Been going to the zoo since I was a kid. This place is amazing and we have some good animals. Went recently with some friends & their kids. Parking was $10 and since it was a Saturday afternoon, the lot was packed but we could still find a spot. I got a kick out of people parking on the grass. Walking up the front, you see statues of animals that you can take pics from. Bought tickets online so all we had to do is scan our QR code and we were good to go and explore. There is so much to see at this Zoo. You can see Cheetahs, lions, axolotls, lemurs and my favorite - Penguins. They also have a zip line. My bf tried it and he loves the view. Also be the lookout for their events & themed nights like Zoo Boo & Lantern Festival. Even a drinking event called roar & pour. And fellow Tennesseans - don't forget about Tennessee Tuesday where you can go for free! read more

See all

This was my second visit to this zoo and I don't understand how this has been voted one of the best zoos in the nation. A very large amount of the exhibits were empty and animals were missing. There was trash in numerous locations throughout. The seal show left much to be desired and so on. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed and so were the kids. When we came here in 2022, we saw many animals in terrible health conditions like the bears, wolves and the poor panda. Thankfully this time around, the wolves at least looked better and I'm glad the panda is back home overseas and thriving now. read more

I went to the Memphis Zoo expecting a casual stroll... and instead got a full-blown main character experience. First of all, the place is HUGE. Like, "I should've trained for this" huge. One minute you're saying hi to lions, the next you're emotionally bonding with a random goat and questioning your entire life path. The animals? Absolute celebrities. The lions looked like they pay rent, the giraffes were serving runway model energy, and don't even get me started on the pandas--straight-up VIP icons. I'm convinced they know they're famous. And somehow, between all the walking, snacks magically appeared exactly when needed (as they should). Everything was clean, well-kept, and honestly just a vibe the entire time. 10/10 would go again. Just know you're not just visiting a zoo--you're entering a whole new social circle, and the animals are judging you (lovingly). read more

See all

I absolutely love and recommend everyone to visit the Memphis Zoo. For TN residents the zoo is free every Tuesday from 2 til closing time. This visit, we went for Zoo Lights. Its a little pricey but for safe family fun; its priceless. This year's theme was laterns.. its mainly like 3D and we felt like kids. This is one of those events where everyone just gets along. We're all exploring n excited to see the exhibits. Nope, we didn't see any live animals..WTBS the zoo lights is an annual thing here from December 1 til like The end of January read more

See all

Oh the memories at the Memphis Zoo! I remember field trips here as a kid in school and my Aunt Mary bringing me here as a treat when I did well. The zoo has gone through a whole bunch of changes over the years. Its evolution has been fun to watch. It was named the number one Zoo in the country for several years. I do not think they hold that title any longer though. The aquarium and the herpertarium are the only things left from when I was a kid in the 80's. It's amazing those buildings have not been redone. The aquarium is so outdated that it's using "new" technology from 20 years ago still and it shows. It's one of the worst in any zoo I have seen. Sorry about the rant... no one is here for that. Fast forward to 2000's! Positively, the addition of Cat Country, the farm exhibit, the panda exhibit (that is needing torn down now), the Teaton Trek bear, kamodo dragons, giraffes, and hippo exhibits are all great and well done. Excellent job keeping things fresh and new over the years! Let's get a new aquarium Memphis Zoo! What do you say!?!? This was our go to spot for so many years when my kids were little. We always had a membership and we went whenever they got bored. It never seemed to get old to them. Now my grandkids are old enough to enjoy coming too. It's so fun to see my daughter with her kids creating memories just like I did with my Aunt, with my wife and them, and now I get to do it with the grands. I need to dig up some of the old pics of my kids here and post them. We love the Memphis Zoo! See you again soon! '26 - 1 read more

See all

The zoo was good but after the pandas were gone NOTHING was good. If they get pandas again I will love the Memphis Zoo. read more

Memphis Zoo - The Memphis Zoo entrance - Zoos Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

*This review is specifically for the MemphisLantern Festival at the Zoo* We attend the Memphis Zoo Lights yearly and this year was by far the best yet. The new lanterns are stunning and they MAKE SENSE! Animal lights at the zoo is what you expect and it's what you get. It was really fun that some of the lanterns moved. My kids loved the legend of the monkey lantern the best! We really enjoyed the sensory friendly area by Teton Trek. One of my children has disabilities and he enjoyed himself thoroughly at this area. The adult peppermint hot chocolate I had was delicious. You can pay to roast s'mores if you'd like as well. We closed it down and we will be going back! read more

See all

It is never a dull moment at the Memphis Zoo. I tell you it does not matter if it's your first visit or you're 100 visit I'm telling you there will be something that your eyes have not laid on in a previous visit. There is something that you can find the beauty in if you just open your eyes, the beauty is all around. The love is all around. The animals are alive, so lively, and even when they're sleeping so lovely indeed. Go Fish Aquarium Go see Tropical Birds read more

See all

The Memphis Zoo is the real deal! Insanely large, easy to walk, interesting and well kept exhibits. I had a great time visiting this zoo. Easy 2+ hours spent here wandering the zoo. read more

NICE ANIMALS!!!!!!!! lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely. Nice playground. Best animals are the snakes.

Lovely historic zoo. $10 to park... that crazy work. Parking is normally free at zoos, but I guess they get tourists who aren't familiar with the area and want to park right next to the entrance. Really good zoo. unfortunately no more Pandas here. Top 5 zoos in my opinion. Some of the displays are a bit older, but the animals all look healthy. read more

Always love the zoo! It's a good idea to go in the morning when the animals are more active. The volunteers are so helpful, and the food is actually pretty solid for a zoo. The coffee shop to the left when you enter is particularly solid! read more

Memphis Zoo - Toddler standing at giraffe statue - Zoos Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Fantastic zoo to visit. There's a great variety of animals, the grounds are spacious, the zoo theme is fun, and all the workers were very friendly. It was a bit confusing to figure out where to purchase tickets but there's a little covered building/stand you buy them at unless you're member, then you use the regular lines. I would totally go back, grab a coffee, and then sit and watch the polar bear be fed his lunch (which was fun to see). We went on a Monday around lunchtime and felt like we had the zoo all to ourselves. Everyone was in school or work. It does seem this zoo can handle a lot of people as the walk paths are wide and spacious. We got some good coffee from the little coffee shop right inside when you enter. read more

We had a great time today at the Dreamnight. I think this is an amazing event. I really had so much fun mingling with all of the families who were in attendance to spend the evening at the zoo. I loved seeing all of the smiling faces as they viewed the animals, rode the tram and I think the Zipline was big hit. I love the updates that continue to occur to enhance the property as well. read more

See all

Plenty of exhibits to walk through and look at. I'm not sure what was going on during our visit but the only food we saw was the main cat cafe and the tater tot station. Everything else appeared to be closed or not operating. We had hoped to grab lunch at the zoo but decided to skip it. As for walking around, the vending machines for drinks are insanely overpriced, even for a zoo and one of the machines took the money and didn't dispense anything. A couple of the machines were empty as well and one dispensed the wrong product -- $4 for a can of Pepsi, yikes! It was a chore to find a working drinking fountain to refill a $4 Gatorade container. At $30pp plus $10 for parking, I was a bit underwhelmed. We were VERY disturbed that a zoo employee was mowing the bald eagle exhibit with the birds in the enclosure. The birds were obviously stressed and kept trying to run away and a few seemed like they may have been injured (very weird wing movements and couldn't really get off the ground). When we found them at the other end of the enclosure they were standing there huffing and looking stressed out. read more

The Memphis Zoo felt like walking into a storybook where every chapter had a different accent, climate, and animal ready to steal the show. We entered through the grand gates and were immediately greeted by flamingos standing around like they owned the place (they kind of do). From there, it was a whirlwind tour of the planet--without ever leaving Memphis. One minute we were in China, gawking at pandas and wandering through serene gardens. The next, we were in Yellowstone country, standing in awe as grizzly bears lumbered around their own slice of the wild. The hippos in the Zambezi River Hippo Camp stole the show--those big watery beasts floating like overgrown marshmallows, jaws wide open and unimpressed by our human fascination. Kids were squealing at stingrays, couples posed under waterfalls, and even the monkeys looked like they were enjoying the people-watching. Everything was clean, the paths were wide, and there was shade in just the right places. The staff was friendly and full of fun facts, like walking encyclopedias in khaki. Sure, the snacks were a bit pricey (a pretzel and a soda required minor financial planning), but it didn't matter--we were too busy getting our steps in and taking mental pictures of lions, wolves, and ridiculously cute red pandas. By the end, we were sun-tired, full of Dippin' Dots, and convinced that whoever designed this zoo was part zookeeper, part magician. Five stars, no question. The Memphis Zoo is a walkable world tour with just enough wild in it to make you feel small--in the best way. read more

The zoo is always fun to go to, but it's never exciting. We have a membership and I know the animals are unpredictable, but it seems no matter what time of year we go, the animals are never active. The place could use some upgrades also. My oldest and I did go on the zip line and that was fun to go on, but for $10 a person... once was enough. We went to the splash pad recently. My kids had a blast in there for 2 hours. I just don't like the fact that you have to pay an admission fee and then pay to get into the water park. And yes, I'm aware there's a membership that includes all the rides and such. There needs to be more interactive things for guests to do that aren't going to cost extra. read more

This was our first time at the Memphis Zoo and we LOVED it. We spent all day there and throughly enjoyed ourselves. Definitely will be coming back. read more

See all

It's a pretty small zoo but nicely kept up. A few exhibits are closed off currently. The lantern festival is also a fun thing to do

Best zoo in the world! Stopped by wokin tots and got the red panda crunch. Yumz. Lots of cool shady areas. They have a fun splash park for kids and recently added a zip line ride. read more

See all

A lot of the employees are rude and unhelpful. I upgraded my membership to unlimited rides by the zip line. She told me I had to go to front gate and get a different card, nothing else. We stood in line 30 minutes to ride the zip line only to be told we had to go back to booth to get a wristband. Would it have been to hard for the first employee to have said this from the get go!!! read more

This zoo has no water fountains that work. They sell alcohol, though. I was able to refill my water bottle with hot water from a bathroom tap. Yum. For $25/person, you should have access to drinking water. read more

They don't honor discount on Memphis Zoo website - you apparently have to go to Memphis Zoo.org. No senior discount. Felt that with recent weather & the fact that more than half of the animals were not out that should have been half price day, we had to pay $106.00. There were no snack areas to buy drink/snacks. Employees very friendly & pleasant. We are from out of town, was looking forward to visiting, but very disappointed. We are very shocked rated #2 in the nation. read more

Get there early - the animals were super active! We got to the zoo on Monday morning around 11:30 am and the animals were super active. We went through the nocturnal animals' section first and WOW, I've never seen such active nocturnal critters before. We walked around the entire zoo and almost all of the animals were up and sniffing around. It seemed like the zoo keepers had just freshened the snacks and activities in the enclosures, so everyone was searching and exploring their new goodies. 3 highlights for me in addition to the nocturnal excitement were the grizzly bears, giraffes, and bongos. All the animals were active and seemed quite content with their sunbathing, exploring, new snacks, and spaces. NOTE: zoo staff members were in various areas throughout the park eager and willing to answer any questions or offer any factoids on the animals nearby. It was a nice extra touch to the experience and I really appreciated the knowledge and passion the staff members showed. We didn't get any food at the zoo, so I can't speak to that, but the cafeteria place seemed busy and smelled pretty good. read more

See all

The Memphis zoo is a great place to spend 4-5hrs on a nice day. We visited for the first time this week, and although it was 90° out, it was still manageable to enjoy. We did the zoo it all experience to try out all there is to offer. The zip lining is fun, but not something you will likely want to do more than once unless there is no one around in line. The train is short lived but still fun to do once and see the farm animals without walking. The giraffe feeding is a nice experience but I was hoping to get closer than they let you but it's for the animal safety. The park is clean and well kept, but I will say the place loses one star for the fact that not all facilities in the park are made equal. My wife and I started on the west side from the entrance and struggled to find a water bottle fill station and bathroom that's didn't feel like a sauna. As you get around the park to the African side and east of the entrance, you find better air conditioned bathroom and bottle fill stations. Just be aware they exist, just not throughout the park. I think the only animal we didn't see was the rhino, so overall a pretty good day. It's a nice zoo, but it won't really take you all day to see everything. I would recommend visiting once. read more

I had a great time visiting your zoo everyone was very friendly and the workers were amazing good job Memphis zoo it definitely made my day

This institution has evolved over the years into something resembling a very good, national-class zoo. This is a great place for taking a long stroll, especially during cooler days/times of the year. read more

Memphis Zoo - two red pandas, sharing a branch - Zoos Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Staff were friendly, knowledgeable and the park was very clean. Even on a rainy day staff took the time to talk and share about animals. They were setting up for a daddy daughter night but took the time to make every interaction count! Great job! read more

Overall good. We got there really early. I got a frappe, but I'm not from the area and didn't know that straws were not an option. I definitely would have just ordered an ice coffee otherwise. Vending machine ate our $4 when we tried to buy a drink. There are a lot of animals though and it was a lot of fun. read more

I love the Zoo. My husband and I visit the zoo in every state we visit, no matter how big or small. It's nice to be able to see these beautiful creatures. read more

See all

I had an absolute amazing time at the Zoo, I have gone many times, but seem to have a greater appreciation for it now. This maybe because I am normally with large youth groups and have to ensure their safety, but this time it was just me and my glambaby and we had a ball! Walking up to the entrance was exciting. We took time to stop and take photos. Once entering we saw a shop where you could purchase souvenirs from. We then headed to the bat exhibit, it was super cool with the glow in the dark ground signs leading the path. From there we saw everything from monkeys, to flamingos, rhinos, etc! We had an amazing time! If you have not gone, i highly recommend it! It is a great time. read more

See all

I grew up close to Memphis, so this zoo hits home to me. The people here are amazing, ask any caretaker about their animals and they will gush about them like they're their own pets! The exhibits are beautiful and plentiful, there's always something exciting around the corner! It's obvious that the animals are well cared for here, as is the campus, and you won't regret your visit! Pro tip: if visiting try to show up within the first hour of opening. After that the main parking lot is almost guaranteed to be full and you will be directed to overflow which is a bit of a walk. read more

See all

I've been to several Zoo Lights in various cities, y and I've enjoyed them. Memphis Zoo Lights was okay..... I had to purchase tickets online before arriving. The price was very reasonable. When I have arrived, there were several long lines to get into the zoo. When the zoo opened, the lines did move quickly. After entering the zoo, "snow" falling from the sky. The map did help to navigate around the zoo and check out the light displays. There were plenty of buildings that offered food and beverages. It did look like a lot of people were enjoying themselves at the festival. It could have just me... read more

See all

Such a great zoo! A shing star for the city! Friendly, helpful staff. You won't be disappointed.

It was super cool. A lot of big and rare animals. It was a very hot day but they had a lot of fans and mist.

We came to Memphis just for the zoo and had a good experience. We purchased tickets online ahead of time and went early in the morning to avoid the heat. Tickets are $25. We got lucky that it was overcast. The few staff we interacted with were fairly friendly but definitely don't go out of their way to be so. We saw a lot of animals which was cool. We hoped to see the meerkats but no luck. It's $5 extra to feed the giraffes, not sure that's worth it. We tried to do a scavenger hunt on the app for added fun but couldn't complete it due to an exhibit being closed, so that was frustrating. Some of the areas don't appear very well kept. I somewhat expected a better experience considering it's touted as a top 10 zoo, but we did enjoy it and had a good time. read more

See all

Great zoo! There are so many different animals and so many different turns you can make. You can easily spend multiple days here! Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. $23 to get in. Zootober fest is awesome and there were beer tents everywhere! read more

Memphis has a great zoo, it has an Egyptian themed entrance which is fun. Several areas with animals from all over the world and seasonal events like butterflies or dinosaurs. Just had a baby giraffe born (March 2024) and it's adorable. read more

The variety of animals here is amazing to be honest. Memphis is so lucky to be able to have such a top notch zoo! We really enjoyed all of the big cats but I think the pandas stood out as the all time favorite. All of the exhibit's are well put together. This zoo really does a fantastic job! read more

The zoo is just the right size to take it all in during one visit. We had a lovely day. The weather was perfect, and it was not crowded at all. Some of the animal enclosures seemed to small for the animals, which is why I have mixed feelings about zoos and can't give a full five stars. read more

See all