I finally visited today for the first time with a girlfriend, and we easily spent four hours…read morewalking around and seeing the different animals. Some of my favorites included: the red pandas, gibbons, great apes, otters and tigers. The zoo was especially busy today because of Spring Break week, but the great thing was that we never felt crowded or claustrophobic. There were places to purchase food like Beastro's Cuisine and Safari Smoke House, but we brought snacks and beverages to hold us over for our visit. I highly recommend the Knoxville Zoo for anyone looking for something fun to do when visiting our scruffy little town. Know before you go: 1) Tickets are $26.95 per adult, $21.95 for kids ages 3-12, seniors, and college students. Free for active military/veterans and children (2 & under). 2) A $2 ticket fee is added to all in person ticket sales. Save time and money, by getting your ticket online. 3) Parking is available in upper and lower lots. Handicap parking is available as well. All parking is $5, or free for membership holders. 4) Everyday they have animal encounters at different times where you can personally meet the animal ambassador and caretakers and get to chat with them. My favorite was the red panda encounter which is at 3pm everyday. 5) They do have a greatly curated gift shop with something for everyone including magnets, hats, clothing merch, and stuffed animals.

This is such a great zoo! The animals were incredibly active and we loved the red pandas. They have…read morea military discount as well as AAA. We ended up spending most of the day here and enjoyed the selection of animals.

A VERY hard working rescue and sanctuary meets petting zoo. We were escorted by several frisky…read morePygmy goats. There are a lot of animals ready to engage the family....if you purchase a food bucket. Plan to get a little dirty or simply don't purchase food. Exotic birds, a tiger, a zebra, camels and water Buffalo, all being cleaned up and taken care of. Remember that most of the animals here have a story if rescue! This isn't some highly funded zoo with fancy enclosures but the animals are being cared for and are supplies enrichment and care. We loved our experience and the volunteers and staff were all approachable and working hard.

What an amazing place! We fed so many goats and deer and saw so many other animals. We all had a…read moregreat time.

I came for the Asian Lantern Festival for the third year. It was beautiful! It seemed to be a…read morelittle smaller this year, but the fantasy theme was gorgeous. There were more areas for interaction and pictures this year, which was great. I love that they have the wings every year and that they are always a bit different. I've come when the zoo is open during regular hours, but it's been a while. I'll have to visit again soon.

The Chattanooga Zoo was so much fun! It took around 2 hours and we went on a Tuesday afternoon so…read moreit was not crowded at all!

This is a widelife sanctuary about 10-15 miles outside of Knoxville. They have probably over 100…read moreacres of land and I believe the French Broad River runs through it. They technically don't encourage having your pets off leash but everybody does. This place will definitely be a picture of what doggy heaven looks like. They also have a narrow paved road that runs between the area, great for walking, running or biking. I will consider bringing my bike out here once it warms up in the spring. The only thing I didn't love about this place was that the roads leading up to it are very very narrow and curvy. I guess that is a norm for living in the mountains but something I'm still not used it. Makes me really nervous. However, I'm sure to make many more visits to let the dogs loose. They definitely had a blast!

Beautiful. Miles of trails. Benches by the river. Wonderful wildlife, particularly deer, beaver and…read morebirds. Lots of quiet and privacy.