Brights Zoo

Rachel S (Ray)

2024-05

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Tim Bonnett

2024-04

I love zoos. I had no idea this place existed until I was looking on Google Maps for places within 1 hour from Kingsport and it came up. It's quite a big zoo for a family owned facility. The grounds are immaculate and the paddocks are huge. Very impressive collection of animals, many rare species.I'm biased as a reptile lover so I wish there was a large reptile room with more scaly friends. Hint: if you build it, I will be your reptile keeper!!I enjoyed the giraffe feeding. A lot of the animals seemed to interact with me which was cool. So at the end of the day, I bought a year pass. I will visit often.

Pat Jones

2024-03

I took my granddaughter yesterday. The zoo is immaculate, the walkways are so nice, landscaping is amazing and the employees are the BEST! Everyone from the young man letting us in the door, the clerks, the concession workers and the zoo employees throughout the park were so friendly. You could tell they were genuinely nice, not just a customer service face. Definitely recommend! Oh and the burgers are delicious!

Zeb Duffey

2024-04

Great zoo, honestly it is, especially for self funded you can't beat the breadth and scope of the size of this zoo. It's truly impressive. I understand they are a breeding facility for other facilities/zoos and have several conservation efforts in place for endangered species. The only ding I'll give is small enclosures for some animals. Especially the big cats section, they paced pretty heavily back and forth as if they were miserable in their small enclosures. Also the giraffes have a little more room but not much... and it's all gravel, if the owner replies to this please explain the gravel, it's less than esthetically pleasing but maybe it plays a role for mud or something. EDIT: after a response from the zoo owner I can say that I change my review to 5 stars.. though, to mitigate confusion about enclosures maybe have a sign or 2 explaining the giraffe enclosure so people are not confused

Jimmy Barnes

2024-05

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Strawberry Fields

2023-11

We recently visited Bright's zoo with our Little's first grade class for a field trip. It was a nice place and everyone had a great time.They are open from 10-5 which is plenty of time to make it through the zoo. Their parking area is kind of small but has more room than you would think.They have animal food that you can purchase for a little extra (You can feed anytime for the goats but there's a schedule for giraffes/penguins)You will be given a map when you enter but it's very easy to navigate, mostly a big loop with signs to let you know where you are, where you're going, and what type of animal you're looking at. (Along with a few fun facts along the way)There are restrooms conveniently located on both sides of the park. Everything is handicapped accessible. They even have ride- ons for rent, for easier navigation of the park.They also have a concession stand that offers a little bit of everything including drinks, Pizza, fries, hamburgers, ice cream, etcetera.No outside food is allowed. Neither are straws.Our only complaint was the honey bees at the picnic tables and concession areas. They were ruthless. Of course, it's to be expected around food and stuff and we don't blame the zoo for that.We will definitely visit again.

Wendy Allen

2023-10

Cute family owned zoo that makes it obviously known they truly care for their animals and the staff seem to be valued as well. Animal exhibits are for the most part well kept, clean and maintained with fresh water and regular feedings. Some exhibits seemed older and perhaps needed refreshed and it seems the owners are in the process of more improvements. The staff make it a priority for guests to know the rules to keep animals and humans safe. Very knowledgeable about the animals and interact with the guests by answering questions and engaging kids with the animals. Guests can pay extra to feed birds, goats and giraffes. The giraffes are very popular right now with the birth of the very rare spotless baby, so the zoo was busy and some of the feeding spots were sold out for the day. Food options were mostly junk food (pizza, burgers, Dinonuggies) at the concession stands so I would have enjoyed some healthier options. We ate off the grounds due to the limited choices. Parking was easy and this made for a nice afternoon with the family. Bathrooms were dirty yet again place was very busy and perhaps we just went at the peak time.I can only imagine how much a family has to factor into running a zoo so kudos to this team for being welcoming and taking care of the animals very well. It was obvious and I cannot stress that enough.

Gisela Carr

2023-11

First time there. Mainly wanted to see the spotless baby giraffe. That was a treat to see. They have so much more! Numerous animals I've not seen before. To me, in some ways, it's better than Knoxville Zoo. Went Oct. 15th. There was a chilly wind and some animals stayed inside. It is a great place to spend an afternoon. We'll definitely return on a warmer day.

Logan Williams

2024-02

Sits on 104 Acres Off the Beat, has a safari and plenty of walk paths and animals.. REALLY IMPRESSED. Been in the area 5 years never heard of it, before the spotless Girraff Female. 6 w & 1 Day old when I saw it. Today. Has concessions kids play area, Goats to feed and @ 1 you can feed the Giraffes... Awesome with $23 or whatever it was to get in. Check it out.No Map of the Safari

Taryn Score

2023-10

Amazing family run zoo!! We arrived early and were first ones into the zoo. Pathways were wide, but could be close to animals. Animals were active and a great variety. The giraffe feeding was well done. In small groups at a time on platform, so time to get pictures. The spotless giraffe was cool to see, but kids were impressed with other animals as well. Great anteater, many types of monkey/gibbon/lemurs, undertaker bird, and many others.

Dennis Burns

2023-10

Brights Zoo was an awesome experience. Especially with the spotless giraffe, Kipekee! We were fortunate enough to see her and the other baby giraffe playing in the large pen by chasing each other. The other animals were alert and looked great in their enclosures. We arrived 30 minutes early to an almost full parking lot. Kipekee has raised quite a stir for the area and USA! Be sure to make your way here.

ash bragg

2024-04

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Erica Wolf

2024-04

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Mme. M

2023-10

Wonderful local zoo with attractions to delight all ages! This zoo features a great variety of unique animals to learn about, including the incredibly rare spotless baby giraffe, Kipekee! We were delighted to see her at a young age! The zoo is well-maintained with knowledgeable staff who are eager to answer questions. Great location for an afternoon visit!

Heather

2024-04

I would not consider this a family friendly zoo. You are not allowed to bring in any outside food. I walked back to my car to leave the food. When I came back I had some snacks buried at the bottom of my purse. Normally I would have just said forget it and toss them but our family has allergies and snacks for us are not cheap. Once again we had to take the items back to the car. When I went in to purchase a membership, I informed them I wanted to purchase the a family of 4 membership and a one time ticket for the other family member with us. I was told that the family membership goes up to 9 but was never informed that there would be a cost difference from the 4 people to the 6 I signed up even though I had asked when I first requested a membership. I spent $350 for a family member instead of the $220 I had planned on. I wish they were more upfront on the pricing. Knoxville Zoo has more to see and, very family friendly, allows for outside food to be brought in (this is great for families with food allergies!) and the price for their membership (family of 8) is $185. If you are within an hour driving distance I would recommend Knoxville over the Bright Zoo when it comes to membership.

Tina Sturgis

2023-11

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Monet Shepherd Otero

2023-12

Nice small zoo with lots of farm type animals and some various others. While we loved that the animals have so much open space to roam it was challenging to see them at times, especially with multiple layers of fencing. Easy to walk around and lots of shade.

BlackGold 39 Caroline

2023-09

Brights Zoo is an unforgettable experience that you definitely don't want to miss. Not only is most of the zoo shaded, which provides a comfortable environment for visitors, but the animals are also well kept and clean. The zoo grounds are meticulously maintained, adding to the overall appeal of the place.

Mark Kennedy

2023-11

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Derek Huber

2024-04

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Ashley White

2023-10

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Matthew Mccorkle

2024-04

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Patrick Franzen

2023-11

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Kay Powers

2023-09

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SHEENA Y

2023-08

It's alittle pricey for the size of the zoo however love that you can feed the giraffes and goats. Would be nice to be able to feed monkeys like creation Kingdom but love that it provides ample shade areas from the sun. The drink machine near giraffes need updated as it's $1 bills only and no debit cards or change machine near by. Would be nice if they had some big cats but Overall kids had a good time.

Tiffany R

2024-05

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Tracey Magdeburg

2023-10

So ya'll have heard about only the second giraffe in captivity to be born without spots, right? This baby giraffe is believed to be the only known solid-colored reticulated giraffe in the world, according to Brights Zoo. Reticulated giraffes are a subspecies of giraffes. In fact, Kipekee (which means unique in Swahili) is the first giraffe of her kind without spots since one that was born in Tokyo in 1972, according to David Bright. Well this family-owned Brights Zoo is right here in east Tennessee in a small rural community called Limestone. It was a beautiful and picturesque ride to Brights Zoo along winding mountain roads. What a totally awesome visit. Several different kinds of monkeys, zebras, kangaroos, exotic birds, penguins, giraffe and so many other animals were sooooooo cool. The staff was friendly and very informative. What a great way to spend the day 💖

Alyssa Shockley

2024-05

Rude staff, even rude to each other. Women checking bags were hostile, one specifically to her coworker and also myself. Not a friendly environment that is welcoming or appreciates your business. Some animals have large areas while others are in a box. You could easily see everything this zoo has to offer in less than 30 minutes if you wanted to, which does not reflect their high price point.

Alexis

2023-12

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Shannon O'Neil

2023-09

OMG! It was well worth the 5 hour drive! My daughter & I had a blast! We went to see the baby giraffe, Kipekee. The zoo keepers were so friendly & open to answer questions from everyone! The animals are well taken care of. We did the behind the scenes experience with the penguins & it was above our expectations! 10 out of 10 recommended!!!