Ohio with the nice nickname ” Buckeye State “, named after the Ohio horse chestnut, is a state of the USA and is located in Northeast America.
In Ohio, Lake Erie, which is located in the north of Ohio and forms the border with Canada, is particularly well known. However, the state of Ohio got its name from the Ohio River in the south of the state. Ohio comes from the Iroquois language and means “beautiful river”.
In the north, Ohio borders the neighboring state of Canada with the province of Ontario. The contiguous US states are Pennsylvania to the east, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest.
Other nicknames for Ohio include “Birthplace of Aviation ” because aviation pioneers Wright and Neil Armstrong were born here, and “ Mother of Modern Presidents ” because seven presidents were born in Ohio: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
The state of Ohio covers an area of approx. 116,096 km² with around 11.5 million inhabitants, a large part of whom live in Ohio’s capital Columbus. Other major cities include Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron and Dayton.
Ohio was incorporated on March 1, 1803 as the 17th state of America.
Ohio attractions
Interesting sights in Ohio are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the amusement park Cedar Point in Sandusky, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Toledo Museum of Art and the Columbus Zoo in Ohio’s capital Columbus.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are no UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ohio.
National Parks in Ohio
Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Cities and larger towns in Ohio
Columbus
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Toledo
Akron
Airports in Ohio
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport / CLE
Port Columbus International Airport / CMH
Dayton International Airport / DAY
Rivers in Ohio
Ohio River
Cuyahoga River
Great Miami River
Maumee River
Muskingum River
Sandusky River
Scioto River
Wabash River
Mountains in Ohio
Appalachian Mountains
Campbell Hill
Lakes and reservoirs in Ohio
Lake Erie
Clendening Lake
Grand Lake
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio with Zoombezi Bay
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is located in Powell, Ohio, just north of Columbus. It ranks among the best zoos in the United States. With more than 10,000 animals, the Columbus Zoo presents over 575 species from all over the world.
Overall, the Columbus Zoo was divided into eight areas sorted by world region. Its recreational and educational destination offers every visitor, in addition to the many animals, the Zoombezi Bay water park and the 18-hole Safari Golf Club next door.
The entire area is located on 234 hectares, of which the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium takes up about half.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium participates in many conservation programs in 30 countries and also operates The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park in southeast Ohio.
Visit the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and meet the famous family of gorillas, watch polar bears swim overhead and discover endangered animals like the Mexican wolf, manatees and bonobos.
History of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio
The first zoo was near Columbus in Clintonville, but it opened in 1905 and closed five months later.
In 1927, the Columbus Zoo originated as the Columbus Zoological Garden in Powell. The city of Columbus took over the zoo in 1951 and gave it to the non-profit Zoological Park Association in 1970.
On December 22, 1956, the first western lowland gorilla, Colo, was born in captivity at the Columbus Zoo. The Columbus Zoo has now specialized in breeding gorillas.
In 1978, Jack Hanna became director of the Columbus Zoo, remaining director until 1993 and contributing much to the zoo’s growth. During his tenure, the North America Region, an adjacent golf course and Discovery Reef were created.
In 2004, the Columbus Zoo was granted an additional $180,000,000 to expand the zoo over the next 10 years. Additional parking spaces, Polar Frontier, an exhibition with polar bears and arctic foxes, and an African savannah are to be created.
Exhibitions at the Columbus Zoo
The Columbus Zoo is divided into different regions of the world. Each region seems like a small world of its own. Food and souvenir shops can be found in each region with a theme related to the current animal area.
Here we present the individual regions in the Columbus Zoo: Asia Quest, North America, Polar Frontier, The Shores, Australia and the Islands, African Forest and Heart of Africa.
North America
The North America region of the Columbus Zoo is the largest and oldest area. In all, North America contains 13 major exhibits on 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) and over 40 bird species. In addition, in the North America region, you can use the passenger train that circles the region and drives past the open exhibits.
Polar Frontier
Polar Frontier opened in May 2010, making it the newest exhibit at Columbus Zoo. It was created as an extension of the North America region. Animals from colder climates such as arctic foxes and brown bears make their home here. Polar bears returned to the Columbus Zoo through this exhibit. An attraction here is an underwater viewing area where you can see swimming polar bears from below.
The center of the exhibition includes a shelter/educational facility and a new polar playground for children.
Pachyderms
The pachyderm region is home to Asian elephants and black rhinos. It is west of the North America region. Pachyderms has a large outdoor facility for both species, as well as a 41,000 m² (3,800 m2) indoor facility where the animals are housed in inclement weather.
Asia Quest
Asia Quest opened in 2006 with an interesting landscape. Visitors pass by a waterfall, walk through a Chinese forest and arrive at an abandoned Asian garden. Instead of fences, the animals are separated from visitors by rock walls and glass.
Shores and Aquarium
Aquariums featuring native fish and marine life can be found in the Discovery Reef area. Discovery Reef is an 88,000 liter saltwater aquarium and is home to numerous species of fish, rays, sharks and sea turtles. There is also living coral here.
In the “Manatee Coast” area you can observe the native manatees. Manatee Coast opened in 1999, supporting the habitat of the endangered West Indian manatee in a 192,000 gallon indoor habitat.
In addition to the aquariums, there are habitats with American flamingos, American alligators, snakes, turtles and Humboldt penguins.
Congo Expedition
The African forest region “Congo Expedition” opened in 2000 and shows animals from the Central African rain forest. Numerous primates such as lowland gorillas, big cats and many birds are housed here.
The Columbus Zoo is also known for its group of endangered bonobos.
Voyage to Australia and the Islands
The Australia region is on the west side of the zoo. It consists of the “Roadhouse” with animals from Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. There is also an indoor flight hall in the “Roadhouse” with Asian and Australian birds, porcupines and squirrels.
Red kangaroos and gray kangaroos live in the Kangaroo Walkabout area.
In addition, the Columbus Zoo houses koalas in the koala house, there are only eight US zoos that house koalas.
The indoor exhibition is also popular. All-colored lorikeets or wedge-tailed lorikeets can be fed here.
Heart Of Africa
The “Heart of Africa” exhibit is located in the north-east of the zoo. The area covers 43 hectares (170,000 m2) of land with many African animals. There are lions, cheetahs, zebras, vervet monkeys and giraffes that can be seen being fed. Camel riding is a highlight for families with children.
More sights at the Columbus Zoo
In addition to the many animals and exhibitions, there are other attractions at the Columbus Zoo. We have put them together for you here:
Mangels-Illions Carousel
In the spring of 2000, the restored Mangels-Illions Carousel, which dates from 1914, came to the Columbus Zoo. The carousel was originally built for Clintonville’s former Olentangy Park. With 52 hand-carved horses, 2 carriages and a Wurlitzer 153 band organ, this carousel is an absolute attraction of the zoo.
Zoombezi Bay & Jungle Jack’s Landing
The Zoo purchased the Wyandot Lake area in 2006 and built ” Zoombezi Bay ” Park. The new water park Zoombezi Bay contains eleven attractions and was opened in May 2008.
In another part, Jungle Jack’s Landing Park was opened. It has 16 rides and attractions, including the historic Sea Dragon roller coaster.
Out and about at the Columbus Zoo
There are several ways to visit the Columbus Zoo. You can visit the zoo on foot, take the train that circles the North America region, or a tram that travels the southern part of the North America region to the Polar Frontier. You can also take a boat trip around the islands of the Southeast Asia region.
Opening hours of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The Columbus Zoo is open year-round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The opening times vary according to the season. Here you can find out about the opening hours.
Address of the attraction Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
4850 West Powell Rd.
Powell, OH 43065
United States
//columbuszoo.org
