Zoo designers around the country have been busy bringing the planet's creatures and lucky families closer together - with innovative exhibits and attractions that put you seemingly a hair's breadth (or a scale's, or a whisker's) from the wildlife. Here are the most exciting new developments from coast to coast.

Australian Outback Adventure Detroit Zoo Royal Oak, Michigan This exhibit brings you face to face with the zoo's red kangaroos on a simulated outback - complete with re-created settlement buildings, termite mounds, and Aboriginal artifacts. Try the "kangaroo jump" in the activity plaza: Can you leap as far as they can? 248-541-5717; detroitzoo.org

Big Cat Falls Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A dozen-plus endangered big cats, including pumas, snow leopards, tigers, and lions, romp in this new attraction. Look up - a leopard could be watching you from an overhead tunnel. Catch trainers working on behavioral techniques with the cats in one of the educational pavilions. 215-243-1100; philadelphiazoo.org

Meerkat Exhibit Indianapolis Zoo Indianapolis, Indiana Stroll through the zoo's revamped Deserts Dome, where meerkats and other free-roaming, creeping, crawling, and flying animals are easily viewed. The pathway is cleverly constructed so that kids can see these fascinating creatures eye to eye. 317-630-2001; indianapoliszoo.com