On my recent trip across Ohio one of my several stops included a stop at the Akron Zoo on my way back home. This would be a first time visit as were many of the zoos and aquariums I visited. I had heard nice things about this small zoo and was anxious to experience their newest exhibit, Mike and Mary Stark's Grizzly Ridge. Upon entering thru the large welcome center building and it's massive doors we scanned our tickets and started by going around the Legends of the Wild area as too avoid the masses of school children who go to the first thing they see. However we were able to see the Sika Deer on our way to the center of the zoo in a decent yard with plenty of foliage. The center area of the zoo is truly the hub and center of the most attention as it is where the main Dining area and picnic tables are located as well as the fantastic Carousel designed with several endangered species. Our first stop was Tiger Valley which is the oldest section but was also the least crowded. One thing I had not anticipated was the amount of uphill walking and just the large amount of walking period in a zoo billed as small, definitely come prepared with good walking shoes and plenty of water on hot days like the one I experienced or it will be a less than fun trip. Tiger Valley is home to primarily Asian Species with the exception of the African Lions on older somewhat outdated exhibits but decent none the less. The large carnivores such as the Lions, Tigers and Sloth Bears are in somewhat small exhibits but what they lack in size they make up for in greenery and looks. Other exhibits included the Red Panda Yard which was being renovated at the time as well as a Crane Exhibit that was off exhibit and a Muntjac Exhibit. The back area of the zoo is mostly a petting zoo with some small buildings kids can play in as well as a beautiful garden that appears to see very few guests. The Wild Prairie section is much smaller now and mostly is home to some burrowing owls and snowy owls as well as a seasonal snack stand. The Komodo Kingdom Building was a welcome reprieve on a hot May day and contained several interesting exhibits. upon entering you can see some smaller exhibits such has Bamboo Sharks, Turtles and frogs as well as the entrance to the Komodo Cafe, the main restaurant in the zoo. The main exhibit is of course the Komodo Dragons, a decent exhibit that may devote too much to water and unfortunately has no outdoor exhibit for them. However they were some of the liveliest Dragons I have ever seen, of course that isn't saying much but they did tend to move unlike many I have seen. Across from them was a Galapagos Tortoise exhibit that also did not have an outdoor yard for it's inhabitant. The nicest exhibit was perhaps the mix species exhibit of Golden lion Tamarins along with Amazon Fish, Stingrays and some turtles. It was fairly spacious and looked very realistic. The other main exhibit in the Kingdom was Journey to the Reef a series of aquariums mostly small ones with several species from the ocean including a Giant Pacific Octopus as one of the highlights and a schooling fish display. The crown jewel of the Akron Zoo has to be Grizzly Ridge, just a stunning exhibit that displays several North American species. Once again visitors must climb a hill to reach the ridge but are awarded some nice views of Akron and the rest of the zoo. The first exhibit is the Bald Eagle exhibit right as you walk under the sign. A lush exhibit but not the largest I have seen but still very well done. A nice thing about this area of the zoo is the amount of interactive exhibits for kids to enjoy and different things to occupy them such as the Otter Slide. Just past the eagles is the Ohio Aviary, a small mesh aviary that is entered on the top level giving a unique perspective where you can be nose to nose with native birds and get an above ground view of turkeys and other ground birds. Further on we get our first glimpses of the River otters but first is the namesake exhibit for the Grizzly Bears. A large spacious yard for the two bears that are quite active compared to others I have seen mainly because they are young and curious, one bear insisted on catching a bird that kept landing in the exhibit. Across the way is the very nice River Otter Exhibit with one of the deepest pools I have ever seen for an otter along with the only Otter Slide I know of. Kids were lining up to go down even though the otters were on the land relaxing. Next door is the educational animal area but nothing was being displayed during my visit but still was very well themed. The last two exhibits are spacious wooded yards for Red Wolves and Coyotes, both allowed for excellent viewing but gave enough cover for the animals so they would not stress. The final section for my visit was Legends of the Wild a series of exhibits with some creative signage depicting different animal stories and tales. This area was well designed and looked nice with lots of artificial rock work, waterfalls and plenty of gardens. However my one knock on this area was the somewhat lack in size of most exhibits for the animals, many seemed somewhat small compared to other zoos I have visited. The Himalayan Tahrs, Snow Leopards, Capybaras and Alpacas all seemed very small. The Jaguar exhibit was also somewhat small but still afforded him with plenty to do and we even were lucky enough to watch him jump into his pool and play in the water as opposed to the usually sleepy cat routine. Other exhibits included the Andean Condor, Humboldt Penguins, Flamingos and other Waterfowl as well as two indoor exhibit areas. The first was for the different Lemur Species in all indoor exhibits but were all nicely planted and gave a decent amount of space compared with the outdoor exhibits, there was also a python exhibit which was on the larger side. The second building was the Bat exhibit but this area proved to be almost too dark as many guest including myself were having trouble seeing enough to walk around let a lone see the bats on display, but what I could see was a good sized exhibit for several bats. All in all the Akron Zoo proved to be a good choice to make a stop and visit, it may not be the largest zoo or have the biggest animals or collection but it has some very well designed exhibits and no where to go but up. If the zoo continues to create stellar exhibits like Grizzly Ridge then they will do just fine, certainly the zoo proves to be a great family outing.
I was there the week after you and must say that it is one of the nicest small zoos in the U.S. with most of the zoo having been renovated in recent years and an entrance area that would shame many larger zoos.Signposting to the zoo was virtually non-existant so thank goodness for sat-nav[GPS to americans].My main grouse,and one relayed to the zoos management,is the total lack of scientific names on the labelling - of course the usual platitudes came out but I was totally vindicated when two keepers in "Komodo Kingdom" had no idea what the Mountain Chicken Frog was ie Leptodactylus fallax let alone the conservational importance of the taxa.QED! A good place tho,i liked it a lot.
The zoo signs used to have scientific names, but when signs have been replaced they have been left off. They also had where they are from. The new signs in Wild Prairie for the owls may be the only signs that currently contain scientific names.
The zoo is awful during field trip season. They tell members to stay away or come after 1pm. There is an outdoor Galapagos tortoise exhibit. They have a small garage-like door out to that part of the exhibit. The Komodos were to have an outdoor exhibit, but that had to be eliminated from the original plan. The Komodos do have an outside off-exhibit area though. The zoo has discussed renovating Tiger Valley, but I do not see a major renovation since it only opened in 1998 and 1999. The lions and tigers need larger exhibits for breeding purposes. I could see the lions moved into a new exhibit elsewhere in the zoo since they do not really fit in Tiger Valley. I could see the tiger and lion exhibits merged or use one for the male and one for the female and rotate them since they are only on exhibit together to breed. Details on what the zoo will add next have not been revealed, but the zoo’s new President and CEO (when named one will be named since L. Patricia Simmons announced last week is leaving August 31st after 29 years as head of the zoo to become #2 then #1 in 2016 at North Carolina Zoo) will have some say on what direction the zoo goes in next. We should start hearing news sometime in the next 18 months since the new levy money starts coming in beginning in 2015.
