Minnesota Zoo

2 weeks ago(edited)

How's it going?

This is my second post on Minnesota zoos. I actually visited the Minnesota Zoo right before the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory but I posted about Como Zoo first because it was smaller. Originally, I had budgeted 3 hours for the Minnesota Zoo but I decided to spend extra time due to all of the shows available.

These are my reviews of Minnesota attractions:

K1: Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

K2: Minnesota Zoo (this post)

I'm up-to-date with my Minnesota reviews - there is currently no backlog!

All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission.

MINNESOTA ZOO

13000 Zoo Boulevard
Apple Valley, MN 55124

Website: https://mnzoo.org/

Hours:

Open Daily, 10 AM - 6 PM.

Members get early access from 9 AM - 10 AM.

Cost (as of 2026):

Adults (Ages 13 - 64): $25.95
Adults (Ages 65+): $23.95
Children (Ages 3 - 12): $19.95
Children (Ages 2 and younger): FREE!

Reduced pricing for school/youth groups of at least 8 people and other groups of at least 15 people.

The Minnesota Zoo participates in the AZA Reciprocity program at the 50% rate. Members of all other participating zoos (whether those zoos participate at 50% or 100%) get 50% off the admission rate at the Minnesota Zoo. And Minnesota Zoo members get 50% off the admission of all participating zoos (regardless of whether that zoo participates at 50% or 100%).

Since I was a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo, I got 50% off admission so I only had to pay $12.95 instead of the full $25.95.

Parking is an additional $10 for cars and vans.

Estimated Time: 2 - 4 hours.

The Minnesota Zoo is a medium-sized zoo where you can probably view everything in around 2 hours. If you want to attend most of the shows and animal encounters, you may want to add an additional one or two hours (partly for the show and partly to criss-cross around the zoo to reach the show in time). I spent around 4 hours and 15 minutes but that included 2 animal encounters, the Wings & Things Show, the Sea Lion Discovery show, and the World of Birds Show.

SUMMARY

Minnesota Zoo Map.jpg

The Minnesota Zoo is medium-sized. I would summarize the sections of the zoo as thus: The North Trail is the largest area and includes Red Panda Forest (tiny), the Family Farm (small), Llama Trek (small), and Grizzly Coast (small). The main building includes Discovery Bay (small) and the penguins (tiny). In the eastern buildings you have Tropics Trail (medium), Minnesota Trail (small), and Dino Hideout (small).

The highlights of the Minnesota Zoo were the various shows, the red panda, and llama trek. I also got good pictures of the tiger, leopard, and sand tiger sharks.

The red pandas were elusive and I was lucky to see one. The first two times I stopped by they were nowhere in sight. Just as I was leaving, someone said they saw one outside but I had just missed it. After patiently waiting for over 5 minutes, I finally got a good glimpse of the adorable critter! The exhibit could be designed better to offer improved viewing of the red pandas.

Llama Trek is an area with between half a dozen to a dozen free-roaming llamas. This is reminiscent of the free-roaming kangaroo areas that many zoos have, only this time it is for llamas. Guests need to stay on the path so that shy llamas can have privacy on the grass. However, some llamas will sit right along the path, allowing visitors to get really close to them! Don't harass them or they might spit at you!

While I saw most of the key animals I wanted to see, there were a number of animals that were not viewable when I stopped by: the brown bear, puma, wolverine, Komodo dragon, Hawaiian monk seals, African fruit bat, red river hog, and golden lion tamarin. Although I got brief glimpses of the sea otter and North American river otter, I wasn't able to get any good pictures of them.

Also the zoo is currently constructing a new snow monkey (Japanese macaque) exhibit so they are currently off exhibit as well.

I did not have the time to do the upper level Treetop Trail (I did see all of the Northern Trail animals at the ground level though) nor was I able to visit the Dino Hideout.

Overall, I would rate the Minnesota Zoo as a solid, "good" 3 stars.

Minnesota Zoo offers a variety of free daily programs:

Sea Lion Discovery is around 10 minutes and is offered twice a day (11 AM and 2 PM). It is best to book free tickets online and they did scan my electronic ticket as I entered. The show was thoroughly entertaining (4 stars). There are a lot of neat tricks that the sea lions performed while the music and audience participation contribute to a lively atmosphere.

Wings & Things: Passport to the Wild is a relatively new show that started in the past year. It is offered twice a day (10:30 AM and 1:30 PM) and lasts around 15 minutes (add another 5 minutes if you want to see some animals up close afterwards). I thought it was pretty good (3 stars). Although kids would enjoy it the most, it's still fine for adults. The theme of the show is that two keepers are out in the wilderness and they encounter various animals. Each of the animals has some tricks that they have been taught and lets them make a brief appearance. Afterwards, guests can get a closer look at some of the animals. However, those animals were just an African millipede and a snake - it would have been better if they were cuter and fluffier critters.

The World of Birds show is three times a day (11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM) and available only before Labor Day. This is the longest show and lasts around 25 minutes. The show features a variety of birds who have been taught various tricks. Although you can book free tickets online to ensure you are allowed in, they didn't actually check any of the tickets on my visit. Compared to the other shows, the World of Birds is in a bigger amphitheater but that also means the birds are farther away and you don't get as good of a view. I would just rate this show as average (2 stars).

I also attended two animal encounters at 10 AM and 1 PM (I didn't stay around for the 3:30 PM one). The 10 AM session featured two cute porcupines (North American & cape). The only problem is that since it starts at 10 AM, it is easily accessible only to zoo members who can enter at 9 AM. The zoo opens to the general public at 10 AM and even though I rushed to get to Treetop Trailhead, I arrived only at the end of the animal encounter when they were starting to take the animals away. The 1 PM session featured a bullsnake, which wasn't nearly as interesting or cute as the porcupines. I stayed for a few minutes before heading to the bird show.

Here is how the Minnesota Zoo compares with other zoos:

5 stars:

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA)
Brookfield Zoo (Brookfield, IL)
Taipei Zoo (Taipei City, Taiwan)

4 stars:

San Diego Safari Park (San Diego, CA)
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Cincinnati, OH)
Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City, OK)
Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee, WI)
Houston Zoo (Houston, TX)
Oakland Zoo (Oakland, CA)

3 stars:

Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, Free)
Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA)
Butterflies of Cape Cod (Bourne, MA)
International Crane Foundation (Baraboo, WI)
Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison, WI, Free)
Indianapolis Zoo (Indianapolis, IN)
Sacramento Zoo (Sacramento, CA)
Santa Barbara Zoo (Santa Barbara, CA)
Fort Worth Zoo (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Wayne Zoo (Fort Wayne, IN)
Zoo Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
ZooTampa (Tampa, FL)
Busch Gardens (Tampa, FL)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (Los Angeles, CA)
Detroit Zoo (Detroit, MI)
Virginia Zoological Park (Norfolk, VA)
Virginia Living Museum (Newport News, VA)
Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley, MN)

2 stars:

Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans, LA)
Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, LA)
Sarasota Jungle Gardens (Sarasota, FL)
Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center (Sarasota, FL, Free)
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (San Francisco, CA)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
Franklin Park Zoo (Boston, MA)
Capron Park Zoo (Attleboro, MA)
Taylor-Bray Farm (Yarmouth Port, MA, Free)
Racine Zoo (Racine, WI)
Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo, WI, Free)
John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, MI)
Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, MI)
Antalya Zoo (Antalya, Turkey)
Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, CA, Free)
Santa Ana Zoo (Santa Ana, CA)
San Antonio Zoological Society (San Antonio, TX)
Cameron Park Zoo (Waco, TX)
Dallas Zoo (Dallas, TX)
Caldwell Zoo (Tyler, TX)
Peoria Zoo (Peoria, IL)
Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington, IL)
Scovill Zoo (Decatur, IL)
Potawatomi Zoo (South Bend, IN)
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory (St. Paul, MN, Free)

1 star:

Cosley Zoo (Wheaton, IL)
Stone Zoo (Stoneham, MA)
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek, MI)
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (San Jose, CA)
CuriOdyssey (San Mateo, CA)
Columbian Park Zoo (Lafayette, IN)

RED PANDA FOREST

The Minnesota Zoo is currently home to two brothers, Cedar and Spruce, who were born on August 10th, 2024, at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska. They are triplets along with their sister Juniper, who is at a different zoo.

Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens

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Tufted Deer
Elaphodus cephalophus

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Red-Crowned Crane
Grus japonensis

LLAMA TREK

Llama
Lama glama

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Taking a dust bath

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Chilling in a pool

Kind of looks like a drunk llama!

The llama's biggest fan....

Chinchilla display (it was too hot for them to actually have the chinchillas out though). These illustrate the two types of chinchillas - the long-tailed and short-tailed chinchillas:

Guinea Pig
Cavia porcellus

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GRIZZLY COAST

Amur Tiger
Panthera tigris altaica

Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis

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I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the sea otter. You can sort of make it out here.

Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris

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Mangalitsa Pig
Sus scrofa domesticus

Unlabeled Fish

Bubbling mud cauldron

NORTHERN TRAIL

(Red Panda Forest, Llama Trek, and Grizzly Coast are technically part of the Northern Trail but I put them into separate sections).

Asian Wild Horse (Przewalski's Horse)
Equus ferus przewalskii

Takin
Budorcas taxicolor

Bactrian Camel
Camelus ferus

Paid camel rides are available

Caribou (Reindeer)
Rangifer tarandus

This is a female moose hence the lack of antlers.

Moose
Alces alces

American Bison
Bison bison

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Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus

Baby prairie dog

TROPICS TRAIL

Bennett’s Wallaby
Notamacropus rufogriseus

Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo
Dendrolagus matschiei

Ring-Tailed Lemur
Lemur catta

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Probably a Zebra Shark
Stegostoma tigrinum

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Malayan Tapir
Tapirus indicus

Linne’s Two-Toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus

Can't see much of the binturong but it's sleeping in the hammock.

Binturong
Arctictis binturong

White-Cheeked Gibbon
Nomascus leucogenys

De Brazza’s Monkey
Cercopithecus neglectus

Black and White Colobus Monkey
Colobus guereza

Lesser Flamingo
Phoenicopterus minor

Nicobar Pigeon (Nicobar Dove)
Caloenas nicobarica

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Probably a Black-Necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) with a Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) in the foreground

Bali Mynah
Leucopsar rothschildi

West African Dwarf Crocodile
Osteolaemus tetraspis

Common Water Monitor
Varanus salvator

Radiated Tortoise
Astrochelys radiata

Egyptian Tortoise
Testudo kleinmanni

Asian Forest Tortoise
Manouria emys

Panther Chameleon
Furcifer pardalis

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa

Unlabeled Fish

Giant Ghosts of Madagascar

Known for unique smaller species today, Madagascar was once home to a diverse group of large animals, too. They had no human predators until the first settlers arrived about 1500 years ago. By the 1800s, all that remained of these fantastic creatures were bones and legends — nothing over 25 pounds survived.

These "ghosts" serve as a useful reminder: it's up to us to protect the species still living in Madagascar today so that future generations have more than just legends.

Madagascan Pygmy Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus lemerlei

Bones of this small, aquatic hippo have been found with butcher marks on them, suggesting they were a food source for early settlers.

Elephant Bird and Egg
Aepyornis maximus

Standing ten feet high, the flightless elephant bird was one of the biggest birds in the planet's history. Its egg weighed twenty pounds and was fifteen times larger than an ostrich egg.

Giant Sloth Lemur
Archaeoindris fontoynonti

All fifteen extinct Madagascar species of lemur were bigger than any alive today. The size of an adult gorilla, the giant sloth lemur was the largest.

Green Sea Turtle Shell
In biofact collection since May 1983

United States Fish and Wildlife Service confication. This is one of five "Souvenir Shells" in the Minnesota Zoo's biofact collection.

Hyacinth Macaw Feathers
In biofact collection since 1994

From Minnesota Zoo Animal #8376, Hyacinth Macaw "Gandalf." These feathers represent the millions of birds of all kinds that are trafficked every year for pets, feathers, and other purposes.

Spotted Cat and Mink Coat
In biofact collection since August 1983

United States Fish and Wildlife Service confiscation. Often coats like this are intentionally damaged by agents so they cannot be resold. We have reconstructed this coat, but some damage is still visible.

MINNESOTA TRAIL

Raccoon
Procyon lotor

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North American Beaver
Castor canadensis

Canada Lynx
Lynx canadensis

Gray Wolf
Canis lupus

Coyote
Canis latrans

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Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes

American Black Bear
Ursus americanus

Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta

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Western Hog-Nosed Snake
Heterodon nasicus

DISCOVERY BAY

Sand Tiger Shark
Carcharias taurus

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Adult leopard shark in the touch pool

Leopard Shark
Triakis semifasciata

Baby leopard shark in the nursery

Weedy Seadragon
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus

Probably a Yellow Tang (Piebald variant)
Zebrasoma flavescen

Probably a Purple Tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum

Probably a Blotched Foxface
Siganus unimaculatus

Probably a Pajama Cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera

Probably a Long-Spined Sea Urchin
Diadema paucispinum

Assorted coral

A secondary touch pool that was closed

(The penguins are a little bit outside Discovery Bay but are close by).

African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus

FAMILY FARM

Miniature Donkey
Equus asinus

Baby boy born June 21, 2026. He was only 2 months old when I visited the zoo.

Horse
Equus caballus

Goat
Capra hircus

These goats were so used to humans feeding them that they were eagerly looking for a free hand out!

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Sheep
Ovis aries

This young cow has some interesting leg wrappings.

Cow
Bos taurus

And this sleepy fella has a face mask to block out the light.

Lots of sleepy piglets. There was a much bigger adult pig nearby so I assume these were piglets.

Pig
Sus scrofa domesticus

Chicken
Gallus gallus domesticus

1946 John Deere Model B

Donated by LeRoy Jelen and David Schmidt

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

The 10 AM animal encounter had two porcupines (North American and cape):

North American Porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum

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This is a carrier cage only used for transportation. The porcupine is NOT normally confined in here!

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Cape Porcupine
Hystrix africaeaustralis

The 1 PM animal encounter featured a bullsnake:

Bullsnake
Pituophis catenifer

WINGS & THINGS: PASSPORT TO THE WILD

According to the performers, it took about a month to fully train all of the animals for their acts.

The show started with a raccoon stealing some supplies from the keepers' backpack. Unfortunately, we only got to see the raccoon for a few brief seconds.

Raccoon
Procyon lotor

A burrowing owl then flew across the theater.

Burrowing Owl
Athene cunicularia

There was a corn snake on the ground. I actually didn't see it but the keepers talked about it. At the end of the show, they brought the corn snake out again for a closer look.

Corn Snake
Pantherophis guttatus

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An adorable skunk wandered around the stage looking for hidden treats to eat!

Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis

The keepers "found" and held out a giant African millipede. At the end of the show they brought out the millipede for a second, closer look.

Giant African Millipede
Archispirostreptus gigas

A leopard tortoise power walked (as fast as tortoises can walk) across the floor in search of food.

Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis

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The keepers brought out a golden conure and let an audience member (a little girl) feed it.

Golden Conure
Guaruba guarouba

A scarlet macaw flew between several perches.

Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao

I normally don't keep (let alone post) blurry pictures but this image of a scarlet macaw in flight was pretty cool!

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And then at the end, the keepers brought out the giant African millipede and corn snake again. I would have preferred if they had brought out the raccoon and skunk!

SEA LION DISCOVERY

During the sea lion show, the two sea lions performed a variety of tricks in exchange for food. They would open their mouths, wave their flippers, lie down on the ground, and jump out of the water. The speakers played pop music and the audience was encouraged to clap along. At one point, an audience member was selected to throw fish to the sea lions.

There were two different sea lions. This one was brownish:

California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus

And the other sea lion was black:

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WORLD OF BIRDS

Since the bird show coincides with several of the other daily programs, I saw the last few minutes of the 11 AM show and all but the first five minutes of the 1 PM show.

I went to the 11 AM sea lion show and so I only saw the closing minutes of the 11 AM bird show. And at 1 PM, I first stopped by the animal encounter and saw a bullsnake, so I arrived at the 1 PM bird show a couple of minutes late.

Of the overlapping end portions of both shows, there was a slight variation (a different bird was used to collect money and put it into the box - the first time it was a white-necked raven and the second time it was a kea). However, the flybys of the macaws and the brief guest appearance (no tricks) of the African fish eagle and Verreaux's eagle-owl were the same for both shows.

Trumpeter Hornbill
Bycanistes bucinator

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A volunteer threw food into the air and the trumpeter hornbill would catch it in mid-flight. It took a few tries before the hornbill was willing to fly!

Hadada Ibis
Bostrychia hagedash

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To demonstrate how quickly the hadada ibis can snatch fish out of the water, a competition was held. An audience member (a little girl) was given chopsticks and had to extract faux fish while the ibis quickly devoured real fish. Guess who won?

Red-Legged Seriema
Cariama cristata

The keepers gave the red-legged seriema a plastic crocodile and demonstrated how it kills lizards by picking them up and slamming them against the ground!

The keepers hid food in one of three spots. They then used a remote control device to simulate movement in the bushes so the hawk would fly to the chosen spot and then "find" food.

Harris's Hawk
Parabuteo unicinctus

Hooded Vulture
Necrosyrtes monachus

Some audience members were invited to sit at a bench where they were promised a good view. They were then startled as the hooded vulture flew directly at them and landed on a perch behind them.

Marabou Stork
Leptoptilos crumenifer

The marabou stork showed off its impressive wingspan - its wingspan is among the widest of all birds!

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White-Necked Raven
Corvus albicollis

As a clever and entertaining way to solicit donations for the zoo, audience members could hold out dollar bills and then a trained bird would fly out, retrieve the money, and then drop it into a collection box.

Kea
Nestor notabilis

The kea was also trained to pick up money and deposit it. However, the little girl was afraid of the kea so the keeper simply placed the money on the box for the kea to pick up.

The girl's parent may have intended to give a $1 bill but I guess all of the birds are thankful for the $5 donation!

Several macaws flew to a branch where they were given food by a handler.

Red-Fronted Macaw
Ara rubrogenys

Military Macaw
Ara militaris

Blue-Throated Macaw
Ara glaucogularis

This eagle came out at the end. It didn't do any tricks.

African Fish Eagle
Icthyophaga vocifer

This owl came out at the end. It didn't do any tricks.

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
Ketupa lactea

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OTHER

Snow Monkey (Japanese Macaque) construction

Splash Pad

Conservation Carousel

Wild Woods playground area

Wanderlight Trail with lanterns (seasonal: open during the summer on Wednesdays through Sundays until August 2, 2026)

Closed Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular area (seasonal: open from September 25 - November 1, 2026)

Playground near the main gift shop

NATURE CENTER ART SHOWCASE

Wildly Inspired
Saint Paul Public Schools Student Art Showcase
Through August 2026

Animals inspire wonder, curiosity, and care. In this playful exhibition, Saint Paul Public School students artistically express their connections to Minnesota animals, wildlife around the world, and creatures in their daily lives. Each colorful piece reflects how youthful creativity and observation can deepen our appreciation for the amazing world we all share.

In Memory of Sundari, 2012 - 2025

"When I was picking out what animal I wanted to draw, I decided I'd pick one from the Minnesota Zoo. After a while, I found a picture of Sundari. I looked up to see if she was still at the zoo, and it turned out she had died in July from an incurable cancer. After some more digging, I found all of her babies from her whole lifetime. I decided to honor her by painting her and her cubs."