TOP 25 ZOOS IN THE UNITED STATES
The United States is blessed with hundreds of zoos. To help you make the best of your travel time, we have put together a highly-opinionated list of what we believe to be the top 25 zoos in the United States. It is not an easy task to pick 25 zoos out of a pool of hundreds, so this web-page will forever be a work-in-progress as we travel & visit more zoos across the USA.
This top 25 zoos list is sorted alphabetically by state (and not by quality or rank). The number of animals listed is accurate as of December 2015.
Flamingos at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California
RUNNER-UPS: ZOOS ALMOST GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE TOP 25 LIST
Here are a list of other outstanding zoos in the United States that we considered for the top 25 list above. Let us know if you think there are any other zoos of this quality that we should be considering, either for this "runners-up" list or for the above top 25 list itself (email = gparsons66 @ hotmail.com).
STATE |
ZOO NAME |
HOW MANY ANIMALS? (as of December 2015) |
TOWN / CITY |
Arizona |
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum |
300 different species (# of animals unknown) |
Tucson |
Arizona |
Bearizona Wildlife Park |
unknown / not listed |
Williams |
Arizona |
Phoenix Zoo |
more than 1,500 animals from 325 different species |
Phoenix |
California |
Living Desert Zoo & Gardens |
more than 660 animals from 157 different species |
Palm Desert |
California |
Santa Barbara Zoo |
more than 600 animals from 180 different species |
Santa Barbara |
Colorado |
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo |
more than 800 animals from 200 different species |
Colorado Springs |
Florida |
Brevard Zoo |
more than 550 animals from 170 different species |
Melbourne |
Florida |
Gatorland |
unknown / not listed |
Orlando |
Florida |
Lion Country Safari |
more than 1,200 animals from 125 different species |
Loxahatchee |
Florida |
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park |
unknown / not listed |
St. Augustine |
Florida |
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo |
more than 1,200 animals from 180 different species |
Tampa |
Florida |
Zoological Wildlife Foundation |
150 different species (# of animals unknown) |
Miami |
Georgia |
Zoo Atlanta |
more than 1,400 animals from 200 different species |
Atlanta |
Illinois |
Brookfield Zoo |
more than 2,500 animals from 425 different species |
Brookfield |
Indiana |
Indianapolis Zoo |
more than 2,200 animals from 250 different species |
Indianapolis |
Kentucky |
Louisville Zoo |
more than 1,500 animals from 300 different species |
Louisville |
Louisiana |
Audubon Zoo |
more than 1,500 animals from 350 different species |
New Orleans |
Minnesota |
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory |
more than 1,300 animals from 125 different species |
St. Paul |
Missouri |
Kansas City Zoo |
more than 1,000 animals (# of species unknown) |
Kansas City |
Montana |
Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center |
unknown / not listed |
West Yellowstone |
New Jersey |
Cape May County Park & Zoo |
more than 550 animals from 250 different species |
Cape May |
New Jersey |
Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari |
more than 1,200 animals (# of species unknown) |
Jackson |
North Carolina |
North Carolina Zoo |
more than 1,600 animals from 225 different species |
Asheboro |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma City Zoo |
more than 1,900 animals from 500 different species |
Oklahoma City |
Oregon |
Oregon Zoo |
more than 2,000 animals from 240 different species |
Portland |
Pennsylvania |
Philadelphia Zoo |
more than 1,500 animals from 350 different species |
Philadelphia |
Pennsylvania |
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium |
more than 4,000 animals from 475 different species |
Pittsburg |
Rhode Island |
Roger Williams Park Zoo |
more than 950 animals from 100 different species |
Providence |
South Carolina |
T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station |
unknown / not listed |
Myrtle Beach |
South Dakota |
Bear Country U.S.A. |
unknown / not listed |
Rapid City |
South Dakota |
Reptile Gardens |
more than 950 animals from 225 different species |
Rapid City |
Tennessee |
Nashville Zoo |
more than 2,500 animals from 350 different species |
Nashville |
Texas |
Dallas Zoo |
more than 2,000 animals from 400 different species |
Dallas |
Texas |
Moody Gardens |
more than 5,500 animals from 650 different species |
Galveston |
Virginia |
Metro Richmond Zoo |
more than 2,000 animals from 180 different species |
Moseley |
Virginia |
Virginia Safari Park |
more than 1,000 animals (# of species unknown) |
Natural Bridge |
Washington |
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium |
more than 775 animals from 95 different species |
Tacoma |
Washington |
Woodland Park Zoo |
more than 1,100 animals from 300 different species |
Seattle |
Wisconsin |
Henry Vilas Zoo |
more than 800 animals from 200 different species |
Madison |
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