Top 10 Zoos in USA for Kids - Part II

This is the second part on "Top ten zoos for kids in USA". In this zoo ranking from 6 to10 are posted in this hub. Hope you will enjoy this list of best zoos in America where you can spend quality with your family and  especially kids.

Antonio Zoo is consistently ranked as 6th best zoo in the country for kids, and with the nation's third-largest animal collection, most in outdoor habitats. The San Antonio Zoo has the first children's zoo especially created for the 5-and-under set. Kids get their own entrance to Kronkosky's Tiny Tot Nature Spot, stone lily pads to hop on. There are many activities such as digging up carrots to feed the guinea pigs, looking for animal tracks, dress up like a vet and splash in a small stream for kids. Don't miss the 2p.m. show when the flamingos are fed shrimp. It is the snack which makes the birds pink. Older kids will like the Africa Live! exhibit, where they can watch hippos and crocodiles swim underwater. They'll also enjoy feeding lorikeets nectar and seeing the Bear Grottos.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is rated 7th of the top zoo's in USA for kids. The zoo has award-winning exhibits, 500 animals, and 3,000 plant species annually. You’ll find naturalistic habitats featuring animals from every continent. There are more than 20 lush gardens. This Zoo is internationally known for its success in the protection and propagation of endangered animals and plants, and engages in research and conservation projects around the world. This Zoo just had a newborn cheetah and a penguin in the nursery.

The World Famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. The zoo ranks 8th palce in Top 10 zoo's for in USA for kids.It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda. The zoo offers a guided tour bus that traverses 75% of the park. There is an overhead gondola lift called the Skyfari, providing an aerial view of the zoo. esides an extensive collection of birds, reptiles and mammals, it also maintains its grounds as an arboretum, with a rare plant collection. check out the discovery center, where little ones will have a blast climbing into a panda den and pushing buttons to learn about the animals. In the Elephant Odyssey exhibit, opening in June, families can watch eight of these African animals get cared for - from pedicures to weigh-ins.

The Houston Zoo is a 55-acre park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas. The zoo houses over 4,500 animals belonging to over 900 species. Trainers are the rock stars at the Houston Zoo. Throughout the day, families can peek in on them teaching new behaviors to the lions, giving the elephants a bath, or, in the children's zoo, feeding the fruit bats and pelicans.Under the Butterfly Stage, there's a morning storytime and a chance to touch small animals like chinchillas and snakes. Zooper Challenge, is a game show that uses child volunteers.

Kids can learn about the motions and defenses of animals by pretending to be one. They can sit inside a heron's nest, try to jump as far as a frog does, pop out of a prairie-dog burrow, climb into a turtle shell, or crawl through an otter log. Another must to see is Congo Gorilla Forest where your family can get an up-close look at 20 of these animals, babies included. Don't miss the Madagascar exhibit. There is 20-minute monorail ride around Wild Asia to see tigers, elephants, and rhino and there is a stop by the reptile house to visit the 100-year-old snapping turtle.