If you're looking for the best zoos and botanical gardens in the country, you don't have to go far. Florida has you covered.
Every year, USA TODAY's 10Best Reader's Choice Awards pick the top... well, many, many things, in the nation. Expert panels select the best in the U.S. and then readers across the nation cast their votes. And several Florida destinations made the grade in the top 10 lists for best zoos, best botanical gardens and best safari parks. Here's how we placed.
10 Best Zoos in the US: No. 6, Brevard Zoo
Now in its 30th year, the Brevard Zoo in Viera near Melbourne made the 10Best list of best zoos in the country at No. 6. It was the only zoo in Florida recognized and Florida has a strong zoo game.
This is also the fifth year in a row the Brevard Zoo has been nominated for the USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice Award.
“Home to more than 900 animals,the AZA-accreditedBrevard Zootakes the zoo-going experience to adventurous new levels. Guests can zip-line through the jungles of South America or kayak through the African savanna or a restored Florida wetland," the 10Best experts said.
Guests also can feed giraffes, walk among kangaroos and ostriches, take a train ride through exhibits, pet goats or just relax at the kids' splash area. In addition to daily admission,the zoo also hosts summer camps,homeschool and preschool classes as well as family experiences. Brevard was also listed in U.S. News and World Report's list of "26 Best Zoos in the U.S" for 2023.
- Address: 8225 N Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL
- Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. with last admission at 3:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $32.95 for ages 12-64, $21.95 for children aged 3 – 11. Seniors 65 and older get in for $27.95. There are also additional experiences such as a behind-the-scenes tour of animal care and a rhino encounter that require separate tickets. Check the website for availability. Annual memberships are available.
- Info: brevardzoo.org
The rest of the Best10 zoos are:
- No. 1: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska
- No. 2: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden - Cincinnati, Ohio
- No. 3: North Carolina Zoo - Asheboro, North Carolina
- No. 4: Honolulu Zoo - Honolulu, Hawaii
- No. 5: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Colorado Springs, Colorado
- No. 6: Brevard Zoo - Melbourne, Florida
- No. 7: Audubon Zoo - New Orleans, Louisiana
- No. 8: San Diego Zoo - San Diego, California
- No. 9: Saint Louis Zoo - St. Louis, Missouri
- No. 10: ZooMontana - Billings, Montana
10 Best Botanical Gardens in the US: No. 2, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Second only to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden was the second-best in the country.
"The warm climate of Coral Gables allows tropical plants to be grown outdoors year-round at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden," 10Best said in the nomination, "one of the only places in the continental United States where this is possible. Exotic butterflies fly freely within the Wings of the Tropics exhibit, while the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House displays 450 species of rare and endangered tropical plants from around the globe. Other themed gardens include a Tropical Fruit Collection, Palm Glade, Tropical Flower Garden, Succulent Garden, and even a display of the dry forest plants of Madagascar.
Named after horticulturist David Fairchild, the man who introduced mangos, pistachios and nectarines to the United States, Fairchild Garden opened in 1938 to study and preserve tropical plants. There are plants there you won't see anywhere else, birds and butterflies everywhere, seasonal exhibits such as Jurassic Garden and the sunset jazz series Rhythm & Blooms, classes, plants for sale and even rare plant auctions through eBay.
- Address: 10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami, FL.
- Hours: Open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Tickets: Adults are $24.95, children 6-17 are $11.95, seniors are $17.95, and children 5 and under get in free.
- Info: fairchildgarden.org
10 Best Botanical Gardens in the US: No. 3, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
"Specializing in epiphytes, particularly orchids, bromeliads, and ferns, Florida's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is globally recognized for its research and conservation efforts focused on epiphytic plants," 1-Best experts said. "Situated along the scenic Sarasota Bayfront, the lush, 15-acre gardens are located at the formerhome of William and Marie Selby. A second location, theHistoric Spanish Point campus, is located on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey and focuses on local history and plant life."
The beautifully curated gardens offer a wide range of tropical plants and exhibits. In January of this year the garden began an ambitious plan to expand, modernize, and to create a stormwater purification and solar energy plant on site, making the campus the first-ever net-positive botanical garden complex in the world. Don't miss the Butterfly House at the Historic Spanish Point campus.
- Address:
- Downtown Sarasota Campus, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL
- Historic Spanish Point Campus, 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL,
- Hours: Both campuses are open daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Tickets: $26 for adults, $11 for ages 5-17 or adult guests of members. Members and ages 4 and under are free. Adult tickets for the Historic Spanish Point Campus are $18.
- Info: selby.org
The rest of the 10Best botanical gardens are:
- No. 1: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden - Cincinnati, Ohio
- No. 2: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden - Coral Gables, Florida
- No. 3: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens - Sarasota, Florida
- No. 4: Tucson Botanical Gardens - Tucson, Arizona
- No. 5: Botanica, The Wichita Gardens - Wichita, Kansas
- No. 6: Huntsville Botanical Garden - Huntsville, Alabama
- No. 7: Brookgreen Gardens - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
- No. 8: Munsinger and Clemens Gardens - St. Cloud, Minnesota
- No. 9: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay - Redding, California
- No. 10: ABQ BioPark - Albuquerque, New Mexico
10 Best Safari Parks in the US: No. 7, Lion Country Safari
"Palm Beachmay be far away from the wilds of Africa, but it’s also home to Florida’s largest drive-through safari, the AZA-accredited Lion Country Safari," 10Best said. "Established in 1967, this safari park invites visitors to observe and interact with nearly 1,000 animals divided between seven sections. Guests might spot storks, wildebeest, and impalas on the Serengeti Plains, observe a pride of lions in Gorongosa Reserve, or see giraffes and endangered rhinos in Hwange National Park."
Visitors to Lion Country Safari can see over 89 species from boa constrictors, endangered white rhinoceros (with a recent increase of two new calves) and even a zebu, a horned cattle species with a hump and drooping ears.There are also guided kayak tours and ziplining available, and you can watch animals from the land, from the water or aboard a train.
Lion Country was up from last year's No. 8 ranking and made U.S. News and World Report's list of "26 Best Zoos in the U.S" for 2023.
- Address: 2003 Lion Country Safari Road, Loxahatchee, FL
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekends
- Tickets: $49 for ages 10 and older, $37 for children aged 3-9, plus fees and sales tax.
- Info: lioncountrysafari.com
Here are the rest of the 10Best safari zoos:
- No. 1: Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park - Ashland, Nebraska
- No. 2: Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge - Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- No. 3: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - Glen Rose, Texas
- No. 4: San Diego Zoo Safari Park - Escondido, California
- No. 5: Safari West - Santa Rosa, California
- No. 6: The Wilds - Cumberland, Ohio
- No. 7: Lion Country Safari - Loxahatchee, Florida
- No. 8: Bearizona Wildlife Park - Williams, Arizona
- No. 9: Keystone Safari - Grove City, Pennsylvania
- No. 10: B. Bryan Preserve - Point Arena, California
