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 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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tz
/ September 4, 2026
The Maui Ocean Center opened on March 13, 1998, in Maalaea Harbor on Maui’s south shore, quickly establishing itself as one of Hawaii’s premier marine attractions. Operated by Coral World International, the facility set itself apart from typical aquariums with a singular focus: every creature…
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tz
/ September 4, 2026
The Waikīkī Aquarium sits on a slice of shoreline in Honolulu’s Kapiʻolani Park, where it has introduced visitors to the marine life of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific since March 19, 1904. Originally built by the Honolulu Rapid Transit and Land Company to draw riders…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
The largest zoo in the world isn’t in Africa or California — it’s in Cumberland, Ohio. The Wilds covers 9,154 acres of reclaimed strip-mine land turned rolling savanna, where rhinos, giraffes, wild horses, and dozens of other species roam pastures measured in square miles. Operated…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
Beneath Brighton’s seafront sits the oldest operating aquarium in the world. Opened in 1872, the Brighton Aquarium was a Victorian sensation — and a century and a half later it’s still showing fish on the very same spot, now under the SEA LIFE banner. The…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco rises straight out of a Mediterranean cliff face, a baroque stone palace inaugurated in 1910 by Prince Albert I — the ‘Navigator Prince’ who filled it with the finds of his pioneering research voyages. Its basement aquarium is one of…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
Monarto Safari Park is Australia’s largest zoo — 3,700 acres of open-range country near Murray Bridge, South Australia, where lions, giraffes, rhinos, and cheetahs live in landscapes big enough to disappear into. Opened to the public in 1993 and run by the non-profit Zoos South…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
The public aquarium is a Victorian invention that never went out of style. This list ranks the 20 oldest aquariums in the world that are still open to visitors in 2026, by the year they first admitted the public — each one verified as operating…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
How big can a zoo get? Big enough that you tour it by safari truck and can’t see the far fence. This list ranks the 25 largest zoos and safari parks in the world by total land area in acres, using figures verified against each…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
Steinhart Aquarium opened its doors in Golden Gate Park on September 29, 1923, drawing more than 5,000 visitors on its very first day. Named for benefactor Ignatz Steinhart, it quickly became one of the country’s premier aquariums, earning early distinctions as the first public aquarium…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium sits next to the Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield, Missouri, pairing a sprawling wildlife museum with a massive aquarium under one roof. Founded by Bass Pro Shops’ Johnny Morris and opened on September 22, 2017, the…
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tz
/ September 3, 2026
Australia Zoo sits in Beerwah, Queensland, on the Sunshine Coast, roughly an hour’s drive north of Brisbane. What began in 1970 as a small reptile park run by Bob and Lyn Irwin grew into one of the country’s best-known wildlife attractions after their son, Steve…
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tz
/ September 2, 2026
Werribee Open Range Zoo sits about 32 kilometers southwest of Melbourne in Werribee, Victoria, and gives visitors a rare chance to experience an African-style safari without leaving Australia. Operated by Zoos Victoria, the same organization behind Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, the park opened in…
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tz
/ September 2, 2026
Night Safari is a 35-hectare (86-acre) wildlife park set within Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Reserve, billed as the world’s first zoo dedicated entirely to nocturnal animals. It opened on 26 May 1994 and operates only after dark, welcoming guests daily from 6pm to midnight (last entry…
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tz
/ September 2, 2026
Taipei Zoo is Taiwan’s largest zoological park, spread across 165 hectares in the hills of Wenshan District at the southern edge of the capital. Originally founded in 1914 as Maruyama Zoo during the Japanese colonial era, the zoo relocated to its current Muzha site in…
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