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 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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/ 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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/ 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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/ 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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/ July 31, 2026
Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park began as a small bird-breeding operation on just 5 acres in Glendale, Arizona, started by teacher Mickey Ollson. In 1973, Ollson purchased 25 acres in nearby Litchfield Park, and the zoo opened to the public there in 1984,
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/ July 30, 2026
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is a nonprofit conservation park spread across 1,800 acres of Texas Hill Country near Glen Rose, about an hour southwest of Fort Worth. Visitors drive their own vehicles along a scenic road through open pastures where giraffes, zebras, antelope, and endangered
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/ July 30, 2026
Wildlife Safari is a 615-acre drive-through animal park in Winston, Oregon, founded by Frank Hart in 1972 after he was inspired by his travels to Africa. Visitors drive their own vehicles along a roughly 4.5-mile route through open pastures where animals from around the world
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/ July 30, 2026
Lion Country Safari opened on August 29, 1967, in Loxahatchee near West Palm Beach, Florida, and is billed as the first cageless zoo and the nation’s first drive-through safari park. A group of South African and British entrepreneurs created the park so South Florida families
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/ July 29, 2026
Six Flags Wild Safari is a 350-acre drive-through animal park located adjacent to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Opened on July 4, 1974, it has grown into one of the largest safari-style parks outside of Africa, home to roughly 1,200 animals
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/ July 29, 2026
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park opened on May 10, 1972, in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, California, as an extension of the San Diego Zoo focused on breeding and displaying animals in expansive, naturalistic habitats rather than traditional enclosures. Operated by the nonprofit
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/ July 29, 2026
Roger Williams Park Zoo sits inside the historic Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island, and traces its roots back to 1872, making it the third-oldest zoo in the United States. What began as a small collection of animals has grown into a 40-acre facility
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/ July 28, 2026
Franklin Park Zoo has welcomed visitors to the Dorchester section of Boston since it first opened on October 4, 1912, making it one of the oldest zoos in the United States still in operation today. Set within the northeastern portion of Franklin Park, a landscape
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