• Tennessee
  • Knoxville
  • Smoky Mountains
  • Memphis
  • Nashville
Places to See in Tennessee
Giraffe eating
Knoxville 1

Knoxville Zoo

By Mark Keller · On September 1, 2013

The Knoxville Zoo is one of the city’s most famous destinations—a zoo whose regular exhibits contain over 900 animals from dozens of species. In addition to such familiar zoo staples as monkeys, otters, penguins and the obligatory large mammals from the savanna, the Knoxville Zoo contains a number of unexpected species, many of them endangered animals whose names happen to begin with the word “red”—red wolves, red pandas and red river hogs all feature within the zoo. The animals are contained within a wide range of naturalistic habitats, ranging from Black Bear Falls, an exhibit modeled after the Great Smokey Mountains, to Meerkat Lookout, home to not one but two separate meerkat colonies, known as “mobs.”

The zoo features many naturalistic outdoor habitats for its animal residents, including:
Animal Encounter Village
Black Bear Falls
Chimp Ridge
Grasslands Africa
Meerkat Lookout
Stokely African Elephant Preserve
The Boyd Family Red Panda Village
The Clayton Family Kids Cove
Indoor exhibits at the zoo include the Night Club, the Barn Loft, and a large reptile collection.

One of the Knoxville Zoo’s many distinctions is its remarkable success at breeding a variety of species in captivity. The first African elephant born in the Western Hemisphere entered the world at the Knoxville Zoo in 1978. The zoo is a leader in red panda conservation, breeding over 100 cubs in the past 35 years—second worldwide only to the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands. Their white rhinoceros breeding program is third in the nation, with more than 30 baby rhinos born since the ’70s. The zoo cares for 27 species currently in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Program, preserving these severely endangered animals from extinction.

Other attractions include the Clayton Safari Splash (a splash pad with life-size water-spouting giraffes), rides on both carousels and camels, and daily presentations by zookeepers on various species—often involving training demonstrations with lions and hamadryas baboons. The Wee Play Zoo lets toddlers pretend to be zookeepers with stuffed animals and toy food. For older children the Clayton Family Kids Cove features a recreated 1900-era Appalachian farm, allowing kids to get up close to a variety of farm animals and species native to Tennessee. Summer camps for children of all ages and special accommodations for zoo-themed birthday parties are also available.

At $19.95 for adult tickets and $16.95 for children and seniors, a day at the zoo can become fairly expensive, particularly if you have a large family. A season’s membership can considerably defray the cost, however, and is almost always worthwhile if you plan on visiting more than once. Due to the Knoxville Zoo’s various partnerships, other discounts are also available—Kroger grocery store customers receive $2.00 off tickets, while year-long members receive free or half-price tickets at over a hundred zoos across the country.

Getting there:
Knoxville Zoological Gardens
3500 Knoxville Zoo Dr
Knoxville, TN 37914

Tel: (865) 637-5331

KidsKnoxvilleOutdoor ActivitiesTennesseeThings to DoZoo
Share Tweet

Mark Keller

Mark Keller is a student of English and Theatre at Hillsdale College. His articles on subjects as diverse as Linux software and hammock construction are published widely online.

You Might Also Like

  • Knoxville_TN_skyline Knoxville

    Places to See in Knoxville, Tennessee

1 Comment

  • Chris Tingom says: September 15, 2013 at 1:57 am

    Here’s a photo album with photos from the Knoxville Zoo.

    Reply
  • Leave a reply Cancel reply

    Places to See in Tennessee

    • Zipline

      Gatlinburg Ziplines & Ropes Course

      April 13, 2014
    • Jackson

      Places to See in Jackson

      October 5, 2013
    • Murfreesboro

      Places to See in Murfreesboro

      October 5, 2013
    • Clarksville

      Places to See in Clarksville

      October 4, 2013
    • Johnson City

      Places to See in the Tri-Cities Area

      October 2, 2013
    • Dr. Enuf

      Enuf is Enough!

      October 2, 2013
    • Gatlinburg

      Gatlinburg Attractions

      September 27, 2013
    • Chattanooga,_Tennessee_Skyline

      Places to See in Chattanooga

      September 16, 2013
    • nashville-tennessee

      Things to Do in Nashville with Kids!

      September 15, 2013
    • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Places to See in the Smoky Mountains

      September 15, 2013
    • Knoxville_TN_skyline

      Places to See in Knoxville, Tennessee

      September 14, 2013
    • civil-war-tennessee

      Civil War in Tennessee

      September 14, 2013
    • central-barbeque-memphis

      Central Barbecue in Memphis

      September 13, 2013
    • Giraffe eating

      Knoxville Zoo

      September 1, 2013
    • Abandoned house Knoxville

      Places to See in Knoxville

      June 12, 2013
    GoGo Squeez appleapple (at Amazon.com)
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy

    About Us

    Hey there! If you're thinking about visiting Tennessee, then check out the list on our home page! It has our best recommendations for what to do in Tennessee (and each item links to the web site for that destination). Thanks for being a reader, and check back often as we're updating the site all the time.

    Important Links

    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Categories

    • Chattanooga
    • Knoxville
    • Memphis
    • Nashville
    • Smoky Mountains
    • Tennessee

    Search the Site

    © 2013 Places to See in Tennessee