Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park is a compact, manageable zoo with enough animals and children’s programming to make it a reliable family stop. Its size is part of the appeal: you can visit without surrendering an entire day.
Travellers coming for Lookout Mountain, the aquarium, or the riverfront may treat it as secondary, but families with younger children will find it useful. It is also close enough to central Chattanooga to combine with other city sights rather than planning a separate excursion.