You Can Now Explore This Ababdoned West Texas Zoo

(Cisco, Texas) - There is lots of cool places to explore in Texas. Ghost towns are all over the state ready to search through, too. While creepy, there is a fascinating history to any ghost town in Texas.

But what about a ghost zoo? That would be even creepier, right? In the town of Cisco, there is a zoo that was abandoned almost 100 years ago. It can be explored today with many buildings and enclosures still standing.

Cisco Zoo History

In the 1920s and 30s, the little town of Cisco was home to a small zoo (bigcountryhomepage.com). This zoo was home to a few animals including a deer and a bear. There were also stone structures that visitors could stay in on the grounds of the zoo. Close by is Lake Cisco with a huge dam that had a large manmade pool built for visitors to swim in.

The zoo, however, proved to be a short-lived attraction. The zoo would close, and with no one to take care of it, would fall into disrepair. The manmade pool under the dam would remain open into the early 80s.

Zoo's Revival

A non profit group called SAFE (Students, Athletics, Families and Education) got a group of people together to go through the old zoo and clean up some of the overgrown areas (Texas Monthly). A couple of walking trails were added and the old zoo is now open to hike through and see what old structures still remain.

That was such a vital part of our town at one time and we would like to see some of that revitalized so that younger generations can enjoy what we missed out on. - Cisco Mayor Tammy Douglas

It is now known as the Old Zoo Nature Trails. Plans will continue for more improvements to the area. Take a virtual tour of the walking trail below and see if this may be a cool adventure for you, your friends and/or family.