COLUMBIA, S.C. — Home to some our favorite animals, and a beloved attraction in Columbia, Riverbanks Zoo has once again found itself on a list of favorites.
Coming in at No. 7, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden cracked the Top 10 in USA Today's Reader Choice "Best Zoos" for 2019. With over 2,000 animals — including so many new babies — the 45-year-old zoo beat out 13 others to grab one of the top spots.
"Thank you to everyone for your support, we are so excited to be ranked 7th," Riverbanks Zoo said in a Facebook post.
The list began with 20 North American zoos picked by a panel of experts, then readers got the chance to vote for their favorites. Turns out Riverbanks Zoo was one of them!
So, who nabbed this year's best zoo? That title belongs to one of the oldest zoos in the nation, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden — which is also home to the famous Fiona the hippo.
Here's how the full Top 10 ended up:
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden - Cincinnati, Ohio
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium - Omaha, Nebraska
- Saint Louis Zoo - St. Louis, Missoursi
- Fort Worth Zoo - Fort Worth, Texas
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium - Columbus, Ohio
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden - Columbia, South Carolina
- Memphis Zoo - Memphis, Tennessee
- Audubon Zoo - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Dallas Zoo - Dallas, Texas
