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Good stuff, I haven't been to the zoo in so long, I think I may now check out both, start with the Ashboro for a bit of excercise and before it gets too hot.
thanks for all the responses, it seems like i will lean towards Riverbanks. Coming from new york, i will of course compare it to the Bronx zoo, which although I haven't been there in almost 4 years, I thought it was really good. Is this an unfair comparison?? Or for those that have been to both is it comparable?
I am planning a little day trip to the zoo, and I am hearing conflicting stories about the Asheboro zoo, and the Columbia zoo. Since each one is about an an hour and 15 minutes from me, I dont care which one I go to, but I would like to go to the better one. Any +'s and -'s that stand out in each zoo that I should know about?
Asheboro is a safari type zoo as I understand. Columbia has a walk-around zoo. I thought that the Columbia zoo was pretty nice.
Asheboro is a safari type zoo as I understand. Columbia has a walk-around zoo. I thought that the Columbia zoo was pretty nice.
That about sums it up The great thing is, they both have a lot to offer and since they are so different you don't feel like you are just doing a repeat performance when you go from one to the other.
I was just at the Columbia Zoo yesterday. It's really nice! I haven't been to Asheboro yet. It was particularly handy for little kids with short attention spans, as everything is close together.
Assuming you have kids, if you make the drive to the Columbia Zoo, you should also check out the EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia. My kids LOVE it. And the zoo doesn't take too long. I'd suggest the zoo in the morning, then lunch, then the museum. Makes for a fun day! Here's a link to the museum website:
EdVenture Children's Museum (broken link)
I was just at the Columbia Zoo yesterday. It's really nice! I haven't been to Asheboro yet. It was particularly handy for little kids with short attention spans, as everything is close together.
Asheboro is fun for my daughter, but we have to take a stroller so we don't end up having to carry her (almost 4 years old)- it's a lot of walking. My daughter NEVER uses a stroller and hasn't since before she was 2 years old but we do a stroller for the zoo. I'm coming back to visit the Charlotte area soon and plan to visit the Columbia zoo while I'm there. I wonder if my daughter would be able to do the Riverbanks zoo without a stroller? Asheboro's deal is that it's so hilly and steep in some areas. How long does it take to walk the Columbia zoo?
What we usually do with my daughter for Asheboro is we walk/push the entire zoo and stop at every exhibit one way, then when we get to the far end of the zoo we take one of the little buses back to the side we parked on. When I go by myself I walk the entire thing. And what we do if we're with older relatives who don't want to do all that walking but want to come to the zoo is pick out what exhibits we want to see ahead of time and plan on making a longer day of it and taking the trams to minimize the walking.
Asheboro is fun for my daughter, but we have to take a stroller so we don't end up having to carry her (almost 4 years old)- it's a lot of walking. My daughter NEVER uses a stroller and hasn't since before she was 2 years old but we do a stroller for the zoo. I'm coming back to visit the Charlotte area soon and plan to visit the Columbia zoo while I'm there. I wonder if my daughter would be able to do the Riverbanks zoo without a stroller? Asheboro's deal is that it's so hilly and steep in some areas. How long does it take to walk the Columbia zoo?
Columbia zoo is completely flat and you can do it in a hour and a half with a toddler with a short attention span (like my 20 month old). The only place we take a long break is the swinging monkey island (which sometimes fasinates her for 20-30 minutes). Doing the zoo with a four year old, I would expect 2.5 hours or so for a complete visit.
There is no "down time" at the Columbia zoo. The exibits are at the most 100 ft from each other, not the long hikes like asheboro. Defenitely no need for a stroller at Columbia!
The Asheboro zoo is one of the great disappointments of my life. Everything is so spread out, and if the animals are not active, which is the case most of the time, you don't see much.
The developers were simply too smart for their own good, in fact, they just missed the mark. I can assure you that folks would rather see animals up close, in decent living conditions, than see a lump in the grass, 75 yards away. Or worse, but even more likely,"that is where the animal stays."
A zoo's purpose is to let people see animals and hopefully develop and affinity and help conserve. The Asheville zoo just reeks of academic arrogance (we know what is best for all), but cluelessness in the end.
Walking all day to see a few distant shapes will hardly convert most folks to conservationist..
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The great thing is, they both have a lot to offer and since they are so different you don't feel like you are just doing a repeat performance when you go from one to the other.
