Explore the Animal Kingdom at the Nashville Zoo!

The Nashville Zoo is a wonderful outdoor adventure.  Although it's smaller than many, the animal exhibits are well done and it’s very well-staffed and maintained. And, of course, you can typically see an abundance of animals from flamingos to monkeys (check out my family’s favorite exhibits below). 

On top of the animals, my kids enjoy riding the train (near the turtles) and riding the charming carousel (please note, both require extra tickets beyond admission price). The massive jungle playground – for when you’ve seen all the animals – is an added bonus! It’s big enough you can spend an hour here without getting bored. For older kids, there’s the Soaring Eagle zipline.  For a zoo, it feels open and more natural (limited animal barriers, enclosures, bars). There’s tons of trees (great for shade), nice pathways for stroller manipulation, and plenty of places to pull over for a quick break from the action.

The zoo itself can be hard to navigate as there are two main loops that can be confusing. Grab a map at entry so you aren’t walking in circles.

Our favorite zoo stops: 

• Flamingos, due to proximity and number of birds;

• Kangaroos, as you can actually go inside the ‘kickabout’ and pet them (you must stay on the path!);

• Petting zoo (goats, pigs), due to the ability to interact with the animals;

• Andean bears, for both the bears' beauty and the new exhibit space;

• Meerkats, because you can actually get in a human-meerkat hole and be a part of the fun;

• Monkeys, which are actually inside the ladies' bathroom inside the Peru exhibit!