Exciting Reopening: Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum to Relocate in 2025

When it was open, hundreds of thousands of East Texans visited Brookshire's Wildlife Museum. The museum was filled with more than 450 exotic animals from around the world. They each had a story to tell and those stories exposed children to many different animals that they would never see or come in contact with.

I remember Brookshire's Wildlife Museum and the Country Store hosting special events around the holidays. One, in particular, was a Valentine's Day event where my daughter got to frost her heart-shaped cake and decorate it for her mother for the special day. There were so many other special events that the Country Store hosted that we enjoyed.

All of that came to an end in 2017 when the museum was permanently closed after an ammonia leak happened at the Brookshire's warehouse. While the museum was closed, the animals remained inside. In January of 2024 the animals that stood guard out front of the museum along Old Jacksonville Hwy. suddenly disappeared. I went searching for answers about their removal and disappearance and got the corporate answer of, 'the company would be releasing a statement to the media in the future.'

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The future must be here because we know what's happening with Brookshire's Wildlife Museum now!

The Brookshire's Wildlife Museum will have a new home soon.

The Brookshire's Wildlife Museum will reopen and welcome guests at a new location in 2025. The museum is being moved to a retail center close to FRESH by Brookshire's on Old Jacksonville Hwy. in Tyler. It will reopen as will the Country Store at 6970 Arbor Ridge Dr. according to a press release from Brookshire's and obtained by KETK.

Brad Brookshire, Brookshire's Chairman and CEO said,

Reopening the wildlife museum is a momentous occasion for our company and our community. My grandfather understood the immense value of education and the joy of sharing the wonders of the animal kingdom with the children of East Texas. This museum is not just about displaying incredible animals from around the world; it’s about creating a place of fun and learning where kids can build cherished memories, much like many of us did as children. We are dedicated to being more than just a grocery store. We are a cornerstone of this community, committed to enriching the lives of our neighbors in every way we can.”

The museum on Old Jacksonville Hwy. had a collection of more than 450 animals. The new exhibit will once again show off dozens of those animals in a new environment that will be designed and created by Museum Arts, Inc. from Dallas. The new museum along with the country store is expected to open in early 2025.