It has finished in the top five the past three years, but finally got the coveted number one spot this time.

Whenever I think of the best zoo in the country, I'll be honest, I think of the San Diego Zoo. That's the one I see getting all the headlines. Turns out the best zoo in the country is short drive away from us. The Fort Worth Zoo was just named the best zoo in the country according to USA Today. What's crazy to me, San Diego is all the way at seven.

Turns out the Dallas Zoo is named the ninth best in the country. So we have two great zoos not too far away. The Fort Worth Zoo is the oldest operating zoo in the state and brings in one million guests annually. This number one ranking comes at a great time when the zoo has a new renovation going on.

Phase one of their renovation was completed in 2018. The African Savanna sits on 10 acres of existing Zoo land, the Savanna allows guests to see giraffes, springbok, ostriches and more in one exhibit. This habitat is surrounded by shaded walkways and an aviary with a variety of bird species for Zoo visitors to discover. A hippo exhibit includes spectacular above-water and underwater viewing. The exhibit also includes an elevated deck for giraffe feeding, restaurants and shaded viewing areas, private event space and much more.

The Elephant Springs is the second phase of this renovation and is scheduled to be completed in 2021. The Fort Worth Zoo celebrated by hooking up some of the animals with number one treats. My favorite one is the hippo one seen below. Congratulations to the Fort Worth Zoo and it sounds like I need to plan a road trip to the number one zoo in the country.

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