Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Tennessee
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Tennessee that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Animal encounterOn-site diningKeeper talk or show
Zoo Knoxville
Zoo in Knoxville
The animal population runs between 800 and 1,500 individuals of 200 species. Animals on show include River Otters, chimpanzees, gorillas, African lions and Hamadryas baboons.
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Keeper talk or showPlaygroundOn-site dining
Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park
Zoo in Chattanooga
The city founded it in 1937 with two small cages, 4 by 6 feet, for rhesus monkeys. A predecessor, Oxley Zoo, dated to 1900, after Colonel F. Oxley of Bridgeport, Alabama gave $500.
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Rides and attractionsOn-site diningMobility equipment loan
Memphis Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Memphis
Over 3,500 animals from more than 500 species are kept on 76 acres, about 55 of them built on. Set up in April 1906, it has been a principal occupant of Overton Park for a century and more.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourGuided tour
Nashville Zoo
Zoo in Nashville
As of 2014 it held 3,736 animals of 352 species and was the region's top paid attraction. It draws roughly 1.2 million visitors a year.
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Tennessee Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Chattanooga
It opened in 1992 beside the river in the downtown area, with a large expansion following in 2005. Cumulative attendance has passed 20 million, the 20-millionth visitor arriving in March 2013. Two further public sites are run away from the main halls.
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Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Zoo in Hohenwald
Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is a zoo in Hohenwald, United States.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 6 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.