McClatchy Newspapers

DETROIT - All quality big-city zoos have lots of animals, paved pathways, strollers for rent, hot dogs to buy and stuffed critters to bring home. Many have little trains that, for a little extra, haul people around the grounds. Many have artists who will paint butterflies on little girls' faces. Some have carousels …

… And, we've learned, every one has something to treasure.

We visited four Midwest favorites.

They aren't passive amusements. Kids (and their parents), instead of sitting and staring for hours at screens, actually walk around. Littlest ones may ride in strollers, but mom or dad or someone has to push them.

. The animals are photogenic. So are the kids.

And for some species, zoos are their last chance.

Now we also know there are folks out there who chafe at the mere word zoo. The Prisons for Animals argument.

"We're never going to convince them differently," says Charles Wikenhauser, director of Milwaukee County Zoo. "What we want to do for all those people who are really interested is to show them that we've got ambassadors here for the animals of the world."

The ambassadors, of course, are the animals.

St. Louis: A zoo in a class of its own

Briefly: A truly world-class zoo. Set in one of America's finest urban green spaces (Forest Park), this is a zoo that's both traditional (three 1920s "houses," a 1904 aviary) and innovative (an outdoor penguin habitat). For anyone fortunate enough to have seen animals in their African or Asian homelands, some of the simulations at St. Louis are nothing short of astounding, almost as astounding as the admission price (free). In every way, walking these grounds is a privilege, for us - and for the animals.

Price: Free. Open all year.

Parking: $10.

Key animals: The essential big cats, including lions, tigers and cheetahs. Bear varieties include polar, grizzly and black bears. Asian elephants, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, black rhino. Gorillas, large family of chimpanzees. Many African hoofed animals, some endangered. Prairie dog town. Excellent collection of lemurs. Indoor/outdoor Penguin and Puffin Coast exhibit.

Unlike the others: Glass-sided hippo swimming hole.

Information: 800-966-8877; www.stlzoo.org

Milwaukee County: Bears, bonobos and brats

Briefly: A comfortable zoo, shaded wherever rationally possible by mature trees, with a marvelous collection of the animals everyone wants to see (big cats, big bears, great apes and other primates, elephants, etc.). Staff takes the friendly, upbeat attitude prevalent in most zoos to a happy extreme, beginning at the parking-lot ticket booths. The Predator-Prey exhibits are especially intriguing.

Price (April through October): Adults $10.50, kids 3-12 $7.50, seniors (60 and over) $9.50. November through March, lower rates. Open all year.

Parking: $9.

Key animals: Many of the big cats, including lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars. Bear varieties include polar, Alaskan brown (Kodiak) and grizzly. Elephants, giraffes, hippos. Great apes. Walk-through aviary.

Unlike the others: Bonobos (rare, almost humanoid apes).

Information: 414-771-3040; www.milwaukeezoo.org.

Indianapolis: A zoo that's also an aquarium

Briefly: A good, if relatively modest, zoo with many good things, particularly its emphasis on "encounters" - encouraging visitors to interact with its animals (including sharks, kangaroos and elephants) as well as staffers eager to share knowledge. Indy is accredited as both a zoo and aquarium, giving it a unique mix: bears and, steps away, dolphins. Some habitats work better than others; but the elephant habitat rocks.

Price: $13.50; $8.50 for kids 2 through 12, and seniors (62 and older). Open all year.

Parking: $5.

Key animals: Sharks (lots of them), walruses, sea horse tank, three varieties of penguins, a meerkat colony, eight African elephants (including two youngsters) and three white rhinos. (No great apes.)

Featured attractions: Shark-touch pool, dolphin show and elephant encounter, all free. (Several other shows and demonstrations are free as well.)

Unlike the others: Penguin exhibit features deep, viewable diving pool (as do the walrus, sea lion and polar bear habitats); underwater dolphin viewing area; sea horse exhibit; and a botanical garden linked to the zoo.

Information: 317-630-2001; www.whiterivergardens.com.

Detroit: From the prairie to the Outback

Briefly: A very fine zoo. A little short on big cats - and shade - but mini-gardens throughout add freshness, and overall the experience is excellent. No elephants; the aging pachyderms have been relocated to improved space in California, and handsome white rhinos have taken over the habitat. The Giraffe Encounter is new, as is an Outback Adventure.

Price: Adults $11, kids 2-12 $7, seniors (62 and older) $9. Open all year.

Parking: $5.

Key animals: Lions and tigers (that's all the cats); bear varieties include polar, American black and grizzly. White rhinos, giraffes, at least one hippo, gorillas and chimps. Three varieties of penguin.

Featured attractions: Arctic Ring of Life, the "life" primarily being polar bears and seals. And a chance to pop your head up in the middle of a prairie dog town.

Unlike the others: Warthogs, guanacos, Siamese crocodiles, blesboks (an antelope).

Information: 248-541-5717; www.detroitzoo.org.