Fodor's Expert Review Oregon Zoo

This animal park in the West Hills, famous for its Asian elephants, is undergoing a two-decades-long series of major improvements and expansions. New in recent years are the Polar Passage, Black Rhino, Primate Forest, Condors of the Columbia, and Elephant Lands habitats. There's also a state-of-the-art Zoo Education Center. Other major draws include the Africa Savanna with hippos, zebras, and giraffes; Steller Cove, an aquatic exhibit home to Steller sea lions and a family of sea otters; and a troop of chimpanzees. On select Friday nights in summer, the zoo stays open late and offers live music, food carts, beer and wine, zookeeper talks, and family-oriented entertainment. Take the MAX light rail to the Washington Park station.