by Jeanni Ritchie
Visiting zoos in every city I travel to, large or small, is one of my favorite hobbies. It’s apparent that zoos do not have the same draw they used to and many have lost funding for animals because of it. It’s sad because as much as I love virtual reality, zoos provide real-life experiences that cannot be replicated on a screen.
My first zoo love is the Alexandria Zoo and if you’ve never been, you are missing out! From the Louisiana Habitat to the Bayou Le Zoo Choo Choo, it is steeped in home state culture and all things Kingdom Animalia.
Visit online at https://www.
Of all my Louisiana zoo visits (and there are MANY!) two of my favorite were Zoosiana and Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo.
Zoosiana is located in Broussard and has a fabulous giraffe enclosure. With over 100 year old live oaks, natural wildlife habitats, over 1,000 animals, and a really cool train ride, it is one of the best zoos in the state. Plan a trip today.
Find out more at https://zoosiana.com/.
Another zoo I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the rainshower that popped up during my visit, was the one informally known as the Monroe Zoo. Really, it was just a full zoo splash pad that day, cooling us off as we visited the lions, zebras, tigers, bison, bears, gibbons, baboons, and more. 400 animals of over 200 species from around the world, along with birds and a reptile house are spread throughout the grounds. They have 27 acres of landscaped grounds with many interesting plants and a walk-through greenhouse that made me miss my grandfather tremendously. They also have a train, an attraction I never miss at a zoo!
My favorite part of the zoo, though, was the Safari Boat Ride. In the 30-minute narrated tour through the lagoon, you see many animals that aren’t visible on walking paths. Sharing the space with ducks, it is an incredible ride!
Visit https://monroezoo.org/ to find out more!
I love aquariums as well, visiting aquariums in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But the enclosure I wanted to move into was in the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Temperate climate, birds flying overhead and lush greenery, I’d wished I’d brought a book and could’ve stayed in the Amazon River all day!
Find out more about this aquarium at https://tnaqua.org/.
Visit your favorite zoo or aquarium in June and share your photos to social media using #ZooandAquariumMonth.
Jeanni Ritchie is a zoo-loving contributing journalist who has trips to the Memphis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati zoos planned in 2025. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
