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Memphis Zoo
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Memphis Zoo
Pandas! I couldn't believe that we were the only ones in the panda exhibit! Since you can only see pandas in the US in three other zoos, I thought it would be really crowded but it wasn't.
The layout could be better. I felt that we were backtracking at times but it was a nice day so walking was nice.
Small enough to see all of it in one day which is good for kids.
Now I love zoos and I LOVE our zoo! A great size, easy to walk, wide paths, a tram if you want to ride slowly around. The old exhibits are being modified and upgraded and there is always something new going on---just completed the Teton Trek and the Zambezi River and a Old Forest trail are coming soon. There are tigers in Cat Country, gorillas in Primate Canyon, polar bears in Northwest Passge and grizzly bears in Teton Trek and the awesome pandas in the China exhibit! The younger kids love the Farm. A membership pays for it self very quickly. Great any day it's open. For those TN residents without memberships you have a free enter (except parking I think) on Tues afternoon.
My wedding reception was at the zoo in the courtyard. I worked with Sally and she was a dream to work with, and she never, ever, said no. When I wanted something, she always said she'd see what she could do, and more often than not, she made it happen. For example, you can pay extra to get a handler bring out an animal to greet your guests; they had lots of creepy crawly animals like snakes, lizards, birds, etc, but I wanted something cuddly, like lambs. They had never done lambs before and they weren't even trained for that purpose, but Sally made it happen. The lambs were trained in the months and weeks leading up to my wedding and they were a huge hit! So cute. They totally tried to eat my flowers by the way.
The courtyard was very reasonably priced, but keep in mind you have to pay for all the extras like tables and chairs. It doesn't come with any of that stuff. But the layout was PERFECT for a large-ish wedding reception. It was never crowded or uncomfortable. One thing I will say is that I wish I had known that the lighting was so dim. It was really pretty dark, and if I'd realized that, I would have hired a lighting guy or something.
One nice thing about booking the courtyard is that you have the option of changing to the cat house cafe if it rains. The decor in that building is very African safari-inspired though, lots of reds, greens, yellows, and blacks, so you have to be willing to live with that.
My company had an event in the Northwest passage, and similar situation, only there may not be anything you could do about it. The lighting in the main room was so bright and it affected the ambience. Just something to keep in mind. Other than that, the Northwest Passage was a VERY cool venue for a party. Quite a bit more expensive than the courtyard though.
The areas available for events include the Courtyard, the Cat House Cafe, the Northwest Passage, and the China exhibit.
I guess I'm kind of a zoo snob, (fav is SD Zoo) but honestly, this zoo makes me feel depressed. It could have been the weather that brought down my mood (very cold windy gloomy) or the weather was affecting the animals moods, who knows? I just felt bad seeing them in their enclosures braving the cold--there wasn't much shelter available to them. This can be good for you because then you can see them right away, but then you just start feeling awful because they have zero privacy and are "on display" so we can gawk at them.
The layout of the zoo was pretty easy to navigate and we didn't have to backtrack too much. The exhibit designs were pretty nice. My favorite was the tiger one with Angkor Thom resemblances. There were a few exhibits where I wish they had underwater views (ie. hippos, penguins). The China exhibit featuring the pandas was impressive. Lots of photo opps. The pandas themselves were REALLY cute. Both were going to town on their bamboo piles and the female is actually pregnant! Or at least I thought she was, they had a sign saying they had to shave her stomach to do an ultra sound, but they can do ultrasounds for many other reasons.
I enjoyed the few feeding shows where we could talk to the keepers. I wish the zoo provided more information for the exhibits. It didn't feel like they were really trying to bring awareness to how human's actions can affect these beautiful creatures in the wild. And I didn't see any recycling trashcans either. But Memphis isn't really big on recycling in general or minimizing their trash. (big disappointment, I know...right?) Oh and parking is $3. And there is no student discount.
BTW, I don't know if the animals could smell the BBQ on our clothes, or if they could tell we were different (I don't think they see a lot of Asian folk), OR if it was just feeding time, but some of the smarter animals either came toward us or stared at us. It was kind of cool because I got a lot of good photos. :D
pandas pandas pandas! I have an obsession with pandas ever since I discovered that my bf looks just like one. When I found out that the Memphis zoo is one of the four zoos in the country with real life pandas, we simply had to stop by. The pandas did not disappoint. There are two pandas here on loan from China and they are adorale! The zoo built an entire Chinese exhibit and it's clear that these pandas are the main attraction at the zoo right now. The rest of the zoo was nothing special although it was very clean and they had an impressive cat collection. It reminded me a lot of brookfield zoo in Chicago which is a quality zoo, although nothing as big and grand as the famous san diego zoo.
If you aren't a zoo person or a panda person, you can probably skip this if you are a tourist. If you have children though, this is a great place to go, obviously, esp. b/c of the panda exhibit. It's a nice zoo and it's located at the overton park in Memphis which is a great place for a stroll.
I almost cried when I finally had to leave the pandas b/c they were just that cute. Well the girl panda actually looked pretty depressed and sickly, but the male panda was simply to die for. He said that eating his bamboo sticks with great fervor and it was the most adorable thing in the world.
One of the best zoos I've been to, and I am very picky about zoos since I used to be a zoo keeper. Give yourself more than 2 hours if you want to see everything without feeling rushed.
One downside: I read in the local paper before we went that the sea lion show promotes recycling, while the zoo has no containers for recyclables. This seemed to be true. It's pretty disappointing, but maybe the editorial will get them to start practicing what they preach.
Great zoo. Not the best layout, or always as clean as I'd like, but amazing exhibits, and I love the pandas and polar bears. And we've met some wonderful staff members, always ready to answer questions. You can tell they love their jobs. Great zoo to visit and a must see for every native and visitor.
One of the best in the country, period. I prefer it to the San Diego Zoo. It's not big to the point of being ridiculous, but the selection of animals is truly astounding. I thought their cages were well-done, and the zookeepers were even all over the place willing to chat about the animals. A fantastic experience.
This zoo is one of the best in the country and a hidden gem in Memphis. When I was younger one of the highlights was crawling on the giant statues in front of the gates and wading in the stream once you get inside. I realize that it's forbidden now (and probably was then) because of safety concerns, but that was the main reason I loved to go. Now I love going because their exhibits are amazing. The Northwest Passage and the China exhibit are two of my favorites. There's also Creatures of the Night, Primate Canyon, and Cat Country, to name just a few others. I recommend buying the family pass just so you can back whenever you want. I believe Tuesdays afternoons are free (only during the summer?) because that's when my sister goes.
Nice zoo, friendly staff and lots of animals to look at ! Including pandas and a dragon. ooo.
Best zoo in Tennessee, by far. Very new and clean.
