Rolling Atlas

Memphis Zoo

Last checked: Oct 16, 2026

Provisional guide: the zoo's official pages cover most exhibits, restrooms and parking, but they don't describe the main entrance itself, tram accessibility or features for visitors with low vision. We'll update this guide as we confirm more.

At Memphis Zoo, "Most of our attractions, exhibits, and restrooms are accessible to wheelchairs." You can rent a wheelchair or an electric wheelchair, pick up a free KultureCity sensory bag, and park in accessible spaces by the front gate or use the front-gate drop-off (Memphis Zoo A-to-Z guide, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026).

Please confirm before you go: prices, tram dates and hours can change. Check the zoo's A-to-Z guide before your visit.

At a glance:
  • Accessible parking
  • Accessible restrooms
  • Heads-up: plan for distance
  • Heads-up: viewing heights

Plan your visit

  • Hours: the zoo opens every day at 9 AM and is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Monday–Friday it closes at 5 PM (last admission 4 PM); Saturday–Sunday it closes at 6 PM (last admission 5 PM) (Memphis Zoo A-to-Z guide, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026).
  • Parking: "a $10 fee to park in the main lot outside of the Zoo entrance off of Poplar Ave." Accessible parking is in the main lot, first come, first served, and "by the front gate"; if it's full, your party can be dropped off at the front-gate drop-off area (same page). The number of accessible spaces isn't stated.
  • Rentals: "$12 per wheelchair $32 per electric wheelchair," first come, first served, with an ID (Memphis Zoo plan your visit, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026; also the A-to-Z guide). You can bring your own wheelchair (A-to-Z guide).
  • Tram: "Tram Closed November through February." Otherwise a guided tour costs $4 per person for an all-day pass (same page). Tram accessibility isn't stated.
  • Service animals: "welcome in most locations," but someone in your party must stay with the animal while you go on a slide or ride, and service animals aren't allowed in any body of water, including the splash park (same page).

Heads-up: plan for distance. A May 2026 visitor noted that "Viewing all the exhibits requires a walk of about two miles" (TripAdvisor review, May 4, 2026, [Secondary], checked Oct 16, 2026).

Worth your time

  • Daily animal talks: the zoo's schedule lists a 3:00 PM penguin feeding at Penguin Rock (check the schedule on the day) (Memphis Zoo, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026).

Accessibility and ratings

See how we rate

What we found

From the zoo's official pages

  • Restrooms: "Most restrooms within the Zoo are accessible by wheelchair," including just inside the Front Gate and throughout the park. "For those restrooms that are not accessible, signage will direct you to the nearest accessible restroom" (Memphis Zoo A-to-Z guide, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026).
  • Slides: "All slides are on top of towers that utilize stairs," and staff "are not permitted to assist Guests on and off the slides" (same page). Slides are an optional extra and don't change the scores.
  • Sensory: KultureCity bags with noise-canceling headphones, fidget and tactile toys, communication cards and an access lanyard, plus a weighted lap pad, are "free (first come, first serve) with Guest Services by turning in an ID." Headphone zones are at Primate Canyon, the Zambezi River Hippo Camp, the Sea Lion Show Amphitheatre, the Cat House Cafe and Once Upon a Farm; quiet areas are at the Aquarium and Animals of the Night (same page).

Details not published

  • Braille, large print, audio or tactile programs for visitors with low vision.
  • Family or adult-changing restrooms, seating, and path surfaces or slopes.

What other sources report

Heads-up: viewing heights. Rolling in an RV also wrote that "Most of the enclosures have railings at eye level, making it very hard for visitors in wheelchairs to see the animals" (Rolling in an RV, Apr 2018, [Trusted firsthand source], checked Oct 16, 2026). This is a single report from 2018 and doesn't change a score.

Memphis Zoo

Category Rating
Overall 4 of 5 · Very accessible
Average of the 4 rated categories: (4 + 4 + 5 + 3) / 4 = 4. The 4.5 cap for a Why doesn't lower it further.
Entry & Arrival Not verified
The zoo says: "Memphis Zoo provides mainstream access whenever possible, while recognizing that each exhibit and attraction is different. Where it is not feasible to use the entrance, Guests can utilize ramps or lifts." This covers exhibit entrances, not the main entrance.
Getting Around / Paths 4 of 5 · Very accessible
Why: The zoo says "Most of our attractions, exhibits, and restrooms are accessible to wheelchairs," not all, so we take off one wheel.
The zoo says "Most of our attractions, exhibits, and restrooms are accessible to wheelchairs," so not all are; we have not personally verified this.
Restrooms 4 of 5 · Very accessible
Why: The zoo says "Most restrooms within the Zoo are accessible by wheelchair," not all, so we take off one wheel. The same guide also says "All restrooms are equipped to meet the needs of all guests, including guests with disabilities"; the narrower "Most" line governs.
The zoo says "Most restrooms within the Zoo are accessible by wheelchair," so not all are; signs point to the nearest accessible one.
Parking & Drop-off 5 of 5 · Venue states accessible
Facility-published info states it is accessible; we have not personally verified this.
Staff & Info 3 of 5 · Partly accessible
Why: Access contact listed (901.333.6500 / zooinfo@memphiszoo.org, for special accommodations), but wheelchairs are rented for a fee: "$12 per wheelchair $32 per electric wheelchair" (Memphis Zoo A-to-Z guide, [Official], checked Oct 16, 2026).
Rentals are first come, first served, with an ID. Not personally verified.

Paths scores 4 (Very accessible): the zoo itself says "Most of our attractions, exhibits, and restrooms are accessible to wheelchairs," a limit it states, so not every attraction or exhibit is accessible. Rolling in an RV's 2018 report of few hills is context only and doesn't set the score. The stair-only slides are an optional extra. Restrooms score 4: the zoo says "Most restrooms within the Zoo are accessible by wheelchair" and "For those restrooms that are not accessible, signage will direct you to the nearest accessible restroom," so some restrooms aren't accessible. The same guide also says "All restrooms are equipped to meet the needs of all guests, including guests with disabilities"; the narrower "Most" line governs. Parking scores 5: accessible parking is in the main lot and by the front gate, with a drop-off area. Staff & Info scores 3: the zoo lists an access contact for special accommodations (901.333.6500 / zooinfo@memphiszoo.org), but it rents wheelchairs ("$12 per wheelchair $32 per electric wheelchair") rather than lending them free. Entry is Not verified: the zoo's A-to-Z guide says it "provides mainstream access whenever possible" at exhibit and attraction entrances, with ramps or lifts where the standard entrance isn't feasible, but no source describes the zoo's main entrance. Overall is 4 of 5: the average of the 4 rated categories is (4 + 4 + 5 + 3) / 4 = 4, below the 4.5 cap that applies because the zoo states that some attractions, exhibits and restrooms aren't accessible.

Ratings tagged "not personally verified" rest on information the venue published or on trusted firsthand reports; we have not personally verified them.

Last checked Oct 16, 2026. Sources: Memphis Zoo A-to-Z guide (official) · Plan your visit (official) · Rolling in an RV, Apr 2018 (trusted firsthand source)