13. Albuquerque Biological Park ( Mexico )

Albuquerque Biological Park is a park which includes the Albuquerque Aquarium, the Rio Grande Botanic Garden, the Rio Grande Zoo, and Tingley Beach . Combo tickets for the Biological Park can be purchased, and include the price of train rides on a small narrow-gauge train running between the Aquarium/Botanical Gardens and the Zoo. The train runs Tu-Su from around 10AM-4PM at 30 min. intervals.

Rio Grande Zoo, 903 Tenth St SW (just SW of downtown). 9AM-5PM daily, except major holidays. It may not be as big as your average big city zoo, but this zoo is surprisingly comprehensive for its size, with most of the "popular" species you can expect at any good zoo: polar bears, lions, zebras, tigers, giraffes, elephants, gorillas, etc. And like any good zoo, the animals are in nice, naturalistic exhibits. The highlight exhibit areas are the seals, the polar bears, a large Africa area, the "Catwalk", and a large elephant enclosure. Every day there are scheduled feedings of the seals and the polar bears; during the warmer months more feeding times, activities, and outdoor concerts are scheduled. A small narrow-gauge train runs through the zoo (Tu-Su 10AM-3:30PM at 20 min. intervals), with a conductor pointing out some of the animals and explaining what goes on behind-the-scenes. A separate train line runs to the Aquarium/Botanical Gardens. $7, $3 seniors, $3 children, under age 3 free (train rides require separate admission, unless you have a combo ticket). 

Albuquerque Aquarium / Rio Grande Botanical Garden, 2601 Central Ave NW (just east of the Rio Grande). 9AM-5PM daily, except major holidays. Albuquerque's small but pleasant Aquarium is focused on saltwater species from the Gulf of Mexico. You'll see jellyfish, seahorses, eels, and plenty of reef fish. The highlight is a huge shark tank with other ocean species like sea turtles and rays. Divers enter the big tank every day from 2-3PM to feed the fish. The Botanical Garden has plenty of gardens to explore, with an emphasis on desert plants. The highlights are a glass conservatory with plants from desert and Mediterranean climate zones, an indoor butterfly garden that is open in the summer, a Japanese garden, a recreated early 20th century farm with a barnyard petting zoo, a model railroad, and a fantastic children's "Fantasy Garden" with giant pretend vegetables, garden tools and bugs. $7, $3 seniors, $3 children, under age 3 free (train rides require separate admission, unless you have a combo ticket).