Love those zoos!

Zoos

Lydia loves to go to zoos, and has been to 27 different ones so far (those visited more than once are highlighted in Red—14 so far).

Image/Link	Name	Location	Special Rides, Etc.	Photos/Notes
	Binder Park Zoo	Battle Creek, MI	train, safari ride to Africa section, carousel, playground	Lydia and Mommy at the giraffe feeding station. Lydia and a zoo employee riding a camel. Binder Park was just in the planning stages when Daddy lived in Battle Creek in his youth (1972-1977); Daddy strongly suspects that he once went tobogganing on the hill where the giraffes currently graze. Overall it’s a very good zoo—almost certainly the best in Michigan—and getting better. It’s only notable weakness is a meager play area. They had camel rides for a number of years, but seem to have got rid of them entirely. Their carousel is new as of 2007.
(link no longer works)	Belle Isle Aquarium	Detroit, MI		Closed 3 April 2005—we made our only visit there the day before. It was managed and run by the Detroit Zoo (below).
(no website)	Belle Isle Zoo	Detroit, MI		closed 2002; there are efforts in place to re-open it
	Detroit Zoo	Detroit, MI	train, playground	Lydia’s looking a bit bored. Our general impression of the Detroit Zoo is that there’s too much walking involved; moreover, there always seems to be a fair amount under construction. The train ride is extremely dull. The best parts are the butterfly room and the penguinarium, and even they aren’t great. A plus is the play area for otherwise restless kiddies.
	John Ball Zoo	Grand Rapids, MI		Lydia looking over Daddy’s shoulder. Lydia petting a calf.
	Potter Park Zoo	Lansing, MI	pony, camel; when Daddy was little, there was a small train ride there as well, but it was removed many years ago	This was Lydia’s very first zoo, and this picture is from her first time there. Lydia—now a veteran pony rider. Potter Park, of which the zoo is only a part, has other attractions including playgrounds, picnic areas, and boat rentals for canoeing on the Grand River.
	Saginaw Children’s Zoo (now called “Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square”)	Saginaw, MI	train, pony, carousel
(no website)	Nature’s Cove Zoo (now called “Nature’s Creek Zoo”)	Temperance, MI	apparently sometimes has camel rides, but not when we were there	Lydia is introduced to a kit fox, while Daddy cuddles a piglet in the background. This is basically a private animal collection that grew big enough to display. Very homey. You are encouraged to touch the animals much more than in other zoos.
(link no longer works)	Clinch Park Zoo	Traverse City, MI	train	Lydia and Mommy on the train. Clinch Park closed its doors 10 September 2006. It was a great favorite with the locals (having been there about 75 years), but wasn't generating enough interest to keep it going. The train was probably independent of the zoo, and may well still be there.
	Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo	Fort Wayne, IN	train, pony, monorail car to African Savannah (also has boat rides, but none of us has ridden them)	Grandma Brattin and Lydia in the Safari Jeep ride. Don’t let the name fool you! This is a full-fledged zoo, and is extremely enjoyable.
	Indianapolis Zoo	Indianapolis, IN	dolphin show	We saw it on a winter’s night, so obviously weren’t getting it at its best. It probably deserves an “A” rating (see ratings below), but that will probably have to wait for another visit.
	Washington Park Zoo	Michigan City, IN
	Potawatomi Zoo	South Bend, IN
	Akron Zoo	Akron, OH	pony, train (children only)	Lydia on a pony.
	Cincinnati Zoo	Cincinnati, OH	train, pony, carousel	Has arguably the best train ride, with Wheeling and Pittsburgh a close 2nd and 3rd.
	Cleveland Zoo	Cleveland, OH	camel
	Columbus Zoo	Columbus, OH
	The Wilds	Cumberland, OH		Lydia looks through binoculars.
	African Safari Wildlife Park	Port Clinton, OH	pony, camel, playground	Lydia on a pony.
	Toledo Zoo	Toledo, OH	train, carousel; When Daddy was younger, there was the old train ride and a flying helicopter ride; the latter was replaced with a carousel. In 2004 an ambitious new Africa section was opened, with a new train and new carousel. They have kept the old carousel, so they now have two running, but they got rid of the old train—a true shame, for it was much better than the new one. Oh yes, Daddy was also able to ride a Galapagos tortoise there in his childhood (see bottom photo, right).	Lydia and Daddy on the new carousel. Lydia and Daddy having fun at the playground. Lydia poses with a polar bear. Daddy as a child rides a tortoise.
	Philadelphia Zoo	Philadelphia, PA	several rides that none of us rode: a children’s pseudo-train, swan boats, and hot air balloon
	Pittsburgh Zoo	Pittsburgh, PA	train, carousel
	National Zoo	Washington, DC
	Blank Park Zoo	Des Moines, IA	camel
	Buffalo Zoo	Buffalo, NY	train (children only), camel, carousel	Lydia on the kiddie-train. This was the place where Lydia first rode a camel without assistance.
	Good Zoo	Wheeling, WV	train	The Alice Jane Hennery; we took this picture in honor of Lydia’s great-grandmother, the late Alice Jane Brattin.
	African Lion Safari	Cambridge, ON	train, pony, elephant, boat	Lydia and Daddy meet the giant parrot. This picture was taken on a beastly hot day. I spoke confidentially to the “parrot,” and said, “Buddy, you must be frying.” He(?) didn’t speak, but gave a big nod in response.

She rides the trains every chance she gets, and also ponies, camels (seven times so far at six different zoos), and once even rode an elephant! (Her most frequent ride is still up on her Daddy’s shoulders; she’s become very good at ducking through doorways!)

Lydia’s first zoo was Potter Park in Lansing, and she’s been back there another half-dozen times or more. Her most frequently-visited zoo is Toledo, where she’s been at least fifteen times.

For a list of the additional zoos that Mommy and Daddy have visited, see the Mommy/Daddy Travels page.

Here is the rather subjective grading system that we’ve assigned to the zoos we’ve been to. I may fill these out later to explain things better.

In short, a grade of A is a top-notch zoo, large and full of good features, always worth a long visit and many happy returns. A grade of B is a fine zoo, with some particularly memorable attributes. A grade of C is still worthwhile, provided it isn’t too pricey; it could mean a very small zoo that does a good job with what it has (Saginaw), a medium-sized zoo that does okay, but doesn’t have anything really memorable or outstanding (Buffalo), or a large zoo that frankly isn’t as good as it should be (Detroit). A grade of D is a marginal zoo, probably not worthy of a return trip.

Total count: 27, in 7 states, plus DC and ON, with 14 returns.

Updated most recently on 24 June 2008.