Okay, I grew up sandwiched between Erie, PA and Cleveland, Oh. The Cleveland zoo is large and has the Rainforest bio dome. The Erie Zoo manages to make up just 15 acres...
But I'm not entirely sure you should compare Nashville to those zoos... First of all, N'ville's layout is much better. The animals are spread out in natural looking enclosures instead of smushed in rows of cages.
No, there aren't currently a lot of animals, but the zoo is on phase 1 of a 4 phase plan to massively increase their size and exhibits. Also, the zoo has 100 acres currently developed and is on the way to developing the other 100 acres.
Also, in addition to the zoo animals, there's a historical home (Tours are April-October, plus Christmas weekends, then Memorial Day - Labor Day all week long...) with it's out buildings, gardens and cemeteries, and the farm.
So yeah, the price is a little higher than some 'zoos', but there's a uniqueness to Nashville that makes the zoo worthwhile.
Pros: Croft House and increasing size
Cons: a little pricier than other zoos
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