So there is a huge possibility that I might be going to Washington later on this summer. I'm extremely excited as this will be my first time seeing zoos outside of the state of California (Not including the terrible zoo in Ethiopia). I already know I'll be staying at Washington for about 4 days. This includes the flight which is a little short of an hour. I need the help of the people of Zoochat to help me make up my mind which zoos/aquariums to go to. I only know about Woodland Park but even my knowledge on that is limited. Vancouver might be 1-2 days depending on how my schedule goes. The most amount of zoos I can probably go to are 2 due to this being a family trip. Vancouver will be only 1 facility. Thank you for helping me and of course I will post a review of the said facilities I'm going to.
I think woodland park should be a locked in. It's one of the best zoos in the nation, at least from what I've heard.
What are the highlights of those two places? I heard that Vancouver has dolphins but I'm not really sure if they're still there.
Vancouver has Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. They also have Sea Otters and Steller's Sea Lions, among other things.
There are two major zoos in the Seattle-Tacoma metroplex, both of which are very good. I visited both in March with @snowleopard who lives north of there and will be your expert on the area. (Now that I have pinged him he should reply). Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has more to offer but I personally enjoyed Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma more. If at all possible see both. Here is my trip report thread, in case you are interested. (You can skip past the first part on Oregon and jump to the end if you like). Trip Report: a desert rat gets drenched
Woodland Park Zoo is arguably one of the 10 best zoos in the USA and has many immersive, modern exhibits. The grizzly bear, gorilla, orangutan, jaguar and penguin habitats are all amongst the best of their kind in the nation and the zoo is a full day affair. This zoo can become extremely busy in the summer months and has 1.3 million annual visitors. Point Defiance Zoo is 45 minutes south of Seattle and within the city of Tacoma. The facility specializes in a number or rarities and there are animals like polar bears, walruses, puffins, sea otters, lowland anoas, red wolves and clouded leopards and all of those species are rarely exhibited across the USA. It only takes a few hours to see everything as the site is small but nevertheless I would highly recommend a visit. A major new aquarium opens there in the first week of September and that will significantly boost visitor numbers even though the zoo already receives a robust 700,000 annual visitors. Vancouver Aquarium is possibly one of the 10 best aquariums in North America, with an extensive collection inside that showcases animals from the Amazon, Tropical Seas and the British Columbia coastline. Outdoors there are African penguins, sea otters, a single Pacific white-sided dolphin, a couple of walruses (not yet on-exhibit), Steller's sea lions, a single California sea lion, common seals and northern fur seals. Some of those animals will be rotated behind-the-scenes. Annual attendance is 1.1 million and that means the establishment's two acres are jam-packed all summer long. Get there early!!
I’ve read your trip report in the past and I enjoyed it a lot. I must have skimmed over port defiance which makes me feel bad because it looks like a very nice zoo with an interesting collection. Woodland park has become a facility that I will go for sure but the rest are still a maybe. The itinerary looks like this so far... Day 1- Arrive at Seattle and tour around the city. Day 2- Woodland Park zoo Day 3- A little more touring of Seattle and a trip to Port defiance zoo and aquarium Day 4- Drive to Vancouver and tour the city Day 5- Vancouver aquarium Day 6- Return home to sunny California I appreciate everyone for helping me out but I have one last question. Are there any babies in any of these facilities as they will be my photo focus for this trip (along with exhibits and new animals I haven’t seen).
A few questions about Port Defiance, Woodland Park , and Vancouver... At the Port Defiance zoo website it says that they have Lowland anoas. These will be a must see for me but I can’t find them anywhere on the map. Are they still at the zoo, if so where? Which species are housed at the tropical rainforest at Woodland Park? What is the best time to see Helen the dolphin at Vancouver? I know there is a show but is there an enclosure where she swims around so I could take pictures of her?
There are perhaps 10 zoos in the nation that have Lowland Anoas and yet BOTH Point Defiance and Woodland Park have the species. Point Defiance has anoas in the Asian Forest Sanctuary (rotational exhibits) while Woodland Park has anoas near the Birds of Prey show. The Tropical Rainforest building at WPZ has many species, ranging from White-faced Sakis, Ocelots and Golden Lion Tamarins to snakes, frogs, and mainly birds. Check it out on your visit. Helen the dolphin is available to be seen at any given time during a visit.
Unfortunately it looks like I might need to cut Vancouver aquarium as the time we have at Vancouver is not enough to fit the aquarium (Unless things change). Lucky for me, I’ve finally found out all the species housed in both Washington facilities and have decided which ones to photograph during the trip. The rest of the pictures will be exhibit pics and lucky encounters. Woodland park zoo Sloth bear (Mostly for the cubs) Western lowland gorilla (2 year old baby) Snow leopard (Cub and mother) Nile hippopotamus Mountain goat Indian rhinoceros Indian flying fox Red crowned crane White naped crane Kea Humboldt penguin Steller sea eagle Pautria snail And any other new species I haven’t seen. Point defiance zoo and aquarium Musk ox (2 year old calf) All marine mammals (Polar bear, Walrus, seals, etc) Lowland anoa (If not found at woodland park) Red wolf Clouded leopard Horned puffin These will be the animals that I will attempt to photograph. Unfortunately I still don’t have a camera so I will be using just an iPhone with a telephoto lens.
Has anyone heard about this place called the Seattle aquarium? Is it worth a drop by? What does it have?
I had the opportunity to visit the Seattle Aquarium in 2011 and, although the facility is on the smaller side, it offers quite an array of animals and activities. The Seattle Aquarium, like most other aquariums, has your typical collection of fish from those found in the tropical pacific such as yellow tangs and triggerfish to those found in Puget Sound such as salmon and rock fish. In addition, the aquarium has marine mammals such as harbour seals, fur seals, river otters, and sea otters which participate in keeper demonstrations. Further, the aquarium has a collection of sea birds ranging from puffins to auklets. As for activities, the Seattle Aquarium offers your typical touch pool featuring local anemone and starfish as well as discovery kiosks which allow visitors to learn about interesting facts on the local marinelife. The most interesting exhibits are the Window of Washington Waters which is a large tank featuring local aquatic life and a diver participates in dive shows and the Underwater Dome which is a 360° viewable dome featuring aquatic life found in Puget Sound. Although the facility is small, I would highly recommend the Seattle Aquarium to those who are interested in the aquatic environment of Puget Sound.
My trip is in about a week from now. I will be leaving for Seattle to see the Woodland Park zoo and Point Defiance zoo and aquarium (Or the Seattle aquarium if time runs short. I’m okay with missing Point Defiance as I will be going before the opening of the new aquarium.) I will be posting a new review thread for wolf treks after my trip (Yes I know I still have yet to post my Fresno trip but a lot of things happened and I kinda forgot about it)
