We asked a panel of family travel and zoological park experts to nominate their 20 favorite facilities across the United States (all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums), and for the last four weeks, readers have been voting for their favorites.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Zoo are as follows:
- Saint Louis Zoo – St. Louis
- Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – Omaha
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson
- Fort Worth Zoo – Fort Worth
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden – Columbia, S.C.
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – Colorado Springs
- San Diego Zoo – San Diego
- Brookfield Zoo – Chicago
- Audubon Zoo – New Orleans
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo – Cleveland
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Katie Dillon (La Jolla Mom), Debra Erickson (International Zoo Educators Association), Kyle McCarthy (Family Travel Forum), Eileen Ogintz (Taking the Kids) and Alan Sironen (Zoo Consultants International) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of American zoos.
Other nominees included the Bronx Zoo, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Denver Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Houston Zoo, Memphis Zoo, Phoenix Zoo and Woodland Park Zoo.
Congratulations to all 10 USA TODAY winners.
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