Two road trip threads involving zoo trips to Florida posted in one day; what are the odds? Guided by the allure of above freezing temperatures and visiting a number of new zoos mixed in with old favourites, I am fortunate to once again be embarking on a zoo road trip. While I had initially thought of heading to California on this trip, a trip to Florida was much more practical. I debated over whether or not to do a thread and ultimately decided in favour of doing one. I'll strive to post reviews of each facility I visit. Note that these reviews will not be comprehensive or offer complete lists of species. My aim is to talk about my experience as a visitor at each facility, my thoughts on the facility, exhibits etc. The trip began today with a short trek from Toronto to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The initial plan called for the first zoo to be the John Ball Zoo. The forecast for tomorrow however, is less than stellar and thus I will be departing for Peoria in the morning to start at the Peoria Zoo (moving that location up a day to take advantage of a more favourable forecast there on Saturday than on Sunday). Enough talk, I'm sure what everyone is most interested in is the itinerary: Day 1 (March 30) Drive Toronto to Grand Rapids, MI Day 2 (March 31) Peoria Zoo Day 3 (April 1) Non Zoo Day *not an April fool's joke* Day 4 (April 2) St Louis Zoo* Day 5 (April 3) Memphis Zoo* Day 6 (April 4) Birmingham Zoo Day 7 (April 5) Montgomery Zoo Day 8 (April 6) Zoo Atlanta Day 9 (April 7) Non Zoo Day Day 10 (April 8) Zoo Tampa Day 11 (April 9) Zoo Miami Day 12 (April 10) Palm Beach Zoo Day 13 (April 11) Jacksonville Zoo Day 14 (April 12) Riverbanks Zoo Day 15 (April 13) North Carolina Zoo Day 16 (April 14) Virginia Zoo Day 17 (April 15) Smithsonian Zoo* Day 18 (April 16) Bronx Zoo* Day 19 (April 17) Turtle Back Zoo * denotes previously visited I'm sure there are some inclusions/omissions on the itinerary that will intrigue some. My working title for the trip was "the zoo's you've never heard of trip" as when I told friends I was going to the Peoria or Turtle Back Zoo I got a lot of blank stares. I had to drop that name though when including power houses such as St Louis and the Bronx. I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone as I go, possibly inventing another species or two via typo, and I welcome and value everyone's feedback along the way!
And I’ve now commented on both of them Also, save some zoo trips for the rest of us! Did you not just do one in the fall? Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in terms in animal-spotting and safe driving! I’m very interested in the zoos you’re visiting, seeing as I’ve only visited three of them (Miami and Smithsonian and Bronx). Reviews I’m eagerly awaiting the most, are Saint Louis, Memphis and North Carolina. Have a great time!
Ah, a very nice line up of zoos on the horizon. Some big hitters (St Louis, Bronx, North Carolina, Smithsonian), some solid medium sized places (Memphis, Tampa, Jacksonville) and some lesser known more obscure places (Peoria, Turtle Back, Palm Beach). Love the variety. The only downside to this trip is now a Canadian will have visited more zoos in my home state then myself! (Actually scratch that, snowleopard did that many years ago) Anyways, have a nice trip!
How many zoos have you visited in your home state? It would be exra embarrassing if three Canadians beat you now, wouldn’t it!
Only the big three (Brookfield, Lincoln Park, Shedd). The rest of the smaller zoos (Niabi, Scoville, Peoria, Miller Park) are on the other side of the state and I never considered them worth to drive. I do intend to visit Cosley later this year though. Actually now that I've thought about it I have visited the now closed Serphant Safari, does that count for anything?
Because I’m a good sport I’ll begrudgingly count Serphant Safari, meaning you’ve “beat” me 4 to 3. I too have visited the big 3, and one thing that’s peculiar to me is the sheer drop of of quality after that trio. It goes straight from solid, large zoos, to much smaller establishments. Does anyone know a reason why?
The big three are located in Chicago (Or in the case of Brookfield about 20 minutes away) one of the largest cities In America. There is far more funding for these three because of there convenient location in and next to a massive metropolitan area. The financial condition of Illinois is far from a good one, and the smaller zoos suffer as a result. Brookfield, Lincoln Park and Shedd all have plenty of money and all receive over 2 million visitors annually. Sorry m30t, didn't mean to hijack the thread.
This will hopefully be a terrific thread and thanks for taking the time to begin writing about your zoo-traveling experience. I count 16 zoos on the list and yet no aquariums? Not even Georgia Aquarium or Florida Aquarium?
Thanks for all the feedback everyone! @TZDugong I certainly did go a trip last fall! I've been fortunate to have these opportunities. As for the reviews, I did review memphis on that thread so it might be worth a look if that is a zoo of particular interest to you. @pachyderm pro you are not hijacking the thread at all, I love the discussion. To be fair, I think snowleopard has us all beat at visiting zoos in any North American location. I look forward to your reviews as well! @snowleopard good eye! On my first two zoo trips (which I didn't document on here) back in 2014 I visited several aquariums. The Newport and Adventure aquarium on my first trip, and Shedd and Baltimore on my second. While I enjoyed them all, particularly the latter two I never got the same excitement from the experience that I got in zoos. I've never ever been to Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, and I live a quick subway ride from it. Depending on how the trip has gone/fatigue level, we might fit Georgia Aquarium in either the same day as Zoo Atlanta, or the following day which is a travel day between Atlanta and Tampa. I've just checked into a hotel following a lovely and enjoyable visit to Peoria Zoo; the review should be up tonight but first I need a nap (I'm making myself seem a lot older than I am).
Day 2 – Peoria Zoo Peoria Zoo is a lovely small zoo located a few hours away from major zoos in Chicago and St. Louis. While I was not expecting major infrastructure, I was somewhat startled as I went to pay for admission only to realize that the gift shop cashier was also where you purchase your ticket. Once inside the zoo it does not very long to see as there are only several areas, all of which can be seen in under 2 hours. There is a real charm to this facility; exhibit and thematic area signage are top-notch and give the impression that you are in upper tier zoo. Another strength of this zoo is its educational component. Informative signage surrounds most exhibits detailing the species on view, the threats they are facing in the wild, and details about how humans try to live and to co-exist with the species. Breaking the zoo down section by section: Africa This is by far the strongest section of the zoo and the exhibits here would not look out of place in any major zoo. Mandrills inhabit a moderately sized yard with some planting and enrichment. Unfortunately the mandrills were inside on my visit, where they could be seen but their outside yard offers a much nicer photo op. Moving on you come to a nicely sized exhibit shared by colobus monkeys and red river hogs, which make for a nice pairing. Similar to the mandrill exhibit, this yard is viewed through wire fencing all the way around. The climbing structures utilized afford the monkeys a good amount of climbing opportunities though they are not especially naturalistic. From there was my favourite exhibit at this zoo, a decently sized lion exhibit. Guests can see the lions through several large windows OR climb a short flight of stairs and view the lions from above and if the lions happen to be on a large rock kopje then you are eye to eye with the lions. What makes this habitat exceptional is that it is neighbours with two decently sized yards, one for white rhinos and grevy zebras and one for giraffes, Thomson gazelles and gerenuks. From this viewing platform you have a good view of the rhino/zebra exhibit and can also see into the giraffe yard. An added bonus is that the lions can also see these exhibits and their inhabitants, creating a nice predator prey layout. Now, the barriers between exhibits are in plain sight, so you don’t get the barrier free illusion like you would in Columbus’ Heart of Africa. Regardless, this is still a noteworthy exhibit. From there it is up a wooden boardwalk along the side of the giraffe yard. The walkway leads up to a deck where it looks like guests can feed the giraffes during warmer months. Several windows allow guests to look into the giraffe barn, where a very young giraffe was indoors with its mom today. From there you come out by the rhino/zebra exhibit, which you can view from multiple angles included an elevated area adjacent to the giraffe barn and then at eye level with the animals. It was quite an interest exhibit to watch as the zebras and rhino would never inhabit the same space in the exhibit at the same time. As soon as one got too close, they would instantly separate with the rhino going to one end and the zebras to the others. Finally, what really stood out about this area is all along the walk way you can see the lions, particularly when they were on top of the kopje. Asian Trail The highlight in this area are a pair of amur tigers that have a moderately sized yard. The yard has varied terrain, lots of logs for the tigers to play with and contained multiple types of enrichment items. There are multiple angles to view the tigers from, all through wire fencing. The exhibit is nothing spectacular but it is far from inadequate for the animals. Next up is a Chinese muntjac exhibit that is quite functional, but not the greatest viewing experience as it is through thick metal caging. Finally, there is a takin exhibit that isn’t the largest one I’ve seen, but is nicely laid out. It’s mock rock wall backdrop provides some character to the exhibit, more so than if it was just a yard. Tropics This building is the least exceptional portion of the zoo. The building is home to primates, snakes, and sloths amongst others. The indoor primate exhibits are comparable in size to exhibits for similar animals in many other zoos; which is too small. This was most notable for the spider monkeys whose exhibit did offer lots of climbing opportunities but was from an engaging experience. The habitats for ring tailed and mongoose lemurs were slightly more spacious, but still not particularly inspiring. The sloth exhibit also seemed to be on the small side. This building is far from horrible, but I was inspired to see a fair bit of construction work in the area. I am not aware of what work was being done, but I hope a significant overall is in their plans. There is also an Australia section that appeared closed until warm weather appears with greater frequency. Finally, there was a contact barn section, which I skipped. Overall this was an enjoyable visit and a great way to kick off the trip. There is nothing terrible at this zoo, and there is a lot like, particularly in the Africa section. Yes it is a small zoo, but if you are in the area I would certainly recommend a visit. Also, in additional to all the of the educational signage I mentioned earlier there were a lot of interactive areas for kids to make use of and hopefully learn a little bit along the way. There are also a lot of play areas and some playgrounds to ensure that children would stay interested and occupied throughout an entire visit. I don’t know that this zoo is a “must-see” or worth going well out of your way for, but if you are in the area, perhaps going from Brookfield to St. Louis Zoo, then I think a stop here is more than warranted.
Day 4 – Saint Louis Zoo After a laid back Sunday, I was anxious for the trip to kick into full gear with the renowned Saint Louis Zoo on Monday. It was a bit of a shock to the system when I looked out my hotel window on Sunday night to see freshly fallen snow… yes snow. So much for a search for warmth. While I had left my winter jacket at home, Monday morning I threw on a hoodie, a thicker spring jacket and my toque and departed for the zoo with the temperature showing as -2 Celsius (approximately 28 Fahrenheit). My previous two visits to this zoo had been on much warmer days, first in the fall of 2014 and later in July 2016 when temps topped 30 degrees Celsius. Thus I was intrigued to see how this zoo would hold up on a notably colder day; probably to no one’s surprise the zoo did quite well. River’s Edge The marquee exhibit was still fairly populated on this chilly day. Granted animals such as hippos and elephants only appeared later in the day as the temperature climbed and I never did see one of the black rhinos emerge. This area is simply fantastic. A series of immersive and naturalistic habitats take visitors to various regions of the world, showcasing the interaction of animals, their environments and humans. The list of non exceptional habitats in this section is easier to cover than the exceptional ones. Only the African Painted dog habitat stands out as somewhat mediocre; limited in size, immersion and viewing angles. Conversely, the black rhino habitat is beautiful, the hyenas have a naturalistic and spacious enclosure with varied terrain, hiding spots and enrichment opportunities (to this point, this is my favourite exhibit to photography hyenas). The hippos have a large pool with a series of massive windows to watch the majestic animals while they are underwater. My only gripe with the hippo exhibit is a limited amount of space out of the water, and very limited viewing angles to see the animals from above water (which may be a concern not shared by many). The stars of this area are the Asian elephants who have a series of habitats that are staggered so that guests come upon separate enclosures as if they were coming to a clearing on their path and stumbling upon the elephants. These spacious enclosures offer both a great space for the elephants and excellent viewing opportunities for guests. Andean and sun bears each spacious and lushly planted enclosures. Truly it is a challenge to say much negative about this area. Grizzly Ridge and Polar Bear Point I believe these are the two most recent habitats and both are decent but not spectacular. The polar bear habitat opened a couple years ago and offers a varied terrain of natural substrate for the bear. There is a decent sized pool that offers guests the chance to see the bear under water. The grizzly habitat opened last year and looks as if it incorporates the rock wall backing previously utilized by bear grottoes (I am not certain on this, please correct me if I’m wrong). The habitat is a decent space, it offers the bear a grassy surface, gives them lots of enrichment opportunities, has a training wall where keepers can showcase their training for the public and has a decent sized pool with under water viewing. There are many worse bear habitats out there, and many zoos would have these as habitats as their standout exhibits. But compared to the level of naturalism and immersiveness in Rivers Edge, these habitats lack a lot of that wow factor. If you were asked to list your favourite exhibits for either bear species, I doubt that Saint Louis’ would be on that list. There are more spacious and more naturalistic exhibits out there. With that said, both exhibits are more than satisfactory for the animals and are a decent upgrade for the zoo. Penguin and Puffin Coast In my fall road trip thread I raved about how much I enjoyed Calgary’s open air exhibit for penguins. Saint Louis follows a similar path but has a larger habitat for Gentoo, rockhopper and King penguins followed by a second exhibit for puffins. Comically enough, it was actual warmer inside the penguin exhibit than it was outside when I first went into it in the morning. There is something about being only several feet away from the penguins and being able to hear them that makes for a remarkable zoo experience. Red Rocks The strength of this section is a larger diversity of species, particularly with a larger number of hoofstock species. I do not think that any of these habitats would qualify as spectacular. Indeed, some of them are rather basic, large yards. However, the ability to see such a variety of species (more than a handful of which were understandably not out during my visit) gives the area a certain appeal. Big Cat Country As someone who might have a bit of an obsession photographing big cats (one of my cousins children who follows my social media accounts, once asked me if I only photographed big cats), this section has a bit of an appeal to me. Lions, tigers and jaguars each have a larger, spacious yard with a grassy surface and some trees/logs in them. The yards are all adequately spaced, and the jaguar habitat is one of the few for the species to be open top. The tiger yard is a bit of a hassle as it can mostly be seen from looking down on the exhibit (the jaguar can only be seen from above, but it’s so rare to have these animals in open topped exhibits that it is enough to keep me happy). From eye level for the tiger exhibit, guests are kept particularly far back by the train station (which when crowded in the summer makes it impossible to get any photos from). All three of these exhibits offer the animals a more than acceptable environment, however they lack much in the way of imagination. I spent a lot of time in this section during my visit, including more than 30 minutes at the start of the day before anyone else came by that wasn’t zoo staff. I personally think that a lot more could be done with this area, these exhibits could be turned into naturalistic exhibits that offer a lot more to both the animals and visitors. The jaguar exhibit for example, could have a much denser planting, the existing large concrete based pool could be removed and replaced with a more naturalistic water source. But before changing the bigger habitats, something needs to be done with the smaller exhibits for cougars, snow leopards, serval and amur leopards. Each of these cats inhabit a smallish caged in yard (not quite as a small for the serval relative to its size) that offer lots of climbing opportunities mixed in with mock rock. All of these habitats, while adequate, seem far too small. Personally, I’d like to see the three side by side enclosures (currently for the snow, amur leopards and serval) combined into one larger exhibit for either snow or amur leopards. The remaining yard currently home to cougars would make a decent space for servals. I don’t want to sound overly harsh on this section of the zoo as I do enjoy it, and spent a fair bit of time there. I was just inspired by what I thought could be done to make this section stronger and thought I’d throw those ideas out there. Primate House This section contains a variety of primates in fairly standard indoor enclosures. Although it must be noted that all of these enclosures are of the larger size for indoor habitats. There is nothing in here that is overly remarkable, the main draw here is the number of species. Sea Lion Sound Another strong point of the zoo; sea lions have a large pool and the highlight of guests is the ability to go through an underwater tunnel to watch these animals swim around them. Jungle of the Apes I don’t have much to say on the apes. They were understandably all in their indoor enclosures, and construction for an upcoming café blocked the pathway I normally take to see their outdoor habitats. As such I only watched them indoors. The indoor spaces for the orangutans, chimps and gorillas are all moderately spaced with plenty of climbing opportunities. The outdoor exhibits are where the main focus for the apes normally is and while I have spent time at the outdoor exhibits on my previous two trips, I cannot write a fair review based on recalling memories from that long ago. Bird House You may recall from my fall trip that I’m not exactly a bird fanatic. I fully admit that I know very little about birds and am not generally drawn to them (penguins aside). I did spend a bit of time in the bird house and while I don’t feel comfortable making insights into the quality of exhibits, I will say that there are a notable number of species exhibited. To be truthful, I felt a little funny at the start of this review. Saint Louis Zoo is such a known commodity that I’m not sure how much there is to add on the discussion. With that said, the fact that I’m on page 3 indicates that I’m not exactly being brief. There is a lot to like about this zoo. Going on a day like Monday also provided the added benefit of the zoo not being very crowded. Now I can only blame myself for bad photos and not try to claim that I was having to work my way through crowds. I also think it’s notable that this zoo offers a lot even when the weather is less than ideal. In the past I’ve visited zoos on cooler days that offer very little, this was not the case here. Keen observers will notice that I didn’t mention the children’s zoo. I had planned to go during the first hour (when I believe it’s free) but as mentioned above, I really enjoyed the peacefulness of watching the big cats undisturbed in the mourning. After that, while I could have paid the entrance fee for the children’s zoo, especially to see the Tasmanian devils; I had visited during the first hour on my previous visit and was not blown away by the habitat thus not encouraging me to spend money to see it this time. In closing, I’d say if you haven’t seen the Saint Louis Zoo than it should be on your list, but you probably already knew that. This truly is a remarkable zoo.
Day 5 – Memphis Zoo So I’m tempted to pull an academic move and copy/paste my review from this past fall of Memphis and then cite myself. Some might question why I decided to go to Memphis again such a short time after my previous visit? While I was drawing up the itinerary for this trip I really wanted to include Saint Louis and then need a way to transition from Saint Louis towards the east and Memphis was the most logical choice… and it’s one of my personal favourites. It’s a zoo that I find to be great for photography, and thus I always get a full and enjoyable day out of going. I am not going to type up another review of this zoo as nothing of note has changed since my last visit. If anyone has any specific questions I’d be glad to have a discussion. After waking up to -2 degree Celsius weather on Monday it was quite a shock to walk out to 21 degree Celsius temperature this morning (that’s from 28 to 70 Fahrenheit). I’m now sitting in a hotel room in Birmingham, AL listening to a loud thunderstorm. Tomorrow will be my first visit to the Birmingham Zoo!
Thanks very much for taking the time to type out a review of what I consider to be America's third best zoo...behind only San Diego and Omaha. Your comments about Saint Louis are all excellent and you clearly love the facility and that is even without any mention of two buildings. The Insect House (65 species plus a walk-through butterfly greenhouse) is one of the best of its kind and the historic Reptile House (100 species and well-furnished terrariums) is also one of the best of its kind in the USA. In fact, it is my second-favourite Reptile House after Fort Worth's MOLA.
Day 6 Part 1 – Birmingham Zoo Pulling into Birmingham on Tuesday evening I was a little stunned at just how green the city was. This is my first venture into Alabama, and I was pleasantly surprised with how dense the trees were throughout Birmingham. Birmingham Zoo is a small zoo that doesn’t take a lot of time to tour. What piqued my interest in visiting this zoo was the Trails of Africa exhibit, and aside from that exhibit there was not much to get excited about there. Trails of Africa This exhibit has a large yard, grassy yard with varied terrain for four (I believe, only three made it out during my visit) male African elephants. This yard is definitely a step above many other elephant exhibits. There are also two decently sized pools that the animals have access to. The exhibit is backed by a wall of trees. I suppose when visiting at the right moment, the trees give the illusion that you are seeing the elephants in a clearing in the forest. Unfortunately, as it still early in spring the highway traffic was clearly visible in the background which took away from the immersive element of the exhibit. Another less than stellar component was that several notably sized plots of land with plants/trees growing which are wired off. This is an eye sore as the hotwire is clearly visible to all, and more significantly it detracts from the overall space offered the animals. These concerns to me mean that this exhibit cannot be discussed in the same breath as exhibits in Dallas, Omaha, etc. But this is still a well above average elephant exhibit! I was under the impression that at certain times the rhinos and/or hippo at the zoo also share this space with the elephants. Unfortunately, there was no indication of that on my visit. Even worse, the yards that the rhinos and hippo have are far from spectacular. Both are viewable off the side of the side of the elephant yard, behind significant amounts of fencing and bars that make it a challenge to see. The hippo had a moderately sized yard, with a smallish concrete based pool in the middle. The hippo never appeared during my visit; although even if it had it would not be far fetched for it to be completely blocked out of view by the fencing. The rhinos have an even smaller, dusty yard. While they are viewable throw the wires and fencing, this yard is far from ideal. On the other side of the side of the elephant yard is the giraffe exhibit/feeding yard. The giraffes shared a moderately to smaller size dusty yard with an ostrich. Guests can only see the animals from eye level on a deck that also serves as the platform to feed them from. The backdrop of this yard is more trees, with can give a nice backdrop for the animals and photos. This exhibit is passable, but nothing is striking or noteworthy above it. This leads to a series of exhibit that lead to the predator zone. Included here was a moderately sized and uninspiring pair of dusty yards for zebras, the second of which has very poor viewing angles, and decently sized exhibit for red river hogs. Alabama Wilds The strength of this section is that it connects to guests with nature and wildlife at a local level; a commendable act. Aside from that the exhibits do not particularly stand out, animals include north American river otters and black bears. Predator Zone From here out there is a notable drop in exhibit quality. Outside of the predator building is a small yard with some patches of grass and mock rock for a pair of lions. The yard overlooks part of the larger zebra yard. The cats be seen through double fencing on the sides of the exhibit and a series of glass windows in front. This exhibit is quite small and does nothing to excite or inspire. A similar yard exists on the opposite side of the pathway which was home to a tiger, prior to the zoo’s lone tiger passing away earlier this year. This yard can also be seen from inside the predator building. Again, this yard is on the small side. Once inside the predator building I felt like I was on a bit of a time warp. The building has an incredibly dated feel; often having large blank walls that could be utilized for informational graphics. While there are some signs like that through out the building, the majority of the walls are blank and the large empty spaces give a negative vibe to the building before accounting for the exhibits. Species exhibited here are often in small enclosures with no access to the outside. This starts with a pair of red pandas in an exhibit that does have lots of climbing opportunities, but is, for lack of a better term, sad. The exhibit is further weakened by an ugly baby blue solid painted wall at the back of the exhibit. Picking on the paint colour may seem trivial, and if the exhibit was otherwise strong I don’t think it would be an issue. As the exhibit stands though, the colour serves to underscore the lower calibre of it. Only the coyote exhibit really stands out as decent here. The animals have access to an indoor area with mock rock as well as a decently sized outdoor yard with natural substrate and plant life. On the whole though this is an area of the zoo that I would not be sad to see go. Primates The exhibits in this building carry on a similar basis to the predator zone building. The design of the building is several steps ahead of the previous building. The theme throughout much of it is the showcasing of social animals. Again though, while the primate exhibits afford the animals climbing space, there is a heavy reliance on mock rock and often in smaller enclosures. There are two outdoor exhibits, which as I type this I’m drawing a bit of a blank on the inhabitants, but I believe they were for gibbons and spider monkeys. However, the exhibits were ugly black cages with lots of climbing structures being metal bars. The two standout exhibits in this section was a decently sized outdoor yard for giant anteaters and a moderately sized jaguar enclosure that made good use of mock rock to give the cats lots of climbing opportunities and hiding spaces. On the other end of the spectrum, this section had what to be one of the worst orangutan exhibits I have seen. The animals are confined in a small dark exhibit with artificial climbing structures that make little to no attempt to even look realistic. Again, this building is in need of a massive renovation. As is pretty obvious, I was not particularly impressed with this zoo. The elephant exhibit is quite nice, on it’s own though that is enough for me to recommend this zoo with its other significant short comings. I am interested by the possibility of mixing the hippos/rhinos with the elephants and wonder how often that occurs? I’m curious as if the former animals spend a notable amount of time in the larger enclosure than my concern is moot. If they are predominantly in the yards I saw them in, then that is quite unfortunate. There is hope. While I was there I saw lots of signage for a massive renovation project including a fundraising effort that has almost reached their goal of 18 million dollars! The two projects listed are a new entrance way and a new Asian exhibit complex that is planned to include the orangutans and red pandas amongst others. I think I saw a 2019 opening date for the new section, but I am not certain. If this new exhibit follows the direction of Trails of Africa than I could see myself visiting this zoo again or recommending it to someone else.
@snowleopard I knew I'd forget to mention something! I didn't venture inside either of those buildings on this visit. I've been in the reptile house on previous visits, and while they are not particularly my thing, I was impressed. The insect house is not something that really appeals to me, so I tend to skip that section.
Day 6 Part 2 – Montgomery Zoo Initially I planned to head to Montgomery Zoo on Thursday, however after finishing up at Birmingham Zoo shortly after 11 on Wednesday morning, I decided to push ahead and fit Montgomery in on the same day. I know for many on here doing two facilities in one day is not much, but it is a rarity for me. The decision was rewarding as I found Montgomery to be a very pleasant surprise. I knew very little about this zoo going in, but I easily spent nearly twice the amount of time I had at Birmingham. I would strongly encourage people to go out of there way for this facility. There is nothing that is top of its class, but there are many decent exhibits and the majority of the zoo is quite pleasant on the eyes. Asia The zoo is laid out by regions and upon entering I first proceeded to the Asia section. The first exhibit you come to is a massive open field featuring fallow deer, banteng, reeve’s muntjacs, nilgai and sarus cranes amongst others. There are multiple vantage points to view this exhibit from, generally from a short distance, separated by a moat. There are some artificial shade structures in the exhibit, and the backdrop is a mix of trees, fencing and some mock rock with an artificial waterfall. One observation that might be a point of contention for some is that the grass is perfectly manicured. However, the size, variety of species and the greenness (especially compared with what I saw earlier in the day at Birmingham) makes for a beautiful exhibit. Up next is a habitat for “Bengal tigers.” A pair of tigers, one white and one normal coloured, share a moderately sized yard that has slightly varied terrain, is lushly planted included several logs, and has a waterfall that runs through the exhibit and into the water moat for the mixed species exhibit. The tigers can take advantage of the stream through there exhibit with one area they can enter into it, and several opportunities to drink from it. The cats also have the ability to look out into Asian yard through the back of the exhibit which is thick metal caging. Guests can view the cats through a glass window at the end of the exhibit and harp wire along the side, the latter of which allows for great photo taking opportunities. The one knock on this exhibit would be that it is only moderately sized, on the whole though it’s a nice tiger exhibit. The final component of Asia is an Indian rhino yard. At first the yard appears to be on the smaller side, however after going to the second viewing platform I realized that the yard is decently sized with a second half that also provides a wallowing area for the rhino. This exhibit is far from spectacular, but it is more than adequate for the rhino. Africa This section starts out with one of the zoo’s weaker exhibit, a dusty mid sized yard for three female African elephants. Again, there are multiple viewing points at varied heights for guests, which does offer a nice array of views. The yard does contain some enrichment options but feels a little too small for comfort. Behind the elephant exhibit is a fairly modest chimpanzee island exhibit. A small troop has a multitude of artificial climbing structures. Naturalism is not a strong point of this exhibit, but for animal welfare it is more than acceptable. The African section picks up with a large mixed species exhibit similar to what was found in the Asian section. This yard is home to several zebra, kudu, several other hoofstock species, ostriches, storks and crowned cranes. Signage indicates that pygmy hippos also occupy this exhibit; however since there is currently a baby hippo the baby and it’s mother were on their own, exhibited in a different part of the zoo. Giraffes have a yard that is separated by a small moat, however this moat is not easily noticeable and thus it looks as if they are sharing the same space. This yard has the similar strengths to the mixed species yard in Asia and offers another strong point for the zoo. Cheetahs are exhibited in a decently sized yard, the main drawback being that it is only viewable through glass. Finally, a pair of male lions have a decently sized yard. The yard is first viewable through several large size windows, but there is also an unobstructed view of the back of the exhibit from the overlook café. The overlook café is a brilliant located zoo food area, where you can sit and look out at either the lion exhibit, the giraffe yard and the mixed species area behind it, or the North American yard. This was a delightful spot to have a quick snack while being able to watch the lions and the giraffes. While I’ve seen zoo food spots before that are directly connected with an exhibit, I prefer the setup here where the exhibits are a slight distance away as the animals aren’t concerned with what is going on with the people, and it allows you to be able to watch them leisurely while snacking. North America North America starts with an interestingly designed alligator exhibit that borders a much larger lake. From there is a lushly planted black bear exhibit, and a pair of small, but lush exhibits for cougars and lynx. The river otter exhibit offers underwater viewing of the adorable creatures, although the glass isn’t the greatest for seeing through it. This exhibit was a bit underwhelming as there seemed to be a fair bit of mock rock in the above water portion. Finally, there is another mixed species exhibit (also viewable from the overlook café) which features bison and big horn sheep. South America This is the weakest section of the zoo. There is a sloth bear habitat that is rather hilly and has some natural substrate but was too small for my liking. The jaguar exhibit, which is currently occupied by a mom and her four melanistic cubs. The exhibit though is also on the smaller side, featuring a lot of mock rock and offering less than ideal viewing. Macaw’s and condors are in several different locations throughout the section, all in old school circular cages, although in fairness the cages were on the larger side. The Montgomery Zoo offered a very enjoyable afternoon. The zoo is quite picturesque and offers many decent exhibits and photo ops. As I stated earlier there is nothing in this zoo that would crack any “best of” lists, but it is a pretty zoo and I would strongly recommend a visit to this facility. One pressing question that stuck with me throughout my visit is why is this zoo not AZA accredited? I’ve been to other zoos that seemed of far lower quality than here; there really were no awful or dreadful exhibits. I’m curious if anyone here has any insight on why this zoo lacks accreditation? Day 7 Since two zoos got combined into yesterday, this freed up today to… sleep in. Rather than juggling things around or trying to fit something extra in, we decided to take it easy today. Do some minor shopping and travel to Atlanta. Went to the Marietta Diner for dinner, which apparently has a degree of fame for being featured on several Food network TV shows and being ranked “the number 3 diner in America.” The food was decent, and as expected the portion sizes were huge. The most notable part was the number of people taking photos in front of the restaurant (which is a bit of a site to behold) and the large restaurant sign. Tomorrow starts a run of facilities that have start their name with “Zoo” followed by location, beginning with Zoo Atlanta.
Keep the reviews coming! I am in full agreement with you in regards to Saint Louis being a world-class zoo, Birmingham being a disappointment (and I visited prior to the only great exhibit - Trails of Africa) and Montgomery a pleasant surprise. I'm sure that Zoo Atlanta will have some great stuff that you enjoy (giant pandas, approximately 20 gorillas) but then some other sections (elephants, kid zone) that are on the weaker side.
