The Franklin Park Zoo constantly becomes more enjoyable -- for animals as well as people. From June to September, you can visit the popular, colorful Butterfly Landing enclosure. On the Outback Trail, you can see kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and cockatoos. Serengeti Crossing is home to zebras, ibex, ostriches, and wildebeests. Other installations house cheetahs, lions, snow leopards, and African wild dogs. The African Tropical Forest exhibit is a sprawling complex where you'll see more than 50 species of animals. This is the domain of the Western lowland gorillas, which appear to be roaming free in an approximation of their natural habitat. If you're traveling with animal-mad youngsters, the Children's Zoo is both entertaining and educational.

Schedule at least half a day for a visit to the zoo. Franklin Park is 40 minutes from downtown by public transportation, and the walk from the main gate and parking area to the entrance is fairly long, especially for those with little legs.