Hello I am planning a little zoo road trip through Ohio this July - actually it will encompass more than just Ohio and will take me and my friend from Pittsburgh to St Louis (through Ohio, Louisville, and Evansville). In addition to the major Ohio zoos (Cincinnati, Columbus), we will have time to visit some smaller facilities along our route. During our research, we have stumbled upon a new place that neither of us have heard about before - Spencer Park Aviary, half an hour outside of Cincinnati. The place has a website (www.spencerparkaviary.com) but it's not very clear whether it's even open yet or still being constructed. Has anyone here heard about this place before? I appreciate any info I can get on this. Basically, need to decide if we need to plan a stopover there and check out the new place or drive straight from Cincinnati to Louisville.
Well, so far our itinerary is: Pittsburgh Zoo, National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Columbus Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium (or Spencer Park Aviary - assuming that the place is real), Louisville Zoo, Mesker Park Zoo, St Louis Zoo, and World Bird Sanctuary. We are only going to have one week, so plan to go to Pittsburgh Zoo and National Aviary on one day, and do Newport Aquarium (or Spencer Park Aviary) on the same day as Cincinnati Zoo. Cincinnati's collection is still large (though not as large as when I first visited), but since it's a return visit for both of us I think we may not need a full day.
Don't think so. St Louis Zoo is large, and I've never been there. We'll be there at the opening, and if we are done sooner then we may go to Bird Sanctuary on the same day - but I doubt.
That's what I thought. You could squeeze both into the same day, but you would rushing through one of them. There are lots of smaller zoos around Saint Louis you could do on the same day as WBS. You could probably do a day like this: -Lone Elk Park -World Bird Sanctuary -Grant's Farm OR World Aquarium Also note that St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station will open later this year.
Thanks for the suggestions. We plan to do World Bird Sanctuary on the morning of our last day, and catch a flight back home in the late afternoon. If there is time to spare we will try to go to Grant's Farm or Lone Elk Park. If we have to choose between the two, which of the two would you recommend? Any rare/must see species or great exhibits in either of these two places? I am not really familiar with them. World Bird Sanctuary appears to have several raptor species which I've never seen before (osprey, wedge-tailed eagle, and couple others which I forgot at the moment), so that would definitely be a place for us to visit.
WBS is filled with rarities. Grant's Farm - Run by Budweiser. It really attempts to feel like a German tierpark. It is often bashed on this site for poor enclosures, but it has improved in recent years. Notable animals: Red-Fronted Lemur, Pere David's Deer, Blackbuck, Guanaco, and Clydesdale - the same ones seen in the Budweiser ads. Lone Elk Park - Across the street from the bird sanctuary. Collection only contains three species (Wapiti, American Bison, White-Tailed Deer) but it has incredible immersion and you see plenty of wild animals here. You can go in with the elk. Also worth noting that if you plan any non-zoo stuff, the World Aquarium can fit on the same day as the Gateway Arch.
Thanks again for the advice! We'll definitely start with WBS and then see how things go. If we still have time before our flights then we will try to squeeze something else.
