I wanna go back! I had a lot of fun here, but only got to be here for two and a half hours before…read moremy in-laws wanted to leave to go get lunch (and refused to select any of the many food options available within the zoo? idk, man, they're weird sometimes). My two faves hands down were the Conservation Carousel (requires token purchase) and the Llama Walk. The carousel features an incredible variety of critters you can ride, and I had a tough time picking which one I wanted. The employees operating the ride were very kind, allowing me extra time to get photos (I'm a big fan of carousels). A ride costs $4, which is kinda steep since it's really only a couple minutes long, buuut you figure it's going to a good cause. The llama walk was delightful because the llamas were free-roaming, not behind a fence, so they could walk right up to you (which many did). I definitely found myself giggling more than once. Also special to this place is a splash pad and a jungle gym. I had intended to enjoy both, but again, my in-laws were kind of dictating the trip (they paid), so I missed out. But next time I'll for sure run around in the water and go down the slide (I'm a kid at heart- age is just a number!). There were also occasional backdrop photo ops around the outdoor areas which was great for someone like me who loves selfies. Another neat feature is their Treetop Trail, which essentially goes all the way around the outdoor sections but from around 12 feet above as a suspended boardwalk. Not quite as shady, for obvious reasons, but also less crowded and avoids some of the random elevation changes. Cool to have multiple ways to experience the park, imo! The aquarium section is mid. That's okay. The tropical section was amazing! The lemurs were especially cute. We didn't end up seeing the farm exhibit, nature center, dino explore, or North American section. Like I said, we missed out on a lot, regrettably. :\ Dumb when it's $26/a head for adults, plus $10 for parking. I'll have to come back some other time, perhaps when they are done with the construction currently going on for the snow monkies. Giftshop had many cute things. The standard stuff you'd expect to find: t-shirts and apparel, plushies, toys, magnets, keychains, pins, patches, stickers, figurines. Lots of bathrooms and water bottle refill stations/water fountains scattered about, so no worries about staying well hydrated! Overall it was a very nice, well-maintained, modern facility!

We have been zoo members for almost two years-if you live in the general area that's the way to do…read moreit. It pays for itself in 2-3 visits depending on how big your family is. Staff is always happy and helpful. The volunteers love what they do-it's always a treat to talk to them while there. I love that they have both indoor and outdoor parts, so nice to be able to get outside. I do feel like the farm has been disappointing this year compared to past years and when I grew up going. There is currently construction happening outside at the zoo-they're redoing the snow monkeys enclosure. I am very excited for that to be done as it will help with the walk ability outside near that area. All in all, I love our zoo and definitely recommend a membership. They even make a great present! I remember growing up with a zoo membership and am so happy to be able to give that back to my daughter.

It is no wonder that I love to visit the Conservatory in the dead of winter. There is no better…read morefeeling than going there when it's below zero, and your body does not even remember what humidity feels like. Sure, going to Hawaii is great, but if you want something closer and thousands of dollars less expensive (it's actually free, but they suggest you give them a small donation upon entry), I recommend a quick trip to the indoor conservatory. Save the zoo for a nice summer day. My two favorite areas are the topics, and the Sunken Garden. The tropics is the place to go for a hot, steamy reprieve from the Minnesota winter. It has lots of fun swimming animals, a sloth that is about as lively as a stuffed bear, but the biggest attraction, for me, is the incredible hot, moist area. But that's just one area of the Conservatory. Don't miss the larger part that includes jungle-type foliage, wonderful plants, and a display of orchids. We were there the weekend after the orchid show, but we were treated to the award winning and amazingly beautiful orchids. The highlight however, is the seasonal changes that take place in the Sunken Garden. This is an ever changing variety of seasonal flowers and can cheer up the crankiest of us who are just trying to make it through to Spring.

Beautiful place. Easy to walk around. You gift your admission upon entry. Nice little cafe and…read morethe entrance has some amazing lily pads. It made for a wonderful stop in the late morning. They also have a carousel on property

Cool place to check out of you or your kids are into snakes, lizards or gators! Kinda small and you…read morecan get through the place in about 30 minutes. The best parts of our visit were: 1. Watching staff feed the animals 2. For $5 you can hold and get a picture with a small gator or large snake Parking is free. The zoo is within an outdoor shopping mall so it took me a minute to find it. My GPS was leading me to the wrong building. It's in the front left corner of the shopping strip.

The first glimpse is a little deceiving. The front area is pretty good, but there are a substantial…read morenumber of displays in the back. They brought out a huge snake and a young alligator for us to see up close. You can also get pictures with some animals for an extra charge. Fun for everyone, but especially little kids.

Who knew there was a hands on alpaca farm right in the Twins Cities. Owner has a farm with full…read moregrown and baby alpacas plus a small gift shop with alpaca wool merchandise for purchase. For $10 you can take Salomon and Talledega out for a leisurely stroll around the marked trail surrounding the farm. 80% of the trail is pretty shaded so nice during the summer time but still hot. Sometimes our alpacas just wanted to stop and stare at the lady alpacas from across the trail. It was a moment trying to get them focused on the exercise. Lastly, we purchased some alpaca wool mittens and socks which were so soft and comfy. Check their website for events or appointments to visit.

So much fun! Who doesn't like baby animals, cookies & cupcakes?! The alpacas were so cute! Cutest…read moredonkeys, baby goats, chickens, turkeys, rooster & kitties! Surprise gift shop & bakery! Beautiful selection of alpaca yarn!

Wow! What is this place and how did I never know about it?!?!? Every city should have something…read morelike this. The park is very clean and maintained with tons of climbing objects for the little ones to be entertained. Also the best part is that there is a petting area where you can just get the food from coin operated machines to feed the animals. I highly recommend coming here

Wow! I am a park reviewer of over 100-parks and Sibley Park is a treasure of fun for kids of all…read moreages. Has to be one of the best parks in the region. All ages will appreciate its beautiful gardens, plants and flowers throughout the entire park. Everything is well groomed and maintained. My favorite is the barnyard fun without the piles of manure. The playground equipment is mostly barn themed and has creative climbing structures. The playground theming is manufactured by Landscape Structures, one of the highest quality playgrounds in the USA. The smaller playground is Game Time- low quality but it fits into the theming. They have a section of the park with workout machines that are available to use, instructions by each piece, which I think is a nice touch. There are plenty of farm yard animals to visit and feed. I observed adults and children enjoying this feature. Mankato should be very proud of this unique park. It's worth more than a few hours drive to play, enjoy and take leisure seriously. Play and smell the flowers.

My girlfriends and I went to check out the great pumpkin trail. Tickets can be purchased online or…read moreat the door. This trail was really cool, a mesmerizing trail, illuminated by over 10,00 0 intricately carved jack-o-lanterns! The trail was a Half-Mile long so it is not too long, we had fun and an enjoyable evening of pumpkin mania and seeing faces on pumpkins we've never seen before. Free parking.

I really loved heading over here - I will say that it's rare to experience something just as fun as…read morea kid as when you're an adult. Walking in, I made a bee line for the little coffee house after the drive from St. Paul out to Wyoming. It was good, and I was on a mission to find the funnel cake food truck. It's been a minute, and since I didn't make it to the fair this year, I was determined. We got the cookie monster, funnel cake topped with Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies, chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. Pretty sure I had a week's worth of caloric intake, even with splitting it, and I didn't care. Next, we headed over to the apple launcher area. At first I couldn't see where the workers were, but the building is set back a bit. We had a blast launching apples at the farm equipment and barrels. We walked over to the pumpkin patch trailer area and had a great time picking our pumpkins. I immediately grabbed a pretty pink one. I was glad they had little wheelbarrows for us to transport our pumpkins as we continued walking around. Before we headed out, we checked out the farm animals and the gift shop. I loved the variety of jams, pickles, and salsas. I grabbed the blueberry jalapeno salsa, cherry jam, apple butter and dill pickles. I've had a chance to bake with the apple butter and it's delicious! Overall, a great time and something for everyone!

We love visiting Minnetonka Orchards every fall! It's filled with fun activities to do, yummy…read moredonuts, and plenty of space to run around with your little one(s). The staff is always kind and willing to answer any questions. We will be back next Fall for more!

My review is solely based on the pizza and wine night vs. other parts of the orchard such as kids…read moreplay and the special event tent. The wood-fire pizza concept is adorable and overall a fun experience as it's outside, served from a food truck, contains live music and lots to observe amongst the large area. The pizza once ordered and delivered is extremely fresh with the dough being rolled on-site. My friend and I split the pesto pizza and an appetizer of the caprese salad. The service was excellent once we got through the giant line. There are also a variety of tables and chairs to leverage. The negatives are that the pizza is ordered in one giant line which for us took 1-hour and the tables are hard to snag unless you do in advance. A beeper is provided once ordered and you walk up to claim when the buzzer goes off. I would return just to check out the other areas of the space as the land is gigantic. Contrary, I would probably pass on the pizza experience as once is enough. Parking was easy too which is always a worry for me with a big unpaved lot with lots of signs directing to the right area. Note: there is no admission fee. Enjoy!