During my kids’ spring break, we found a nice day to head to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. We are members and love going to see the animals. However, on this trip we had two missions: to see the DinoTrek dinosaur exhibit and to play on the new inclusive playground. We were able to do both. I thought I would share our experiences.
The first thing we did was go to DinoTrek. DinoTrek is a walk-through prehistoric adventure with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs. It is so neat. All of us enjoyed seeing the creatures tucked in this little wooded area. There is pavement so it is wheelchair and stroller friendly. Some of the dinosaurs move, a few even spit, and most roar at you as you pass by. My family really loved the ones that had babies and eggs with them. We enjoyed learning about each species and seeing how different each one looked. There are warning signs before the ones that spit water in case you do not want to get wet; I was easily able to get by them without getting wet. Near the end of the trek is a little rope type bridge. I was able to get Emma across in her wheelchair but next time I will reverse our walk and go back to the entrance to exit. It was a little scary for her. At the exit, there is a little dig area to dig up bones and a fun little gift shop full of all kinds of dinosaur fun.
The Nashville Zoo DinoTrek is open March 11 to July 31 and is $4 per person, in addition to the zoo admission price or membership. This is located not far from the Soar and Carousal area. Tickets can be purchased online, at the Zoo’s Entry Village, or at the entrance to the exhibit.
Toward the end of our visit to the zoo we headed back to the entrance to check out the Jungle Gym and Promise Park inclusive playground that are finally open. The new Thisbe & Noah Promise Park inclusive playground is wonderful. It has handicap accessible areas and equipment. It is all rubber or fake grass – so easy for kids to crawl or run and climb on. There are so many neat little areas to explore. I loved Noah’s Nature Hunt, where you can hunt for all the cute little items hidden on the equipment. There is a big picture list on a sign that tells you what to look for. You’ll be able to play on a zip line, swings, slides, merry-go-round type toys, walls to climb, and so much more. The older wooden climbing structure in the Jungle Gym is still mostly open to explore as well. A few areas have been closed on it but not much. Kids of all ages will enjoy the newly redone playground for a long time to come. So, make sure to check it out on your next visit.
A new event at the Nashville Zoo for 2022 is Night Visions, which runs from April 15 to July 17. Night Visions is an after-hours event which requires separate admission. You’ll get to experience unique light displays synced to music as well as some of the normal Zoo attractions, like the Carousel and Zipline.
Lots of fun new stuff to check out and explore when you visit our lovely zoo.
The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is located at 3777 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211.