I grew up in Cincinnati and have always treasured ...

I grew up in Cincinnati and have always treasured the Cincinnati Zoo. Don't know if it qualifies among zoo experts as world-class, but I've been to zoos around the US and in Europe and, for the size of Cincinnati, the zoo is remarkable.
I no longer live in Cincinnati, and this was my first visit in a few years. I couldn't even find the entrance! The reason is wonderful: They've incorporated former parking areas into the zoo, so it's less cramped for space and that much better.

One (minor) complaint: I was there on the day of a Halloween eventm when there were tables/booths giving out things for kids, adult and young patrons in costumes, etc. That would have been fine, but there was Halloween music BLARING from the loudspeaker system, playing a small rotation of songs over and over. You couldn't escape it and It really detracted from the experience.