creation kingdom zoo

We visited a few years ago & my daughters loved it. They loved being able to feed the animals. We liked seeing animals that you don't get to see at any other zoo. Great place to go for the day with the kids!

This is a great place to visit as they have interesting animals including Zebras, Wildebeest and lots of monkeys. It is small but if you are in the area it is worth visiting. This is really more of a nature reserve than a zoo... nothing like the Knoxville zoo!

Kacie We're sorry you were not pleased with your visit with us. As one of the nations few privately owned breeding and conservation centers for over 14 years, and relatively new being open to the public (5 yrs), our approach to captive animal management is different from what many people are accustomed to when visiting a Zoo. The facility here refrains from the use of pavement and asphalt as we believe it negatively impacts the natural behavior of animals. Our primate enclosures all have tall grass in the bottoms for natural enrichment as they search for treats given by visitors throughout the day. This foraging is a natural behavior that consumes 70-85% of a primates day and is imperative to good mental as well as physical health. All pathways are fenced 10' paths which the majority of our visitors find easy to navigate. Our "immersion" type zoo brings the same vegetation inside and outside exhibit areas which create a sense of being in nature with the animals and in turn cause visitors to speak in "hushed" voices, allowing them to see animals engaged in natural behavior. Not "appearing" to look like your average Zoo was the Zoos intention as our goal has always been putting our animals first and teaching visitors that what makes animals comfortable is not always what makes humans happy. Our location was chosen because of its terrain, vegetation and proximity to major highways - all which impact reproductive rates. For 14+ years our facility has produced more rare and critically endangered species than many metro Zoos in the US. We are also one of the few private Zoos that is a member of the AZA Zoos Species Survival Program (SSP), actively working to preserve critically endangered animals worldwide. Our restroom facilities are temporary this season but will be permanent next season so we appreciate your patience while we transition to public viewing. As for a large number of primates, we do keep one of the largest collections on the east coast and 9 of our additional 21 more exhibits will be rare primates. Thank you for your input as we continue our mission.

After reading about this Zoo in a magazine, we visited this past week and loved it! Everyone has their own opinions, but the poor reviews listed on this sight are obviously jaded with other motives. I get so tired of listening to armchair experts make judgement calls in their reviews about businesses on topics they are neither educated in or have a clue about. Of course the animals have water! Really? You think a private facility who has invested that much money in rare animals and facilities wouldn't care for them properly? It was 91 degrees when we visited but the animals were quite content, looked very healthy and well maintained. The facility is well known and published for its conservation work with rare and endangered animals so I feel quite certain the animals needs are well met. Their natural approach to animal enrichment is refreshing so don't look for lots of concrete. It's beautiful. Well worth visiting. We'll be back the next time we're in town

This zoo was a great experience for my children. Very close to the animals. Can feed many of them including the monkeys, lemurs, and herd animals. Great family running the zoo. This place is a must see in the Kingsport Area.

Someone asked me if I had been so I looked it up and de died to take my grandchildren to check it out. We had planned a zoo trip but imagine my surprise to find such a delightful treasure hidden so close to home. It was large enough to make it a worthwhile trip and not so large that we were exhausted before we had been everywhere. The animals appeared well cared for and the staff answered any questions we had and even let the kids pet one of the turtles. She took time to explain it's natural environment and talked to the children with great ease. One of their favorite things was feeding the various monkeys, gibbons and lemurs. They loved the little ones that would sneak out to get banana that did not make it through the enclosure. The camel and other grain eating animals wee quite used to being fed from your hand. The new baby zebra was adorable. The only negative I saw was the porta-potties. I hate those but these seemed to be well maintained and did not have too much of an odor. The price is reasonable and they do not have overpriced food and stuffed memorabilia. The animals we embed to be their priority. We definitely will be going back when they get the giraffes. It was a good day for all. Thank you Creation Kingdom Zoo.

My family and I visited the zoo in July 2014. It was a fantastic time! Do not go expecting a "traditional" zoo, where everything is concrete and starkingly sterile. This zoo lets nature do what it does best: grow! The animals have natural environments for their animals. It's gorgeous!You can feed the monkey's banana and the hoofed animals pellets. It's quite amazing that these exotic beauties exist in the mountains of Nicklesville, VA. What a treasure!Word of caution: it's not stroller or wheelchair safe. It's hilly and uneven terrain.

This zoo was an awesome experience. Having traveled many places to many zoos, this one was so unique! It is so interactive and the staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. We were a group of 5 ranging in age from 6 to 76 and I can honestly say we all had a wonderful time. Interacting with the monkeys was a once in a lifetime experience! We will definitely be going back!!

We enjoyed spending about an hour in this little zoo. The animals were some we have never seen in other zoos. The employees were friendly and obviously quite fond of the animals. It was quite fun feeding the lemurs, zebras, and camel. We did have a one year old in a stroller and the walkways were very hard to maneuver the stroller. Would love to return in cooler weather, but $10 per person is a little steep for a large family to spend for just a 1-2 hour attraction. There is also a small covered picnic area and they offer group rates.

This place was recommended to us by the owner of the home we stayed in while in Tennessee. It's built on the side of the mountain and the animals are closer and you are able to feed some of them. Kids had a great time!

My family and I visited last week and had a wonderful experience. It was early spring so granted there were some bare areas less green than when things are in full bloom but we found the animals and enclosures to be well maintained and a nice change from the fake exhibits found in most large zoos. We saw many animals we have never seen in zoos before and being able to feed them was an experience not to be missed! Pictures never do a place justice, so go visit for yourself. I'm not sure why there is the one such negative review, probably jealousy or someone who complains about everything. It's a really nice place.

We're disappointed to hear your negative review following your visit. You visited during early spring before vegetation in the region begins to reach full foliage, as the tigers have plenty of grass in their exhibit. The Tiger exhibit was new and still undergoing construction during your visit that will be completed in two phases - the play tables were installed only days following your visit and a pool is scheduled for 2015. Our exhibits are completely natural and built with the animals comfort in mind. While big cats do enjoy some play, the majority of their day is spent sleeping and their exhibit areas provide them ample room for both. Our exhibits exceed federal guidelines for spacial requirements because we feel captive animals need to feel more at home with their wild counterparts. Most of our exhibits are twice the size of metro park exhibits. The Scimitar Horned Oryx herd was all present together, but some may be difficult to see at times while the rest beneath the shade trees toward the back of their exhibit. We see tens of thousands of satisfied visitors exhilarated with our natural approach to animal management, and intimate up close experiences. We also house some of the rarest animals on earth, seen in very few zoos, with unrivaled reproductive success. We encourage you to visit again.

Went there for something fun to do on a Saturday and had a blast. The animals are so close and seem so happy. The owners obviously love what they do and are true proponents of responsible breeding and conservation of endangered and threatened animals. Definitely worth the trip and the price.

This nice little zoo is located just north of Kingsport, TN in the wilds of Gate City, VA. It is a well kept assortment of animals with the opportunity to feed some. It has a nice, quiet location. The one drawback is the uneven terrain which makes it unsuitable for wheelchair use in many areas.

We went here for Halloween, had a great time seeing the different animals. They gave out candy and snacks for the kids, and had hot chocolate!