Product Description

Animals are hot! Animal Planet rules TV ratings. The Lion King reigns on Broadway. March of the Penguins was boffo. Polar bear cub Knut is an international celebrity. Zoos are educational, cheaper than amusement parks, fun for the whole family, and attract more visitors than spectator sports. America's Best Zoos is a comprehensive guide to a true family entertainment bargain. Arranged geographically for touring convenience, it gives detailed descriptions of top zoos across the country.

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Product Details

Publisher	The Intrepid Traveler
ISBN	188714076X
Format	Paperback
Author	Allen W. Nyhuis,Jon Wassner
EAN	9781887140768
Label	The Intrepid Traveler
Dewey Decimal Number	590.7373
Studio	The Intrepid Traveler
Number Of Pages	320
Title	America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide for Fans & Families
Publication Date	2008-05-16
Manufacturer	The Intrepid Traveler

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Customer Reviews

Dissapointing

Review by Katherine, 2010-03-14

I was really excited about getting my hands on this book but ended up sorely disappointed. I was hoping for more information about the zoos. This, instead, is just an opinionated tour guide that's very brief and now outdated. I don't think a few words on the 'top' exhibits really tells me much more than that the authors can compile a list.

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A Zoopendous Guide for your next Zoocation

Review by Mike Shoule, 2009-11-11

Where was this book when I was a kid? Now that I am a parent though, I am just as thankful for it. This book reviews zoos big and small, far and wide, and provides pretty much every relevant piece of information that a zoo-goer could want in preparation for their visit. The majority of the book is broken down into individual reviews of the more noteworthy zoos in each region. Each review includes important information like the zoo website, hours of operation, admission, etc. and then focuses on the "featured exhibits", "for the kids", "edutainment", and "don't miss". At the end of the book are a couple of excellent appendices "The Top 10 US Zoo Exhibits in 20 Categories" and "Each Author's Picks for the Top 25 US Zoo Exhibits". So for example if you or your family loves looking at tigers and other Asian animals you will see that the Bronx Zoo and the Columbus Zoo are the top ranked in this category. Likewise if your local zoo does not feature a particular animal, in my case there are no hippos at the Bronx Zoo, then be sure to check out the Miami Metrozoo, San Diego Zoo, or Denver Zoo (which is what we did) on your next Zoocation. The authors have a great website associated with the book [...] and to top it off you can communicate with them directly via email and expect a fast response. Well organized and full of useful information - a must have for all zoo fans out there.

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A Fantastic Travel Book!!!

Review by Scott Richardson, 2009-09-29

What a terrific book!!!

"America's Best Zoos" is an amazingly detailed book that contains a wealth of information on the 60 best zoos in the United States. There are pages of data concerning zoo hours, admission fees, directions, featured exhibits, animals in the collections and upcoming attractions. Each of the 60 zoos has been given several pages in this new book, and an additional 37 zoos are mentioned in brief paragraphs as well. Anyone travelling across the nation will have a handy guide to family attractions that should appeal to any adult or child.

At the back of the book are 20 categories that provide top ten lists for zoos in terms of african animals in the collection, asian animals, bears, primates, birds, marine mammals, etc. If an avid zoo fan has an interest in a particular species of animal, there are additional listings of where the best locations are for such creatures. The icing on the cake for this superb book is the inclusion of a list of the 25 best U.S. zoo exhibits from each of the authors. Considering that there are around 220 accredited zoos in the United States, the lists are truly detailed and provide information on "the best of the best" in terms of zoological exhibit design. Any individual who is even remotely interested in zoos should definitely own this book!!

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Depressingly Outdated

Review by M. Bessey, 2009-09-26

Exotic animals on display is a form of entertainment that is as modern as the freak show. This book provides some information on some of the worst zoos in the country but makes them sound like acceptable family entertainment. Very misleading and outdated - don't waste your money! Go support a true animal-loving place like Dame Daphne Sheldrick's elephant orphanage in Kenya.

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Excellent Guide for Zoo Lovers

Review by S. Kenneally, 2009-02-23

Allen and Jon have put together a very comprehensive and detailed guide to the best zoos in America. I was very impressed with the detail devoted to each park profiled and found their reviews to be very fair and unbiased. They highlight the best exhibits in each zoo and provide other information regarding the other exhibits in the zoo. I especially enjoyed their last highlight for each zoo where they describe future plans for new exhibits.

I was an existing zoo and aquarium fan and often visited any animal park in each city I visited. This book brought to my attention many zoos which I either did not know existed or did not know were such fine zoos. I have already planned many trips this year to visit multiple zoos highlighted in the book.

Any person that enjoys and appreciates the care and conservation of wild animals will find this to be an enjoyable guide to the many excellent and often, unappreciated, zoos in this country.

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