Zoos & Wildlife

You can read all you want in a book, but there is nothing like seeing the objects of your study up-close and personal when you visit a zoo, nature preserve, aquarium, or wildlife sanctuary. Visit the animal kingdom here in {{state}}, and you’ll find a fun and interesting way to learn more about the natural world.

Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park

Explore the animal world at the Chattanooga Zoo. Offers animal exhibits, educational programs, and special exhibits.

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Occupying 115,000 square feet in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is a 1.4 million gallon aquarium with over 8,000 exotic sea creatures from all over the world featuring dozens of 10-foot sharks and the world’s longest underwater aquarium tunnel. Also features, two petting areas, hourly dive shows, hourly marine lectures, two great restaurants, and a gift shop.

Knoxville Zoological Gardens

The Knoxville Zoo offers animal exhibit areas, including the African Forest, Grasslands Africa, a Kid's Zoo, and more. The zoo is situated on 53 rolling acres on the east side of Knoxville and features more than 800 animals.

Tennessee Aquarium

Located in Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium is the first and largest freshwater life center in the world. Journey through a spectacular 60-foot canyon and two living forests, where you will see over 9,000 animals that swim, fly and crawl in natural habitats. The Aquarium's exhibits guide visitors on a journey from the Tennessee River's source in the Appalachian high country, through its midstream, to the Mississippi Delta, and on to the great rivers of the world in Africa, South America and Asia. Visitors experience evocative living environments that recreate the habitats of the fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and insects that rely on rivers for their existence. Also features an IMAX theater.

Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo features animal exhibits, educational programs, and special exhibits. Highlights include Primate Canyon, Cat Country, the Northwest Passage, Once Upon a Farm, and a China exhibit.

Nashville Zoo

Nashville Zoo offers many animal species including cheetah, zebra, ostrich, gibbons, hyacinth macaw and more. In addition, the Zoo offers the Jungle Gym, the country's largest community-built playground, the Grassmere Historic Farm, the beautiful Unseen New World exhibit, exciting animal shows, educational programs and much more.