Bear Hollow Zoo
Athens, GA
- Admission
- Free
- Accreditation
- None listed
not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Everything below is directory information drawn from public sources and the zoo's own site.
Animals at Bear Hollow Zoo
10 confirmedMammals5
Birds4
Feathers & Fangs from visitors
What people who've been to Bear Hollow Zoo say
A Feather is something this zoo does well; a Fang is something it gets wrong. Left by people who've been, and read by us before they appear.
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About Bear Hollow Zoo
Bear Hollow Zoo is operated by Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, and sits inside Memorial Park at 293 Gran Ellen Drive in Athens. According to the county's page, the zoo houses non-releasable native wildlife that serve as species ambassadors, meaning animals that cannot be released and now represent their species to visitors.
Admission to the zoo is free. Only service animals are permitted inside the zoo, per the county. The zoo is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Exhibits and habitats
The county lists the following current residents: American black bear, North American river otter, beaver, red fox, American alligator, eastern spotted skunk, white-tailed deer, bald eagle, barred owl, great horned owl, eastern screech owl, and various reptiles and amphibians.
Reptiles and amphibians are housed in the zoo's reptile house. The zoo's support page lists animals available for sponsorship, which besides the mammals and birds above include the opossum, eastern box turtle, gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake and pine snake.
Conservation and programs
Bear Hollow Zoo runs several education programs, according to the county.
- Self-guided field trips. School groups can visit on Mondays and Fridays at no charge with advance registration, and group leaders receive self-guided tour maps.
- edZOOcation programs. These include a 30-minute ambassador animal presentation in which students meet three ambassador animals, plus a self-guided tour map and a four-hour picnic shelter reservation. They are offered Tuesday through Thursday for groups of 10 to 60 students, with one adult chaperone required for every 10 students.
- Zoo-to-You outreach. Staff bring one hour of wildlife education, including ambassador animals, to classrooms on Tuesdays through Thursdays. The program is not available to locations an hour or more away, and fees are on the county's page.
- Birthday parties. Party bookings are listed on the zoo's page, which also links to volunteer sign-ups.
The county states that field trips are not offered in June and July because of the zoo's summer camp programs, and that self-guided tours and formal zoo programs will not be available in Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 because of SPLOST construction.
Through the Adopt-an-Animal program, donors sponsor an individual animal at one of four giving levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond. Donations go toward enrichment, food, exhibits and wildlife education, and the zoo also keeps an Amazon wish list for direct gifts.
Planning your visit
As listed on the county's website, the zoo is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Memorial Park itself is open from 8 AM to sunset. The address is 293 Gran Ellen Drive, Athens, GA 30606. The zoo can be reached at 706-613-3580 or bearhollow@accgov.com.
What we haven't confirmed
Everything above came from public sources. These specifics we haven't stood behind yet:
- Zoo history and opening date
- Parking
- Details of the construction projects and any exhibit closures
Bear Hollow Zoo compared with nearby zoos
How Bear Hollow Zoo lines up against the closest zoos we have details for — useful if you're deciding between them for the same day out.
| Zoo | Distance | Admission | Hours | Size | AZA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Hollow ZooThis zooAthens, GA | — | Free | Daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (inside Memorial Park, open 8 AM–sunset). | — | No |
| Zoo AtlantaAtlanta, GA | 58 mi | $27.95–$36.95 | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm | — | Yes |
| Greenville ZooGreenville, SC | 85 mi | $15 | Spring/Summer (Mar 7 – Nov 2): daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Fall/Winter (Nov 3 – Mar 6): daily 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Last admission 4:00 PM. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day; annual maintenance closure Feb 2 – Feb 13. | — | Yes |
| Parrot Mountain and Garden of EdenPigeon Forge, TN | 130 mi | $29.95 | Hours not published on the homepage; 2026 season opened Feb 28. | — | No |
Distances are straight-line. A dash means we haven't confirmed that detail yet, not that the zoo lacks it.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Bear Hollow Zoo: common questions
Does Bear Hollow Zoo charge admission?
No. The county states that entry is free.
What animals live at Bear Hollow Zoo?
Residents listed by the county include black bears, river otters, beavers, red foxes, American alligators, white-tailed deer, bald eagles, several owl species and various reptiles and amphibians. All are native wildlife that cannot be released.
What are the zoo's hours?
As listed on the county's website, daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Can visitors bring pets?
Only service animals are permitted inside the zoo.
Does the zoo host school field trips?
Yes, with advance registration. Field trips are not offered in June and July, and the county states that self-guided tours and formal programs will not be available in Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 because of SPLOST construction.
Something wrong here? Tell us — we correct in place, with a dated note.