GeorgiaZoo Atlanta, historically the Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo, is one of the oldest continuously operating zoos in the United States, located in Grant Park just south of downtown Atlanta. It traces to 1889, when businessman George Valentine Gress bought the animals of a bankrupt traveling circus at auction and donated them to the city, which housed the menagerie of big cats, camels, bears, and other animals in Grant Park; the collection later doubled in the 1930s with a gift from Asa Candler Jr. The zoo is renowned for its western lowland gorilla program, embodied by the beloved silverback Willie B., who lived there from 1961 until 2000 and, after decades indoors, moved to a naturalistic outdoor habitat in 1988. Today the zoo is known for its great-ape and giant-panda exhibits and its conservation and research work.
Atlanta-fulton County ZOO
Georgia history, up close and curated.
Atlanta-fulton County ZOO is a museum in Atlanta, Fulton County. It is one of 28 museums documented in Fulton County, among 643 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 33.7397, -84.3717 near Atlanta. The nearest cataloged historic site is Grant Park (historical marker), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Texas, The, Fort Walker, and The Bobby Jones Story.
This record is drawn from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
Zoo Atlanta, historically the Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo, is one of the oldest continuously operating zoos in the United States, located in Grant Park just south of downtown Atlanta. It traces to 1889, when businessman George Valentine Gress bought the animals of a bankrupt traveling circus at auction and donated them to the city, which housed the menagerie of big cats, camels, bears, and other animals in Grant Park; the collection later doubled in the 1930s with a gift from Asa Candler Jr. The zoo is renowned for its western lowland gorilla program, embodied by the beloved silverback Willie B., who lived there from 1961 until 2000 and, after decades indoors, moved to a naturalistic outdoor habitat in 1988. Today the zoo is known for its great-ape and giant-panda exhibits and its conservation and research work.
Sources: georgiaencyclopedia.orgzooatlanta.orgen.wikipedia.org
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