Zoological sights in USA
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Santa Barbara Zoo
Big cats, monkeys, elephants and giraffes await at the 500-animal Santa Barbara Zoo , where you'll also find beautiful gardens. The Humboldt penguins are the current stars, and these tuxedoed show-offs seem to know it. If you're in need of a giggle, hit the 'Eeeww!' insect exhibit. Its hissing cockroaches and giant African millipedes will leave you giggling at the grossed-out kids. Or deeply disturbed. Parking costs around US$3.
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Oregon Zoo
Don't miss 'zoolights' during the holiday season, when the zoo becomes a winter wonderland filled with lit-up trees and animal figures. In summer there are concerts on the zoo's lawns. Parking costs $1.
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Kodiak Fisheries Research Center
Opened in 1998 to house the fisheries research being conducted by various agencies, it has an interesting lobby that includes displays, touch tanks and a large aquarium.
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Animal Park
The first cageless drive-through safari in the country, this incredible animal park puts you in the cage (ie your car) as 800 creatures roam freely, staring at you. Equal parts conservation area and safari, the park’s 500 acres are home to bison, zebra, white rhinos, chimpanzees and, of course, lions. You tour the safari section in your car (unless it’s a convertible; short-term rentals are available), driving slowly, hoping the animals approach the vehicle. The best time to go is when it rains, because the animals are more active when it’s cool.
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Memphis Zoo
The world-class Memphis Zoo hosts two giant panda stars, Ya Ya and Le Le, in a $16-million exhibit on native Chinese wildlife and habitat. The Northwest Passage section is home to polar bears, sea lions and eagles. Other residents include the full gamut of monkeys, penguins, African wildlife, etc. Imagine an animal, the zoo probably has it.
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Roundhouse Aquarium
Kids crowd the touch tanks at this tiny pier’s-end aquarium while their parents stare warily at the flickering fins in the 3500-gallon shark tank. Upstairs, smaller tanks hold an eclectic mix of local specimens including the clicking garibaldi and the stinging gorgonian – sometimes seen lurking barside at Zinc.
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South Carolina Aquarium
The massive, excellent South Carolina Aquarium showcases the state's diverse aquatic life, from the otters of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the loggerhead turtles of the Atlantic. The highlight is the 42ft Great Ocean Tank, which teems with sharks and alien- looking puffer fish.
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York’s Wild Kingdom
If you have children, you may want to visit York’s Wild Kingdom, the state’s largest zoo.
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National Zoological Park
As the National Zoo enters its 120th year of existence, it celebrates a birthday attended by some controversy (several animals’ deaths in the last decade and the resignation of a director), hope (two words: giant pandas) and cautious optimism exemplified by the birth of a lowland gorilla. Still one of the best zoos around, the National gently sprawls over 163 acres cut through by a mini-Amazon, the interactive Think Tank, which examines animal intelligence, and the excellent Asia Trail, which winds around aforementioned pandas, clouded leopards and red pandas. The Smithsonian Institution zoo was founded in 1889 and planned by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s …
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Franklin Park Zoo
While the 70-acre Franklin Park Zoo is surrounded by one of the city’s sketchier neighborhoods, the zoo itself is safe. It boasts a well-designed Tropical Forest pavilion, complete with lush vegetation, waterfalls, lowland gorillas, warthogs and over 30 species of free flight birds. The Serengeti Crossing features Grevy’s zebras, Masai giraffes, wildebeests, ostrich and ibex, while the Australian Outback Trail allows visitors to walk among red kangaroos and wallabies. Don’t miss the magical Butterfly Landing, where you can stroll among blooming perennials, gushing waterfalls, and 1000 fluttering butterflies in free flight. One excellent exhibit is Tiger Tales, which recou…
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Lion Habitat
Out front of the MGM Grand, it’s hard to miss the USA’s largest bronze statue, a 100,000lb lion that’s 45ft tall, perched atop a pedestal and ringed by lush landscaping, spritzing fountains and Atlas-themed statues. Inside you’ll find the MGM’s real-life lion habitat. MGM owns these magnificent felines, all descendants of the movie company’s original mascot. Only two animals are shown off inside this multimillion-dollar enclosure at any one time. The big cats tend to sprawl and sleep atop the see-through walkway tunnel, separated from their admirers only by a sheet of protective glass and a couple of feet of thin air. Caretaker Keith Evans has been working with …
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Grant Park
A large oasis of green situated on the edge of the city center, Grant Park is home to Zoo Atlanta, which features flamingos, elephants, kangaroo and the odd tiger. But the zoo's pride and joy is baby Mei Lan, the giant panda cub whose every movement is a picture of adorability. Be prepared to wait if you want to see her.
Just south of downtown, Grant Park offers one of the most unique multimedia experiences anywhere: the Atlanta Cyclorama. Built in the 1880s, the Cyclorama features a big circular painting of the Battle of Atlanta that revolves around the audience, with sound and light effects and an informative commentary. There's also a diorama and a short movie on the c…
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Seaworld
Mission Bay's four-star attraction is SeaWorld. It's easy to spend a day here, shuttling among shows, rides and exhibits. The biggest draws are live animal shows, particularly Believe, featuring Shamu, the world's most famous killer whale, and his killer whale amigos leaping, diving and gliding. Some may find the presentation a little, well, awww, but the animals induce awe. Dolphin shows are also popular. Avoid marked 'soak zones' near the tanks or you will get wet. There are also zoolike animal exhibits and a few amusement-park-style rides, such as the Journey to Atlantis flume. Lines can be long in summer and around holidays. Parking is $12.
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Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
Boca’s best asset is not its collection of retail, cultural or culinary treats, but this condo-free stretch of waterfront parkland. The crown jewel of the system is the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, a wild preserve of tropical hammock and dunes ecosystems. Dedicated to educating the public about sea turtles and other local fauna, the natural-history displays include fascinating saltwater tanks full of critters – fed with leftover seafood scraps donated by local businesses. Plus, it’s one of 10 places in the US where you can (legally) observe sea turtles nesting, 9pm to 11pm every Monday and Thursday between May 20 and July 11 ($5).
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Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary
Dale Shields is the Pelican Man, and his sanctuary rehabilitates injured wildlife; it's on City Island, just east of the Mote, on the south side of Ken Thompson Pkwy. Although all injured animals are helped, pelicans are their primary customers (90% of all injured pelicans are hurt by fishing line). Since its humble beginnings in 1985 when Shields' first pelican rehabbed in a bathtub, the sanctuary now rehabilitates upwards of 6000 animals annually.
Still, some animals cannot be released; about 250 birds including hawks, gulls, egrets, owls, storks and pelicans and other indigenous wildlife now live here permanently.
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The Pier
Walk straight into the Gulf of Mexico, or so it feels when standing on the fishing platform at the edge of this old railroad pier on the eastern edge of town. At the end of the long paved boardwalk is the pier’s star attraction: a crazy looking, bright and blocky inverted pyramid structure that houses a five-story shopping mall, complete with three restaurants (which allow you to eat your seafood directly over the sea) and even a small aquarium. Walk to the fishing platform at the very edge of the pier around sunset for a fabulous natural-light show. A shuttle runs between the parking lots and the action. Parking costs $3.
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Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, aka the 'Sexiest Zoo in America,' has the country's highest rate for successful breeding. It's famous for its gorillas, white lions and rhinos, and is located 3 miles north of downtown. Parking is around US$7.
The city zoo is internationally known for its collection of endangered species, though it has the dubious distinction of having been the last place a passenger pigeon or Carolina parakeet ever drew breath. The zoo's gorillas and white tigers have been making up for the sad past by producing a record number of babies in captivity.
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Kalahuipua'a Fishponds
The ancient Kalahuipua'a Fishponds lie along the beach just south of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, partly shaded by a grove of coconut palms and milo (native hardwood) trees. They are among the few still-working fishponds in Hawai'i, and are stocked with awa (Hawaiian milk fish). Water circulates from the ocean through traditional makaha (sluice gates), which allow small fish to enter but keep mature, fattened catch from leaving.
You might notice fish sporadically jumping into the air and slapping down on the water, an exercise that knocks off parasites.
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Sheldon Jackson Aquarium
Housed in the Sage Building is the Sheldon Jackson Aquarium, a classroom during the school year but Sitka's top attraction for children during the summer. The aquarium features an 800-gallon 'Wall of Water' filled with sea anemones, rockfish and starfish and three touch tanks where kids can feel the spiny skin of a huge starfish or the coarse shell of an abalone.
It is also home of the country's only on-site, college-run hatchery, an especially impressive sight when thousands of king, coho, pink and chum salmon boil the water during feeding.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium - we dare you not to be mesmerized and enriched by this ecoconscious aquarium. Give yourself at least half a day to watch sharks and sardines play hide-and-seek in fast-growing kelp forests, observe the antics of frisky otters, meditate upon ethereal jellyfish and get touchy-feely with sea cucumbers, bat rays and other tide-pool creatures. Feeding times are best, especially for watching the penguins. To avoid the worst crowds, get tickets in advance, be there when doors open and stick around during lunchtime.
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Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
This city-owned aquarium is the smaller, older, less frantic and high-tech cousin of Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific. It's also a lot lighter on your wallet and probably less overwhelming for small children. Spiky urchins, slippery sea cucumbers, magical jellyfish and other local denizens will bring smiles to even the most PlayStation-jaded youngster. Naturalists lead rambles around the rocky tide pools and salt marshes and organize all sorts of other educational programs, including the grunion-watches (April to July).
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Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
The highlight of this compact zoo is the Tropics of the Americas exhibit, a 3-acre recreation of a rainforest, stocked with jaguars, monkeys, snakes, macaws and other tropical creatures. Gator feedings occur regularly and are advertised. The zoo’s also home to a few of the last remaining Florida panthers, North America’s rarest mammal. Other unusual residents include Komodo dragons (the largest lizard in the world), capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and red kangaroos, which can hop at speeds of up to 40mph.
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Caribbean Gardens
Formerly a 52-acre botanical oasis, these gardens are now a junglelike home to exotic animals like Bengal tigers, zebras, panthers and huge snakes. You can take a narrated cruise to observe monkeys and apes living freely in an island habitat. And even though it’s not the focus of the place, kids love the petting zoo and myriad daily animal presentations. All activities are included in the admission price. The zoo is a nonprofit organization, and admission revenues go toward protecting wildlife around the world.
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Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Maximo – a 1250lb, 15ft, 3in Australian saltwater crocodile – is the biggest of the reptiles at the Alligator Farm Zoological Park, the world’s only facility with every species of crocodilian in residence. Look for albino alligators, freaky gharials and seven different species of endangered monkey, including the world’s smallest, the pygmy marmoset (the size of a mouse). There are talks and shows throughout the day; catch hungry alligators snapping their jaws at feeding times (noon and 3pm).
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