We have been members of the Minnesota Zoo for several years so we usually visit several times a…read moreyear. Our latest visit was last Sunday and both of our boys had a lot of fun visiting the farm animals and playing in the playground in that area. The Minnesota Zoo is a very family friendly place and it's nice to see families with kids of all ages enjoying time visiting animals and taking in a little bit of nature.

I know people have mixed feelings about zoos. If you like serious, I think you will love this one…read more It's very spacious and has lots of room for the animals to roam. The new elevator trail where the monorail used to be is a perfect walk to see the entire park. I think the biggest challenge with the same family is that it is a bit pricey, especially when you consider the Como zoo is free. I have been a long time member, because I can afford it and I really support it. I think it's worth visiting. And if you find it pricey, they do occasionally offer their discounts, etc. I also really enjoy their adult nights. Which are very fun and a great way to see the animals without huge crowds of littles.

Fun for the whole family! Educational, entertaining, and encouraging. The place is staffed by an…read moreall sober crew, which is inspiring in itself. They are clear-headed. Native-American traditions can be found and purchased here as well as other unique souvenirs. A good day to spend a day in a very "locals only" type atmosphere. Check it out. Go Wolves!

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my visit to this "animal sanctuary." I visited during…read morethe winter with my sister and nephew. Upon entering, we were greeted by a man holding a large fox that my nephew was able to pet, which was very exciting! Upon closer inspection though, we noticed the fox could barely hold his head up and looked like he may have been drugged. The wolves had a fairly open enclosure, but the large cats and other animals (cougars, fox, raccoons, etc.) had shockingly small cages- probably the size of an average dog run. It was very depressing for us to see. We did not see any educational signs near the cages. You are also allowed to feed any of the animals which I found odd because there are many reasons (in human favor) that you should not feed wild animals. Hopefully some wildlife advocates will close this place down and get them transferred to a proper place... or at least require the animals have larger cages.

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.

Visit here at least once a year Love that it is feee to the…read morepublic although it's nice to give a donation so it helps maintain the grounds Lots of good animal exhibits and the sunken garden is just beautiful every season! The conservatory dome is the perfect place to visit in the heart of winter , I'm talking negative temperatures because the dome is humid and hot (think Florida) because it helps the tropical plants Fun fact- Valentine's Day they do dinners in the gardens but sell out fast!

Parking, cleanliness, presentation was 5 stars. However, the condition of some of the animals had…read moreme a little concerned. The bear we saw was pacing and panting back and forth. I'm not a zookeeper by any means, but considering the heat and kids screaming, maybe stress and hot! The same was for the mountain lion. He actually was pawing at his enclosure door to get out of the sun, but seemed unable to do so. Other animals were even seen pawing at empty bowls, which again, assuming this to be for water. I grew up on a farm, not a zookeeper, but the animals looked very uncomfortable.

This was unexpected. Like, really unexpected. We drove here after camping at a state park nearby,…read moreand the roads made us think we were headed towards someone's backyard and we might be the only ones there. We could not have been more wrong! Buses full of field trip kids! So many granny nannies! Plenty of older kids, including a few groups of teenagers! This is a legit nature center, quality playground, and perfectly nice little zoo. I don't know what it's like to live down here, but apparently the locals love this place. That said, it wasn't too crowded at all, and the bathrooms were clean. Parking was easy. We stayed for about an hour, but plenty of people looked like they had packed lunches and intended to stay all day.

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.

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.

A good activity for the family that is indoors! We went on a Saturday and it was a little busy but…read morenot so busy that you couldn't enjoy seeing the animals up close. When you arrive you purchase your tickets and decide if you want to any add ons. You can purchase various sizes of feeding cups, experiences with the animals or opportunities to hold some of them. Once inside you can feed or pet any of the animals that are behind a single fence. Those further away or in glass enclosures are for observation. There are kangaroos, goats, lizards, chickens and more. There is a fun pulley system to feed some of the goats. They have an informational show that happens a few times a day where they discuss some of the animals and reptiles they house. It's not a huge space but we spent about an hour there. If you have real animal lovers you could be there longer. It's an interesting experience.

Walking into Maplewood Mall, the first thing you smell is strong marijuana--and it lingers…read morethroughout the entire mall. The bathrooms by the food court were filthy. That should have been our warning. Then we got to Sustainable Safari. Disgusting. Do not go here. Do not bring your kids here. We paid nearly $40 just to get in and were hit with an overpowering urine smell immediately. The place is dirty. The animals are being fed wilted, rotting produce--I watched a monkey dig through a whole bowl just to find something edible. Animals looked stressed and overcrowded: kangaroos in tiny enclosures, goats packed into filthy hay, turkeys missing feathers, lemurs pacing, and an armadillo clearly in distress. They also don't make it clear that you have to pay extra ($10+) just to interact with the animals. This place is not "sustainable"--it's depressing. Go to the Minnesota Zoo or Como Park Zoo and Conservatory instead

Great place to visit for a family fun adventure. It's really easy to just walk in and start roaming…read morearound. There are wagons and some gravel road/trails that meander the property. If bringing a stroller, I'd suggest a jogging stroller or something with inflatable wheels. There are tons of pumpkins, all different sizes for carving. If you're looking for something more decorative, there are gourds galore! If you want something unique, they have all kinds of bumpy, lumpy textures pumpkins too. Of course there are apples, you can pick your own or grab a bag from the store. I've never had donuts but apparently they're good, I do know the caramel apples and caramel corn are delicious. For activities...take your pick between a small little zoo, I'd say more observation than petting. I saw pigs, bunnies, chickens and goats. There are a couple corn mazes but they aren't free, buy entry at the store cashier. They do have an area for a little bonfire some days and there are trails and a big pile of hay bales to climb around on. Pick your own apples is definitely an activity too! Nice little gem out there in Oronoco!

They do a great job!!! If you like apples, pumpkins, and a great atmosphere, this is the place to…read morego.

This is definitely a unique place…read more Right away I have to say my toddler loved it! Interestingly he loved feeding the goats the most though I'd say that was the least unique thing about this spot. As we have fed goats at many a petting zoo. ( my personal favorite was being befriended but a turkey who followed me for awhile and didn't seem to want food but simply attention ) The deer were of course the draw. It was certainly was a unique experience getting to feed them. Though truth be told I couldn't help but feel that perhaps it wasn't right to keep these animals like this. We came on a Wednesday morning and the place was pretty busy though not overly so. They do have a massive parking lot so I would say it's likely they get real busy on the weekends. You can buy food for feeding the animals in either a plastic bucket or simple paper bags. At checkout it seemed the bucket would give more food but you get it half empty so that felt a bit sneaky to me. It seems they are pawning off a cheep bucket as a bit of a souvenir item. In the future I would just get a bag or two. In the end if you have young kids this place is for you!

One of my favorite day trips is to the Taylor's Falls area of Minnesota. One of the stops we make…read moreis to Fawn Doe Rosa which is located just past Taylor's Falls in St Croix Falls Wisconsin about an hour from the Twin Cities metro area. This zoo is so fun! We love being able to feed all the animals and really be able to get up close and personal with some of them (especially the deer). Admission costs $11.50 for adults and $10.50 for under age 12. Be sure to pick up some feed bags too as that is when the real magic happens here!