It's a lot bigger than it looks. It's pretty wild to see a rhino and other exotic animals just in…read morethe middle of central Minnesota. You can tell all the workers love what they do. That said, some of the animal enclosures were pretty small and sad. The penguins didn't look like they had much water, the crocodiles had fake grass in their enclosure and minimal water, etc. That said, we don't know much about zoo requirements or animal health. It would have been nice to see more information about how/why the animals are kept at the zoo -- are they rescued? Does the zoo return them back to different environments eventually? Things like that. Our son loved the playground and feeding the giraffe. It was a nice pit stop, just a bit jarring when you're used to the Minnesota zoo and Como.

I almost didnt write a review. Hemker is just so perfect Im not sure my words will do it justice…read more It honestly made me feel like I was back home. I grew up in a small town in the South. Hemker feels like a summer in the country running bear feet....but also like a top notch zoo. How?! How do they create a welcoming atmosphere that feels like home....but have a wode variety of animals that look so healthy and well cared.for? Im not sure but I absolutely loved it! LOVED IT!

Our family had a great time here for an afternoon! While slightly understaffed (which were were…read morefine with), the staff that was there was very friendly and made it work. One person might work two rides going back and forth but we never felt like things were not running smoothly. It was VERY clean and kept up. The food was good (just prepare to wait a bit). The giant Paul Bunyan at the entrance was a huge hit. Our four year old enjoyed the rides and we really liked walking around the back area of the park where the models and antiques were. We spent four hours here and thought it was well worth the admission price.

We've been waiting to visit until our kids got older. To be honest it was very underwhelming. I…read morewill say that due to it being underwhelming it's not busy and lines to ride rides doesn't exist. The staff was great and super friendly, we rode the rides multiple times but after about 3 hours we were done. Given the almost $28/person fee it's a place you can visit quickly. The ferris wheel is scary fast.

We went at 930 am on a Sunday. There was plenty of parking and not crowded at all…read more If you are looking for something to do that is engaging for kids, this is a great option. One thing to note is that there are a good amount of add ons for an additional charge. If you go and just pay for general admission, there are plenty of animals to see and interact with. We added on the train ride, feeding the giraffes, and of course mini donuts. In my opinion, the $5 a person for the train ride is well worth it. You see a lot of animals that aren't on the normal path, and it was very fun for the kids. Overall we loved this for a good interactive kid activity. We went on a very hot day and there was not much shade, so plan for a lot of sun exposure.

This is going to be long, but I feel it all needs to be addressed. I know this is an accredited…read morezoo, which is why I hope this zoo takes these issues into consideration. First and foremost, the enclosures for most big cats, primates, and birds were too small. There are holes under the chain link fences with no barrier to prevent an escape(not even a dig guard). These holes were most obvious in the tortoise enclosure and the anteaters enclosure. Multiple birds had crossbeak, overgrowth, and in the case of the swans, angel wing. There was also overcrowding in bird cages. The parakeets being the only birds who I am not referencing and who also had a wonderfully kept enclosure. There were 6 macaws sharing a less than 200sq ft enclosure with lemurs. The only hide was a three sided wooden box that was occupied by a macaw. The lemurs remained huddled together, flinching at birds eating near them, on top of the box the entire 4 hours we were there. Two different primates were out with their young babies. These mothers were also given a single three sided box each. One mother was directly located across from the mountain lions, whose enclosure was also far too small and lacking enrichment with the cats showing visible signs of stress and boredom. The petting zoo animals, specifically the Jacob sheep are significantly underweight. The body condition is shocking even with wool. The bones are prominent with no layer of fat on multiple sheep in that pen. At least three goats had visible dental issues. I'll be honest, I didn't even think to check feet when the other issues were that jarring. I'm sure there's plenty more that I was unable to remember, but I think this is plenty.

I happened to find this place for the first time in July 2025, after heading into town to go to…read moreDollar General and it was my 2 years old best time of her life! She loves animals and her heart was so full with so many laughs and shrieks of joy at all the things to do here! I've recommended it to so many people from well over 2 hours away! We came up to Rice Lake for a weekend get away and found this lovely place! Our family grew up on farmland as well and this was the coolest thing I've ever seen! Anyone else who has anything negative to say is just a DEBBIE DOWNER hanging out with their friend NEGATIVE NANCY. There is no such thing as animal abuse at this special place and the people making up false allegations like that need to get a life. Most likely liberal lunatics.

DO NOT SUPPORT As stated in the most recent review, this…read moreplace allows animal abuse and theres is no staff managing children with small animals. Bunnies especially get injured easily and can get extremely broken / die from this malpractice. I am hearing from other sources that they also sell animals from breeders nearby. Specifically one named Valley View Puppies, who also are abusive to their dogs. RUN RUN RUN

We've enjoyed seeing the Wildlife Science Center at many community events. They bring raptors and a…read morevariety of pelts. It's always interesting to learn about why a raptor came into their care and how they have rehabilitated it and care for it. We used to go regularly to the events the WSC had at their old location; and would bring our dogs there to see the wolves and other animals. We hope to get to their new location soon. The WSC does a fantastic job educating people of all ages about wildlife!

Excellent. You have to walk thru and due to the rain the weeds were very high. We were able to see…read morethe wolves and black bears. Lynx were out and the Bob cats and cute foxes.

I love this place!…read more You know how your kid bugs you for a fish tank and promises to take care of it only to lose interest as soon as the first pair of guppies dies? Well, that was me over 50 years ago except I never lost interest. I've been keeping fish and visiting fish stores around the country for my entire life. The people from World Of Fish who started RiverShore Aquariums have done a great job. Located not far from the original World of Fish, RiverShore has clean tanks, friendly and knowledgeable staff and they are super keyed in on planted tank setups. These days my tanks are relatively simple just to keep things easy, rocks and driftwood mostly, but I've been wanting to do a planted tank for a while. I know the basics but had some questions on substrate, plant selection and lighting for what is basically going to be a freshwater nanotank. The staff person who helped me was super knowledgeable, answered my questions and gave me some good advice for getting started. They had a good selection of different kinds of gravel as well as an assortment of driftwood and rocks. I liked that they have a table where you can do a little aquascaping trial and error before you make a final selection. The fish were high quality and appeared healthy. Most were smaller species suitable for planted tanks. I even discovered a new species that I had never heard of - anchor catfish. Super cool and perfect for my little nanotank. I know enough about fish and have been to enough fish stores to know which ones are really good. Rivershore is at the top of the list if you live in the Twin Cities, and especially if you're interested in giving planted tanks a try. Even if its plants aren't your thing or you are new to the hobby, I'd checkout Rivershore for your first aquarium.

This is such a fantastic fish store. You know that one friend whose house is always immaculately…read morepristine, such that -- no matter how recently or how well you've cleaned your own house -- you always feel a little self-conscious & guilty when you visit theirs? Rivershore Aquariums is that friend: All the tanks are SO clean, and so perfectly lit, and all the fish are ready for their closeups. It's like an aquatic Parade of Homes in there -- 0% chance of the "Oh gosh, that fish looks so sick, should I mercy-buy it & set up a hospital tank & try to save it? Or should I not give this place my money?" experience. You should definitely give this place your money. They also sold me the sweetest, most industrious little pleco I've ever had in my life. I bought her as a bristlenose pleco, but she's secretly some kind of Turbo Pleco -- as in, my tank gets direct sunlight (can't be avoided), and it had the algae to match, but a week after I brought my new plec'ling home, I found myself asking a visitor, "Hey, you didn't clean the inside of the 55gal while you were here, did you?" (Spoiler: No, I do not have tank-cleaning houseguests. I just have a magic pleco.)