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All 41 Knoxville Attractions »

Knoxville Zoological Gardens

350 Knoxville Zoo Drive, P.O. Box 6040, Knoxville, TN 37914
865-637-5331
Ranked #16 of 28 attractions in Knoxville
3.5 of 5 stars 72 Reviews
Type: Zoos
Activities: Viewing wildlife
Fee: Yes
Description: Knoxville's largest year-round attraction, Knoxville Zoo is situated on 53 acres and home to over 800 animals from around the world.
Useful Information: Activities for young children
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72 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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    12
    10
    7
Date Rating
Asheville, North Carolina
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

The knoxville zoo is very nice and walkable for little children. Not too spread out and the attractions can be seen by the little ones as well as the display glass is usually down low. Check out the red panda;s, they are so cute... They have free days periodically so check for these days. More

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See 4 more reviews by Erik B for Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2012

They have so much to offer, with young kids can easily take two days to really enjoy. More

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See 8 more reviews by alicia j for Knoxville
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 May 2012

I thought this zoo was way overpriced for what they have to offer. on top of that they even charge for parking. I have been to much nicer zoos and at a more reasonable price. More

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See 6 more reviews by William O for Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Top Contributor
81 reviews 81 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

And if you're a Knox resident, you need to come back- our little zoo of old has turned into a first-class operation with great animal exhibits and several more are under construction. Right inside the first thing you see is "Black Bear Falls" and it is an amazing facility. The observation areas include 'tunnels' with porthole windows down low to... More

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See 23 more reviews by h71857 for Knoxville
Upstate NY
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
52 helpful votes 52 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We love zoos, but like other reviewers, we were disappointed. Price was steep when MANY cages were empty and there was a great deal of construction. They also charge $5 for parking on top of the $19.95 entrance fee. In a few years, I'm sure it will be much better, as you can see the improvement efforts. Lots of kids... More

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Knoxville, Tennessee
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 April 2012

I have visited several zoos and can consider based on size, the Knoxville Zoo offers a great show. In contrast, the National Zoo in Washington DC (free admission) was much less attractive with overgrown exhibits, closed displays and an emphasis on fowl. The K-town Zoo is home to the Red Panda, Einstein the talking Parrot and Baby George. More

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See 6 more reviews by KDAAG for Knoxville
Robbinsville, North Carolina
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

It has been about 20+ years since I've been to the Knox Zoo and I guess I was expecting more this time around. The $19.95 adult fee seems a bit steep (Nashville is $15 and Asheboro NC is $12). A lot of the animals were not on display, probably due to the cold weather coming in. The park was clean.... More

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Charlotte, North Carolina
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2012

My nephew and daughterearbes about the animals and still great time, the food is great try the lemonade as well More

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Radford,VA
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 April 2012

We love coming to this zoo. It is a 4 hour drive to get here. The park is well laid out, and is a beautiful walk. We saw most all of the animals with the exception of large turtles. We found it to be very clean overall. The reptile area is the exception. The windows need a good cleaning so... More

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Plymouth, Michigan
1 review
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 April 2012

The zoo is over-priced at $19.95 an adult (although I saved $2 by buying at Kroger). Many of the exhibits were closed or the animals were not out. The animals that were visible looked depressed. The zoo was not very clean and was pretty small. The reptile area was particularly bad. The positive was that it was a nice walk... More

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