Nashville Zoo, Nashville

The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, located about 6 miles southeast of downtown Nashville, serves as both a zoological park and a site of historical significance. Established on a site that spans approximately 188 acres, it was the top paid attraction in middle Tennessee as of 2014, hosting a diverse array of over 6,000 animals from 339 different species.

This location also holds historical weight as it was originally a 300-acre farm that utilized slave labor, owned by Michael and Elizabeth Dunn. The original Dunn residence, constructed in 1810 through the efforts of enslaved people, still stands on the premises. Margaret and Elise Croft, descendants of the Dunn family, were the last to inhabit the area.

The land and the family home were bequeathed to the Children's Museum of Nashville in 1964 by the Croft sisters, under the condition that the house would remain and the land be used for educational purposes. Following Elise Croft's death in 1985, the museum began developing this educational center, initially named Grassmere Wildlife Park.

In 1996, a proposal was made by the then-Mayor of Nashville, Phil Bredesen, to relocate the Nashville Zoo to the Grassmere property. This proposal was accepted in October 1996, leading to the relocation of the zoo.

By 2019, the Nashville Zoo was actively involved in nearly 50 conservation initiatives. These included coral preservation, anti-wildlife trafficking efforts, and the protection of various endangered species both locally and internationally, such as the hellbender, cheetah, loggerhead shrike, alligator snapping turtle, streamside salamander, oilbird, flamingo, and Nashville crayfish.