The cutest little animal park! A great date!Wear sneakers because the sidewalks end at some points, and it gets a bit sandy and muddy. You can also feed the animals, at your own risk (certain restrictions apply). No you can not feed the Lion. No you also can not feed the white tiger.The gift shop isnt too pricey and they have adult and children gifts.Yes they also have stuffed animals.A great place to take a date or if your home with the kids with nothing to do you can bring them on a little adventure here.Tickets for 2 adults costs about $25.

Such nice staff and you can actually get close enough to see the animals. We had an amazing day and for only a few dollars at that. We will definitely be going back.

Its decently priced and full of all kinds of animals! Great for kids and adults!! $12 for adults $8 for kids. Great memories

If I could put 0 star I would’ve done so. My family & I went to visit from out of state & saw how these animals looked sad & unhealthy. I don’t understand how this place is still open. They are killing animals slowly. The lion was very skinny and all other animals looked miserable. The state of NC should pay attention to this kind of stuff.

These animals are kept in cages here throughout their day to day lives with little to do. Not only do they need more space, but they could definitely use more appropriately customized cages/habitats too. They are wild animals, and theyre locked up. The poor babies are bored. Ive watched numerous videos on YouTube that were taken here and the animals I saw on that screen were clearly mentally abused to say the least. Could yall possibly put yourselves in their positions and do better?

Appsolutely horrifying. Im so ashamed of the people running this place. I wanted it to be a good place but I dont have not one good thing to say about it. Animals are in small dirty cages. Definitely not enough room for then. Smells horrible. Save your money go somewhere else.

For a small zoo, it was well maintained and clean. The animals are in small areas but what you expect for a small zoo. They do seem taken care of and dont seem sickly. My parents used to take me and my brothers there when I was a kid, there has been a lot of changes, all good. My daughter loved it especially the tigers and lion, cause it was her grandpas favorite animals. The keepers were very pleasant and seemed to care about the animals and what they do. I advise if you go, to go when its not hot, so you can enjoy watching the animals interact more.

We appreciate the opportunity to view the beautiful animals not native to our area. The habitats, animals, and grounds are well tended. The pathways are shaded which helps on hot sunny days. We enjoyed speaking with Mike about the animals and his love for them was evident in his voice and passion for the subject. We came at opening time and the animals were more active than our previous visits (which were later in the afternoon). I like this zoo for younger children because its a relaxed setting, animals are easier to see, and its 1.5-2 hours viewing. Theres a fun gift shop that my littles enjoy browsing as well. Cant wait to return next vacation!

Wish I could give this place zero stars. I dont know how this place is still open. Admission is ridiculously overpriced. Horrible enclosures for the sad looking animals. People need to stop going here! Its not an accredited zoo. Just another run down roadside zoo with miserable animals in tiny cages. Go to the aquarium up the road. At least that is accredited by AZA and they are about education & conservation. This zoo is just a tourist trap and they dont seem to really have the animals best interests in mind. Very sad experience.

This place is awesome ! We go for the Xmas trees where you get to cut them down for only $40 .a great family tradition .dont forget your camera

We went right after it rained, and it was very muddy or the paths were flooded. I recommend they get some volunteers to install a boardwalk for guests to walk on. (Might be cheaper than installing a drainage system.)Most of the animal enclosures seemed big enough, but not the ones for the big cats. The black leopard seemed the saddest. The monkeys seemed to all be in decent moods. Gift shop is very reasonably priced.

Animals look mistreated. This place needs to shout down. Stop abusing animals.

This animal park is wonderful. The animals were healthy and well cared for. There was a large variety of animals to see., Including a white tiger, giraffe, alligators , lions, leopards, monkeys and much more. Very affordable for families. We will definitely be back with our grandchildren.

We were pleasantly surprised at what a nice zoo this was. So many animals, good information, fun displays. So nice to walk the trails and paths around the whole park. The animals were healthy and most very interactive. Outdoor snack shack and tables. Plenty of restrooms. Fun gift shop at affordable prices.

Nice roadside style zoo. They seem to care for the animals the best they can. Would love to see the area a little more maintained, but overall, worth it!!

Horrible. i left this place regretting i spent money and supported the way they treat these poor animals. the animals just had the look of being depressed, miserable in this scorching heat and were seeking shade. most animals DID NOT have water. the lion was very skinny and malnourished along with other animals. their cages were filthy, do not recommend. the giraffe for example, was leaning against its hut and the otters water was so filthy I dont blame the poor thing wanting to not go into it. by the far worst experience not only for me but my children. shame on you.

Animal park is organized and surprisingly clean. The staff were nice and helpful. There are a variety of animals here and they appear to be well taken care of. My negative would have to be giving the animals more space in their habitats.The $12 entrance ticket is well worth it and we spent almost 2 hours here.

We had an awesome time. The animals were asleep, but that was okay.

Drove an hour and a half to come here. I’m used to city zoo’s so my expectations were a little too high. It took all of 20 mins to walk the zoo and we were walking slow ( with a toddler) that was disappointing since I paid $13 just for myself (toddler free) for 20 mins I wasn’t impressed with the small cages these animals were in. One lion, one giraffe, one tiger. Really? The looked really sad. A ton of monkeys.... mostly the same kid just spread out. Pathways were either grass, sand, or mud they did have a small pathway that was concrete. All in all it was just ok. .... wasted gas and money but we got a chance to get out of the house due to Covid. We won’t go back I felt really bad for the animals.

Did not enjoy this zoo at all. The animals are almost as unhappy as the staff. Mask wearing liberals who wouldn’t let us bring in a water bottle because people throw them into cages.. which made sense since they sell plastic bottles all around the park. I’d rather support Carole baskins park than give those snobby sheep another dollar.

Visited the other afternoon.. left feeling very sad and depressed for these animals.. small dirty enclosures and no activities for any of the animals to keep busy.. they look just as sad and depressed.. how do we help these beautiful animals because they deserve so much better

Well maintained for a zoo, cages were clean, well shaded felt like we were on a walking safari

Drove all the way from across town to let my 1 year old see animals for her birthday. They like to lock the doors before they say they close. Thanks!

Driving by this place I never thought too much of it, but inside is amazing! I never knew a zoo to be this close to home. They house all types of monkeys, tigers, a lion, a giraffe, camels, a zebra, special cats, special birds, farm animals, and more! They have bags of peanuts and corn and you can feed different animals. My favorite was one of the capuchin monkeys, he caught my peanuts! This zoo offers SO MUCH for $12 for adults and $8 for kids. The value is unparalleled. It is a self-lead tour of all the animals, most of which you can feed. They have snacks and drinks available at the concession stand and the bathrooms, while not air-conditioned, were good. They also have a gift shop with all types of souvenirs and knick-knacks.

This park is on lots of space, but made me very sad to visit. The animals looked miserable & the monkeys were looking for a way out of their enclosures. The sheep looked like they had mange, and the monkeys looked very sad. It was overall an experience that reminded me why I don’t like going to zoos: seeing animals who looked miserable in cages too small for them. These animals need to be surrendered to a park who could take care of them better. My favorite part was the roaming peacocks. Seeing them around was a hoot! Also, all the animals are very active.

Great fun time with family but the animals are sad. In small cages and very sad looking. It was fun just feel like the animals should be takin care of better and have waaaaaaaaaaaaay more room then they do.

This zoo is terrible and it should be shut down due to how small the enclosures are and how unhappy the animals are just like the staff. If I could give a Carol Baskin come find this zoo I definitely would. 0/10

Not as bad, as some reviews made it out too be!!! Was hesitate about going due to bad reviews. But decided to give it a try. Animals seemed to be well taken care of ,all enclosures where clean, staff was friendly. Perfect zoo for a small child. My 3yr old loved it.

Even do its small my kids and I loved it

Went to this Zoo for a fun activity close to home and it was very sad to walk through. I am very disappointed in the way these people take care of the animals. To start the Otter looked BARELY alive, and the exotic animals need bigger cages (the giraffe, tigers, and lion). Very sad to see the giraffe hiding behind a small building to get shade from the sun when it needs much more land to roam. Also the water in the Lion and Tigers cages was absolutely disgusting. No animal should have to drink out of water that is dark green, and I don’t think monkeys should be put in 6x6 cages with concrete. Almost all animals looked very sad, over heated and dehydrated or not taken care of. This Zoo made me very sad for the animals and I think the exotics need to be transferred to the NC Zoo. Disappointing and very sad for the animals here.

A wide variety of well cared for animals in large enclosures, plus a mist station by the lemurs if u get hot. Great gift shop too!!!

We really enjoyed watching all the different animals. There are giraffes ,alligators, lions, monkeys, zebras and so much more to see. The goats are wonderful, very sweet and nosey. The monkeys are show offs and my granddaughter simply adored them. We loved that the animals are well cared for. It is not a giant zoo, but you can easily kill half the day there. It is truly a wonderful little zoo. I highly recommend it, especially for the little ones.

I was surprised by the size of this zoo and how many animals were there. Love the entrance. Strange how you can look at the side view of the entrance it looks like a different animal then the front view

Even in a heat wave, we still had a great time walking thru the park. Huge variety of animals and you get to see them really up close. Gift shop was awesome!!

There were no attendance walking around at all making sure the animals had food and water... Some of the animals just looks so sad and tired. Im a big animal loverso in my opinion they need to do much better with taking care of these animals.

Easy and fun place to take small children or grandparents. Its an flat walk, most of it in the shade. Although it is a small facility, it has some unusual species. The gift shop is as well stocked as any fancy toy shop.

The saddest zoo ever. I left here with a heavy heart for these poor animals. It’s disgusting, they need to be shut down. Believe all the other reviews, the animals look so depressed. The otter’s swimming water was filthy. The bulls fence was damaged to where with a few more hits they can easily get out. It’s not the “best they can do” like someone else says these animals need to be surrendered.

Good stop for a non-beach activity. Modest assortment of animals including monkeys, a giraffe, tigers, birds, reptiles, and more. Takes about 1.5 hours to walk through with kids. Admission was $12 for adults, $8 for kids 2 and up.

We had a great time! It was $12/adult but I would have paid $15-20. It was clean, & the animals were taken care of. There was sooooo many animals. You will not be disappointed.

Had a great time. The staff is super friendly and the animals were adorable! The kids loved it!

I got to see lemurs up close. And this is one of the few zoos my kids actually had fun at. I also loves the signs along the way. The 1st picture is one of the signs they have at the zoo.

This is a nice park. The animals were healthy and well cared for. You will never be able to make the PETA crowd and other leftist nutjobs happy in comments sections like this. I would reccommend those kinds of people move to California and leave the rest of us alone. They should certainly never visit a working farm or watch a realistic documentary on predatory animals. They should stay locked up in their safe spaces where they can keep their kindergartener perspective on reality and not be upset by unsettling facts about the world.

Highly recommend, this was an awesome place to visit! Great staff, beautiful animals, and it was nice and shady on a hot day! We will be back!

Small but real interesting. Had a good time. Even through this COVID crisis

Very nice. We had a great visit! Grandchild memories!

EDIT:My family and I visited Wilmington for a couple days this week for spring break. We had never been to Tregembo Animal Park, and we really enjoyed ourselves.The animals were very close to us. We were just feet away from alligators and big cats!The children had a blast talking to the parrots, handfeeding the goats, and walking through the herpetarium.I originally gave the zoo 4 stars because of how much fun we had. I had my concerns, though. Immediately I noticed the cages for the birds and monkeys were concrete. Then we saw the black leopard, Shadow, who was pacing anxiously in his pen. The end of his tail was pink, and hairless, which was concerning.At the turtle pond there were gross conditions, and a turtle who looked sick, turned of its side.The giraffe seemed to have a few scars or marks on its chest and legs.Almost all of the herd animals were alone, which Im sure was pretty lonely.The wild hog pen was a disgusting muddy mess. I know they are pigs, but there was only one spot in the pen that had somewhat dry grass, and that is where they were laying.I had a couple other issues, but despite all of this, we enjoyed our time. We even spent some money at the gift shop, which had LOTS of beautiful figurines, and ocean themed treasures.After I we returned home, I did a little digging because of my concerns. I am very disappointed to read about the cruelty this zoo has been accused of, and the fact that two bears were removed as a result.As an animal rights supporter, I will continue to look into this issue and see if there is anything I can do to make sure these animals are getting the care they need.Thanks for reading. I hope my review is helpful for anyone.

No matter how accurately zoos attempt to recreate habitats, they will never be natural. While some zoos attempt to grant their animals as much space as possible, they can never recreate the natural expanse of territory found in the wild. Zoo animals spend day after day, year after year in the same enclosure. Birds can only flay so far, giraffes can only walk so many paces, elephants can only travel from one wall to another, and monkeys can only climb so high. Many species are used to traveling miles every day in nature.Zoo animals can develop any number of neurotic behaviors from the stress of captivity. These are scientifically referred to as “Abnormal Repetitive Behavior,” or ARB. In 1992 by Bill Travers, co-founder of the Born Free Foundation coined the term “Zoochosis” to describe this obsessive, repetitive behaviors, and described zoo animals behaving abnormally as ‘zoochotic’.A great way for kids to get to connect to animals in real life is by visiting animal sanctuaries, where rescued and rehabilitated animals are allowed to live in peaceful settings. I’ve included a links to lists of international sanctuaries below along with further resources.Other zoo alternative activities include visiting local parks, hiking trails, and basically, just going outside. We tend to undervalue the beauty and life in our own backyards. Kids can volunteer at local animal shelters, or even babysit neighbor’s pets to learn the importance of caring for and protecting animals.All of the lessons zoos are meant to teach our children are far more effectively taught elsewhere, and without the cost to the animals themselves.Teach your children compassion towards all beings. Animals are here with us, not for us.

This was a very depressing trip. The animals seemed neglected, and had awful enclosures.I regretted spending my money and supporting this establishment because I know that money isn’t going to help these animals.

Had a great time. Some animals you can feed. Great place for a family outing. Friendly staff. Very educational and most of their animals are used to people and attention so it can get quite entertaining at times too. Just a wonderful little zoo all around.

Great place to see lots of different animals. Had a good time walking around, watching the animals.

They have beautiful animals. But I feel like some of the enclosures are too small and most of the tanks are filthy. Food stands are never open. Gift store and entrance pricing is high.

My first time visiting a zoo ever. Umm it was okay, one or two of the animals looked as though they need some vet attention. I must visit the NC Zoo now. I wanna see the difference between the two.

I can understand being understaffed during Covid, but literally every animals water was super filthy, the poor single otter barely looked alive, and many turtles clearly had shell rot. Please take better care of your animals, it was kinda just sad to walk through :(

My grandsons liked it but got bored really quickly. Alot of walking

I love this zoo. I go at least 3 times a year(for the last 4 years)with my nieces. Its clean and the animals appear to be well treated and the zoo keepers are so nice.

I love this zoo, I come here often and its not bad on price

I grew up in Wilmington, this zoo was a staple of my childhood i always like going but I do remember feeling sorry for the tiger he really needs more space. My dad said 50 yes ago there was an elephant chained up by one leg out front by the highway. I know standards have improved since then

They had soooo many animals and the animals seemed happy in there environment also especially nice all but a couple birds that were all alone. Lol. That one with the orange on it white cockatoo. He seemed like he wanted a friend

I loved it lots to see... it was a fun experience

Just driving by and looking at pictures is depressing. Definitely doesn’t seem like a good place for all those animals.

Not AZA accredited. Tiny cages. Should be shut down.

Kids had a great time

Great little place to take the kids. Takes about an hour to two to see everything.

This place was so much fun even in the rain

I sat in my car and cried after we left here. These poor animals are in dirty enclosures, no stimulants what so ever. A majority of the animals weren’t even in the correct environment for their species. The staff wasn’t friendly at all when we came in which just leaves me wondering even more what kind of treatment they show their animals.

A must visit if you love animals.

Loved the animals but they dont seem happy in their environments. They dont have enough space per animal.

Easy to access. Smaller cages and exhibits. About a 1.5 hour visit for a 5 year old.

Shameful to call this place a zoo. We went while visiting Carolina Beach and the cages are small, filthy and a lot of the animals look like theyre in desperate need of care. Would NOT recommend this zoo!!!!!

Disturbing to say the least. Animals all seemed to be in ridiculously small cages with literally no free space to roam. They all appeared dirty and uncared for. Obviously the owners do not care because if they did, this place would be shut down or at the very least, taken care of. As a local this is incredibly sad to see and we will never recommend or visit again.

This family owned zoo was the best zoo I have ever been to in my life! I have been to, at least, 5 different zoos throughout my lifetime. What makes this place stand out the most is how different the animals respond to their environment and to the staff around them. The Tabby tiger, named Tabby, was not very interested in much, but as soon as one of the groundskeepers walked up... She was so excited! They played peekaboo, tiger vs man behind cage/cement style, and she was loving it! She was playing with the water that he was cooling her off with, and she would even purr for him. Thats something you dont see at the larger zoos... A human connection with the understanding that the animal is a wild animal, but needs love too! You have to go here!!! Lovely place!

Although a small park,the animals here are spoiled,& the people really care about them Ive been going there since before I could walk. Taking my kids this weekend!!

This is a smaller zoo that was wonderful to go visit. The staff are very friendly and informative on all the animals. Free roaming peacocks with other birds. You can feed almost all of the animals here. I am disabled and was able to go through the whole park. A lot of fun for the whole family.

Great place to take our grandchildren.

This place should be shut down. These animals are not living in their proper habitats. Small cages for the lions, tigers, ect. Tiger was in the back pacing it was so agitated. The white colored tiger in the front looks to be declawed which i find absolutely ridiculous! I wouldnt be surprised if these animals were abused they look miserable. Half these animals do not have food or water only a few of the monkeys had water. Animals living in boxes. Turtles atleast 200 of them living in a small confined water pit i wouldnt even call it a small pond. They were so over crowded they were fighting. Half these animals had dog toys in their cages for entertainment. These people should be shut down. Only thing they care about is money and it most definitely shows. I will be contacting peta or some type of animal rights Association to report this place. I have pictures of it all. Absolutely ridiculous i will not be returning to this place. Dont give these people your money they have these animals in small confined cages for entertainment and a quick buck.

It has absolutely nothing to do with being anti-zoo.. CLEARLY many, many, many people are saying this place is subpar.. to put it nicely.I have absolutely no problem with zoos. The NC Zoological Park is a beautiful place and I have been too many times to count.. This place is not a zoo though. This place is a For-Profit roadside animal attraction.This place has been open for 70 years and has expanded a whole 5 acres, housing 100+ species.70 acres.. 70 ACRES right behind Tregembo. 70 acres of untouched, beautiful Coastal Carolina soil.. which is now being rezoned for more housing.70 years Tregembo has sat there and has had so many opportunities to expand, and grow, a place with so much more room for its animals, a place that would make Wilmington, NC proud, instead of shameful.One of the supporters/family said it herself.. this place gets 10s of thousands of visitors per season.. $12 bucks a pop for adults and thats not enough to expand? Even with a modest 10k visitors not including children and thats $120,000.. now Angela made it seem like there are way more than just a very modest 10k visitors per season.They had 70 years to improve.. and 70 years to listen to the people, instead and focusing on the few good qualities and throwing random animal facts out. Reading the replies from the supporters/family.. laughing at real comments about a real concerns that SO MANY people have expressed.. I have visited this prison, and yes, there may be a few reviews of this place from people who have not visited this place, but there are SO MANY people who have.. the bad reviews are not libel, and slander. Everyone has their own opinion and I get that, the family/supporters of this establishment this things are just fine the way they are.. but when literally SO MANY people have expressed the same concerns..That should be a wake up call.Im sure that Ms. Tregembo is the best person that she knows how to be, and Im sure she loves all of her animals, and she has a decent heart.. but 70 years of little to no change, 70 years of hearing the backlash, and the negative comments, and genuine conerns.Nothing lasts forever and Im sure that there have been some great memories at this place.. for the people. I understand that this is a family business and has been passed down but sometimes you just have to know when its time to let something go.

Great zoo in Wilmington nc

Just would like to see the big cats looking healthier..It was an awesome experience!!! I will be back...Thanks from Florida!

Sad. They should surrender the rest of the large animals to better-equipped zoos and become a petting zoo. Tiny concrete enclosures is just depressing.

Not sure how this place is still open all these animals especially the lions, tigers and the giraffe have such a small pen its ridiculously sad the monkeys have no area to climb run do anything its disappointing and disturbing to see where is PETA on this one

Really enjoyed the trip to the park! The animals are wonderful! Great for a quick educational or enjoyment outting. I gave it 4 stars because you walk through the gift shop BEFORE seeing the animals. If you have a child with you, all they may want to do is get back to shop! But, upon returning home have some amazing pictures of the animals ready so they can remember the experience better. Id definitely recommend it and go again.

Felt sorry for the animals they looked so overheated ...but the artifacts the had were very interesting

So sad the conditions these animals are in. Broke my heart to see the loneliness, and depression on their faces. Especially the lonely giraffe hiding in the tiny bit of shade on the side of its shack (the inside must be 100 degrees +). no excuse to have these animals if they cannot properly care for them.

Interactive, you can feed many of the animals. Some of the animals seemed particularly stressed but it was also very busy and a hot day.

There was a wide variety of animals, although I noticed that they were a little decayed, perhaps the pandemic times did not go very well with their feeding.

Animals look well cared for, just wish they had bigger enclosures for them.

It was just okay. Too expensive and the animals were all hot and tired and werent active at all.

Loved all the animals there.... Really liked the black leopard and white tiger.

Its been a few years since Ive gone here but based on recent poor reviews it seems not much has changed. Im not sure what the positive reviewers are seeing, unless theyre just turning a blind eye. The animals here are kept in really poor situations and they seemed very stressed out by their habitats across the board (one notable example that has stuck with me was watching one of the large cats pacing back and forth across its fence over and over, which it was still doing when we circled back to it nearly an hour later). The enclosures are largely just glorified cages. Going here was honestly a bit depressing. Getting nearly attacked by a peacock on the loose on the paths was really the only highlight because it made for a good story.

I’ve been going to the animal park for many years. We used to live in Sentry Oaks subdivision our my property backed up to the zoo. All through the day we would hear the lion roaring from our house! My sister, daughter and I used to visit when it was named Totem Inn Zoo. The owner at that time had a mother and her baby bear cubs. My sister and I would go there about once a week and make subtle comments and show a lot of interest in the cubs, they were behind the counter in a playpen. One day when we went through the building the owner came outside and asked us if we wanted to play with them! Are you kidding! Baby cubs? We played with them and fed them bottles for about an hour. I can honestly say that was one of the best experiences in my life!Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! I posted four of my pictures on here. We were so impressed with all there is to see. Expect to spend at least an hour there, probably more like two if you plan on taking pictures and videos. I love the animals and plan to go back again very soon!

Very nice place. I just hate to see big animals in small cages.

Terrible place, these workers obviously don’t care about these animals, left in small tiny cages and they never have water each time I’ve been. Do not give them your money. PETA has literally been called on this place.

Loved this zoo lots of beautiful animals. Loved the way you walk around in the shade we were there in the middle of July and it wasnt hot at all. Kids will love it here because they can see Animals here that they may not ever get to see.

The animals are clearly well fed and cared for. The cages are clean.They have a nice snack bar and a neat gift shop. There are plenty of restrooms and the staff is super friendly. Its also neat how you can feed a lot of cool animals with corn and peanuts. They have a white tiger, sloths, an otter, a giraffe, and even a talking bird. Really fun environment for families.I gave 4 stars because I cant help but think that some of the larger animals could use a little more breathing room. Im sure they are regulation cages, but thats just my observation. Im not a zookeeper, but it looked cramped to me.But overall, definatly a good experience with this zoo.

It was good for a small zoo. Clean.

Going here just made me very sad. The animals tigers especially do not look happy in such a small area

Seems very sad to me. The animals’ environment and space was not just small but dirty with their feces. No animal likes to lay in their waste. Think of how we train our own pets. They have a lot of animals that children can enjoy seeing but supporting this is only enabling this mistreatment of so m any animals. I’m shocked nothing has been done honestly.

Horrible place. Poor animals have little to no room to move. Tigers seem very distraught. Cages are gross and not cleaned. Very sad place

This zoo is not good at all. The animals do no look like they belong there. it is pretty sad!

Went in this zoo 2 weeks ago and ended up getting covid and lost two relatives from them not being safe there also very poor customer service And extremely rude as well I absolutely would not recommend visiting here also we have done nothing but quarantined so i know we have not gotten it anywhere else