The idea of a database of zoos, etc in the USA has been tossed around here for some time. I’ve been keeping one for myself for a few years, and have decided to put in the time and energy to share it with you all. Please keep in mind that this is based on my personal list. I am really not looking for people to nitpick little details about it! If you have a facility to add, please first double check that it is still open, and do a search of the page (on windows, touch the Ctrl and F keys at the same time) to make sure it isn’t listed under a different name. I know I’m unfortunately missing places, there’s no way I’ve gotten them all, but you can be nice about it Anything closing or having a major name change is also important to note. To start, I will be doing one post per state. These will be roughly one per week, with less time between states that don’t have many facilities. Each state will be broken down into four main categories: 1. Zoos, aquariums, safaris, large nature centers, etc – Places that have sizeable collections and/or are focused on having animals. 2. Smaller nature centers and places with a limited amount of species – Facilities where animals aren’t the central focus but are present, like museums and nature centers that have a few herps and fish. If a museum has live animals, the listed category will say so, ex. “NH Museum, live animals” (see below). This will also include petting zoo type places that have a limited amount of exotics. 3. Better places to see domestics – This will be far from complete, but notable places I’ve saved that currently only hold domestics. These are things like nicer town parks, farm parks, etc. 4. Natural history museums and other notable facilities without animals – Places that have a focus, or partial focus, on modern species (not only dinosaurs) but don’t keep any live animals. This will also be incomplete as it wasn’t my focus, but these places often hold rare specimens, complete collections of native species, and things like that. They’re also good to know about if you’re on a zoo trip and the weather is awful There will also be a few notable nature centers that don’t have live animals, like ones that have big educational displays on California condors or grey whales. Each facility listing will look like this: FacilityName, Town – Category(ies) – Operating hours if not regular – Any major organizations they’re a member of – Any notes. Every place will have the first three items. Explanations of everything beyond town: Categories A way to further break down what a facility is, without going into much detail. Here’s the categories I ended up going with, in alphabetical order: Aquarium – Aquatic species, possibly with a few land mammals, birds, etc. Birds – Vast majority of the collection is avian. A few species of other classes are possible. Campground – You pitch a tent or park your camper. Carnivore – Only keep Carnivora species. A few species of other orders are possible. Cave – Caverns. Church Retreat – Religion based and usually for groups. Farm Park – Smaller zoo or petting zoo with lots of small rides and activities for kids, produce, farm stores, etc. Hatchery – Fish hatchery. Herps - Vast majority of the collection is reptilian and amphibian. A few species of other classes are possible. Insects – Vast majority of the collection are insects and arachnids. A few species of other classes are possible. LH Museum – Living History museum, with people reenacting historical time periods. Lodge – Hotels, resorts, anything where you stay in their facilities overnight. Museum – Any museums that don’t fit into the other three museum categories. NC – Nature Center. NH Museum – Natural History museum. Ones with animals will say “NH Museum, live animals”. Park – A general open area that people can visit, usually for free. Petting Zoo – A focus on petting and interacting with the majority of species held. Primate – Vast majority of the collection are primates. A few species of other classes are possible. Rehab – A focus on releasing animals back into the wild. Rescue – Only keep animals that come from the wild, other facilities and/or private owners and who otherwise wouldn’t have anywhere to go. Restaurant – Place where you eat. Safari – You drive, or are driven through, expansive exhibits where the animals roam past you. Usually also have a walk-through area. Science Museum – Museum with a focus on sciences. Store – A shop. Theme Park – Lots of rides for children and adults. Ungulate – Vast majority of the collection are hoofstock. A few species of other orders are possible. Zoo – A hodgepodge of species from different classes and orders, with no real focus on one area. Operating Hours Notations for facilities that aren’t open for regular hours year round. Mostly places that are seasonal, open by appointment only, or for tours only. Tours may have a regular set schedule. Associations Associations can be an easy indicator of how reputable a place is. The ones used here, in alphabetical order, are: AAM – American Alliance of Museums AMMPA – Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums ASA – American Sanctuary Association AZA – Association of Zoos & Aquariums AZAc – Association of Zoos & Aquariums, certified related facility AZAptm – Association of Zoos & Aquariums, Pathway Towards Membership program (Pathway Toward Membership Program) BCSA – Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance GFAS – Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries GFASv – Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, verified (not accredited) IMATA – International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association USFWS – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service WAZA – World Association of Zoos & Aquariums ZAA – Zoological Association of America Notes Anything additional. I’ve tried to note if a place has a train of any sort (people like trains), tram, skyfari, etc. Carousels are too plentiful to be worth mentioning. Most nature centers have a bit more detail about the types of animals they hold. Hatcheries usually have their species listed. I’ve also put here if they’re a member of Museums For All, a program that gives free or discount admission to people on food stamps. Any additional or previous names for the facility that I know of will also be here.
I'm going to leave this for a day or two for any questions about the OP before I move on to the first state.
This is a list of where to see captive animals, but you're including museums that don't have living animals? Taxidermy I'm guessing? I look forward to your list. What state do you plan on doing first?
You might want to include Cabelas, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Bass ProShop stores. Admittedly they often display the same species…but usually the majority of their taxidermy displays are focused on local animals (often including a live display of local game fish).
Those I'm going to leave out, just because there's so many, but definitely worth noting! I have included the Bass Pro Pyramid in Memphis, though. I'm also leaving out all the places that have a tank or two of fish, unless they're very large/notable tanks or nature centers. Otherwise we'd have airports, every hotel in Florida, etc
Basically lol. I've included a few more notable, nicer looking domestic barnyard/petting zoo type places, but I really limited those. The same with hatcheries in some states. I've listed all of the nationally-run ones, and the ones in states that only have a few and clearly list that they're public/have visitors centers and the like, but for some states it'll just be a link because there's dozens.
Accredited Zoos The Birmingham Zoo (AZA) Montgomery Zoo (ZAA) Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (ZAA) - Gulf Shores Museums McWane Science Center - Birmingham Cook's Science Museum - Decatur Alabama Aquarium - Dauphin Island Roadside Zoos Harmony Park Safari - New Hope Alabama Safari Park - Hope Hull Alligator Alley - Summerdale Mobile Zoo Deer Farm with Restaurant/Exotics Exhibits Bama Bucks - Sardis Sanctuary Tigers for Tomorrow - Crossville That's just off the top of my head
I forgot to mention in the OP - I'll be ignoring temporary closures. If something is closed for remodeling, it'll still be on here. If a place that's tour only currently isn't doing tours because of covid, it'll still be on here with "tours" listed. Please don't plan trips solely on info provided here, always check things before going out!
ALABAMA Zoos, Aquariums, Safaris, large Nature Centers, etc: Alabama Aquarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island – Aquarium - Formerly called George F. Crozier Estuarium. 31 aquariums, 30,000 gallons, 100+ species. Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Gulf Shores – Zoo – ZAA - Animal Planet's "The Little Zoo That Could", 2006-2007. Reopened at new location in 2020. Alabama Safari Park, Hope Hull – Safari - Drive yourself. 350 acres. Owned by Zoofari Parks/Eric Mogensen, which own/founded VA Safari, AL Safari, bought Gulf Breeze, and are building TX Safari. Alligator Alley, Summerdale – Herps – Alligator farm with a few other species. Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham – Zoo – AZA - Long train ride goes around perimeter of most of the zoo, possible to see animals from it, especially elephants. Harmony Park Safari, Huntsville – Safari – Seasonal - Drive yourself. Very little info on website. Kritter Kids Kountry Korner, McKenzie – Zoo - Small zoo with only class 3 animals (foxes, coati, tayra, petting animals). McWane Science Center, Birmingham – Aquarium, Science Museum - First floor is an aquarium. Museums For All. Montgomery Zoo & Mann Wildlife Learning Museum, Montgomery – Zoo, NH Museum – ZAA - Train goes around perimeter of most of the zoo. Skylift is a straight line, loops around. Mann Museum has taxidermy dioramas. Tigers For Tomorrow, Attalla – Carnivore – Seasonal – Nonprofit. Smaller Nature Centers and places with a limited amount of species: Alabama Museum of Natural History, Tuscaloosa – NH Museum, live animals - Mussels, bees. University of Alabama. Museums For All. Alabama Wildlife Center, Pelham – Birds - Bird rehab with boardwalk trail past BOP enclosures. Oak Mountain State Park. Anniston Museum of Natural History, Anniston – NH Museum, live animals – Trail with BOP. Snakes. Oldest bird dioramas in USA. Bama Bucks Steakhouse & Exotic Animal Park, Sardis City – Restaurant, Zoo – Black bear, lemur, red kangaroo, elk, bison, fallow deer, turkey, ostrich. That’s it. Barking Cow Farms, Brilliant – Traveling - Allow photographers to use their property. Serval, caracal, zebra, kangaroos. Environmental Studies Center, Mobile – NC – Species native to Alabama. George H. Carroll Lion Habitat, University of North Alabama, Florence – Carnivore – School’s live lion mascot. Graham Creek Nature Preserve, Foley – NC – Herps, possibly small mammals. Noccalula Falls Park & Campgrounds, Gadsden – Park, Campground – Park has waterfall, animal habitat (lynx, fox, coati, farm), mini golf, etc. Ruffner Mountain, Birmingham – NC – Native herps, BOP, occasional rehab animals. Southern Environmental Center, Birmingham – NC - Educational facility, unsure if they have live species. Birmingham-Southern College. Tickled Pink Petting Zoo, Graham – Traveling – Appointment - Open by appointment for visitors. Lemurs, kangaroos, normal petting zoo species. Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Fairhope – NC - Research estuary with a few live captive species in the interpretive center. Better places to see domestics: Burritt on the Mountain, Huntsville – LH Museum – Domestics. Museums For All. I couldn’t find much on the state’s fish hatcheries, including any details on whether they’re ever to the public. If you’re interested and want to try calling them or something, they are: Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, Marion – focus on mussels and rare species. The largest state non-game recovery program of its kind in the United States. Carbon Hill Fish Hatchery, Carbon Hill - largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), hybrid striped bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, and forage fish. Eastaboga Fish Hatchery, Eastaboga - largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), hybrid striped bass, spotted bass, grass carp, channel catfish, black crappie, redeye bass and forage fish. Marion Fish Hatchery, Marion - largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), striped bass, hybrid striped bass, channel catfish, grass carp, southern strain walleye and forage fish.
One more facility to add: Cook Museum of Natural Science - Decatur Has an aquarium, apparently with a Kemp's Ridley.
Thanks! I have no idea what happened to that one, I've definitely looked at that facility map recently, must have forgotten to actually write it in or something lol. An important place.
There's definitely more captive animal places in Alabama than I anticipated, although the quality of zoos in the state is dubious. After Birmingham and Montgomery (which are decent but not spectacular), the rest are, for the most part, facilities that scarcely anyone has heard of. Would Southeastern Raptor Center (Auburn) count? Does anyone know if Wiregrass Animal Kingdom Inc. (Enterprise) is still open? It only just made its debut in the world a few years ago, but there's hardly anything online about it.
The raptor center definitely counts! My biggest weakness is non-mammal facilities, of course. I feel comfortable saying Wiregrass is closed. The only stuff I can find for it are articles about it opening and a few generic business listings, along with a petition wanting it closed. There's no recent photos anywhere, and the couple of photos I did find look like a traveling zoo at a fair (with a poor elephant). It's no uncommon for new places to open, then discover it's way more difficult than they thought (and expensive) to run a publicly open zoo and close within a few years. Especially with covid thrown into the mix. As for "facilities that scarcely anyone has heard of"... that's the point
I think the new Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo could qualify as an average small zoo, they've made some real progress in the last ten years.
North Alabama really needs a serious facility. And not that ponzi scheme joke that is the NAZL. I know several dedicated breeders in the area. Though most of them make so much money on Deer they don't really have the incentive to diversify beyond hobbies. Alabama had strict cervid import laws so raising deer for the state market is a license to print money. That's what Bama Bucks is. He has a few exotics as a hobby
