Summer Zoo Planning

MonkeyBat

MonkeyBat

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Hello, everyone. I am in need of some advice regarding a trip I am taking this summer. Now that I and my family are fully vaccinated, we were planning on going down to eastern Tennessee to visit some extended family and down to Destin, Florida as well. I would, of course, like to make some zoo visits while I'm there!

I'm considering what's around in Tennessee. I'm thinking on visiting Bright's due to it's rarities. I would like to know what Eastern Tennessee/Western North Carolina and Destin Florida has to offer in terms of great zoos and rare animals. I know the Western North Carolina Nature Center may have small mammals to look out for, and Gulf Breeze has bay duikers and is not too far from Destin. Knoxville also has silvered langurs. Does anyone have any advice on zoos in this area and what places you'd recommend/rare species to look out for. It would really help!
 
Knoxville and Chattanooga are the two main zoos in east Tennessee. A Google Map search shows Appalachian Rivers Aquarium in Bryson City, North Carolina, but I don't know anyting about it.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Knoxville and Chattanooga are the two main zoos in east Tennessee. A Google Map search shows Appalachian Rivers Aquarium in Bryson City, North Carolina, but I don't know anyting about it.
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Unfortunately, Chattanooga's about three hours away from where my family lives, and yes, not a lot of information about the Bryson City Aquarium
 
There's tons to do in eastern TN! I did a quick trip up there late last year (my puppy's breeder is in Maryville). I liked Bright's. I didn't get to Knoxville, just because of how hilly it looks, but they have some great exhibits. Rainforest Adventures is decent (and has some rare mammals as well), and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is AZA. Ober Gatlinburg has an animal area but I didn't make it up there. Dollywood has an eagle sanctuary in it. For not so great places, there's Briarwood Ranch (the drive-thru part is nice), Three Bears General Store, Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Parrot Mountain.

Unfortunately most of the places in western NC are awful. There's Cherokee Bear Zoo, Santa's Land, Farmony's Safari Edventure. WNC Nature Center is really the only place worth stopping at. Chimney Rock State Park has a tiny nature center, and in addition to the Appalachian Rivers Aquarium (which hasn't been open long) there's the Team Ecco Aquarium & Shark Lab.

For Destin, the closest place is Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is right by the Gulfarium, but I don't think they're doing events yet. Over in Pensacola there's Uncle Sandy's Macaw Bird Park, not sure what they have. Emerald Coast Zoo is directly north of Destin on the mainland, I have no idea what that place is like. Heading east, there's Gulf World in Laguna Beach, which has the only rough-toothed dolphins in the US (world?). ZooWorld is in Panama City, it doesn't look like a good establishment.
 
TinoPup said:
There's tons to do in eastern TN! I did a quick trip up there late last year (my puppy's breeder is in Maryville). I liked Bright's. I didn't get to Knoxville, just because of how hilly it looks, but they have some great exhibits. Rainforest Adventures is decent (and has some rare mammals as well), and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is AZA. Ober Gatlinburg has an animal area but I didn't make it up there. Dollywood has an eagle sanctuary in it. For not so great places, there's Briarwood Ranch (the drive-thru part is nice), Three Bears General Store, Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Parrot Mountain.

Unfortunately most of the places in western NC are awful. There's Cherokee Bear Zoo, Santa's Land, Farmony's Safari Edventure. WNC Nature Center is really the only place worth stopping at. Chimney Rock State Park has a tiny nature center, and in addition to the Appalachian Rivers Aquarium (which hasn't been open long) there's the Team Ecco Aquarium & Shark Lab.

For Destin, the closest place is Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is right by the Gulfarium, but I don't think they're doing events yet. Over in Pensacola there's Uncle Sandy's Macaw Bird Park, not sure what they have. Emerald Coast Zoo is directly north of Destin on the mainland, I have no idea what that place is like. Heading east, there's Gulf World in Laguna Beach, which has the only rough-toothed dolphins in the US (world?). ZooWorld is in Panama City, it doesn't look like a good establishment.
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Thank you so much! This really helped!
 
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