Timothy S.
Yelp
I'm a zoo aficionado, having been educated as a biologist and having served as the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at Zoo New England. Whenever I visit a major city, I'm sure to visit the zoo. I enjoyed the Audubon zoo more than the Brookfield zoo in Chicago, the Denver zoo, and the Minneapolis zoo (despite the last having the Komodo dragons on display and the Audubon having them off-exhibit).
The grounds are well-laid out and lush with vegetation. I paid the $5 upcharge to take the train, which was great to get the "lay of the land." I then explored each of the areas, which are arranged somewhat confusingly by geography or species group.
The collection is both broad and deep, with a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits, including a nocturnal building, two open-air aviaries, and my favorite, the swamp exhibit, which describes the habitat, the flora and fauna found there, and human interaction/impact.
It only gets four stars because of very poor signage (I ended up going through the Swamp trail "backwards" as a result) and the lack of paper maps. My phone had run out of charge (another demerit: no charging stations, so if you didn't bring a cord and plug and were able to hunt down a power outlet, you're SOL) and the "You Are Here" maps were few and far between. Also, it's a very long walk from the St Charles streetcar. A shuttle service, even for a nominal fee, would be nice.
All in all, a wonderful zoo.