America's Best Zoos

Visit America's wildest zoos with the most exotic animals and diverse habitats from Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida to the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri.

August 12, 2021

By: Valerie Conners

A Walk on the Wild Side

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.

San Diego Zoo

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.

Central Park Zoo

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.

Bronx Zoo

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.

Dallas Zoo

What’s a penguin doing in Dallas? If he’s an African penguin, he won’t mind the weather. In all, the Dallas Zoo houses more than 2,000 animals, across 406 species. Find the zoo just 3 miles from downtown Dallas, and block of the day to explore its 106-acre grounds.

Philadelphia Zoo

America's oldest zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874 in the City of Brotherly Love, and today entertains visitors with habitats featuring more than 1,300 animals spread across 42 acres near West Fairmount Park. The zoo's relatively intimate size means it's easy to enjoy most of its attractions in a single day.

Highlights include the PECO Primate Reserve pavilion, featuring gorillas and orangutans, as well as First Niagara Big Cat Falls, where visitors will encounter tigers, lions, leopards and jaguars — try to visit here during feeding times. Families will also enjoy the McNeil Avian Center, a rainforest habitat where visitors will discover more than 100 bird species from around the world.

Opt for a unique experience riding in the Channel 6 Zooballoon, a 30-passenger helium balloon that rises 400 feet above the zoo, offering glimpses of giraffes, zebras and even the Philadelphia skyline. Finally, pay a visit to the Reptile and Amphibian House, where simulated thunder and lightning "storms" periodically refresh the creatures.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

"Jungle Jack" Hanna, the zookeeper whose frequent television appearances on shows such as Late Night With David Letterman helped make him an animal-loving legend, is the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, helping it earn a distinguished reputation as one of the best zoos in America. Hanna helped refurbish the Columbus Zoo's 588 acres, build its bevy of animals to some 7,000, and expand the grounds to include a theme park, water park and golf course.

Notable zoo exhibits include Animal Encounters Village, the largest manatee exhibit outside Florida, a 100,000-gallon coral reef exhibit and an African forest that features rare bonobos, gorillas and apes, including Colo, the first gorilla born in captivity, in 1956 — and now the oldest living one in captivity anywhere in the world.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Walt Disney World's largest theme park, Animal Kingdom, near Orlando, Florida spans some 500 acres and offers guests the opportunity to commune with more than 1,700 animals representing 250 species. The park's habitats are divided into seven areas, including Africa, Asia, Camp Minnie-Mickey and DinoLand USA.

While Disney’s Animal Kingdom includes an expected assortment of animals such as zebras, elephants and hippos, it's also earned acclaim for its rides and attractions, including the Expedition Everest high-altitude roller coaster, the Kali River Rapids raft ride, the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition and the Wildlife Express Train.

Daily performances also make Disney’s Animal Kingdom exceptional: Must-see shows include Finding Nemo — The Musical and Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade, featuring nearly 60 characters and cast members, including puppets and stilt walkers.

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Ranked the “World’s #1 Zoo” in 2014 by TripAdvisor, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium features the largest cat complex in North America; “Kingdoms of the Night,” the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp; Lied Jungle, the world’s largest indoor rainforests; and the Desert Dome, the world’s largest indoor desert and world’s largest glazed geodesic dome (larger than Montreal’s Biosphere or Epcot’s Spaceship Earth).

Indianapolis Zoo

Though small compared to some zoos, the Indianapolis Zoo packs a lot into its 64 acres. Organized around the concept of biomes — areas that share a similar climate, flora and fauna —the zoo allows visitors to travel from the plains of Africa to the forests of Alaska, all without leaving the property. The Indianapolis Zoo is also the home of the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, an award-winning facility specially designed to stimulate apes not only on a physical level, but also socially and intellectually.

Brookfield Zoo

The Brookfield Zoo may be located in the tame suburbs of Chicago, but it’s plenty wild. Spread out over the park’s whopping 216 acres are several immersive exhibits, including the Great Bear Wilderness, where guests can spot hulking American bison in a rolling prairie setting; majestic bald eagles in an expansive mesh aviary; and the park’s enormous resident grizzly bears, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

Living Desert Zoo

You won’t find anything tropical at California's Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, which is dedicated solely to the flora and fauna of the world’s many deserts. It’s also a nature preserve, protecting more than 1,000 acres of Sonoran desert. In addition to the many animals on display — which include rhim gazelles, mountain lions, meerkats, cheetahs, striped hyenas and giraffes — guests can take a docent-led tour of the on-site Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center and observe medical procedures and examinations.

St. Louis Zoo

The St. Louis Zoo features animal attractions like Sea Lion Sound, the Insectarium, Big Cat Country and Bear Bluffs. See black rhinos and sun bears at River’s Edge; red pandas and gorillas in The Wild; meerkats and tree kangaroos at Discovery Corner; amphibians and reptiles at Historic Hill; or stingrays and sea lions at Lakeside Crossing. The Zooline Railroad, Children’s Zoo and “Ice Age: awn of the Dinosaurs” 4-D Motion Simulator are few other must-see attractions at this zoo located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Woodland Park Zoo

This 92-acre zoological garden’s gorilla habitat, which opened in 1979, is widely considered the world’s first immersion exhibit. Today, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is home to a wide variety of other similarly immersive exhibits, including the Tropical Asia biome, which features Asian small-clawed otters and tropical birds. There's also the Northern Trail exhibit, which is landscaped to look like an actual trail in Alaska’s Denali National Park and houses timber wolves, Arctic foxes, grizzly bears, mountain goats, Steller's sea eagles and Roosevelt elk.

Shop This Look

Photo By: Shutterstock/Wang Sing

Photo By: Shutterstock/Liz Stepanoff

Photo By: Julie Larsen Maher (c) WCS

Photo By: Shutterstock/LouieLea

Photo By: Shutterstock/Buzz Fuller

Photo By: Shutterstock/Oh London Tom

Photo By: Shutterstock/legenda

Photo By: Mr. Nixter

Photo By: VisitIndy.com

Photo By: Shutterstock/forksandspoons

Photo By: Shutterstock/asharkyu

Photo By: Saint Louis Zoo / Ray Meibaum

Photo By: Shutterstock/wildphoto3

America's Best Zoos

A Walk on the Wild Side

San Diego Zoo

Central Park Zoo

Bronx Zoo

Dallas Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Indianapolis Zoo

Brookfield Zoo

Living Desert Zoo

St. Louis Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo

Shop This Look

America's Best RV Parks

10 Best Beaches in Seattle 10 Photos

25 Best Family-Friendly Beaches 25 Photos

4 of HGTV's Best Sibling Teams

America’s Best Fall Foliage Road Trips 16 Photos

The 10 Best Beaches in America 12 Photos

Related Pages