Thank you Hi SL, I have actually changed plan itinerary and am now adding, Cincinnati, Columbus and Akron. The first two I visited a couple of years back and Akron I had no idea had a decent zoo so will be visiting on Wednesday. What are your thoughts on the trip from Akron to North Carolina anything worth a visit? I have visited both DC and Philadelphia but about 10 years ago.
I'm glad that you've added more zoos to your itinerary, plus you already are aware of Cincinnati and Columbus from previous trips. Akron is a small, fairly compact zoo with many adequate but not very large enclosures; however, the new Grizzly Ridge complex does appear to be perhaps the best that the zoo has to offer. From Akron Zoo to the world-class North Carolina Zoo there isn't much in between except for 7 hours of driving. I'd tick off Akron and then do the drive in one shot so that you can rest up at night for the 500-acre North Carolina Zoo. That place will make you walk all day long, but it is a zoo that I'd place in my top 10 as most of it is fantastic. If you wanted to squeeze in Pittsburgh Zoo then it is only 2 hours from Akron, but the zoo itself (other than a 45,000 sq. ft. aquarium) is not even close to being as impressive as the one waiting for you in North Carolina.
Thank you SL, I was actually contemplating if Akron was worth the effort as it adds 4hours and a extra day. Looking forward to NCZ.
Memphis Zoo does a brisk business in renting out these spaces for meetings, weddings, parties, etc. With each new major exhibit they add another venue. Facilities
Akron is worth a visit if you are going to Cleveland Zoo. But not worth going further north after Columbus just to see Akron
Thank you! Thinking I need a rest day and just read this will spend two nights in Columbus then onto N Carolina.
Akron is great in many ways: most profoundly in how the zoo has reinvented itself from a very basic out-of-date local facility to a very decent and growing modern zoo in just ten years. I am amazed whenever I visit. But still, head south.
Zoo 9 Louisville $15.95 Ent $5 parking. I new nothing of this zoo except about the island rotation exhibit and from zoochat pictures of this exhibit was not expecting allot... Arrived at 10am and left at 5pm and seriously contemplated returning the next day but decided against and will definitely return soon. The big pleasant surprise was the gorillas and there exhibit and the incredibly knowledgeable and friendly gorilla keeper. They have a silverback ( in a bachelor group of 4 that have been together for at least 10 years and are all around 16-20 years ) that likes to sit against the glass of the indoor exhibit and look at books, IPads or phones and taps the glass when he wants you to turn or slide the image seriously! I had never seen this before, then interestingly I observed it again at Columbus Zoo today! We went through all my zoo pictures and he seriously taps the glass after looking at a picture to get you to change the image! Another Silverback in a family group on the other side of the room decided that he liked me and sat with me whenever I sat against the glass of his exhibit. I encouraged this by limiting eye contact and self grooming. Some interesting things from the keeper chat. Silverback heart issue = they live longer in captivity and these things are noticed. In the wild they live shorter lives and it could just be the way it is. A female gorilla will sense when a pregnant keeper is going to give birth and will always present food to the keeper the day before they go into labour. They had been temporarily housing a silverback and two remakes that were being moved to a new exhibit at Huston Zoo yesterday. The islands exhibits don't photograph well while they are small, according to a keeper the animals are definitely more stimulated in a positive way.
A few new exhibits in Atlanta Zoo which gives it a more crowded feel. The Reptile House is either open now or opening soon (Zoo Atlanta Twitter). You can rent a bicycle at Zoo Miami. Highly recommended! Why aren't you visiting the Montgomery Zoo?
When I visited the San Diego Zoo, one of the visitors was watching a World Cup game on his iPad, and turned it towards the viewing window so a gorilla could see. It sat there and intently watched the soccer match for probably ten or fifteen minutes.
Those are such great stories. I know I am not the first one around her to make this inference but Gorilla's amaze me.
Zoo 9 Cincinnati $27 Ent $9 parking Last visited a couple of years back and the new addition of the African Plains exhibit is very good. Watching the male lion locked outdoors while his mate and cub were locked in. He was pacing around the exhibit and roaring and displaying that was causing some of the next door plains exhibit animals to show some great natural behaviours.
Zoo 10 Columbus $7.50 Ent 1/2 price for winter $8 parking I really like this zoo and first visited back in 1988 (gorilla conference) and have visited many times over the years. Highlights watching what I think was a small male polar bear being harassed by two larger female polar bears. He was definitely enjoying antagonising them even though they were wining every encounter! I was really surprised to hear that it being seriously considered moving the gorillas and bonobos to the now African side of the zoo! Given the quality of the current exhibits that would be a huge price o pay for geographical themeing!
Zoo 11 North Carolina Zoo Ent $20 ? Nearly did not make it here but so glad I did! First impression like most is that it's big and that does not prepare you for just how big it is! So walking around the zoo and admiring all the exhibits and pathways I realised something while this zoo has allot going for it the most brilliant part is the people responsible for the exhibit design and construction and specifically the people doing the fake rock work! Exhibit design and construction is mostly in house! Given NCZ isolated location by necessity they have over the years built up a resource of highly experienced and capable staff skilled in exhibit design and impressively construction. I decided to see if I could speak with someone involved in construction as there mock rock is seriously the best I have ever seen. After chatting to a lion keeper who radioed in my request and as luck would have it and also apparently as no one has asked before within 10 minutes a guy with 20 years experience at the zoo designing and construction and also responsible for the very good new polar bear exhibit shows up and we chat for 1 hour. It was brilliant and so interesting to hear just important each step involved is. This guy was incredibly generous and shared so much. The importance of the 1/2 inch scale model ( seriously USA is still using inches...) and getting a keeper first of many approvals that's its escape proof! to how so many of the new paints on the market do not have the consistency to be flicked onto rock work. The picture shows some real and some fake rock work seamlessly combined in what was the old Gorilla exhibit now Baboon exhibit. FYI there are plans to make this into a huge troop of 50 + Baboons.
Zoo 12 Riverbanks Zoo $13.95 ENT A definite highlight of this trip. This zoo manages to combine fund raising through train and pony rides, rock climbing and other typical zoo entertainment while also showcasing a very good zoo with a mostly above average standard of exhibits. For zoo design enthusiast the very old carnivore exhibits with primate exhibits built into the rear separated by a moat are very interesting and I am sure would have been seen as very progressive at the time! Lots of new openings coming see picture. It did unfortunately look like the new bear enclosure was going to be very small The Gorilla exhibit is good built on a hill with the gorillas mostly looking down at us is a nice change. Current Silverback is due to be introduced to two females currently in quarenteen and another two females due shortly with breeding recommendations.
Zoo 13 Jacksonville $16.95 Ent. The new Asia/Tiger exhibit is very good. The large outdoor tiger exhibits have a runway enclosure around them that allows for a tiger in each outdoor exhibit and then a third to use the runway. See picture. The runway also has a runway that makes itself above the visitor walkway. It seemed to be brilliant enrichment for all as the tiger in the runway was very active working his way around both exhibits and usually stimulating a reaction from the other tigers. A first for me and a great idea executed very well. The area very obviously had a huge budget! The very expensive woven wire mesh used to contain the tigers was also liberally used unnecessarily as public walkways barriers.
Zoo 14. DAK $100 Ent $17 parking $249 3hour Africa Trek Firstly for the interest of anyone who has not been to a big USA theme park. Parking is a huge logistic endeavour! Followed the lead of other visitors and took photos of where I parked, seriously the car park is bigger than allot of city zoo's. Then a shuttle train to the entrance to DAK with the driver / cast member telling allot of cheesy jokes and exactly the same jokes on the return shuttle... The Tour, it was genuinely amazing. Walking along a long suspension bridge (with safety harness) below is the man made river with a herd of female hippos and next to that 20 odd Nile crocodile. Then the safari bus drives past! Seriously could have been in Africa. The personal safari truck where the driver navigates to the best view point of the animal then stops as your personal photographer takes the perfect pictures Then lunch at the safari look out overlooking the plains, it was picture perfect!
Zoo 15 Sea World $75 Ent Last visited as a guest of the park in 1988 and have few memories. I arrived and the dolphin show was my first stop and I loved it, particularly as the show was started late as we were told the dolphins were not being cooperative. Then when the show finally did start it was very entertaining Then it all went down hill... The rescue turtle exhibit, watching the turtles stereotype behaviours through the huge windows was sad... The totally overcrowded dolphin pool, not sure what the capacity should be but there seemed to be allot in a small space. The killer Whales a total of 5, with one very large, is that the one from blackfish? The public viewing window displayed two Killer a Whales both laying listlessly every time I went by. 24/7 indoor penguin exhibit that reminded me of that sad scene in the movie "happy feet". What was really confronting was speaking to a dolphin trainer who described stereotyped behaviour as driving to work the same way each day and she was not moving from this....
Zoo 16 Brevard Zoo $15.95 Ent I have never heard so many adults and children comment how much they were loving there time at the zoo. This is truly a community zoo, see story / picture. The amount of volunteer responsibilities was unmatched anywhere I have been before. From volunteers walking around with brooms to maning concession stands and even collecting funds for canoe experience. Interestingly when I asked about volunteer activities it was pointed out that the only paid employee in sight was sitting down letting the volunteers manage the complete canoe experience. The zoo itself is very geared to children with all. pathways on a raised boardwalk. The large African plains exhibit is very good with for an extra fee rhino petting and giraffe feeding. For me the worst part of the zoo was the primate section lots of small mesh enclosures, considering the abundance of space and water I hope that this area is changed to larger island exhibits in the future.
