In the mid 1800’s the Henry Farm encompassed over 500 acres raising grains, sheep and cattle as well as an orchard with Apple and Pear trees. For almost 150 years the farm operated before being sold into separate tracts with several being purchased by Marc and Elaine Bradley, the Henry’s great, great grandson and his wife, to be used as a conservation facility for their collection of rare and endangered animals from around the world.
Much at the farm has changed over the last 175 years but much has remained the same. Successful reproduction of some of the rarest animals on Earth has taken place here. Yet the landscape remains natural and the serenity unchanged. Having formed successful working relationships with zoos all around the country, the Bradley’s decided to restructure the facility into a working zoo to allow closer intimate encounters with its residents.
The vision was to merge the breeding and conservation facility into an immersion zoo, bringing visitors close enough to interact with rarely seen animals. This interaction would foster bonds between visitors and animals while bridging the gap between people and nature. The private collection of rare animals opened to the public for the first full season in 2010 as Creation Kingdom Zoo. With ongoing construction, the Breeding Facility moves more of its residents into the public area each season with new exhibits annually.
The Zoo is one of only a few zoological parks in the country that is 100% self funded. They chose to receive no state, federal or grant funding. Creation Kingdom Zoo continues its conservation mission with zoological parks around the nation and is one of the few privately funded zoos that participates with the Species Survival Programs (SSP) because of their large collection of endangered species and unrivaled reproductive success.
Only minutes from Kingsport, Bristol, Johnson City and surrounding areas, Creation Kingdom Zoo is a leader in interaction, conservation and education. We are “Making A Difference.”
