Note from 10Best: Someday, we’ll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we’ll keep supporting the places that inspire us. As you await your next adventure, consider supporting your favorite attractions, both with your vote, and by donating or purchasing an annual pass or membership.
To help plan your next kid-approved trip, we’re looking for the best zoos, zoo exhibits, aquariums, safari parks, botanical gardens and aerial adventure parks in North America, and we need you. Vote for your favorite in each category once per day until voting ends on Monday, July 6 at noon ET.
Click on each category below to vote:
Best Aerial Adventure Park
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While zip lines and canopy tours began as a tool for scientific field research, they’ve exploded in popularity as an attraction in their own right – a way to experience the forest canopy in a safe and thrilling environment.
Vote: Best Aerial Adventure Park »
Best Aquarium
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Aquariums put us face to fin with aquatic life from the world’s oceans, lakes and waterways in a fun and educational setting. The best aquariums also play a vital role in animal conservation by taking part in rescue efforts and advocating for the environmental health of our oceans.
These 20 aquariums, nearly all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, represent the best in North America for their high-quality exhibits and visitor interactions.
Best Botanical Garden
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April showers might very well bring May flowers, but at the public and botanical gardens dotting North America, there’s always something in bloom. The best gardens and arboretums on the continent help to promote and conserve the plant diversity of our planet, all while showcasing their vast collections in stunning, visitor friendly ways.
Best Safari Park
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You don’t have to fly to Africa to go on safari! At these 20 safari and wildlife parks, nominated as the best in the U.S., visitors get up close and personal with exotic and endangered animals from around the country and the world.
Many of the facilities are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and have a focus on conservation as well as education.
Best Zoo
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North America is home to hundreds of zoological parks, including more than 200 facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Short of heading out into the world’s wild places, nothing beats a visit to the zoo to foster an appreciation for the striking animal diversity of our planet.
We asked a panel of travel experts to nominate their favorite North American AZA-accredited zoos – facilities that excel in the fields of animal care and enrichment, while also facilitating meaningful interactions between animals and human visitors.
Best Zoo Exhibit
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A great zoo exhibit engages visitors with the animals they’re observing while keeping the welfare and enrichment of its animal residents front and center.
Remember, you can vote once per day in each category. The 10 nominees with the most votes in each category will be announced on 10Best.com on Friday, July 17.
10Best is a part of the USA TODAY Network, providing an authentically local point of view on destinations around the world, in addition to travel and lifestyle advice.