The Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park — Attraction in Chattanooga

Well howdy everybody. Today I want to talk with you about the Chattanooga Zoo. I didn't go there as a family outing but on a school field trip. Our school system has a pre-k program and these were the kids I went with. A sweet group of boys and girls, all with special needs. If possible I like to look into someplace I might be going. I was able to do this with the Zoo. I checked on line and spoke to some folks who had been there. The impression I got was that it's a small place, more like a maw & paw operation just on a bit larger scale. I searched through the pictures and saw mainly animals. Granted, I didn't look at all of them but went through at least fifty. If any of you are familiar with any review I've done you'll know I don't follow the crowd. I look for a different angle, one that most folks overlook. I decided to look at the park itself. I think those critters have enough pictures. I doubt you'll be able to notice the photos I took, however they are there along with a couple videos too. I was pleasantly surprised when we got there to find a large parking area. There is a special section for bus parking. There were three or four greeters when we pulled up. One of them got on the bus to give the kids a quick overview of what was expected of them. The zoo itself is not really large. Taking your time it'll take about 2-3 hours to get through. The place is very well maintained and very clean. For my smoking readers the rules (see photos) state no smoking in buildings or enclosed places. I didn't see anyone smoking though. There is a large open area with grass and a few trees. Maybe a picnic area? Or possible future expansion? The snack area and gift shop are much the same you'll find at any zoo. Over priced food and lots of stuffed animals and other zoo items for sale at prices you don't want to pay, but hey, it's for the kids, right? There is merry- go- round but it was down for maintenance. There is a small train, not on tracks and kid sized. There is also a fairly large playground just outside for the little ones to run off more enegery. This is a really good spot for a day trip. In fact my wife and I are thinking about going in there next few weeks. Go ahead and get yourselves there, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Well I guess I'll stop now. Thanks for staying with me through the rambling. Talk...

This place looked desolate when I visited on 7/10/2025. Kudos to the lady who talked about the giraffes and duikers to my daughter and I. She let us feel what the tail hair would feel like. She is the sole reason to not give this place a 1 star. Her knowledge and care just made me happy. But the rest are all down hill.

More parking than animals/walkable acreage.(good and bad).

Now the baddies:

1.Gift shop employee followed me and my daughter around, like we were going to steal, no greetings for us, and no A/C. My daughter wanted to show me something else after we purchased some things, and the younger lady tells us that the exit is over there. We could have went back into the zoo, but she was kicking us out. This ruined the experience a lot.

Most employees are rude and uncaring. Most places like this, the employees will engage in fact telling and what not. The two employees in the ape room was just flirting with each other, instead of presenting their stand they had. No engagement towards the visitors.

A lot of dirty windows making viewing almost impossible at select times of the day. Bathrooms were dirty and stinky as well.

Kona ice, lady was on her phone and never came to the window. Had to ask if they are open. No greeting or regular employee customs(like a thank you/have a nice day). The flies on the syrup dispensers were crazy and seem unhygienic. I really don’t know why I allowed my daughter to eat it. It made my daughter happy and she isn’t sick so that’s a good...

It was a hot August day on our vacation and my special needs daughter and I decided to do the zoo anyway. It is a smaller zoo so it did not take long to see everything.

The animals were not overly active, who could blame them but there was still plenty to see. We were disappointed that there wasn't an elephant as that in one of two animals signs my daughter can do. I am not sure if we missed another way but the giraffe feeding was up some stairs and that did not work for my wheelchair daughter. Also, the red panda house was up a long ramp. Too much for me on the hot day so we skipped it.

I wanted her to take a train ride as she loves that but the train they have is not wheelchair accessible. The only option was to take her out and walk her in. Again, too warm, and too much effort. The gal did say that their carousel had a ramp. We were finished at that point and headed to the carousel. As you can see in my photos they have a ramp that you can push the chair up into and something to click her into. It only clicks in one wheel not two as the spacing didn't work. Please consider straps where we can have two wheels in. The carousel doesn't go fast and we had her brakes on so it was safe but extra safety never hurts. The girls running the carousel were very nice and helpful.

We left through the gift shop and since we did not see the red panda I purchased a small stuffy for her to have. It was almost $19. Overpriced...