The hours are currently 10-4pm. Last entry time is 3:00 on the dot. I had been trying a couple days to take my kids but missed the 3pm cut off. Finally made it right at three today. The two women in at the entrance/gift shop were nice and welcoming. She even told us to go to the reptile area first because it closes earlier than the rest of the park. We headed right to it. The reptile house has a very off putting smell. Every enclosure was so dark that it was hard to see any of the animals and none of them were moving much, with the exception of the armadillo and the fruit bats. The sidewalks are aged and uneven and a lot of the greenery is overgrown. There is a lot of monkies and pretty parrots. Also they have signs with which exhibits are where but no real directive on the best path to see all the exhibits. When we got to the bigger animals is where thing started to turn for me. The Lion, Tigers, Giraffe, Camel, Llama, panther - all of the cats really were all single cats. most of them seemed very lethargic. One was curled up in the very corner of the cage with a piece or rotting meat near by. The tigers appeared to be pretty agitated as well they were actively following our path along their cages almost like they were looking for something to eat. Majority of the animals just appeared very sluggish or depressed or something. there is also some peacocks that were in a cage but then some random ones that just roamed. All of the more farm type of animals were lively and active and there were larger groups of them. as we were making our way through one of the employees appeared (i noticed he was kind around but not close the whole time we were there - maybe to ensure safety ?? idk - and he let me know that the park was closing in 7 minutes. I said okay and we kept on walking the path that looped back around to the front entrance. Then my kids got excited about the tortise and went to look through the glass and he again right behind us - park is closing in minutes. I confirmed that we were headed in the right direction to the entrance and we continued to walk and he just kinda stood there. It was a rather uncomfortable interaction. The cages are not large at all and are literally a chain link cage with a small chain link fence around he whole enclosure. To be very honest when the tiger seemed agitated I wasn't completely confident that the cage was really secure so i made sure to move past that cage and to the next area. a lot of the animals just seemed a little off. maybe it was because it was the end of the day? I'm not sure but I do not plan to return there or recommend it to anyone. read more

The animals all looked like they are taken care of and staff are very nice and friendly.. they helped us today explaining what animal was what.. it was beautiful day sunny not too hot and all animals were awake and playful.. bought some feed in gift shop when we got our tickets and fed a good bit of animals.. great family putting read more

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My family and I visit often. Last weekend, we enjoyed another great visit. We always see something different and learn something new! The grounds were well-kept. The animals were vibrant and active. They had enrichment, fresh foods and clean water. i recommend this as a must-see for anyone in the area! read more

most disturbing place i have ever been. the birds are in very small enclosures, no room to even fly, two were so hot and bored they had their mouths open up against the grate. the giraffe and big cat enclosures are way too small, the white tiger seems very underweight and none of them had clean water or a proper way to get shade in 90 degree heat. the sheep look to have not been sheered or groomed in the slightest since birth, and again no clean water anywhere. the monkeys had me leaving with tears in my eyes (i am a big empath) but my mom had a water bottle and every time we passed one of the monkeys, who were in the smallest cages i've ever seen for monkeys, they would get more excited about the water than the peanuts we were offering. after seeing this happen with multiple different monkeys and seeing no water access in the cages, we decided to pour some of the water into a bowl and lower it to the monkeys. the poor things were trying so hard to cup the water and lick it off their little hands, it was heartbreaking to watch (a video was taken). the indoor area was no better, the smell was awful and none of the small turtles had any room to swim around, all they had was maybe a rock and some fake plants just thrown in the water. multiple of the snakes were trying to dig under the glass which was also very sad to watch. the river otters had little to no room, with stagnant, disgusting water that even in 90 degrees, they were not swimming in. have you ever seen a river otter at a "zoo" not swimming?? i haven't. these animals need to be rescued from this awful place. it's very disturbing to walk through and there was much more i haven't mentioned. do not support this place. read more

When you look at the reviews, keep in mind that many negative reviews are written by animal rights activist. This park has received negative publicity for its big cats. I have been to other privately owned animal parks in the past and often left disappointed. Tregembo was a pleasant surprise. It is a lot larger than I expected and had a lot of animals to see. The price was decent as well. We brought some family members with little kids here and the kids had a blast. Now, the place isn't perfect. The snake and reptile exhibit needed some work. The glass really needed to be cleaned so you can get a better view. The big cat exhibits could be improved. The one male lion was in what I would consider a small cage. He had room to roam but a big cat needs more space. The other exhibits were pretty good. No elephants but they did have giraffes, several monkeys, gators (one was damn big), and other animals. It's a good trip if you are in the area, especially if you have kids. read more

I personally wasn't impressed. My kids liked it but I feel like it's overpriced. We saw some cool things but mostly things we have seen before at other zoos or animal parks. If I knew how overpriced and underwhelming this place was I wouldn't have gone in the first place but the NC aquarium at Fort Fisher was sold out that day. The sidewalks here are terrible and small so it's not stroller friendly unless you bring a jogging stroller. It's also not a good place for toddlers to walk as the sidewalks are uneven and extremely narrow. read more

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I give it zero stars. The is just about the saddest place for animals as I have ever been to. I cried the whole time I was there. Just seeing the poor poor poor big animal in confined spaces. Probably hadn't run it jump ever. It's a dirty place for such sweet animals. Please spare your heart and do not patronize this jail of a place! Thank you. I was forced to tap one star otherwise it would not let me post it. It's a sad depressing place for such wonderful creatures. read more

I don't know how anyone had anything bad to say about this place!!! We had SO MUCH FUN! We didn't even realize we were there for an hour & a half! DEFF a must go to with little kids! Fun family day. ** I was skeptical because of these reviews and we almost didn't go... but I am SO glad we did! read more

Tregembo Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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I enjoyed myself. They had a large selection of animals. Pricey but I guess that is how they afford to feed and keep the animals.

We were 2 adults with a 16 & 17 year old visiting. Very interesting selection of animals and exhibits. Keep in mind It takes a lot to keep this many animals caged and available for people to be able to see and enjoy while keeping the animals and people safe. We are used to being around farm animals at home but but this was nice way to stroll around and pet some of the animals. Some actually seemed to really enjoy the attention. Stop in and check this place out to help keep this little gem of a place open and you will be surprised to see that it is bigger than you probably imagined. We enjoyed our visit! read more

Fun for the whole family it was definitely fun and interactive it would be even better if there was kind of a road map and arrows to guide you around because there just so much to see I would not be surprised if I didn't miss something read more

I've been wondering about this place for a while, as I've had family down in the Wilmington/Carolina Beach area for many years and I always drive past this place when going to visit them on the beach. My grandmother recently asked me if I would go see this zoo with her because she was curious about what it was like after recent events where folks had been in front of the zoo with signs, etc., believing that the zoo wasn't good for the animals. I really wish I hadn't agreed to go, honestly. The biggest issue I had with this zoo was the lack of space for the animals. The monkeys are in somewhat tall cages, and there's usually only two or three of them in there... but they were so lethargic in there, barely getting up to move when my grandmother would throw them peanuts (which you can get from the counter inside when paying for your entry ticket). The bear enclosures may have been the most difficult to see... concrete and brick, layers of cage bars, and only a tiny little square pool inside for the bear to sit in. The Syrian Bear was okay when we visited, eating the peanuts when we could get them between the bars and to the spot where he was sitting. The black bear in another enclosure would barely move though, and his little square pool looked in need of some serious cleaning. While it was fun to watch the prairie dogs and feed the goats (the two most active groups of animals), those things don't make up for the fact that this zoo feels more like a prison for the animals than anything else. The aquariums in the exhibit where all the reptiles and such are housed are also in need of some pretty serious cleaning. Really, everything is in need of cleaning and some sort of additional upkeep! I don't know how this zoo has been around for so long, honestly...because, once we were done wandering the space, I was just incredibly depressed for all the animals being kept here. TL;DR Depressing experience. I wish I had never agreed to go or given them my money, and I feel awful for all the animals being kept here. :( read more

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I really appreciate and praise this establishment for their commitment to care for these animals. Because it is privately owned, the owner lives on site 24/7 to ensure the animals are sung to, spoken to, fed and loved on. I had my reservations because I do not agree with zoos and can't stand to see animals in captivity. However, on my way to Wilmington Beach, my spirit said to stop on in, and I am glad that I did. I was able to speak to the animals and sit down and enjoy the scenery. The variety of animals this Animal Park has is impressive but I did worry about the amount of space each animal had for their enclosure. Wishing this business absolute success and I honor the work they are doing. read more

This place was really depressing. Big cats were in small cages, the giraffe was in a small enclosure, monkeys in small circular circus type cages. The lion was lovingly named "Simba", I wouldn't be surprised if he also lived off a diet of small grubs and insects like in the movie. I wish I took more pictures, but I think that these two I did take sums it up well. Don't come here. read more

Tregembo Animal Park - Barbary Duck and presumably its dead chick. - Zoos Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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Very sad seeing the big cats in such small cages. The lion one especially. I know it's a park and not a zoo but please give them more space.

Great little quaint Animal Park!! Very inexpensive for the experience. A large variety of different animals, and some can even be hand fed. Not very fancy, but perfect for a little family outing. We stopped on the way from leaving the beach. Simple and too the point! Not too big; just right!! We toured the entire zoo in just a little over an hour. The staff is very friendly and they had a really cute gift shop as well. read more

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Great little zoo to take the kids for a fun day. We'll kept facility where all the animals looked happy and well carried for. Everything was so clean. Was well worth the hour plus drive to get there. The price is reasonable and the kids will love the gift shop. GE read more

Lots of exotic animals- variety of monkeys, lion, tiger, leopard, bear, etc. All or most kept completely alone and in cages no bigger than an average bedroom. Concrete floors too. At night time, you can hear the lion roar and cry in the nearby neighborhood And it's heartbreaking. The family who own this zoo cares about nothing other than profit, and it's over-priced anyways from locals boycotting this garbage facility for the past 10 years. Absolutely disgusting. I did see a very large billboard a few hundred yards down cb road telling people not to visit this horrible place. I'm SO happy to see action being taken in our town. Please consider researching and signing the petition to close this place for good! Plus, Trump supporters use the space to sell merch on the weekend. 0/10 read more

Tregembo Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Most of the negative reviews posted here come from animal activists. Keep in mind, this is a park, not a zoo. Different rules apply. For what it is worth, the day I went, the animals seemed content and healthy. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. They had animals that live in herds by themselves. The animals would get so excited because they thought you had food & very rarely did you see a food bowl. The little building with amphibious animals was heartbreaking. The marine frog was just bones, the savannah monitor was so sickly looking. The monkeys in a cage by themselves all looked so depressed. These animals are given the absolute BARE MINIMUM if even that. How this place is still in business is beyond me. I read all the reviews of this place before I went and decided to see what it was like myself and I would not recommend this place to anyone. This was the most heartbreaking zoo I have ever been too. read more

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The animals are kept in tiny cages without enrichment and it is incredibly depressing. A previous reviewer said that negative reviews are just left by animal activists... I am not sure what that even means, but I would disagree. The negative reviews are likely left by those of us who appreciate animals and visited the park only to be disturbed by the lack of adequate facilities, socialization, space, hygiene, and toys for the animals. They should not be kept in these conditions and the law agrees, as this "zoo" has been cited many times for improper/illegal conditions for animals. read more

My daughter loved it, granted the park is not big but it is worth the money. It does have flaws that are terrain based and walkway but for all that was included, you could not beat it! read more

This place is so depressing. The animals look neglected and are in enclosures too small. They also don't have any enrichment for them to do, so they just pace back and forth. Please don't support this place with your money. They should be shut down. read more

They treat their animals like shit, they NEED to be closed.don't support them at all if you do you are sick. If you want to go to a good zoo that takes care of their animals go to New York or Boston please. Please don't Support them they keep their animals in small enclosures and cages it's really sad. Sadly animals that live in these poor conditions don't live their full life's if these animals go to a great zoo they will live their live in HUGGEE enclosures and actually get the care they need. read more

After living in the area for 6 years, Peta purchased a billboard right outside the Park, so I decided to go take a look and see for myself. I was pleasantly surprised! Tregembo Animal Park has been in business for 70 years. The animals are either rescued or (mostly) born in captivity. I'm not an animal expert but these animals are well taken care of, they all looked healthy and well fed. Enclosures were clean and many had enrichment toys to play with. The staff was very nice and answered all my questions. So if y'all find yourself with some extra time take a stroll around the park and enjoy the animals. I will be taking my grandchildren soon! read more

Awesome place to go see a ton of animals at a super affordable price! This isn't a big time zoo with attractions but has a really good selections of animals. read more

Although we live 40 minutes away, my daughter and I happily make the trip at least once a month. Most reviews will talk about small zoo space, or there isnt a huge selection of animals, but Wilmington isn't San Diego or Atlanta. Its a smaller metro city with less funding to give to the upkeep and maintenance of a larger zoo. However, this one is a very cute and good get away for a younger family. Its inexpensive and you can spend an 2 hours without really noticing. A great way to get out of the house and spend some quality walk around time with your special ones. read more

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Terrible. If you've never see abuse this is what it looks like. Several of their animals are malnourished. They have have a Florida softshell turtle that eats other turtles in the same pond as the snapping turtles. They have plenty of land, so why are the animal enclosures so small? WITH NO SHADE OR LARGE POOL. None of the animals made any noise and most of the monkeys would hide from the people. These animals are not happy, they are not safe, or well taken care of. They have the smallest lion I have ever seen, as well as his main is patchy and dry. read more

No stars, zoo always closed. Today the one day they were open we rushed our beach day to hurry to the zoo for the kids. Stopped allowing people in at 3pm. Although we were there and standing at the door begging to get in at 3:02 the hateful old man refused a mother with 3 children. Would not even open the door. I have been to this zoo many times through my childhood, however I will never attempt to go ever again, and every chance I get I will spread a bad review. He was a total jerk !!! VERY DISPLEASED!!!! read more

This zoo is very bad. All the animals looked depressed and sad.. They fed the monkeys peanuts! The tiger was in a small cage with to room to get exercise. A lot of the turtles were in a plastic bin in the sun, I felt horrible! Do not recommend- don't pay for this. read more

Horrible absolutely one of the saddest animal parks I've ever seen. Very disturbing walking around realising I had just supported such an awful establishment. The animals are not cared for at all and the enclosures are so depressing. The smallest part of me wanted this to be a good experience and I wanted to believe in that smallest part. I took a chance and not to my surprise it was incredibly disturbing. I will never be going back to this place nor would I ever recommend it to anybody else we should not support such an establishment. These animals need to be sent to rescue centres in this place needs to be shut down. No only with enclosures horrible just walking around was awful. There was nothing fun about this place Seeing animals suffer in dirty environments is awful. Save your money and go to the aquarium where the animals are cared for. It's clean in very nice to walk around. read more

People should be ASHAMED to support such an awful place. I have never seen poorer conditions at a "zoo", if you could even call this place one. Hoping it gets shut down, these beautiful animals get taken away and treated for malnutrition, and sent away to better homes. Disgusting. Anyone telling you otherwise is either employed by the zoo or doesn't know what a healthy animal/thriving zoo looks like. read more

Still on the fence (no pun intended... just kidding, pun totally intended) about Tregembo. I've lived in Wilmington for more than four years now, and pass this place very day on my way to work. It was only last month that my curiosity finally trumped my fears about it, and even then I had to drag Jeff with me as a security blanket. The good news? It could definitely be sadder. More sad? Whatever - the conditions aren't atrocious. Yes, the enclosures are, on the whole, quite small, and many of the animals live alone, but the zoo has character, the landscape is actually diverse and even inspires a sense of adventure - if you let it :) The cages are kept relatively clean (I mean, there are animals living in them - they're not going to shine like the Chrysler building, you know?), and we were still there at "snack time," and let me tell you, these guys were pretty excited for some fine lookin' fruits and veggies. Even my strawberries at home don't look that good. In the end, I'm just a massive sucker for animals, and I have to admit, I enjoyed the interaction. You can definitely spend a couple of hours roaming around, as Tregembo is more expansive than I'd expected. A couple of warnings: Put your eye shields up as you go through the "gift shop." That is, by far, the saddest part about the entire place. Do yourself a favor and get through it as quickly as possible. Also: buy more peanuts than corn (trust me on this one). And finally, do not strike up a conversation with the big, friendly parrot near the exit. He has a scary monster voice that will haunt your dreams. (Kidding - you should totally talk to him. It's terrifying and awesome all at the same time). read more

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This zoo is so cute and calming to walk through. You can tell the animals recognize their care givers and that they are being cared for. The staff at the zoo seems very friendly and involved with the animals. One of the staff members we over heard talking and realized he was talking to the tiger and we just thought it was the sweetest. This zoo is perfect for all ages but especially small children who get a kick out of feeding some animals. This is not your typical zoo with huge exhibits but this is zoo is definitely a zoo that's worth visiting while in Wilmington! read more

Tregembo Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

This zoo is kinda big but all the animals are in small spaces. I felt bad being here, the animals have little to nothing to playing with or entertain themselves in their cages. I wouldn't suggest coming here if you love animals. read more

I took my son and daughter here today (4/13/23) and we had the best time! So many unique animals here and many photo stations for taking photos of great memories! Feeding peanuts to monkeys is something we have never experienced before today! So fun!! read more

this place is amazing!! Animals are well taken care of, and the zoo is 10 acres!!! There is so many amazing, great animals. You need to come here, you will love it!! read more

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This is a lovely animal park that I'm so proud to have locally in our Wilmington area. It has been family owned for many many many years and is a wonderful jewel in our community. I love the scale much better of this park than I do the larger zoos because you can get really close to the animals at Tregembo, they are not far off in the distance. You can kind of get up close and personal with these amazing creatures. They truly have a wonderful zoo filled with a myriad of majestic and beautiful animals there. We are so blessed to have this wonderful treasure in our community!!!!!! Have a Super Day!!!! Warm Regards, Paula Green read more

I absolutely loved this zoo. From looking at it from the road, you wouldn't expect quite the amount of land and animals it actually has. It's a beautiful zoo to walk around. It was extremely well priced. The animals all looked content and well taken care of. We went in the morning right when they opened- and most of the animals were all fairly active. There were several peacocks roaminga round and we got to see them in full display. The birds were chirping and most of the monkeys were jumping/swinging around. I loved being able to feed the monkeys peanuts! Was so interesting! Would love to come back and will recommend to everyone I know visiting the area. read more

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Very clean zoo and animals very good takin care of .Very informative place not only for children ,but for adults as well.I love the idea to feed the animals with peanuts and corn and you can buy it right there. Super friendly employees and always ready to answer any questions. We will be back!!! read more

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