I have visited over 20 zoos across the country, and I want to share my experiences and recommendations with you. I get asked all the time “what is your favorite zoo?” Here are my top favorite zoos:

6) Audubon Zoo- New Orleans, LA

Walking through the Audubon Zoo is like walking through the Louisiana Swamp. It’s the only zoo that I enjoyed seeing the crocodiles and alligators. They have a boardwalk towards the back of the zoo where you can walk to see dozens of alligators and crocodiles. They are camouflaged with seaweed and give it the Louisiana Bayou feel. The boardwalk offers a gift shop and a handful of restaurants or cafes as you make your way through.

I like to get to a zoo close to opening or during the morning to beat the busy crowds and enjoy the cooler weather. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and give yourself two hours to get through the zoo from start to finish. Their gift shops are stocked and I’m always on the lookout for zoo mug and t-shirt. There is a gift shop at the front of the zoo and at the back on the boardwalk. Their front gift shop didn’t have as many options as I would have liked, so I walked all the way back to the boardwalk to find my right zoo mug and shirt.

5) Denver Zoo- Denver, CO

I would go back to the Denver Zoo tomorrow if I can! Their elephant exhibit is one of my favorites as well as their elephant show. It was visiting the elephants that I noticed that the elephant show was going on. I was so excited I took off running trying to get a front row seat. There were four elephants that were featured, and each one did different tricks and behaviors. It was one of the few times I have seen an elephant swim. If you are visiting the Denver Zoo I would highly recommend the elephant show! It’s free so all you got to do is show up and enjoy the show.

My biggest recommendation visiting the zoo is making sure you have water handy. I was not prepared for the increase of elevation, and I found myself having to take many breaks throughout the zoo. I also visited during the Fourth of July weekend, so I was also battling summer heat too. Please take weather into consideration when planning your zoo visit. One unique feature that the zoo had was various animals made of Legos. Their Lego Brick Lion included 56,408 Legos. It’s something I have never seen before. I would recommend making the zoo its own day when planning and give yourself two or three hours.

4) Minnesota Zoo- Apple Valley, MN

The Minnesota Zoo is my most recent zoo trip. It’s a one-of-a-kind zoo. Many of their animals come from Eastern Russia, so every animal is unique, and very few can be found at any other zoo. Some of the highlighted animals include their Brown Bear, Caribou/ Reindeer, De Brazza Monkey, Takin, and even a Moose. No other zoo that I have visited has a moose. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes and dress accordingly. I went in August during the middle of summer and the temperature was 70 degrees. I had to make a coffee and gift shop stop early to get comfortable. They do have a nice skywalk that circles much of the zoo, so that you are able to get a better bird eye view of the animals, but if you are not able to walk it you can still enjoy the animals from the normal perspective.

One thing that makes the Minnesota Zoo different from the other zoos is they have outdoor exhibits and indoor exhibits that is so big I would call it an indoor zoo. You get two zoo visits in one. The indoor exhibit is near the main entrance. If weather becomes a factor do the indoor exhibit first and then the outdoor second. Between the two parts I would give yourself plenty of time to enjoy both experiences. My rule of thumb is at least two to three hours.

3) Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium- Omaha, NE

I was surprised to find out that the zoo in Omaha, NE is one of the top ranked zoos in the country. It’s very family and kid-friendly, offering a little bit everything. Other than the zoo itself they also have the Omaha Steakhouse restaurant and a splashpad for kids. They have multiple pop-up gift shops as well as many cafés and restaurants too. Make sure that you visit their aquarium and desert dome. The desert dome simulates walking in the desert, which means it’s hot and humid. The Omaha Zoo has a SkyTram that allows you to get a bird eye view of the zoo. The SkyTram is an additional ticket separate from the zoo. You can pick either one way or round trip. I did the round trip, and it took about 45 minutes.

If you have kids, I recommend two days for the zoo and aquarium together. If you don’t have kids, I would recommend not making additional plans to give yourself plenty of time to explore all exhibits. I highly recommend arriving at the zoo early for parking and getting tickets. The zoo opens at 9:00am and when we got there at 8:45am the ticket line was already backed up to the parking lot. Whether you are getting zoo admission tickets or SkyTram tickets they use a ticket kiosk.

2) St. Louis Zoo- St. Louis, MO

I absolutely love the St. Louis Zoo. If I lived a little bit closer, I would be there every day. The biggest perk is that the zoo is free. All you need to do is pay $15 for parking. Elephants are my favorite animal, and St. Louis has one of the best elephants exhibits I have seen. It’s big and they have many elephants including baby elephants. The Penguin and Puffin Coast is one of a kind and no other zoo compares to it. They have all kinds from Emperor Penguins to the small South American Penguins. It’s an indoor exhibit and it’s small, so they have limited the number of people that can go in at a time. When you first walk in there is the penguins and if you walk towards the back and around the corner there are the puffins. Every exhibit has its own gift shop. If you need a pick me up there is a walk-up Starbucks in the middle of the zoo.

The St. Louis is huge and family friendly for everyone. I love that I can make a big loop from beginning to end. I am not a snake or reptile kind of person, but their reptile exhibit is impressive. On my first trip there they had a massive anaconda that no other zoo had. It’s one of the few zoos that has Kangaroos and even had a baby joey. It was precious watching it go in and out of the mom pouch. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. During the holiday season the St. Louis Zoo has their zoo lights that I highly recommend. That can be its own post later.

1. San Diego Zoo- San Diego, CA

I saved the best for last. The San Diego Zoo is in a league of its own and what I call a zoo heaven. Ticket prices are around $70 a person, but that includes free tram rides and double-decker bus tours. There are two kinds of double-decker bus tours: 1) takes you around the whole zoo and goes to places that you may miss walking around. 2) make stops at every exhibit and you can choose when you want to get off. We walked the whole zoo first and then we went back to do the double-decker bus tour. It allowed me to see everything that I wanted to see and enjoy. I love that their sky tram gets you from one end of the zoo to the other as quickly as possible. We took a one-way trip that was about five minutes. My favorite animals included the Koala Bear, Andean Bear, and the Baboons. All three animals you can’t find at any other zoo.

When I go to a new zoo typically it takes me two hours from beginning to end. The San Diego Zoo took me five hours and that included stopping at multiple gift shops and enjoying lunch at one of their many cafes. If you have kids, I recommend planning two or possibly three days for your visit. One reason I love the San Diego Zoo is that you can safely get up close to the animals. A lot of the animals were active and there were multiples of each animals. The San Diego Zoo was a dream come true and crossed off my bucket list.