Small, but mighty! The zoo was easy to navigate and very enjoyable. The family enjoyed everything from feeding the giraffes, seeing the spotless baby giraffe, our personal encounter with the penguins, and some pretty feisty primates. Growing pain: The snack bar was overwhelmed by the tremendous increase in visitors to see the baby giraffe. Sure they'll address in the off season. Well worth the trip to Tennessee! read more

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The staff was incompetent and had no sense of urgency. We got there 15 minutes after the zoo had been open. Based on what we saw and heard, it was obvious no one had yet been admitted to the zoo. After another 15 of waiting, no one had yet entered. We left. We won't be back. read more

One of the best zoos in the USA! It is spacious and clean. The animals are cared for by a very gracious, knowledgeable and friendly staff. There are monkeys, birds, zebras and all kinds of other animals from South America and Africa. If you ever find yourself in Tennessee don't miss this gem! read more

Bright's Zoo - Giraffes - Zoos Near Me - Limestone, Tennessee

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I went here with a facebook friends group. The price was soso but a lil pricey per person. This place has the only spotless giraffe in the nation. We were kind of able to see it but it was halfway in the barn. Well maintained. But sadly they had one of the walkways blocked off so we didn't get to see the camels and a bunch of animals in the last enclosure. But lots of cute animals. Before you even walk in they have an area with tables and chairs if you wanna have lunch there. read more

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This place is so amazing!! The animals are so well taken care of. They look so healthy!! The staff were very welcoming and helpful. The concession was reasonably priced. The bathrooms were very clean. At first, I was afraid that the price for entry would outweigh the experience but I was definitely wrong. Great inexpensive zoo to take the family without traveling very far out. We will definitely visit again! read more

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I thought the price was pretty stiff. Most animals exhibited seemed to be some kind of monkey.

had a great time with family never been so close to the animals at a zoo beflore like the giraffes, and some animals I had heard of buyd of before but never seen in person and they were wild to see very clean facility 10/1 reccommend read more

Bright's Zoo - Get to feed and get even closer - Zoos Near Me - Limestone, Tennessee

Great experience! If you have the chance to ride the train, it's a great learning experience. I took my 9 year old son, and his friend and they had a great time. They loved feeding the giraffe, and getting to see the spotless Giraffe. read more

What a gem! We were visiting family and I talked my husband into going to Brights. He didn't want to stating we already have a membership to our local zoo and I don't think he expected to see much, we were expecting perhaps a petting zoo. We were blown away. I saw animals I've never saw and learned so much! You have to take the train ride because you see some animals on it that you can't see otherwise. The staff were so knowledgeable and you can tell they take such good care of the animals. Mid way through the visit my husband went back to the front and got a membership so that we could visit again when we come back to the area. Things for all ages. My son passed out by the end of the day or he would have loved this huge covered shed area with tons of trucks near the goat feeding. Wish we lived closer! read more

Bright's Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Limestone, Tennessee

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A beautiful family fun day at brights zoo. Since most animals are rescue, they are all very friendly, and seem to enjoy the visitors. Nice day activity. I'm read more

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It's a wonderful zoo . We had a great time . We went to see the baby giraffe with no spots . You can get close to see the animals not too crowded . read more

Came here to see Kipekee, the spotless reticulated giraffe, and enjoyed so many other animals! I've been to bigger zoos and AZA zoos so this was one of my first smaller non AZA zoo visits, but it was great! We got to feed birds, giraffes and goats. Each feeding is $3 per person, and so worth it! I saw a couple of animals I've never heard of before which was really cool. Overall it's kinda small (from what I'm used to) but still thought it was a fun worthwhile experience! My only suggestion is check their hours before visiting! We drove 1 hour and 30 minutes just to learn they are closed on Thursday's, but we drive back out the next day and it was worth it! read more

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I thought it was a super cool place but when I was there I had a great time but there was an employee who was super rude and negative abt everything I went back in April and there was this school there middle school I'm pretty sure and the lady was extremely rude to them and wouldn't let them do certain things and was hatful to them the whole time when they weren't bothering me at all and I'm not sure if this is true but I think they got band because that's what I over heard but I think this hateful employee mixed some of the middle school kids with guest so bright zoo please put the employee who you might think this be in trouble or something needs to happen read more

Looking at Brights Zoo website I expected a small town zoo that would be a short time filler during a family vacation. I was so wrong! What a pleasant surprise! The six adults and four children enjoyed several hours at the zoo seeing many more animals than expected . We fed giraffes, panned for gems with the guidance of a friendly, helpful employee and visited their little gift shop. Fair admission pricing, well worth the stop. read more

The most rude people in business we have ever encountered. They took their angst out on a senior citizen my mom who is almost 80, a little foster girl and my husband a veteran for a simple mistake I made about feeding the goats pizza crust as I did not see a sign not to but would not have if I had seen it. I apologized for my mistake, but that was not enough for them. We were falsely accused about writing a bad review that a friend's daughter wrote that we never even saw, and 3 of our 4 memberships were terminated without even a partial refund. This is stealing from 3 people (my husband's was not terminated as he was not present but no refund was given, not even a partial one after he emailed to explain the situation further), when it could have just been mine they terminated. The director at first accepted my apology the day it happened and said he was just going to kick us out for the day but then changed his mind when the other bad review happened. It took me a while to even write a review, because I was so in shock about how we were treated and never want to give a bad review if possible. We hope others will not have such a bad experience like we did. We also hope others will not feed the animals. Part of our problem is that we were treated like criminals after these owners were stung by worse offenses such as raw chicken being thrown to the animals. I understand what I did was wrong, but I was unaware when I gave the kids the food to give the goats that it was not allowed, as we have fed animals at other places no problem. The way we were treated by the staff the day of the event and afterwards is unacceptable. We will never go there again. Spend your money elsewhere, because these people are jaded and can't tell the difference between an honest mistake by a foster mom and criminals. read more

At first, we had a problem trying to find the zoo. Our GPS did not want to cooperate. After a few calls for directions and speaking to Mr. Bright who was incredibly helpful we arrived for a day of fun. What an enjoyable day at the zoo. We were surprised to see how large this zoo happens to be. The spotless giraffe and all the other animals. The zoo itself is incredible no tolerance for unruly people which was a nice experience. A great way to spend a day outside and being entertained. This is a hidden gem. The way the enclosures were set up it is easy for a camera buff to be able to take photos of the animals with no signs of cages around them. Looking for something to do - check this place out you will not be disappointed. read more

My wife and I really enjoyed our visit to Bright's Zoo! I was really impressed with how clean the zoo is, the friendly staff, and the exotic nature of so many of the animals. You are able to get quite close to the exhibits it is a lovely place to spend several hours, walking the pathways under the trees, riding the train and enjoying the many various animals. We enjoyed it so much that we purchased the annual pass. read more

Fabulous place to visit! So much better than the Knoxville Zoo! Wide variety of animals to see, well kept, informative, affordable, and enjoyable! read more

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Absolutely one of the BEST Zoo locations I have visited! The variety of animals, beautiful location and the layout of the exhibits was perfect! Definitely worth the visit! read more

Went to a birthday party there, and after the party we went to the zoo. I really enjoyed the zoo, as it was clean, and the animals were healthy. It is a wonderful place to have a party for kids, with picnic tables & lots of fun things to do! read more

Great for something to do for the kids. They have extras like riding electric scooters that are animals and do some gem mining.

Brights Zoo was the best Zoo ever. The staff was more than hospitable towards me. The staff went above and beyond as far as friendliness and the best customer service ever. The food they had was the best. The Sweet tea I had five refills it was that great to Drink. The zoo was very clean and you can spend an entire day there. There was a lot of animals to see and the giraffe feeding was the best. The gift shop they had a lot of great things to biyI would definitely recommend visiting Brights Zoo. read more

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We went on Sept 1 2023 we had too stand in line for 30 mins but that's ok we had a great day .Thanks Brights zoo .

This zoo is fantastic!!! Being from California I've been to many and some of the biggest but this is by far the best zoo I've been to. They are so family friendly, the staff is a delight, and the prices are great! We only paid 2 bucks to feed a giraffe which was an amazing experience!! They do a generous military discount which is so appreciated! Such a gem in the middle of Tennessee!!! Don't miss it! read more

Bright's Zoo - Best day ever. - Zoos Near Me - Limestone, Tennessee

We always have the best time at Bright's. We've been 5 or 6 times now. Definitely feed the giraffes and try to catch a peek of the anteater. It makes for a very fun day outdoors. read more

I would recommend Brights Zoo. I brought my best friend and her 1 yr old daughter. The animals kept her attention. We loved seeing all the different species of animals. Well maintained zoo and you can truly see the staff and animal caregivers love what they do. We spent about 1.5 hours going through the zoo. The map they provide offers an excellent layout of the zoo. read more

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We were driving from Johnson City to Asheville, looking for something to do. We were skeptical when we saw a zoo in the middle of nowhere Eastern Tennessee. We are glad we stopped! It was amazing! It is a very well kept and cared for zoo with a great selection of animals. We will be back with family! read more

Fun place to take the kids. Probably a one time experience if they keep it the same but definitely fun to visit. The interactive bird exhibit and giraffes were the best. read more

One of the worst experiences I've ever had in a field trip. This has to be the most rude and greedy staff I've ever come in contact with!! When speaking about a group of special needs kids, the woman said she was fully aware of the "conditions" that those kids have! I'll never go back, and I will vigilantly try to keep others from doing so!! I wish I could give -5 stars!! read more

Awesome surprise find. Lots of great animals up close. Lovely and clean. Some fun activities including giraffe feedings. There is a schedule for the activities so check ahead online if there is something specific you might want to do, including the giraffe feedings. We spent about two hours there and took our time. There is a place for lunch, snacks, and drinks. read more

Wonderful place to visit with a caring and knowledgeable staff. Regarding that ridiculous review below, they would never sell Alf or any giraffe to a place he would be harmed. After some malicious people told lies about the Alf sale online, they have decided to keep Alf and are fundraising on Gofundme to pay for a new giraffe enclosure. They cannot keep Alf with their other giraffe because the current male giraffe would fight him or any male to the death. Male giraffe cannot be kept together when there are any female giraffe in the herd. I live in this area and have been to this zoo, which is exceptionally clean and well maintained. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly. I took my grandson to their Boo at the Zoo Halloween event last year and he had a blast. I doubt the person from San Francisco with the negative review below has ever visited Brights Zoo. Here is the GoFundMe link to help fund Alf's enclosure and get him a mate. https://www.gofundme.com/teamalf-new-facility read more

We were so disappointed. We are visiting from CT to see our grandmother and bought a Groupon to visit the zoo. Their sign said open and we traveled 30 min to be met with a locked door and a woman trying to talk to us through a double pane window. They said when it's lower than 50° they close, but it was 55° out. Super bummed. read more

My girlfriend and I recently traveled to Jonesborough, TN for work purposes. We had an extra half day to explore the area. Little did we know, when we decided to visit Bright's Zoo, we would find an impressive hidden gem in the vicinity. We pulled up an immediately were impressed. The zoo is extremely clean and the buildings/entrance are inviting. The prices are very reasonable and the staff is exceptional. A wide variety of exotic and interesting animals are located within the zoo and the enclosures are extremely tidy, well-cleaned, and of decent size. This is a wonderful place to relax and explore, even feed some goats if you like. I was thoroughly impressed. This attraction is a must see if you are within the Tri-Cities region. read more

Shady business practices and severe unprofessionalism shown by proprietor. Visited once but will never be back or recommend again.

Brights Zoo is an amazing place to visit. Reasonably priced, clean, variety of animals to see, and friendly, knowledgeable staff and keepers. The zoofari is great and well worth the time to do!! I can't say enough about the zoo and educational aspects as well as fun to be had while there. Feeding the giraffes is a huge highlight and the keeper talks so enlightening. read more

Just a fine experience. From 4 to 70 we all were so pleased. Truly a gem. Thanks to all of the folks who make it possible.

We loved this little zoo! Got to feed a giraffe which is on my bucket list and my 1 year old loved the squirrel monkeys.

One of my favorite places to go in the Tri-Cities area. Family passes are reasonable, meaning you can go a few times a year. Animals are well taken care of and the staff are very nice. read more

Great place to spend the day. There is not much out this way and the zoo is fun for everyone. The prices were not bad at all and you can go into a bird area and feed them as they fly all around you. read more

Bright's Zoo is a local gem. Very clean and a good opportunity to see all of the animals, even though many are in large areas where they may roam. The best part was feeding the giraffes. There are many opportunities to get some great photos of these sweet creatures who are obviously very much loved by staff. read more