The WNC Nature Center is a beloved local nonprofit as well as a frequently recommended stop for visitors. But did you know that their facility, originally titled Recreation Park Zoo, first opened its doors May 30, 1925?
Recreation Park Zoo’s Early Years
Asheville’s Playground opened at the former WWI Army training camp site for the National League of Woman’s Service in 1921. As more facilities were added in the years to follow, Gashes Creek and Swannanoa River Road were connected by a bridge and hydroelectric dam. New additions included a merry-go-round, ferris wheel, shooting range, and a zoo with exotic animals in 1925. By 1929, Recreation Park Zoo was home to lions, black bears, hyenas, pumas, wild hogs, timber wolves, a baboon, monkeys, buffalo, elk, deer, zebra, golden eagles, a peacock, owls, raccoons, snakes, gray foxes, and an Asian elephant. The barn, a structure that remains today, also included a petting zoo.
Friends of the WNC Nature Center Creates a Shift
After years of popularity, the zoo was forced to closed from 1943-59 as a result of hardships brought about by WWII. Despite this bump in the road, they encountered a successful re-opening in 1959, with over 1,000 weekly visitors. However, the facility was near closure in 1973, due to poor conditions observed by the US Department of Agriculture. They quickly made enough improvements to remain open, but this close call sparked a shift. With the financial support and research of the Junior League of Asheville, the Founding Mothers of the WNC Nature Center, and the community, the zoo was on its way to transforming into a children’s zoo and nature park. According to the timeline of events on the WNC Nature website, “Originally named The Nature Society, the Friends of the WNC Nature Center was incorporated in March 1975. The Society helped develop the Center’s new mission: To educate the public to the natural history and ecology of Southern Appalachia.”
A New Beginning
On May 17, 1977, Asheville welcomed the Children’s Zoo & Nature Center with a grand opening and several new inhabitants. The peacocks and barn remained, as did Henrietta the elephant until she died in 1982. In the years to follow, the Nature Center expanded their facilities with a naturalistic exhibit for North American river otters, a four acre expansion featuring red and gray wolf, cougar, and bobcat habitats, spacious small mammal habitats for red and gray foxes and raccoons, nature play areas such as the Arachnid Adventure climbing web playground, a remodeled reptile and amphibian house known as Appalachian Station, a new front entrance with additional parking and restrooms, a red panda habitat, and 19 new animals in 2023. This new beginning was made possible by the Friends of the WNC Nature Center and the WNC Nature Center working “hand in hand to support the animals, education programs, and conservation initiatives of the Nature Center.”
Supporting the WNC Nature Center & Celebrating History in 2025
One big stride in history for the WNC Nature Center was becoming accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a title held by fewer than 10% of animal exhibitors, and maintaining this title since 1999. One hundred years after their doors first opened, they continue to evolve and expand. The Gateway to the Southern Appalachians project, started in May 2024, is slated to wrap up in summer 2025. The project includes a butterfly pollinator garden and immersive guest experience, a renovated barn and farmyard, and an expanded Gift Shop. Catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Helene cut off accessibility to the Center at the end of 2024; fortunately, minimal damage to the facility was quickly repaired with support from the local community. Until its gates re-open for visitors, you can support the WNC Nature Center in celebrating these historical milestones by following them on social media as they share stories, trivia, invites to celebrations, programs and activities, and fundraising events.
