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Saturday, July 23rd we braved the heat (105 degrees) to visit the Nashville Zoo on Ice Day 2010. Growing up in Baltimore, I’ve been to the DC Zoo and the Baltimore Zoo several times, and it seems Nashville’s Zoo, though laid out nicely, seems smaller to me than the Zoo’s around my hometown. I was greatly disappointed that the Flamingo Lagoon was not open and the trail heading toward the cougars (by way of the Flamingo Lagoon) was closed due to construction. My guess is that there was a delay with the opening because of the extreme flooding in May. I really enjoyed the Bamboo trail, it provided a lot of the much needed shade on such a hot day.
Maybe it was just bad timing but it seemed to me that a lot of the exhibits along the Safari trail were closed or animals were caged at the time we passed through. I will have to go back again when the weather cools down and see if we have a better experience.
I was however, able to get several great shots of the animals we did see along the way. My favorite being the giraffe, she was such a graceful creature and really got close enough for me to get some great shots.

General Review of the Nashville Zoo:

I was impressed with the ample parking and that there were no surprise parking charges that many attractions like this seem to have. Admission prices were very fair ($14 adults, $9.00 children under 12). Food was adequately priced ($3.50 for a hot-dog) at least what you would expect for a venue like the Zoo. Bathrooms were clean. Staff seemed very friendly and knowledgeable about the animals they worked with/cared for (we caught the cougar feeding and the animal talk at the giraffes exhibit). There is NO SMOKING on the grounds, which for a smoker is a bit bothersome, being this is an outdoor attraction I feel they should offer a smokers section at least near some of the gift shops/restrooms.
The FREE ice cream from Blue Bell was the highlight of my step-son’s day (I was slightly disappointed with the rest of the Ice Day activities their website seemed to hype it up a bit more than what we saw).
The Nashville Zoo offers a few photography classes in the fall that I may sign up for. All-in-all the trip was worth the cost (even in the extreme heat) and I will visit the Zoo again.

Gallery of shots