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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/ September 25, 2026
Audubon Zoo is a 58-acre zoo in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River side of Magazine Street. It opened in 1914 and is home to roughly 2,000 animals. It is managed by the Audubon Nature Institute and is accredited by the Association of…
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tz
/ September 24, 2026
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum sits in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, along Kinney Road just south of the west section of Saguaro National Park. Despite the name, it is part zoo, part botanical garden, part natural history museum, part aquarium and part art gallery.
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tz
/ September 24, 2026
The Aquarium of Niagara sits at 701 Whirlpool Street in Niagara Falls, New York, a short distance from the famous waterfalls. It opened on June 12, 1965, and its official website says it is home to more than 120 species of animals, including California sea…
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tz
/ September 24, 2026
The Abilene Zoo is a city-owned, AZA-accredited zoo at 2070 Zoo Lane in Grover Nelson Park, on the east side of Abilene, Texas. It opened at this site on July 2, 1966, replacing an older zoo elsewhere in the city. The Abilene Zoological Society, a…
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tz
/ September 14, 2026
Colchester Zoo sits on 60 acres of parkland at Heckfordbridge near Colchester, Essex, and has been a fixture of family days out in the East of England since it first opened its gates on 2 June 1963. It was founded by zoologists Frank and Helena…
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tz
/ September 13, 2026
Asahiyama Zoo sits on the outskirts of Asahikawa in central Hokkaido, Japan, holding the distinction of being the northernmost zoo in the country. Opened in July 1967 after roughly a year of construction, the zoo started modestly with around 75 species of animals, including 200…
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/ September 13, 2026
Ouwehands Dierenpark is a zoo in Rhenen, in the Dutch province of Utrecht, set on a wooded rise called the Laarschenberg at the edge of the Utrecht Hill Ridge. It traces its roots to 1919, when Cor Ouwehand started a small farm on the Grebbeberg…
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tz
/ September 11, 2026
Royal Burgers’ Zoo is a 45-hectare (110-acre) zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands, founded in 1913 by Johan Burgers. It’s one of the largest zoos in the country, home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 500 species, and draws roughly 1.4 million visitors a year from…
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/ September 11, 2026
Fota Wildlife Park sits on Fota Island near Carrigtwohill in County Cork, Ireland, where it has welcomed visitors since opening in June 1983. Run as an independently funded, not-for-profit charity through a joint project between the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College Cork, the…
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tz
/ September 11, 2026
Paignton Zoo sits on 80 acres of parkland in Paignton, Devon, and has been caring for animals on the site since 1923, when it began as Primley Zoological Gardens, the private collection of naturalist Herbert Whitley. After his death in 1955, the collection passed to…
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tz
/ September 9, 2026
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009 on the site of Brockholes Farm, a former riding school and petting zoo near Branton, southeast of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. What began as a modest attraction with just 66,000 visitors in its first year has grown into one…
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/ September 9, 2026
Marwell Zoo sits on 140 acres of Hampshire parkland in Colden Common, just outside Winchester, England. Founded in 1972 by Dr John Knowles, it was established as a registered charity with conservation as its founding purpose rather than simple animal display, making it one of…
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tz
/ September 8, 2026
Barcelona Zoo opened its gates on September 24, 1892, inside the leafy Parc de la Ciutadella, making it one of Europe’s older urban zoos still operating today. Over more than a century, it grew from a modest municipal menagerie into a full-fledged conservation and research…
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tz
/ September 8, 2026
Blackpool Zoo opened its gates on 6 July 1972 on the site of the former Stanley Park Aerodrome in Blackpool, Lancashire. What began as a modest collection has grown into a 32-acre wildlife park that ranks among the northwest of England’s most visited attractions, drawing…
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tz
/ September 7, 2026
Zoo Zurich has welcomed visitors to the Fluntern quarter above the city of Zurich, Switzerland, since 1929, making it the third-oldest zoo in the country. Spread across roughly 27 hectares (about 67 acres) on a hillside overlooking the city, the zoo has grown from a…
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tz
/ September 7, 2026
Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium sits on Tamaki Drive in Auckland, New Zealand, built into a set of disused sewage storage tanks that marine archaeologist and diver Kelly Tarlton transformed into an underwater attraction. It opened in 1985 after roughly ten months of construction, using…
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tz
/ September 7, 2026
SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium sits on the banks of the Yarra River in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, tucked beneath the Flinders Street Viaduct and King Street Bridge. Opened on 17 January 2000, the building was designed by Peddle Thorp to resemble a ship moored…
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tz
/ September 5, 2026
The Deep is a public aquarium perched at Sammy’s Point, where the River Hull meets the Humber Estuary in Kingston upon Hull, England. Opened in March 2002 inside a dramatic angular building designed by architect Terry Farrell, it was built with backing from the UK’s…
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tz
/ September 5, 2026
L’Aquàrium de Barcelona opened on September 8, 1995, in the Port Vell harbor and quickly became one of the city’s signature attractions, ranking among the most-visited sites in Barcelona alongside the Sagrada Família and Park Güell. Owned and operated by Aspro Parks, it was built…
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tz
/ September 4, 2026
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium opened in 2002 in the Lujiazui district of Pudong, right beside the Oriental Pearl Tower on the banks of the Huangpu River. Built by Advanced Aquarium Technologies, the facility became known almost immediately for its centerpiece: a long underwater viewing tunnel that…
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