zoo It’s a out there
What is your favorite kind of animal? Have you ever seen one up close? Whatever kind of animal you love, you probably can find it in one of these cool zoos.
Bears
Bears are big, strong and powerful — and a little scary if you meet one in the woods. But if you visit Cherokee Bear Zoo in North Carolina or Bear Country USA in South Dakota, you can see all kinds of bears up close. At Bear Country USA, there’s even a special section where you can see baby animals.
Reptiles
Snakes, lizards and alligators can be a little creepy, but it’s fun to see them in action. At Gatorland in Florida, you can see all kinds of alligators, including a very rare white alligator, as well as other reptiles. At Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Pennsylvania, you can see all sorts of snakes, turtles and other reptiles and walk through a birdhouse where parakeets will land right on your shoulder. Reptiland also has a special dinosaur exhibit through fall — but don’t worry, the dinos aren’t real.
Giraffes and other African animals
Want to go on an African safari? You can travel to California for that. At Safari West you can drive through the park and see animals like giraffes, antelopes, cheetahs and hyenas. You can even sleep in a tent right in the middle of the park! If lions are more your speed, check out Lion Country Safari in Florida. There’s a whole section dedicated to the King of the Jungle. Horses and deer
Maybe exotic animals aren’t for you. If you’d rather see animals you might check out in your own backyard, visit Smoky Mountain Deer Farm in Tennessee. You can take a pony ride or get close to animals like pot-bellied pigs, reindeer, and mini-donkeys in the petting zoo. If you’d like to see ponies in a wild setting instead of a zoo, visit Assateague Island in Virginia. If you visit in July, you can bid on a pony of your very own.
Birds and fish
Do your favorite animals fly? If so, you might want to visit the World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri where you can see eagles, owls, vultures and all sorts of other birds. You can learn about flying mammals by visiting with their fruit bats. If you’d rather meet some water dwellers, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, which was the inspiration for the movie “Finding Dory.”