Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

Yesterday I posted a "by the numbers" report of the road trip that included a lot of statistics, and so today I will officially end this enormous ZooChat thread with a series of 3 lists that have been demanded of me via public and private messages. They are also quite fun to do! The first is a ranking of the major zoos that I've seen (59 out of the 60 in the book "America's Best Zoos"), the second is a list of the 38 North American aquariums that I've visited, and the third is one that I've never posted before and it is a ranking of my 25 favourite/best exhibit complexes within American zoos. Remember that all lists are purely subjective, have their faults and nuances, and are living, breathing documents that alter with the winds of time. I've probably visited 95 of the 100 "best" zoos in the United States in the past few years but once one gets down to the tinier institutions it becomes very difficult to place them in any kind of silly ranking system (haha).

The list below is how I would rank the top 59 zoos in America. I am not going to compare apples and oranges (although to some extent I already have) by including any smaller, 2-hour zoos, but if I were to narrow down the list of great smaller facilities to 5 then I'd go with these ones: Virginia, The Living Desert, El Paso, Rosamond Gifford and Cameron Park. Those 5 would definitely supplant the bottom 5 on my list below.

Zoo List (with year(s) of visit in brackets):

1- San Diego Zoo (2011 x 2, 2008, 2006)
2- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (2012, 2008)
3- Bronx Zoo (2008)
4- Columbus Zoo (2008)
5- Sedgwick County Zoo (2010)
6- Saint Louis Zoo (2010)
7- North Carolina Zoo (2010)
8- Denver Zoo (2012, 2006)
9- Woodland Park Zoo (2012 - 1994)
10- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (2011, 2006)
11- Zoo Miami (2008)
12- Minnesota Zoo (2008)
13- Dallas Zoo (2010)
14- Oklahoma City Zoo (2008)
15- Detroit Zoo (2008)
16- Brookfield Zoo (2008)
17- Audubon Zoo (2010)
18- Kansas City Zoo (2010)
19- National Zoo (2008)
20- Jacksonville Zoo (2008)
21- Oregon Zoo (2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2005)
22- Phoenix Zoo (2011, 2008)
23- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (2011, 2008)
24- Nashville Zoo (2010)
25- Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo (2012)
26- Memphis Zoo (2008)
27- Fort Worth Zoo (2008)
28- Caldwell Zoo (2010)
29- Zoo Atlanta (2008)
30- Cleveland Zoo (2010)
31- Cincinnati Zoo (2008)
32- Houston Zoo (2010)
33- Indianapolis Zoo (2012, 2008)
34- Toledo Zoo (2008)
35- Philadelphia Zoo (2010)
36- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (2008)
37- Point Defiance Zoo (2012 , 2011 x 2, 2010 x 3, 2009, 2006, 2005)
38- Maryland Zoo (2010)
39- Montgomery Zoo (2010)
40- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (2010)
41- Gladys Porter Zoo (2010)
42- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (2010)
43- Louisville Zoo (2010)
44- Oakland Zoo (2011)
45- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (2012)
46- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (2012, 2010)
47- Lincoln Park Zoo (2008)
48- Knoxville Zoo (2008)
49- Binder Park Zoo (2010)
50- Roger Williams Park Zoo (2010)
51- Rio Grande Zoo (2010)
52- Los Angeles Zoo (2008)
53- Pittsburgh Zoo (2008)
54- Tulsa Zoo (2010)
55- San Antonio Zoo (2010)
56- San Francisco Zoo (2006)
57- Riverbanks Zoo (2010)
58- Milwaukee County Zoo (2010)
59- Buffalo Zoo (2010)

Below I have ranked all 36 American aquariums that I have visited, and the two that I've toured in Canada would be placed as follows: Vancouver in the #7 position and West Edmonton Mall's Sea Life Caverns in the last-place position (it is terrible).

Aquarium List:

1- John G. Shedd Aquarium (2008)
2- Georgia Aquarium (2008)
3- Monterey Bay Aquarium (2011, 2008, 2006)
4- National Aquarium in Baltimore (2010)
5- Tennessee Aquarium (2010)
6- Aquarium of the Pacific (2011)
7- Mystic Aquarium (2012)
8- Steinhart Aquarium (2011)
9- Oregon Coast Aquarium (2011, 2010)
10- Adventure Aquarium (2012)
11- New England Aquarium (2012)
12- Seattle Aquarium (2012 , 2011 x 5, 2008, 2006)
13- New York Aquarium (2012)
14- Long Island Aquarium (2012)
15- Dallas World Aquarium (2010)
16- Birch Aquarium (2012)
17- Virginia Aquarium (2012)
18- Florida Aquarium (2012)
19- Aquarium of the Americas (2012)
20- Newport Aquarium (2012)
21- South Carolina Aquarium (2012)
22- Maritime Aquarium (2012)
23- North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (2012)
24- Aquarium of the Bay (2011)
25- Denver Downtown Aquarium (2012)
26- Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach (2012)
27- North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (2012)
28- North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island (2012)
29- Albuquerque Aquarium (2010)
30- Greater Cleveland Aquarium (2012)
31- Jenkinson’s Aquarium (2012)
32- Sea Life Aquarium – Arizona (2011)
33- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (2011)
34- National Aquarium in Washington D.C. (2008)
35- Seaside Aquarium (2010)
36- San Diego SeaWorld (2011 x 2, 2006) – Theme Park (not ranked)

Last but certainly not least is a new list that I've spent quite a bit of time on. I've attempted to come up with a list of the 25 best exhibit complexes in American zoos, similar to what the two authors did for "America's Best Zoos". Of course there are 4 remarkable, top 10 zoos named Columbus, Sedgwick County, North Carolina and San Diego Zoo Safari Park that are uniformly excellent and yet have zero exhibit complexes that are worthy enough to make a greatest hits list. It just goes to show that one can never judge a book by its cover, and another example is the once-mediocre attraction Utah's Hogle Zoo has two exhibit complexes on my list. That is how the wind blows...

There are issues with these selections and I've already heard all of the comments in my own head but I'm sure that others will point out things that I've missed. Bring on the debate! Kansas City Zoo's "Africa" complex is 95 acres in size and it is kind of ridiculous to include it on this list, but at the same time it basically opened all at the same time as a single entity and it is quite simply superb and based on that criteria should be included. San Diego Zoo's "Lost Forest" is a motley menagerie of Tiger Forest, Ituri Forest, Gorilla Tropics and Monkey Trails & Forest Tales but that is the way the zoo currently labels it on the revised map. All 25 exhibit complexes on this list probably have an enclosure that is too small for its inhabitants, but the OVERALL experience is what I am looking for and that includes a zoo's most important animal (humans) as well as the day-to-day occupants.

Top 25 American Zoo Exhibits:

1) Congo Gorilla Forest – Bronx Zoo
2) Africa – Kansas City Zoo
3) Lost Forest – San Diego Zoo
4) Kingdoms of the Night – Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
5) Wilds of Africa: Giants of the Savanna – Dallas Zoo
6) Lied Jungle – Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
7) Asia Trail – National Zoo
8) Primate Panorama – Denver Zoo
9) River’s Edge – Saint Louis Zoo
10) Tropical Rain Forest – Woodland Park Zoo
11) Russia’s Grizzly Coast – Minnesota Zoo
12) Oklahoma Trails – Oklahoma City Zoo
13) Pangani Forest Exploration Trail – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
14) Northern Trail – Minnesota Zoo
15) Asian Highlands – Utah’s Hogle Zoo
16) Arctic Ring of Life – Detroit Zoo
17) Wild Africa – Binder Park Zoo
18) Northern Trail – Woodland Park Zoo
19) Brazos River Country – Cameron Park Zoo
20) Oceans – Indianapolis Zoo
21) Trail of the Tiger – Virginia Zoo
22) Great Northwest – Oregon Zoo
23) Toyota Elephant Passage – Denver Zoo
24) Rocky Shores – Utah’s Hogle Zoo
25) East Africa – Caldwell Zoo

 

You not ranking Birmingham until you can revist it and see Trails?

 

I agree with most of your exhibit rankings except i think that bronx zoo should have another exhibit exhibit on the list such as madagascar, himalayan highlands or jungleworld.

 

uszoo- I agree that the exhibits you listed for Bronx are great, but they don't rank probably because they are rather smaller than most of the exhibits SL has listed, and Madagascar! is fantastic, but there is no outdoor access for any of its inhabitants.

 

SL: I'm a bit confused why you don't rank zoos like Virginia and the Living Desert. You say it's because they're smaller zoos, but I think they take just as much time, if not longer to visit than some of the zoos on your list. I also think given what you've said, that both would likely crack your top 40.

 

I always thought Arctic Ring of Life was your #2 exhibit? Also, as far as your rankings go regarding the zoos I mostly agree however I would never rank the Lowry Park Zoo so high. In my opinion it would be somewhere around #50-59. I much prefer the nearby Busch Gardens. I just don't think anything at Lowry Park is very noteworthy. The florida boardwalk section by the alligators and manatees seems sort of run down, and the Asian section is below average. The Safari Africa area is all dusty yards, and is only good for the visitor experience. Overall I just really do not like the feel of that zoo, and I just think America has so much more to offer than Lowry Park. Other than that, your I mostly agree with a few minor things I would change. For me, Bronx is the clear #1, but you already know my whole opinion on that, and I do see your reasoning in keeping it at #3 simply because they have closed down a number of exhibits without any recent openings.

 

@ snowleopard: Is a 2013 road trip itinerary in the works?

 

I would also like to ask if a European Trip is a possibilty?

And what two zoos from Switzerland did you visited? How would you rank them?

 

It is pretty cool to relate the news that a number of ZooChatters have privately emailed me this year wondering when the next big Snowleopard trip will be...but sadly those days are over. After seeing 30 zoos in the summer of 2008, 39 zoos in 46 days in the summer of 2010, another almost 30 zoos in the summer of 2011 and then the whopper of 50 zoos in 50 days in 2012 it is time to put such epic trips out of my mind.

I'm as obsessed with zoos and aquariums as ever, visiting Vancouver Aquarium every couple of months and collecting books, maps, cups and other souvenirs from traders online. I'll always be a supreme zoo nerd but my wife and I sold our condo this year and bought a big house for our growing brood. Baby #3 arrived in April and I now have a 3.5 year-old daughter, a 2 year-old son and a one-month son. With 3 little munchkins and a big house to upkeep we'll be looking after kids and drowning in mortgage payments for the next 25 years. So unless we win the lottery the days of summer-long vacations are done for now. Why don't I pass the torch along to another family?

@Filipinos: I visited Zurich Zoo and Langenberg Wildlife Park in the same day in late 2003, about 6 months after the Masoala Rainforest complex opened. Of my 180 total lifetime zoos/aquariums those pair are the only ones in Europe.

 

- Thank you for all of your contributions to this site. I hope you and your family luck.

 

SL- Congrats on the newest snow leopard cub in your family! While it's sad that your road trips are over, I wish you and your family best of luck.

 

Which means we all have to travel on our own road trips and crash at Snow's place.