Which top Middle Tennessee attraction has stripes, spots and scales all over? The world-class Nashville Zoo at Grassmere! This fast-growing, family-friendly destination is earning the same accolades as U.S. zoos quadruple its age – all from its perch on the south side of Nashville.
September 24, 2024
About the Nashville Zoo
Over the last 27 years, Nashville Zoo has housed animals as varied as Andean bears, Sumatran tigers, Komodo dragons, red pandas, kangaroos, clouded leopards, and flamingos. In addition to the diverse animal community, guests can try out rideable features like the Soaring Eagle Zip Line and Wild Animal Carousel and visit the 4D theater to catch interactive movies.
An iconic cornerstone of Nashville, the Zoo welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually. Ensuring its accessible to all, the zoo offers a variety of accessibility options, including strollers, manual wheelchairs and electric scooters available to rent, as well as different audio options, including an audio tour guide and Keeper Chat translations.
Outside of the accessible features, the Zoo has an array of delicious dining options to keep guests fueled during their stay, including burgers, pizza, barbecue, frozen treats, coffee and plenty of vegan options. Notably, a handful of the bathrooms in the park have their own exhibit, claiming the title of best restroom in the country!
To continue inspiring a culture of understanding and discovery of our natural world, the Zoo is heavily involved with international conservation and research efforts to save threatened species. Among its success stories is the birth of more than 40 clouded leopard cubs since 2009, the successful release of a total of 27 eastern hellbender salamanders back into the wild, the reintroduction of alligator snapping turtles to Tennessee waterways and recognition as a pioneer in the care of giant anteaters. The staff is even working on an official “anteater care manual” with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Program.
Check out these other highlights that set Nashville Zoo above the rest!
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Oh, the places you will go at Nashville Zoo! Backstage Pass Tours grant visitors access to animals, exclusive areas and adventures not available to the public. The zoo currently offers eight family-friendly tours to get up close to rhinos, giraffes, sloths, aardvarks, red pandas, cassowaries and giant tortoises. These popular 30–60-minute tours vary in touching and feeding opportunities. The zoo also offers a tour of their state-of-the-art veterinary center for those interested in animal care. All backstage tours include zoo admission, and ticket proceeds go right back to its conservation efforts. No matter which tour you choose, you are in the hands of walking zoo-cyclopedias.
Award-Winning Exhibits
To really understand the caliber of Nashville Zoo, look no further than the accolades it has received. The zoo recently earned back-to-back exhibit design awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is the highest accomplishment for exhibit design given by the AZA – the Best Picture Oscar for zoos.
In 2020, the Zoo’s Tiger Crossroads exhibit won the award following an extensive renovation that added a new viewing area with an interactive training window from which to observe the “streak” of majestic, endangered Sumatran tigers. In 2019, the AZA’s top honors went to Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear. In this completely immersive exhibit, you will find South America’s only native bear species, as well as pudu (the world’s smallest deer), guinea pigs, freshwater stingrays and cotton-top tamarin. (Pro tip: They are in the women’s restroom!)
What’s New at Nashville Zoo
What is next for Nashville Zoo? Growth, growth and more growth.
Expanding animal habitats and creating new adventures are important milestones at the Zoo. The all-new Leopard Forest is set to open in the Spring of 2025 and will be home to amur leopards, colobus monkeys, de brazza’s monkeys, klipspringers, and rock hyraxes. Leopard Forest will be along the path to the existing giraffe habitat and features four separate habitats.
The Zoo’s all-new, unique parking garage adds more spaces, (and shaded parking) for more guests. The two-floor garage features covered parking on the lower level and open parking on the upper level, complete with beautiful murals. A landscaped walkway with a waterfall and ramp will bring guests directly from the garage to the Zoo’s Entry Village.
The Zoo is currently in phase II of its ongoing Grow Wild initiative and will see the construction of a 40-acre African savanna and village (including lions!), plus an education facility with large classrooms and inspiration to learn about animal care and conservation.
Phase III will round out the African experience, with a leafy forest slated to house okapi, bongo antelopes, red river hogs and primates including mandrill, guenon and a family of gorillas. At nearly 200 acres, Nashville Zoo is the ninth largest in the country by landmass – and less than half of the property is currently developed. That means in the coming years, there is plenty of room to grow wild.
To plan your visit to Nashville Zoo, visit nashvillezoo.org/visit.
14 Outdoor Adventure Destinations Near Elizabethton to Explore
Outdoor recreation, history and small-town charm attract visitors to towns near Johnson City, Tennessee
