Sometimes, when we are bored or have our family around, we want to visit a place with some natural yet kid-friendly environment to relax a bit. If you are craving for the same, visiting Arizona Sc. is my personal recommendation. In this town, you will find some of the most amazing beaches, art, culture, nature, and yes, tremendous zoos. Some of the best zoos of Arizona are the places that can provide you with an educational, exploratory, and luxurious experience and the good thing is, many of these places are pet-friendly. In general, there are many wild parks, sanctuaries, and museums along with some of the best zoos in the state of Arizona.
Wondering what is so special about the zoos in Arizona? Let me make you see from my eyes. Below is the list of zoos in Arizona and wildlife parks that you must consider on your next visit.
Some Of The Best Zoos in Arizona To Visit
Arizona is one of the country where you will find so many zoos situated on a close distance to each other and that may be because the country is making attempt to keep its habitats alive. Well, without further ado, let see which zoos you can visit on your next tour to Arizona;
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Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix zoo is a great place where you can have a close sight on the life of the animals along with interacting with them. It can be a one of its own type of the experience as this zoo contains more than 3000 animals of different species.
Telling you a little about the history of this zoo, the park was established by the Robert E. Maytag who contributed a lot in its funding as well as convincing the community to support the park construction. He also opened the zoo without the government funds and proved his struggles for this initiative. Later on, the zoo became a public-centered entity for the kids and visitors.
This zoo is a home of some 200 endangered species and approximately 37 species on a survival plan undergoing breeding in captivity. This Zoo has various timing during the different months so before visiting you should ensure its timing through the website. It has a $20-$10 administration fee and is free for kids.
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Reid Park Zoo
The Reid park zoo is also called the Tucson zoo and its mission is to encourage the human commitment for conserving biological diversity as well as enhancing the learning and fun experience of the visitors of all ages. The zoo was established in 1965 and is now home to many birds, animals, and livestock. Also, this sanctuary has a huge number of the species of the monkeys.
A long naturalist habitat that is spreaded in 24 acres is a habitat of many species and it hosts around 580,000 guests annually – this shows it definitely has something unique to offer. Well, moving forward, this zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), too, which ensures that the Zoo meets up the requirements and ever-rising standards for animal care.
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Navajo Nation Zoo & Botanical Park
Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park is in window rock, Arizona which is the capital of the Navajo Nation. It has been operated by the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation Department since 1960 and is also a part of the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife since September 2006. In general, it is a tribally owned zoological park in the United States.
This sanctuary is quite notable among the zoological facilities in their labels that exhibit a native American Indian language. Their facilities have the unique mission of caring for and preserving the fauna and flora of the Navajo society.
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Funny Foot Farm and Tucson Petting Zoo
Funny Foot Farm and Tucson Petting Zoo are considered the petting zoo in Arizona, in the area of Tucson. Same as other zoos, this one is also a home to so many species of animals and birds and works its best to reserve their populations. When you are planning to visit Tucson, you can visit Funny Foot Farm and Tucson Petting Zoo on your way, too. The place is quite kid-friendly with easy accessibility even for senor citizens and kids.
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Grand Canyon Deer Farm
Grand canyon deer farm allows the visitors to enjoy peaking into the daily living of all the animals residing in there. Here, you can enjoy a very rare opportunity of meeting and greeting with animals and that is because the animals here are quite human-friendly. To keep them human-friendly, the authorities have adopted or raised these kids since their early days and thus, they tend to be too warm towards human. And that, my firend, is the best thing about this zoo.
This zoo is located on the old route 66 section and its deer farm spreads across 10 acres and has a wonderful family of animals in this area. You can view the wallabies, llamas, coatimundi, bison, and peacock through the walking path around the park. You can walk with the deers and feed them with your hands and even kiss the camels on the Grand canyon deer farm. If you are an animal lover who cannot resist interacting with four-paw beauties, this zoo is the one for you.
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Some Of The Best Parks In Arizona To Visit
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Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium, Litchfield Park
Wildlife world zoo and Aquarium is the largest among all wildlife parks in Arizona. It is considered the home of the rarest animals in the world like an albino white alligator which is the rarest reptile. It is considered the largest so-called big household of animals and is spreaded to 95 acres of the ground that includes the petting zoo, reptile collection, and open space area for the animals to graze.
The wildlife world zoo and aquarium contains more than 600 species that live in the petting zoo and aquarium. You can even take an old fashion train to enjoy either a safari visit or a self-guided walking tour around this zoo.
If you want to see it from the sky, you can also book a Skyride that is similar to the ski lift and it will take a 15 minutes trip over the habitats. There are also many restaurants, and stroller and wheelchair rentals where you can stay in a secure and relaxed environment. To visit Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium on your vacations and trips, use the Litchfield park website.
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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson
Arizona Sonora desert museum is considered one of the top museum in the U.S. It is spreaded over 98 acres and has a 3km walking path crisscrossing nearly 9 hectares of the desert landscape. It gives more attention to the interpretation and presentation of natural history and includes the animals and plants life of the Sorana desert. Herem, more than 242 animal species and some 1200 varieties of plants are inhoused.
Another interesting fact is, it is often called “the lushest desert on earth” because this includes the world’s most impressive mineral collection. There is a garden in the museum which displays many varieties of cacti, grassland, agaves, and yucca and its zoo area present many wildlife coyotes, bears, and mountain lions as well as hummingbirds and rattlesnakes. If you want to enjoy all the things, consider booking a trip to Tucson.
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Out of Africa Wildlife Park, Camp Verde
If you want to feed large cats, watch the tigers swim, or ride the racing raptor zip line over the safari lands, you should visit the camp Verde where you find all of these things in the African wildlife park. Experiencing so many shows here can make your tour an unforgettable memory.
This is called the reptile zoo of Arizona because it contains varieties of reptile animals and many special species of birds. You can visit and see many shows by paying an administration fee while for the other activities like camping and VIP helicopter tours, you should pay an extra fee. You should check the offers from the parking website to visit the park on your holiday.
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Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Prescott
Heritage park zoological sanctuary is a non-profit wildlife sanctuary and is even called a heritage park zoo. It provides protection and care to the native wild animals. It is set as the platform for recreation, education, and amusement for all ages of people.
Heritage park zoological sanctuary has a mission of conservation through education. It provides the knowledge in their novels and close experience with the animals. Tarantula cava is the most fascinating exhibit which is exclusive by Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary. Two interactive enclosures are listed below
- Wallaby Walk-About
- Kiwanis Korner Animal Encounter
There are many ways for visitors to learn about the animal to interact with the animals that are present in this park. It is a free zoo for the kids and others should pay an administration fee that is ranging from $5 to $8.
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Bearizona Wildlife Park, Williams
Bearizona wildlife park is a famous zoo area where the birds fly free and four-leg species roam free in the natural environment. It is the park where you can walk out of your camp and even can drive your car to the bear habitat to get their closest view.
You can see the shows of predators and become an eyewitness of the otter feeding. Bearizona wildlife park has many bears, wolves, and birds of prey. You can get access to the surrounding forest by the gravel road which is well maintained for the visitors.
If you are driving on this road, keep the speed slow as sometimes, animals run out on the road and keep your window closed to ensure you are up with safety measures. Though walking visitors are not allowed to walk on this road, they can pass through the Arizona fort to view the baby animals.
There is a show near the fort where the trained birds of prey exhibit their capability of wingspan and hunting or the ability of otter feeding. If you want to get a close-up introduction and knowledge about these animals then you should book a guided tour VIP bus service for this. This journey will be a new experience on your tour.
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Butterfly Wonderland, Scottsdale
Butterfly Wonderland is the world’s most famous zoo for insects because it contains a lot of species of insects that are popular and colorful. In this Zoo, you can interact and get a close-up view of the winged wonders.
Wander rainforest is the inspired pavilion that is the largest in the country and you will find millions of butterflies fitting in this. You can find a sitting place if you are a lucky person because it is hard to find out free secure space.
This includes the emergence gallery which presents the chrysalises in the process of metamorphosis. Additionally, there are many types of residents for the butterflies. You can see the honeybee exhibition for the cross-section and working hives of the industrial creature.
If you want to see this wonderland then book now a trip to Scottsdale.
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OdySea Aquarium, Scottsdale
If you ever visit Scottsdale for your trip, you should check the Odyea Aquarium, too. Arizona is a marine aquarium and considered the largest in the southwest of the United States. It contains more than 2,000,000 US gallons of water and its length is 200,000 square feet. There are many, approximately 6,000, animals of 370 different species in the 65 exhibits and this is why this park can offer you a great educational and explorer or entertainer opportunity.
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Conclusion
Arizona is the best place to travel during your vacations and holidays. There are many zoos in Arizona and you should visit here to get a closer insight into the lives of the animals. The zoos of Arizona also provide the habitat to many species that are endangered or about to end. Though there are many to count in Arizona, my personal favorite is Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams where I got the opportunity to interact with animals on very closer terms. In a nutshell, every zoo in Arizona is an awesome place to visit on its own – see how many you can visit, and thank me later!
