Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Maryland
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Maryland that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Plumpton Park Zoo
Zoo in Rising Sun
Edward Plumstead began it on family land in 1985 with deer and a handful of domestic animals. It now holds more than 180 exotic animals across 60 species, looked after by trained keeping staff.
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On-site diningWheelchair accessible routes
Salisbury Zoo
Zoo in Salisbury
Rather more than 100 animals are kept, the emphasis falling on species from Australia and from North and South America: sloths, alpacas, bison, flamingos, wallabies, an ocelot, a red wolf and raptors taken in as rescues. Nothing is charged for admission.
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Gift shop
Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo
Zoo in Thurmont
The site has stayed in the ownership of the Hahns, who have enlarged it over time.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 3 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.