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!

Came here for the first time today and it was great! $6 a kid, no fee for adults. $1 snacks and…read morepop. Perfect size where you can see your kids the whole time. My kids are 5 and 2 and I could easily keep track of them. Everything was clean and family bathrooms are right there as well. Being a Saturday morning it was busy, but was still enjoyable.

Great park with AstroTurf and a water park to run in. A great time for kids of most ages. My son…read morehad a blast for hours and slept great.

Great splash park and playground. Just needs an ice cream stand or an ice cream truck.read more

Along the Ricori Trail/Glacial Lakes State Trail on the Sauk River. Newer splash pad is near the…read moreplayground area. There is an outdoor auditorium-the John & Rose Alexander Memorial Auditorium. Clean, flushable public restrooms (and water fountain) are available. There were fisherman on both of the river today. Wonderful stop and I can't wait to bicycle here!

Cool splash pad. Nice equipment of the playground. You do need to keep a close watch on your kids…read morebecause mine (11) found a needle today. It was beautiful and gorgeous until someone's life saving narcan kit was lost then found by my eldest. This my big number 1 park no-no. I was too busy throwing it away to take a picture if you wanted to check the serial number for ownership. If you are an adult who loves Frisbee golf come visit. The course is lovely. Cute bridge. There is a lot of water access and picnic areas. Trash receptacles conscientiously located. Nice sledding hill, weather permitting. This day was 5 stars but that needle sucked out my joy at having to explain why and how needles are dangerous to my kis upon leaving.

Great place for wedding reception ! Thanks for making our…read morefamily day special . The gentleman who volunteered there yesterday was such a blessing to speak with ! Thanks for the conversation ! We got beautiful pics there as well !

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

I have been going to the park almost daily with my mini schnauzer without any problems. Yesterday,…read morehowever, he was attacked by a pair of large dark colored German Shepards. The owner was able to call his dogs off but Chunk was bitten. He is recovering but anyone with small dogs should be cautious. I will in the future. I really like this park still and will continue to let Chunk play there;he really enjoys running free.

Back in the day I watched 4th of July fireworks here. Now I bring my dog here to their fenced in…read moredog park that goes to the Mississippi River. My dog seems to enjoy running around here and sniffing and meeting other dogs. People must take pride in this dog park as I didn't see any dog crap anywhere. Thanks fellow dog owners for being considerate. Free and small but clean and worth it.

This is one of our favorite Waconia parks! The road closure bypass is how I found it in the first…read moreplace. Excellent play structure for all ages, picnic table for snacks, trash can for snack wrappers, large grass area with plenty of shade and a walking path. The neighbors all seem to have their dogs contained so no worries about aggressive strays.

Nice camping spots on the Mississippi River. Sites have plenty of room in between them. Each site…read morehas a grassy yard that the maintenance mows regularly. Bathrooms are clean. The only negative is that a lot of the campers don't pick up after there dogs, so you have to watch out when your walking by the pond grass area. PICK UP YOURS DOGS POOP!!!!

Great campground lots of trees and flowers two large decks to relax and enjoy the beautiful…read moreMissippi river . Nice playground . Nice little camp store . Close to everything but like your a million miles away lots are large and have large trees . Nice folks . We have decided to come here every season .

As a family, we visit Luceline Orchard every year, and it's always a fantastic time! There's…read moresomething for everyone -- delicious food, live music, and fun activities for all ages. For food, I highly recommend the apple brat. It's packed with flavor and a true classic of the orchard. It's easy to spend a couple of hours here -- you can feed the live animals, take a hayride, play basketball, and enjoy many other activities. Entry to the orchard is free, and while some activities require a small fee, it's well worth it for a fun, family-friendly day out.

I've brought my family here 4 falls in a row now and it's become a favorite family tradition. It's…read moreworth the drive from Minneapolis for sure. Unlike some orchards there is no charge for entry and then once you are there you can buy tickets for "rides". Huge discount on weekdays. But they also have a lot of free activities like a corn pit, zip line rides, and other things that my 4 year old had loved each year. They also often have live music. They also have plenty of food options. Nothing too special but it's not really the main draw anyway. Great for a family trip.