David Pyle

Review of Memphis Zoo

First off, I am a relative Zoo Pro. I have been t...

First off, I am a relative Zoo Pro. I have been to close to 10 zoos & aquariums in the last 2 years, and my wife and I are avid Zoo Enthusiast. Our trip to the Memphis Zoo was actually a pretty spur of the moment trip that included the Tennessee Safari Park as well.

The Memphis Zoo is definitely towards the top of my zoo list. The price is not crazy, there is plenty of parking, the food was good, and the Zoo itself is clean. Overall we enjoyed our trip. Even with the wearing of Mask (Something we have gotten used to) we were able to enjoy almost everything the zoo had to offer.

Pros:
--The EXIBITS are wonderfully designed. Many Zoos do not think through how a good exabits should be designed. At the Memphis Zoo, almost all the newer exabits have multiple if not all the way around viewing to ensure that even if the animal is sleeping you will still be able to see it.
--Theming was really great on the newer side of the Zoo. Each area is very well themed. At times it feels more like walking into a theme park area VS a Zoo.
--Variety of Animals was great! Its not just a little zoo, they have a ton of different animals, including many you don't see everywhere.
--Food Prices were actually very reasonable. A burger, fries and a drink for less than $10. That is something you do not see often! Not the best burger I have ever had, but still adequate.
--Related to the good exabits, but another note is that this zoo is a photographers dream. With a good telephoto lens, you can just about capture every animal up close.

Cons:
--Zoo layout is somewhat jumbled. We found ourselves back tracking a fair amount. Kind of wish there was a more clear "Path To See Everything". However we are still yet to go to a Zoo that this is done well.
--The keeper talks were a little embarrassing. I assume this was B or C team over the weekend, but several did not know answered to questions, and others just ignored the people a together. Also, the couple that were "Feeding" times did not even have a Keeper Talk. They just threw food into the enclosures.
--The additional cost for stingray touch pool is annoying. This should be included in the cost. No Zoo should ever have anything animal related that is additional cost once you enter the park. Especially given you could not even go see the stingrays without paying.
--Some of the older enclosures were closed. Not sure if they were being refurbished, but the circle barn only had 2 animals in it.
--The beer festival is annoying for normal folks that came to the zoo to see animals. I know all zoos are doing this these days for extra income, but for folks like me, its annoying to have to walk through groups of drunk college students that couldn't care less about animals and are looking for their next refill.
--The gift shop was very small, and not stocked well. We always buy a stuffed animal from every trip we take, and we could not find anything at this shop we liked. We decided to order some offline instead. It kind of ruins the magic of getting one from the actual zoo.

Notes:
--This zoo will take you over 2 hours at a fast pace walk.
--I recommend going left on the trail as you enter as that seemed to require the less amount of back tracking.
--Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking
--Get there early! It really helps to get ahead of the crowds
--Buy food! Its a decent price, so worth supporting the good prices.

Will add pictures to my review once I get them weeded down. Google reviews does not usually like my 600 pictures.