Zoo Knoxville

Today, I went to the “Wildly Fun” Zoo Knoxville! Located just outside downtown Knoxville, TN, Zoo Knoxville is home to over 1,000 animals, several restaurants, and has a variety of rides and play areas.

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Parking

When you get to the zoo, there’s an upper parking lot and a lower parking lot. The upper lot is small and fills up quickly, but if you can find a spot there, it’s the most convenient as you’ll be just a short walk from the main entrance. The lower lot is much bigger and usually has plenty of spots. The zoo does sometimes offer trolley rides from the lower lot. Parking is $5, but free if you are a zoo member.

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Tickets

Note: the prices are from the time of my visit in 2023. Adult tickets are $26.95. Children 3-12 and seniors 65 and up are $21.95. Children 2 and under are free. The zoo does offer memberships and they pay for themselves after a couple of visits. Memberships include year round admission, parking and discounts on food, items and events.

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Food

The zoo offers several dining options, including outdoor and dine in. The outdoor restaurant’s hours of operations vary like Al’s Cantina only being open on weekends and Tennessee Dogs being closed in the winter. The two dine in restaurants include Beastro’s Cuisine and Safari Smoke House. Both serve burgers, chicken strips, kids meals, soft drinks and beer. Beastro’s Cuisine also offers stir fry, and Safari Smoke House offers bbq. Overall, I’d say the food is good. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s reasonably priced and there’s a good variety.

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Activities

There’s several kids areas and activities scattered throughout the zoo. For $3 you can ride the Zoo Choo Train. There’s also The Clayton Splash Safari, which is covered with admission. It has splash pads, changing cabanas, and covered picnic tables. Great for a hot day! For $13, there’s the Soaring Eagle Zip-line Experience that goes 65 feet above the treetops and offers amazing views of the zoo with an exhilarating ride back down. If you want to let the kids play while you cool off a bit, there’s The Pilot Company Wee Play Adventure, an indoor playground. There’s also the Fuzzy-Go-Round Carousal for $3.

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Animal Encounters

The zoo does offer seasonal animal encounters like a petting zoo, giraffe feeding, getting to interact with tortoises, behind the scenes tours and more. I recommend checking out Zoo Knoxville’s website to see what animal encounters they’re offering and any fees associated with them.

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Animals

I, of course, saved the best for last. The reason you come to the zoo, to see the animals. Zoo Knoxville has elephants, lions, tortoises, peccaries, chimpanzees, giraffes, hogs, baboons, zebras, tigers, beavers, black bears, otters, red pandas, red wolves, langurs, hornbills, rhinos, gorillas, gibbons, cranes, duikers, and so much more!

Overall, I’d say there are no “bad” exhibits. There are some that could use an update, like the lions, rhinos, gorillas and chimpanzees. There are also some that you could easily miss because they’re somewhat hidden. Most exhibits are well themed and offer great views of the animals. Some of my favorite habitats include:

Asian Trek

At the Asian Trek, you’ll find amazing tiger, gibbon, langur, and red panda exhibits. The theming here is incredible! All exhibits offer indoor and outdoor viewing areas.

The tiger exhibit has an interactive area where kids, and adults, can learn about tigers, as well as feel a tiger’s fur and see if you’re as strong as a tiger!

The gibbon exhibit has a rope play area and a “splash zone” where you can stand under the gibbons. The only thing between you and them is a net. I’ll let you piece together why it’s called the “splash zone”!

ARC

Another great area is the ARC, an indoor area that houses reptiles, amphibians, and even a sloth!

Be prepared, this building is kept humid. It’ll feel like you’re walking through a tropical jungle!

This area is almost worth the price of admission alone. There’s tons of things to interact with, games to play, all sorts of animals to see, and is very well themed. I could spend a whole day just in here!

Elephants

The elephant exhibit is another indoor/outdoor exhibit. The outdoor area is where the elephants can roam and play. In the indoor area, you can see the elephants being cared for by the keepers and get up close to an elephant skull!

Black Bear Falls

Black Bear Falls is the first exhibit when you enter the zoo and it’s a great way to start your adventure! There’s a lot to read and you can view the black bears from above and at ground level. In the wintertime, you can even peek into the cave that they are sleeping in!

While these are my favorites, there are many more wonderful exhibits! Remember to grab a map at the entrance so you can make sure you see them all!

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Conclusion

Overall, I really like this zoo. They’ve made some great upgrades to it in recent years and have more in the works. There are some dated exhibits, and some exhibits can get easily crowded, but nothing that ruins the overall experience. I would absolutely recommend Zoo Knoxville if you’re in the area. You could spend a good 3-4 hours here and see, and learn about, a lot of cool animals!