The Most Eerie Abandoned Zoo In Texas That Time Forgot

Rusted cages overgrown with vines, empty animal enclosures slowly crumbling, concrete pools filled with leaves instead of water, walking paths where families once strolled—now silent, abandoned, eerie.

The Cisco Zoo opened in the 1920s, to the delight of residents in rural central Texas, situated in the shadow of a dam where this small zoo offered a chance to see flamingos, monkeys, bears, and many other animals.

The fun came to a grinding halt in the 1930s, and it’s been abandoned since then.

Most people drive through Cisco on I-20 and never know it’s there, hidden behind trees, forgotten by time for nearly a century, until the long-abandoned ruins were repurposed as a hiking trail.

The Glory Days and Dark End

When a dam went up on the outskirts of the North Texas town of Cisco during the oil boom in 1923, officials decided the hulking cement structure could double nicely as a zoo.

Someone donated a deer, another contributed a bear, and eventually an assortment of animals moved into damp quarters next to the 96-foot edifice that forms Lake Cisco, which still supplies drinking water for the city.

During its heyday, people would come from miles away to see exciting and exotic animals, and there were also cottages on site for zoo visitors to stay in during their trip.

The zoo was opened in 1923 and ran for almost 2 decades before closing with mysteries left unsolved, with news articles published about the death and possible poisoning of the bear, followed by the deer.

Financial struggles, aging facilities that couldn’t meet even 1930s standards, and those mysterious animal deaths led to closure.

The animals were relocated, but the city couldn’t afford demolition. They just… left it. For nearly 90 years, nature reclaimed the concrete grottos, rusted cages, and crumbling pathways.

Walking Through the Ruins Today

This is a 100-year-old abandoned zoo featuring old ruins and cages that have been turned into nature trails, and this area is also home to “The World’s Largest Concrete Swimming Pool,” which you can still see today.

In the spring of 2021, a nonprofit organization known as Students, Athletics, Families, and Education took on the arduous task of turning the overgrown property into a hiking area.

The path can be a bit overgrown, and the map can be helpful to navigate through the park, with challenges including narrow paths and poor marking, so keep an eye out for poison ivy and start early.

Rocky paths wend their way past the crumbling ruins of animal dens, making for a one-of-a-kind nature walk.

Old stone-lined pathways weave among car-size boulders and the rocky outlines of what were once animal dens, with twisted bars from long-gone cages sprouting from one ledge.

What remains creates that eerie atmosphere: large concrete pits where bears once lived that echo strangely when you speak, structures still standing with rusted poles, and wire cages on the brink of collapse.

Visiting the Trail

Head out on this 0.9-mile loop trail near Cisco, Texas—generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 24 minutes to complete.

The Old Zoo nature trail doesn’t have a street address listed on most navigation websites and apps. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.

Some of the trails connect to the Lake Cisco Lodge and Campground, so visitors should be wary of crossing onto private property.

The Old Zoo Nature Trail starts in a gravel lot just off the highway near Williamson Dam, about four miles north of town, roughly 90 minutes southwest of Fort Worth via I-20.

The trail is easy walking on mostly flat terrain, though if you’re not prepared, it’ll wear you out faster than a summer sunburn on a 105-degree day—this isn’t your average park path.

Bring water, wear sturdy hiking shoes, watch for uneven ground and poison ivy, and don’t climb on structures, as erosion makes them hazardous.

Time Forgot, But You Won’t

Old Cisco Zoo stands as eerie, educational, and unforgettable—where past meets present as nature reclaims concrete cages and history preserves itself in ruins.

It’s a strange Texas roadside attraction that’s free, legal, fascinating, and takes just 30-60 minutes to explore.

Stop in Cisco between Fort Worth and Abilene, walk among the empty enclosures, and feel the weight of what once was.

You’ll see what time forgot, but remember it long after you leave.