Learning about animals has always been a big part of our travels and we’ve planned many of our trips around adventures to see animals especially when the kids were little. We live near Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle which I truly believe is one of the best zoos in the United States and I think that learning about animals and knowing we have to care for them is so important for kids. Visiting the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica and also learning about a jaguar named Junior Buddy and then getting up close to him and hanging out with Sharon at the Belize Zoo were both experiences that really influenced my guys when they were small. I always wanted to know more about fabulous zoos so I’ve compiled a list of the best zoos we’ve visited just in case this is something you’re looking for in your travels too.
Woodland Park Zoo- Seattle, WA
We need to start with this zoo because it’s the one my parents brought me to visit from Vancouver, Canada to Seattle when I was little too. Over the years we’ve watched as the Woodland Park Zoo has created habitats for brown bears, penguins and tigers and I’m thankful we can pop for even if we only have just 15 minutes with our membership. At one point in time, my husband and I volunteered for a bit, cleaning out the tapir habitat and my sons went to summer camp here and loved it when they were small.
Point Defiance Zoo- Tacoma, WA
This one is barely an hour away from Seattle and it’s worth a visit too especially with young children. My guys especially loved their shows and their aquarium area when they were small. I love that many of the exhibits feel like they are really designed with small children in mind-they can see a lot more indepently at this zoo than many other places.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
I really need to revisit this place again-we haven’t been since the kids were small and it was still called the “Wild Animal Park” but I loved visiting when I lived in California ages ago because it really felt like we were seeing animals up close while they were living somewhat like they would in the wild. I remember seeing an Okapi at the San Diego Zoo for the first time-I studied them when I was a kid and they were supposed to go extinct. I love how this place cares for its animals.
Safari West in Santa Rosa
I wanted to have a savannah like glamping experience and this was totally it. I know other zoos have sleepovers, like even the San Diego Zoo Safari Park but often these have shared accommodation spaces and washrooms. At Safari West we had our own sleeping tent with shower and bathroom attached. And it was really such a cool place to explore and stay.
Nashville Zoo
We visited this one recently on a trip where we tagged along with my husband for work. Nashville had so many unexpected surprises for us (including a life-sized replica Parthenon!) but the biggest surprise was the bathrooms at the Nashville Zoo. We would visit again just to see them.
Phoenix Zoo
We went here a few times when the kids were small and one time I booked a breakfast with the tortoises that we talked about for months afterwards. This zoo is great for kids but it can get very hot depending on the time of day or year.
Biodome in Montreal Espace pour la vie
The Biodome in Montreal is like a giant indoor zoo and we had a great time exploring here with friends this past summer. Near the penguins there was a giant ice tunnel that we could walk through, we took a long time trying to find the sloth and we all decided on our favorite animals-visiting the biodome was such a great part of our trip.
Singapore Zoo
The Singapore Zoo is still our favorite zoo in the entire world and we will hopefully be back this summer after not being able to get to Singapore for so long. The breakfast there is incredible and it looks like it’s still available. I used to book behind the scenes tours when the kids were small and we learned so much from the zoo keepers and had a great time together. The night safari is pretty famous and the river wonders area was just opening when we last visited too.
Do you like to learn about animals when you travel? Do you have any favorites or best zoos you can share too?
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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