Nashville Zoo is a leader in education, conservation, and recreation in Middle Tennessee and is growing wild into the future with new expansions and features.
Parking Garage – Projected Opening 2024
To prepare for the Zoo’s expansions, we’re starting construction on a massive parking garage that upon completion will increase our parking capacity by 62%. Once complete, the two-floor garage will feature covered parking on the first floor and open parking on the second floor.
A landscaped walkway and ramp will bring guests directly from the garage to the Zoo’s Entry Village. The added space will have a huge impact on how many guests the Zoo is able to comfortably accommodate as we grow wild into the future!
Komodo Dragon – Projected Opening Summer 2023
This brand new habitat will be located beside the pathway that leads to the Zoo’s HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center. When completed, this exhibit will be the largest Komodo dragon exhibit in the Americas. It will feature an indoor and large outdoor viewing area so the dragons can be seen year-round despite chilly temperatures.
- The habitat is built to house two adult males, three adult females, and younger Komodo dragons.
- Red-crowned cranes will be outside in the colder weather while the lizards are in their indoor viewing habitat.
Komodo dragons are only native to the Lesser Sunda Indonesian islands and are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to rising sea levels. Nashville Zoo participates in the Komodo Dragon Species Survival Plan® to help ensure genetically diverse dragons amongst populations in human care.
Leopard Forest – Projected Opening 2024
Leopard Forest will be located along the path to the existing giraffe habitat and feature three separate habitats where guests can enjoy multiple viewing areas of each species.
- Species in these three separate habitats will include Amur leopards, colobus monkeys, and De Brazza’s monkeys.
- Zoo visitors will enjoy a unique view of the Amur leopards as they will pass above a guest pathway via an overhead transfer.
While the Amur leopard is not native to Africa and is native to the mountainous forests of Eastern Russia and Northern China, it is the most critically endangered leopard and one of the most threatened cat species in the world. Nashville Zoo hopes to replicate the breeding success achieved with other endangered species to help in the conservation of these beautiful cats.