Let me say that I'm absolutely amazed with all the beautiful and spacious enclosures for all the animals in the zoo. The zoo is huge, so they had the ability to give animals lots of space! The black bear had his own little mountain nook (we didn't get to see him, though he was probably hiding from all the heat that day). We saw a baby gorilla playing with his mommy, that was worth flying from Boston to Knoxville just to see those eyes. There is a Turtle Trail were you get to go inside with the turtles and have them climb on your feet and feed them and scratch their backs...how cool is that! The budgies were pretty cool, you get to go in the enclosure with them and feed them seeds on a stick. Gorgeous, amazing creatures!! The green and blue ones are from The wild and the white ones with blue back are the bred ones in captivity. The otters for sure stole the show, they just played and played in the water, my son was psyched to see them !! The red panda was jumping all over and wanted to get in with the rest of the sleeping pandas on the bamboo trees...what gorgeous animals. And the Rhinos!!! Massive massive animals. First time I've seen rhinos and I'm in love with these very scary huge animals. You should see the enclosure that they had for them. It was very generous, full of mud and massive rocks. OK, I could go on and on about all the animals in there, but the most important thing that I wanted to say is that the sponsors of this zoo respect animals, they don't put them in a tiny enclosure and call it good, they actually spent a lot of effort on matching the natural habitat that these animals lived in, and they gave them room to roam! Also per their campaigns and posters within in zoo, they are trying to save endangered and critically vulnerable species from extinction. They do a lot of work and awareness about the lifestyle of the animals, especially that the staff is super friendly with lots of youths working there and learning about these beautiful animals and transferring this knowledge To visitors. Also, how thoughtful are they to include fun stuff for kids like a huge sandbox, slides, tunnels, climbing rocks, a beautiful merry go round with all the decorated animals, a water park for the kids to jump in fountains (wish I knew I would have brought my kid a swim suit)... my kid had a blast anyway!! They built a whole massive treehouse with a rope bridge so that you could see the gibbons and red pandas up in the trees. Massive enclosures, statues, canopies, overlooks....they thought about everything!! Not only did my kid have fun, my husband and I had tons of fun too. So did my mom! What a wonderful day. I will definitely donate money to this establishment that really cares about the conservation of animals and treats them with respect.. thank you Zoo Knoxville staff abc sponsors. All the love to your work. Keep spreading awareness. read more

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I finally visited today for the first time with a girlfriend, and we easily spent four hours walking around and seeing the different animals. Some of my favorites included: the red pandas, gibbons, great apes, otters and tigers. The zoo was especially busy today because of Spring Break week, but the great thing was that we never felt crowded or claustrophobic. There were places to purchase food like Beastro's Cuisine and Safari Smoke House, but we brought snacks and beverages to hold us over for our visit. I highly recommend the Knoxville Zoo for anyone looking for something fun to do when visiting our scruffy little town. Know before you go: 1) Tickets are $26.95 per adult, $21.95 for kids ages 3-12, seniors, and college students. Free for active military/veterans and children (2 & under). 2) A $2 ticket fee is added to all in person ticket sales. Save time and money, by getting your ticket online. 3) Parking is available in upper and lower lots. Handicap parking is available as well. All parking is $5, or free for membership holders. 4) Everyday they have animal encounters at different times where you can personally meet the animal ambassador and caretakers and get to chat with them. My favorite was the red panda encounter which is at 3pm everyday. 5) They do have a greatly curated gift shop with something for everyone including magnets, hats, clothing merch, and stuffed animals. read more

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This is a cute little zoo. We needed something to occupy the kids leading up to graduation weekend and it fit the bill. It is rather hilly, but you're in the foothills so it's to be expected. read more

This is such a great zoo! The animals were incredibly active and we loved the red pandas. They have a military discount as well as AAA. We ended up spending most of the day here and enjoyed the selection of animals. read more

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Zoo Knoxville is massive! Almost two miles of loops and growing. Parking was easy, the shuttle was right on time and effortless, and entry is slightly discounted if you purchase online, which was so easy I did it on the shuttle on the ride to the gate. There were loads of indoor view points, play areas, a splash pad, and a wide variety of animals, mostly from Asia / Africa. The reptile house, ARC, was well done, and so were the animal enclosures. There was a thoughtful integration of interactive displays, like a rope bridge near some primates, or high viewing areas where giraffes can approach for an eye-level view. There were plenty of snack and restaurant locations, as well as seating near popular animals with shade. If you dare, take a ride in the Soaring Eagle zipline near the entrance and the Africa side of the zoo. Animal photos rarely compare to the experience, so go to see more!! read more

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Very clean and well kept I do think the birds enclosure could be updated. Splash pad was so nice mainly on a hot day!

What a fun zoo! It was a mild early spring day so most animals were inside so that was a little disappointing. That said it was a great place to walk and see the animals. There is a lot of construction going on so no elephants or rhinos right now. read more

Zoo Knoxville - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Sparkling clean. Easily navigable. Parking was plentiful. Animals appeared well taken care of. Multiple things to interact with. Cute merry-go-round. read more

We came here mainly for the red pandas, but it was a surprise seeing other animals like the otters, giraffes, gorillas, and other cool animals in person! The zoo was $26.95 for a regular adult and if you have a student ID, they give you a slight discount. I recommend blocking off around 2 hours and you should be able to see the entire zoo! We were a bit sad to see that the rhino passed away, and majority of the zoo was under construction. If you want to see more of the animals, I recommend going towards the afternoon because all were sleeping when we went in the morning read more

Zoo Knoxville - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Cute and simple zoo. It is on the smaller size but my toddler loved it. The otters and big cats are so active and interesting. We were also able to go during the dinosaur exhibit. Parking is way off to the side and is a long walk up a steep hill. So plan accordingly! read more

Zoo Knoxville - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

This is small zoo without very many animals but they do a good job with what they have. They make up for the animals with a lot of things for kids to do. There are playgrounds, splash pads, and fans that shoot water. Amazing day if you have littles in the summer and still a fun day if you don't. read more

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ZK is a gem. The staff were amazing and took 8yo "Little Bear" under their wing(s) and made sure that he had an amazing day at the zoo. The education Rangers were so great near the Rhino, Gibbon, and Red Pandas! ZK specializes in Red Panda breeding and just this century (2004), RP fossils were discovered in Northeast Tennessee and can be seen at the Gray Fossil Site in Gray, Tennessee. It was a very hot Father's Day in The South and the giraffes were cooling off in their barn at first. They came out later and WOW they are beautiful! The lions, otters, Tigers, and chimps were incredible. The education areas were fascinating. We learned about the ethical reasons why they don't currently have zebras and elephants, plans for future animals, and zookeeping. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Smokehouse Burger. This is a legit American delicacy done correctly. A toasted bun brushed with a bit of oil was the first clue that I was in for a surprising culinary experience. The Crisp-edged patty, cooked perfectly, garnished with fresh summer tomato and lettuce, pickles and left for me to season. It came in top of a mountain of fries. I was blown away. read more

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Our grandchildren, 8 mos. and 4 years, were visiting from out of state and we thought they would enjoy this. We purchased our tickets and parking pass online and arrived at the zoo early. There were people there but it wasn't too crowded. The zoo is large enough and has enough exhibits that it held our granddaughter's attention and she was excited to see the next animal, but not so large that she got too tired by the end. I loved that each animal's habitat very closely mimiced where they lived in the wild, and the zoo employees were very knowledgeable if we had questions. A few things caused my rating to lose a star; 1. Parking - at no time did we need to show or display anything showing that we paid (waste of money) - very limited near the entrance otherwise you need to park in a large lot below and walk up a hill if you have a stroller 2. Signage - outdated so it still shows attractions that are no longer at the zoo 3. Gift Shop - I was absolutely shocked at the prices for items in the gift shop which were extremely inflated in my opinion. read more

NOT WORTH IT. I guess you could say I've been spoiled by the STL zoo, which is massive AND free, but I thought it was outrageous to spend $25 per person + $5 for parking for a sub par zoo experience. There is very little variety and many of the exhibits are empty (tigers, zebras, turtles, bears). Choose something else to spend over 50 dollars on. read more

Zoo Knoxville - Red Panda Sleeping - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

A nice smaller zoo. Liked how tiger and rhinos were so close for viewing. The new ostriches are worth checking out as well.

This was the first stop on my vacation and so glad it was. It was such a lovely zoo! First of all, it was EXTREMELY hot and I was so happy to see all the misting fans. This is something zoos by me do not do.. this was so great to see and made walking thru the zoo less miserable for everyone. It was a decent size zoo. I wouldn't call it small or large, just medium. I will say due to the heat, a lot of animals were inside. It seems like they had access to outside but they wanted to stay inside. I guess I can't complain... I wanted to stay inside too. My biggest complaint is A LOT of the food stands were closed and the ones that were opened, did not have any meals -- only cold products because they were closing down in the next hour. I do understand if the zoo is closing down within the next 15-30 minutes or so, but for an hour? Overall, it was a nice zoo. The enclosures looked great, the animals were great. The staff was friendly and the merchandise was WONDERFUL. I never saw such a great selection of shirts, and other items. I would recommend and would be back if I was in the area. read more

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We have been to many zoos nationwide.. from San Diego to the oldest Philadelphia.. this zoo is well worth the cost of admission. The layout is spaced out giving enough room for spacious exhibits (yes still a zoo, but bigger areas than other zoos we've been to), many naturally shaded natural places to duck out of the sun, many misting fans on the walk way. It is a rather large zoo with many hilly areas. Keep that in mind if you have little ones or those with walking difficulties. They do have rental scooters and strollers as well. Because this zoo is so large it doesn't feel overwhelming with people. There were a lot of people in the zoo, but it didn't feel congested. Bring your water bottles.. many fill stations and water fountains along side many restroom facilities. Honestly no complaints at all with those arrangements The animals were pretty active which was nice given it's such a hot day. Some exhibits were temporarily closed for lawn mowing or clean up. Many food options in the zoo so you can make a day of this activity easily. There are a few enrichment areas were you can pay to feed the animals. We didn't stay long enough to see that because it was rather hot and our child was tired of walking. There was a kids petting zoo and play area. Overall well worth the trip and visit if you want to see the a animals. Currently they are running the dinosaur exhibit which had motion/animatronics which was neat read more

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Very helpful staff first time visitor here. We got a discount from our zoo to this one. Very beautiful and pretty. read more

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We always hit up a zoo when on vacation and they can be hit or miss. Animals just sleeping aren't that fun to see but this was a good zoo. Our son enjoyed it and so did we. Best part was the monkeys who actually started fighting and were quite entertaining. So far one of our best zoo experiences, and none of us ended up with an illness after! Lol. Germs :P read more

Excellent zoo. Super clean. Friendly staff. It is laid out with a great flow. The elephants are a treat as is the Monkey area. Just watch out for the poop. The amphibious area is very neat, I was bummed the sloth didn't make an appearance. Remember if you are a Nashville zoo member you get a discount. Worth the trip. read more

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Most of the zoo was under construction, but still walkable. My toddler was able to roam around freely and most of the animals were out and about. The living spaces looked clean and the zoo itself was very nice. A great place to let kids run around and be a kid. The playground was also a big hit! Of course always wish there were more animals but grateful for what we have. read more

Zoo-erific! A totally terrific, enchanting display of lantern lights in the form of zoo animals. A must-see holiday event (thanks primarily to Chik-fil-A, a national fast-food chain). A young grandson visiting from Germany during our American Thanksgiving holiday inspired us to look for a memorable outdoor venue he (and our daughter) long would remember. I think we, his grandparents, were most in awe of what we were about to experience." WOW! Tigers, lions, bears and other animals and creatures lit up the Knoxville Zoo grounds in colorful life-size lantern displays. A walk around the grounds took us more than an hour as we stopped and marveled at each exhibit. Alligators opened and closed their jaws and birds gracefully flapped their wings. Zoo Lights is a tad expensive, $24 for adults and $18 for children 3-11, yet well worth it. read more

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They took out like everything. And my friend got stung by a honey bee.it made me so made .do not go. And if you go good luck having fun. read more

Such a nice zoo! Almost every single animal was out and active. So many activities to do with kids; splash pads, petting zoo, zip line, and so much more. The animals seem to be super healthy and well takin care of. For $5 you can feed a Giraffe which is super cool. They have food and drink on property that are affordable and good. This is wheelchair friendly, but I'd reccomend renting a scooter cause there is a lot of up hills which makes it kinda difficult if you're using a manual wheelchair! You can rent a scooter, but it is first come first serve. read more

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Solid zoo! They have all of your favorite regular zoo animals in a really great setting. I was really impressed with the landscaping, flow, and layout walking through the zoo. They really used the hills and bamboo well. Like most zoos it's a bit of a hike and this one has some hills. It's an easy stop off of I-40. We went on a Monday which had some pros and cons. It was easy to park and not crowded at all. At times we had popular animal displays all to ourselves and we only ran into one "hyper field trip" group that was pretty easily avoided. On the same note a few displays were under repair and we weren't able to see everything. Almost all of the concessions were closed. read more

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One of the best zoos we've been to. Great exhibits and variety of animals, interesting facts displayed, and super helpful/friendly staff. Even the gift shop had a good variety and wasn't as expensive as many others. The membership is actually a great deal if you have a large-ish family and plan to go at least twice in a year. Between discounts, reciprocity with other zoos across the country, and free parking it is worth it! This zoo is laid out really well with ample seating along the trails for people to rest for a minute. My elderly parents were able to relax pretty much anywhere we were as needed. They also have lots of covered tables and chairs if you want to buy or bring your lunch. Just no plastic straws or cup lids allowed. Many of the hands-on exhibits are closed due to CoVID but indoors enclosures are open if you wear masks. Masks are otherwise not mandatory, although some areas get a bit crowded and people do not distance. All employees masked and hand sanitizer, restrooms or hand washing stations all over the place. Unrelated but cool is the addition of sunscreen dispensers throughout the park. If you bring a child on their birthday, unlimited wristbands for the carousel and train are FREE! Just mention the birthday when you purchase tickets. So thankful to the super helpful worker (shoutout to Amy. Heyyyy!) at the carousel for informing us of this policy and being so dang kind. Our kids loved these wristband attractions as well as the gibbons, giraffes, and the bears. Some of the enclosures (especially the gibbon one) are really inventive and amazing to see. read more

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Super cute zoo. You can tell how much the animals are loved and cared for. The park was clean and well maintained. The animals all had access to shade, shelter and good food. Excellent volunteers who were passionate to educate and inform. Volunteers knew the animals names and were able to answer our questions. The dinosaurs were super fun. Our daughter loved the zip line and the employees there were very friendly. This is much in line with boutique zoos such as Santa Barbara and Fresno, etc. Really enjoyable day with our family and will be back. Very much worth visiting! read more

Nice zoo that was kept clean. Lots of stuff for kids to do (at a fee). Bring your swim-suit (this is not advertised anywhere easy to find but it's needed for the splash pad). Everything was pretty expensive (on top off the cost to be there anyway). Felt like every little thing was "nickeled and dimed" horribly. Some of the advertised exhibits were "under maintenance," so several animals were missed. Disturbingly, there were no signs in place to let the patron know instead of just staring at an exhibit with nothing in it. All-in-all, it was a hot day when we went, go when it's cooler and hope the exhibits are open. read more

Only saw 5 animals wasn't worth waling in the heat. Heaven forbid u get thirsty they over charge for drinks..

We made the loop taking our time in either direction in about two and a half hours, but that was also because the tigers and zebras weren't out and about! All of the keepers were very kind and informative and we were so glad we went as early as we did. We went on a weekday while school was in session. There were fewer parents with strollers around 9/10am than by the time we were leaving (approximately 12:30pm), which was a big perk for us! The walkways, for the most part, are wide enough that with some respect and thought you can definitely navigate around folk. Some of the automated door things didn't work for the reptile center though, which accidentally left us holding the door for like fifteen strollers in a row. My favorite exhibit was 100% the tortoises with our guide Libby! It's an extra fee, but is absolutely worth it to meet and love on Tex! Overall, the exhibits seemed well kept and the general vibe was good compared to other zoos. It's a smaller zoo than many, but it seems well loved, whether it's moms getting their cardio in or tourists dropping by for a visit! read more

This zoo had several great exhibits but after going to the Nashville zoo so many times, it didn't live up to the hype for me. None of the concession stands were open the entire time we were there, lots of the animals were in their enclosures, the gift shop was very small, etc. They did have a jungle gym for kids, a sand area for them to play in, a petting zoo, and lots of interactive activities throughout the park. They had feeding times for the giraffes where you could pay $5 to give them a snack but if I remember correctly it was only twice a day. My favorite part was the elephants and watching them play in the water on a hot day. Overall, it was a decent Zoo, it just left much to be desired. read more

Zoo Knoxville - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

This is a GREAT Zoo. I came up from Chattanooga for a long weekend and am really happy we went to the zoo. My favorites were the Silverbacks and the Lions. It was a really nice layout and lots of water spray stations to cool off etc. Knoxville has done a great job with the zoo !! read more

Good variety of animals and interactive things for kids to do! (including a playground and a carousel) Even with a large handful of field trips going on the day we visited the zoo is a good enough size that we didn't feel like we were right on top of them all. They had a decent cafe and decent gift shops. A lot of the side carts weren't open, but we made do! read more

Waste of money. I know that they just open. But you'll be disappointed if you want to see animals. April 18, 2025

A Really nice Zoo. Lots of Animals and nice shaded areas. They have an Amazing Red Panda breeding program. Not my first time seeing a Red panda but first time being that close to one. A couple downfalls are that they are doing construction in some areas so some animals weren't out. That's fine but I would expect a discount of some sort. Another thing is we had to wait for them to clean the elephant exhibit so we had to wait until noon. Definitely, worth a visit! Expect half a day. read more

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Easily one of the worst Zoo's I've visited. It's not even bad... It just lacks animals and un-utilized space for bigger enclosures. First, let's talk about parking. People choose to ignore the signs of large vehicles like large pickup trucks and still park in the hill parking instead of by the pond/lake. I really feel like there should be an employee directing traffic based on the type of vehicle they have. The limited amount of animals. We saw 1 Tiger pacing around back and forth waiting for food (kinda depressing), one elephant, no Giraffes (all indoors), 1 Wolf (unless they were sleeping), 2 lions and 2 cubs (they werent even allowed to be with their family). Animal Space is another issue. You have this entire parking lot that isn't used and random Dinosaur areas (that aren't related to the Zoo) removing space from enclosures. Tigers space is pretty small, Wolf's space is small and Lions space is pretty small. A 4 year old can design a better a Zoo in the Planet Zoo video game. If half the animals are indoors, tickets should be half priced. Paying $26 for each person to see 3 animals is a let down. To be honest, the Otters were the main stars out of the whole Zoo. They were jumping around, swimming, wrestling each other and much much more. Ripley's Aquarium which is about an hour away has more animals than this Zoo. read more

I wish there was an option for negative stars. Maybe leave some info on your website when ordering tickets that 3/4 of your animals were not available and some of your attractions were closed. Pretty much wasted my time and money. Will never go back and will also pass it on to others. read more

Lots to see! It easily takes four hours to see everything with a child. It's always clean, the staff is very friendly. We do wish they had penguins. read more

Zoo Knoxville - Zoos Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Daughter and wife had a fun time here. Good selection of animals for viewing. Food was good and not too overpriced. Gift shop had a good selection. read more

We were staying in Gatlinburg and decided to make a trip to this zoo on Saturday. Our family was so glad that we did! It was very cold (35 degrees), but we bundled up. We got to the zoo a few minutes after opening. We were greeted by a sweet woman selling masks at the front. She answered questions for us and had a great sense of humor. We are annual pass holders at some affiliated zoos, so we got in for half price. It was well worth what we paid & I gladly would've paid full price. A few animals were off exhibit due to the cold weather and the indoor exhibits were closed, but we still had a wonderful time. The animals were very active- wandering, playing, eating, socializing. We were able to see the baby zebra out with its family for the first time (so cool!). We also saw a keeper feed a vulture. It was neat to see the keeper interact with the vulture and command it to move from one spot to another for various purposes (like getting weighed). As for COVID precautions, we felt very safe. Masks are required indoors, but can be taken off outside. All employees were wearing masks, including those working with animals in enclosures. Considering this isn't peak season and it was freezing out, the zoo was empty- we saw around 20 people all day. It was the first time in almost a year that our family had an outing and was able to be mask-free. If it was busier, there are yellow markings on the ground to signify where to stand & socially distance at exhibits. Overall, we spent about three hours at this zoo. It was a perfect way to start our day! read more

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