The Little Rock Zoo traces its roots to 1924, when its first two residents, a timber wolf and a circus-trained brown bear, arrived in what is now Little Rock, Arkansas. Nearly a century later, it has grown into the state’s only zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a distinction that reflects strict standards for animal care, conservation, and education.
Spread across 33 acres, the zoo is home to more than 400 animals representing over 200 species, from African penguins to great apes. Several of its original stone buildings, built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, still stand today, including one now repurposed as an African lodge-style restaurant, giving the grounds a layered sense of history alongside modern habitats.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
- Opened: 1924
- Size: 33 acres
- Animals: More than 400 animals, 200+ species
- Annual visitors: About 307,000
- Accreditation: AZA-accredited (only one in Arkansas)
- Famous for: The last surviving 1924 Over-the-Jumps carousel
What to See at the Zoo
Highlights include the Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe, home to African penguins, the Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost, a Great Apes walkway, and an African Savannah mixed-species exhibit where animals like giraffes and zebras share open habitat. The zoo also participates in the AZA Species Survival Plan, supporting breeding and conservation programs for threatened and endangered species.
One of the zoo’s most unusual attractions isn’t an animal at all. The Over-the-Jumps Carousel, built in 1924 by the Herschell-Spillman Engineering Corporation, is believed to be the only surviving example of its kind in the world, as its wooden horses rise and fall with the track instead of sliding on fixed poles.
A Carousel Saved From Destruction
The carousel’s survival was no accident. In 1942, Little Rock resident Tom Fuzzell bought it to keep it from being scrapped, and it later earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. After years of advocacy by the Friends of the Carousel, it was fully restored, a process that involved removing more than 30 layers of paint to reveal its original colors, and donated to the zoo in October 2007, where it still operates today.
Explore more: more zoos and aquariums.
Hauls kids, coolers and souvenirs across a big zoo or park, folds flat for the trunk.
Little hands reach in, snacks stay in — a lifesaver on long zoo days.
Easier on your back than carrying in arms all day at the zoo.
Little Rock Zoo FAQs
When did the Little Rock Zoo open?
It traces its origins to 1924, when it began with just two animals, a timber wolf and a circus-trained brown bear, though it was long believed to have started in 1926.
How big is the Little Rock Zoo?
The zoo covers about 33 acres and is home to more than 400 animals representing over 200 species.
What is the Over-the-Jumps Carousel?
It’s a 1924 antique carousel believed to be the only surviving example of its kind, where the horses move up and down with the track rather than on fixed poles. It was restored and donated to the zoo in 2007.
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Photo: Southern Arkansas University / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.