Nashville Zoo Master Plan

In 1996, with the help of then Mayor Phil Bredesen and the Nashville Metro Council, Nashville Zoo was offered a chance to move from a 100-acre site in Cheatham County (northwest of Nashville) to a 200-acre site called Grassmere just six miles south of downtown Nashville.

The Master Plan for the new zoo is a great vision of the potential for Nashville's future. As with so many of the projects underway in our community today, the Zoo's goals are to serve our children and families while also drawing visitors to the city. Of course, Nashville Zoo hopes to do this in its own unique way while also providing the highest quality of care for our animals and contributing to the support of endangered species worldwide.

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What Has Already Been Accomplished?

Through the generous support of many individuals, corporations and foundations, great strides have been made in developing the now 183-acre Grassmere property. World-class exhibits make Nashville Zoo a favorite destination for thousands of people every month.

In addition to these exhibits, Nashville Zoo added a new entry bridge that guides our guests to our new Entry Village complete with restrooms, our Zoofari Cafe, Zoofari Market, Zoofari Outpost, and Shamba Market.

What's Next?

Nashville Zoo's Master Plan will expand the park into the remaining acreage of Grassmere. When complete, Nashville Zoo will be one of the largest Zoos in the country. Future exhibits will be designed and built to immerse our guests into the many environments of our world. Visitors to Nashville Zoo will wander into regions designed to reflect the plains of Africa, the rain forest of south America and the exotic landscape of Asia as well as other intriguing destinations.

Building a world-class Zoo for Nashville depends heavily on support from many local and regional organizations as well as support from the city of Nashville. The most exciting part of the Master Plan is that you can make it happen!

What Can You Do?

Your support will help the Zoo grow, and there are several ways you can get involved:

If you would like to know more about our Master Plan and ways you can help us achieve our goal to build a world-class zoo for Nashville, please contact us at .