Do you and your family enjoy visiting zoos when you travel? If so, how many of the top ten zoos in the U.S. have you been to? A few friends sent me the same article, so I’m sharing it with you! Conde Nast Traveler recently ranked the top 10 zoos in the U.S. The San Diego Zoo came out on top, which is probably why my friends wanted me to see the rankings. I wasn’t surprised to see the Bronx Zoo in the top five, but to be honest, I had no idea some of these other cities had zoos. Who knew Anchorage has a zoo? I had a great time in Anchorage and am sorry I missed visiting their zoo.
Here is the rest of the top 10 zoos from the article. What do you think of Conde Nast’s rankings. How many of the zoos have you been to, and are there others you’d add to the list?
- San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California
- Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington
- St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri
- Bronx Zoo, New York, New York
- Living Desert Zoo, Palm Desert, California
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, Ohio
- Alaska Zoo, Anchorage, Alaska
- Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska
- Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois
If you are fascinated with primates, then the LA Zoo at Griffith Park is the place to visit with over 50 types ranging from Lemurs s to Howler Monkeys and including chimps, gorillas, orangutans, etc. Plenty of substance and less flashy than your average commercial zoo.
Autry Museum of Western Art is just across the street. Nearest hotel is the W Hollywood.
Great suggestion, Kalboz. Thanks. When I saw the list I thought the LA Zoo might be on there. Maybe it was #11 :) Your description of the primates does make me want to re-visit the zoo. And I haven’t been to the W Hollywood yet, either. Have a great weekend!
The metro zoo outside of Miami hasn’t fully recovered from bad hurricanes in the past but I still think it’s one of the best. It has the advantage that many Asian zoos have that the warm humid climate is more natural for many of the animals.
Thanks for the recommendation, Tim. I’ve never been to the Miami zoo. I’ve got a family trip planned to Florida, so maybe we’ll add this to our list of what to do. Have a great weekend!
I’ve visited the Columbus zoo and I wasn’t impressed. In my opinion, The Toledo Zoo is better than Columbus zoo.
Good to know, Taz! Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by.
Omaha zoo, #1 tripadvisor 2014.
Brenton, thanks for adding to the best zoos list!
Not only is the St. Louis Zoo an excellent zoo, it’s also FREE!
I was intrigued by your comment, so I looked up WHY the zoo is free. It said that admission is free based on a public subsidy from a cultural tax district. That’s very cool! Thank, Andy, for letting us know.
Not sure why DC Zoo is not on the list. The zoo is free and the parking fees is very reasonable and you may find some place to park for free around the area. The zoo has Pandas, very cute monkeys and the “look out” just like in the Lion King movie.
Good to know about the DC zoo! Thanks for letting us know. There was nothing written about the criteria that Conde Nast used to judge the zoos.
zoos are for fools..reflections of our own mental (and physical) imprisonment
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