ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida, is a 63-acre zoo that has been rated as the No. 6 zoo in the country and was voted the No. 1 family-friendly zoo in the United States by Parents Magazine in 2009. Located at 1101 West Sligh Avenue, in the Seminole Heights neighborhood, it is open from 9:30 to 5 daily and is home to more than 1,300 animals. The fun begins as soon as you walk through the main entrance. Visit the Main Free-Flight Aviary, almost hidden in overgrown brush and plants and covered head-to-toe with free-flight birds and waterfowl, including great hornbills, boat-billed herons, African openbill storks, scarlet ibises, two-toed sloths and white-faced whistling ducks. Or splash in the Manatee Circle. Or feed a rhino. Or go eye-to-eye with a Galapagos giant tortoise. Opened in 1957, the zoo underwent a $20 million reconstruction in 1987. At one time, it was described by the Humane Society as "one of the worst zoos in America." Now it is one of the best. Take a stroll down a shaded boardwalk and see native birds, otters, alligators, bears, skunks and other Florida wildlife. ZooTampa is one of the most beautiful, tropical zoological settings in the world. Visit the Asian Gardens, one of the oldest sections of the zoo with a pagoda-like design, which features Malayan tigers, Indian rhinoceros, Komodo dragons, giant Asian pond turtles, Malayan tapir and Visayan warty pig. The Florida Wildlife Center is an American-based exhibit that stretches nearly a half-mile and includes American alligators, striped skunks, North American black bears, red wolves, West Indian manatees, an Alligator snapping turtle and an aquatic center with sharks, eels, seahorses and snakes, including eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, copperheads and eastern coral snakes. Safari Africa is home to a safari tram ride that provides an in-depth look behind the scenes of the zoo with rare views of Martial eagles, Patas monkeys, meerkats, Africa bush elephant, African penguins, southern white rhinoceros, East African crowned crane, flamingos, pygmy hippopotamuses, the Reticulated giraffe and Hartmann's mountain zebra. In addition, the zoo has added several children's rides over the years, including a single three-story drop, shoot the chute ride called Roaring Springs that splashed riders and onlookers standing in the attraction's splash zone. Other rides include a zoo menagerie carousel called the Jungle Carousel, a kiddie train ride named the Overland Express and a mini roller coaster called the Tasmanian Tiger Family Coaster. Fun for one and all.