America's Best Zoos

America's zoos make it possible to trek into the "wild" for those who might never visit the Serengeti or the Himalayas to meet unusual animals such as zebras and mountain lions in their natural habitats. Even better, outdoors and adventure lovers can traverse re-created environments in a single day, encountering a breathtaking variety of wildlife. Grab your binoculars and bush hat: We've selected the wildest zoos in America for animal lovers and families to explore.

The San Diego Zoo may well be the city's most popular tourist attraction, and deservedly so; more than 4,000 animals representing 800-plus species call the sprawling, 100-acre animal park home. Visitors will encounter all manner of creatures, including polar bears, elephants and cheetahs, at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.

While the animals are the main attractions here, the grounds are also a veritable wonder, having been accredited as a botanical garden featuring more than 1 million plants. To traverse the enormous grounds, jump aboard the 35-minute guided bus tour, which offers a narrated ride covering some 70 percent of the zoo. Or take the express bus, a hop-on, hop-off affair that makes 5 stops throughout the grounds. For a literal overview of the zoo, get sky-high on the Skyfari aerial tram, which gives riders an aerial perspective of the grounds.

Must-see stops include the Scripps Aviary (filled with 130 African native birds), the Polar Bear Plunge and the Asian Passage, where visitors can wander through a bamboo forest spotting red pandas.

These adorable snow leopards make their home at NYC’s Central Park Zoo. Only 6.5 acres, the zoo is small in size but big on star attractions: More than 150 species of wildlife from around the world can be found here, from mammals and birds, to reptiles and amphibians.

Tourists and locals alike flock to the Bronx Zoo, the nation's largest metropolitan animal park, stretching some 265 acres. Opened in 1899, it houses more than 4,000 animals, representing 600 species, in an environment that emulates a variety of habitats, including African plains, Himalayan mountains and Asian forests.

The experience is sure to make visitors forget that they're a mere subway ride from America's most massive city. Get up-close and personal with beastly Siberian tigers at Tiger Mountain, a sprawling viewing enclosure, and meander through the Wild Asia Complex, which re-creates Asian rain forests, complete with native birds, leopards, gibbons and lizards.

Take a gander at a variety of wildlife while taking a load off your feet with a ride on the Wild Asia Monorail, a safari in miniature that winds through enclosures housing elephants, rhinos, antelope, horses and deer. To beat some of the zoo’s notorious crowds, arrive as early as possible, or visit on a weekday or during the winter offseason.