Abandoned Michigan: Belle Isle Zoo

The Belle Isle Zoo was Detroit's very first zoo, opening in 1895.

The current Detroit Zoo opened in 1928 and kept adding more features, more animals, more exhibits...and the access was easier. Finally, in 1947, the Belle Isle Zoo was relegated (downsized) to a children's zoo.

It closed for good in 2002 and it's now a haunting reminder of what it used to be; buildings still stand, exhibits still exist...all overgrown with weeds, trees, bushes, etc. Visitors still go to the island to walk among the creepy remains of what was once Detroit's foremost family attraction.

The above video shows you a drone's-eye view of this abandoned park.

Belle Isle is located smack in the middle of the Detroit River - American side - and there are many paths you can still walk and stroll thru the old abandoned zoo grounds. However, all is not lost on Belle Isle...there is the Belle Isle Nature Zoo that is open today.

See more great old photos of the original Belle Isle Zoo on huffingtonpost.com by CLICKING HERE.