheul. Keep in mind when you go there though that quite a few of the smaller monkeys are semi-free roaming. So, don't go there if you are afraid of animals coming too close. The monkeys will come right up to you and even sit on your shoulder, try to see if you have something in your pockets, etc. You even get special monkey-proof bags before entering the park to keep your stuff safe from the monkeys.
Bonus: the Netherlands is small enough that you don't have to settle for visiting just one of these zoos. You can visit multiple in a single trip to this country.