Discover the best zoos and aquariums across the country. ThrillZing covers admission, must-see exhibits, animal encounters, and reciprocal membership tips for every major zoo and aquarium — plus the latest news from the world of wildlife attractions.
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/ August 6, 2026
The Shedd Aquarium opened on May 30, 1930, on Chicago’s lakefront as a gift from retail executive John G. Shedd to the city. Housed in a Beaux Arts building designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, it holds the distinction of being the first inland
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tz
/ August 6, 2026
The Calgary Zoo opened on January 9, 1929, and has grown into one of Canada’s premier wildlife attractions, spread across 125 acres on St. George’s Island in the Bow River in the Bridgeland neighborhood of Calgary, Alberta. Operated by the Wilder Institute, the zoo is
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/ August 6, 2026
The Toronto Zoo opened on August 15, 1974, in Scarborough, Ontario, replacing the much smaller Riverdale Zoo that had served the city since the 1890s. Spread across roughly 710 acres (287 hectares) along the Rouge River valley, it is Canada’s largest zoo by area and
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tz
/ August 5, 2026
Taronga Zoo overlooks Sydney Harbour from the suburb of Mosman, offering one of the most scenic zoo settings in the world. Opened at its current harbourside site on October 7, 1916, after relocating from an earlier home at Moore Park, the zoo takes its name
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/ August 5, 2026
Auckland Zoo has welcomed visitors to Western Springs since December 16, 1922, when it opened with animals purchased from a private collector’s shuttered menagerie. Run today by Auckland Council through Auckland Unlimited, the 16.35-hectare (40-acre) park has grown from a modest municipal collection into New
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/ August 5, 2026
Melbourne Zoo opened on 6 October 1862 in Royal Park, Parkville, about 4 kilometers north of Melbourne’s city center, making it the oldest zoo in Australia. It was modeled after London Zoo and originally served as an acclimatisation station for domestic animals arriving from long
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tz
/ August 4, 2026
Ueno Zoo sits inside Ueno Park in Taitō, Tokyo, and has operated continuously since March 20, 1882, making it Japan’s oldest zoological garden. Over nearly a century and a half it has grown from an early Meiji-era menagerie into the country’s most-visited zoo, home to
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/ August 4, 2026
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, known simply as the Chengdu Panda Base, is a non-profit research and conservation facility founded in 1987 in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It began with just six giant pandas rescued from the wild and has grown into the
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/ August 4, 2026
Beijing Zoo is the oldest zoological garden in China, tracing its roots to 1906 when it was established as a menagerie and botanical garden during the late Qing dynasty. It formally opened its gates to the public on June 16, 1908, for an admission price
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/ August 3, 2026
Prague Zoo opened its gates on 28 September 1931 in the Troja district along the Vltava River, founded under director Jiří Janda. Nearly a century later, it has grown into one of the most respected zoos in the world, prized for its hilly, naturalistic terrain
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tz
/ August 3, 2026
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, known internationally as Vienna Zoo, opened on July 31, 1752, on the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Francis Stephen of Lorraine as an imperial menagerie for the Habsburg court, it holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest zoo
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/ August 3, 2026
Berlin Zoo, formally the Zoologischer Garten Berlin, opened in 1844 in the city’s Tiergarten park, making it the oldest surviving zoo in Germany. Over nearly two centuries it grew into the most species-diverse zoo in the world, a record it has held for decades, while
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/ August 2, 2026
Chester Zoo opened on June 10, 1931, when George Mottershead and his family established the site at Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, on a philosophy of open, bar-free enclosures that was unusual for its time. Nearly a century later, it has grown into the most-visited zoo in the
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/ August 2, 2026
Whipsnade Zoo opened on 23 May 1931 as a bold experiment by the Zoological Society of London: an open-air park where animals could roam expansive paddocks instead of cramped city enclosures. Set in the Chiltern Hills near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, it became the first zoo in
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tz
/ August 2, 2026
London Zoo opened on 27 April 1828 in Regent’s Park, making it the world’s oldest scientific zoo. It was founded by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which had been established two years earlier for the study of animal life, and the zoo only opened
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tz
/ August 1, 2026
Singapore Zoo opened its gates on June 27, 1973, in the Mandai forest area of Singapore, introducing what became known as the “open concept” zoo design. Rather than caging animals, the zoo used moats, hidden barriers, and glass panels to create naturalistic habitats, letting visitors
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/ August 1, 2026
African Lion Safari is a family-owned safari park located at 1386 Cooper Road near Cambridge, Ontario, about 100 kilometres west of Toronto. Founded by retired Canadian Army colonel Gordon “Don” Dailley, who initially partnered with England’s Chipperfield family, the park opened to the public on
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/ August 1, 2026
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is a drive-thru safari park set on Texas Hill Country ranchland between San Antonio and Austin. Opened on June 1, 1984, the ranch let visitors stay in their own vehicles while giraffes, zebras, and antelope wandered right up to the windows,
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/ July 31, 2026
Global Wildlife Center is a free-roaming wildlife preserve in Folsom, Louisiana, about an hour north of New Orleans. Opened in 1991 by founder Ken Matherne, the 900-acre park lets visitors ride through open pastures and around a dozen ponds aboard covered safari wagons or private
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/ July 31, 2026
Out of Africa Wildlife Park is a wildlife park and sanctuary in Camp Verde, Arizona, founded in 1988 by Dean and Prayeri Harrison. The park began in Fountain Hills, Arizona before relocating to its current 100-plus acre site near the Mingus Mountains in 2005, where
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