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Location
Best time
Visit during warmer months when animals are more active and visible outdoors. Winter visits result in many animals being inside enclosures where they're not viewable to guests.
Visitor tip
Don't miss the Smoky Night Lights special event - reviewers describe it as a magical experience with live bluegrass music, fire pits, heated beverages, and gourmet food options that make it worth the cold.
Visitor tip
The Red Pandas are consistently highlighted as the best exhibit at the zoo - prioritize viewing them, especially if time is limited due to the zoo's smaller size.
About Zoo Knoxville
Zookeepers give educational talks about animals & kids can go on mini-train & carousel rides.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Zoo
- Location
- East Tennessee
- Animals & Species
- Over 1,500 animals representing 200 species
- Notable Achievement
- Red Panda Capital of the World with 110+ births
What visitors say
I attended Smoky Night Lights at Zoo Knoxville. What an amazing experience. You enter the Zoo at night and follow the lighted path to the experience while music is playing and building the anticipation of the show. When you arrive,…
Very nice zoo in Knoxville ! We love to travel and we visit zoos wherever we find them. This zoo is great ! It's clean and well laid out and the animals are thriving in their beautiful enclosures ! There were nice food and beverage…
This is a decent but very small zoo. There is zero flow. Half the time spent will be backtracking past the area you just came through. It's winter and cold so a lot of the animals were not outside, which is understandable, but you cant…
From 12,444 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- Zoo Knoxville offers interactive animal encounters including direct feeding experiences with Cuban Crocodiles, a rare hands-on opportunity not commonly found at most zoos
- Smoky Night Lights is a limited-time seasonal experience where visitors walk through illuminated zoo paths with live bluegrass music, fire pits, and specially curated food offerings in a dedicated barn venue
- The zoo features a specialized Joe the Sloth encounter as a dedicated interactive experience, suggesting a focused conservation or education program around this species
Other Zoos in Knoxville
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