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

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.

This was a great place to go on a rainy day! We had a blast feeding animals from kangaroos to…read morecapybaras to goats! The kids loved seeing all the animals!

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.

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!

Here's the deal, you feel like stinkin Snow White here, incredible…read more Do we wish we could live here? Maybe. Why can't we live here? It's too wonderful. Like a fantasy land of dreams, where animals are friends. Probably not appropriate to break out in song here, but wish you could, seems like the type of place where the fauna would join in. Might have to try. Side note: watch out for scheming grandmas on the pony ride. There were two ponies with the same name Cinnamon. -The Tight Squad

We decided to go to Fawn Doe Rosa to celebrate my granddaughter's 7th birthday. We had a wonderful…read moretime and really enjoyed the many upgrades they have made since we were last there. They had some new buildings with educational areas and so me additional animals. There was an exhibit showing egg incubation as well as the differences in fur pelts from a variety of animals. We enjoyed seeing the new smaller animals that had been added since our last visit 6 years ago. While looking at the Elk, a worker offered to let us hold last year's alter rack. That was a highlight for my granddaughter. She also enjoyed feeding all the animals and the pony ride. It was such a fun way to spend the day!

I saw video from when the original owner had the place and it was actually maintained. What I…read moreexperienced was less than enjoyable. This place needs a lot of TLC. It's more of an animal farm than railroad museum.

Surrounded mostly by small farms and cornfields is a surprisingly interesting railroad museum that…read morefeatures 15-20 minute train rides on the Bumblebee Train on Saturdays between 10am-5pm. Rides cost $11 for adults and $9 for children and seniors. We headed out there to give our 3-year-old a thrill, and we all had a good time. My son's conductor cap blew off during the train ride, and luckily we had an extra cap. Losing his hat was a big deal for him - bring extra for your kids in case they blow off during the ride! The most fascinating part of our visit to the Ironhorse Central Railroad Museum was actually the tour of the grounds, and seeing the trains that they're restoring. We were able to climb inside these huge relics, and ring the bells, sit in the historic seats, and really see everything close up. I'm not even a train enthusiast, but I felt like I was on a steam engine in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and it was really cool. You can bring a picnic and spend some time on the grounds. It's quite lovely, whether you're a train buff or not, adult or kid.

Pretty much similar to the one that we have in Orlando. Sea…read moreLife is a chain brand that has aquariums all over the world. I did check out the one in Sydney Australia as well. It's a large interactive aquarium with plenty of sea life to see. It's a good way to kill a few hours! The exhibit is pretty informative and it's a lot of fun at the end to touch the starfish . Great learning experience for all ages

Our family was mixed on this experience. I really like how kids got a little passport to stamp at…read moreall of the places in the beginning. Our 4 year old had fun walking through all of the beginning but then was terrified at all of the tunnels to walk through... however we loved it how expansive that part was. Besides that, there's nothing else to rave about. Our son was also discounted because there was a Toddler Tuesday Deal so that helped.

We got a family membership as a gift last year (2024) and both of our kids love coming here…read more There are a variety of interactive activities for kids (and adults) of all ages. Our boys' favorite activity is the one you get to race against professional athletes, T-Rex or TC Bear! It's great that the Omnitheater shows are included in our membership.

We have a family membership to this museum and it was the best decision we made! We've been coming…read morehere with our kids and grandkids and it has paid for itself. There are five floors to explore and has a variety of exhibits and fun hands-on activities. Our grandkids just love it here! They also have a coffee shop with different pastries and a nice food spot for lunch. We really enjoy it here and I highly recommend this spot!!

He Said: One word: llamas. What other reason does one need…read moreto visit this farm? Cute llamas, friendly staff, and fresh air. As part of the tour there is a llama info session, a llama meet and greet, a "walk your own llama", and, finally, a comb and feed llamas. FYI - May is when llamas usually give birth, so you will see some baby llamas if you come around May. Pros: - llamas! - llamas! Cons: - A little outside of the Twin Cities, but nothing far.

We started visiting Carlson's Llovable Llamas in 2022 with a group of friends and it has become an…read moreannual tradition that we look forward to. We usually have a group of 30+ people! The visit includes learning about llamas, playing with baby llamas, and taking llamas on a trial walk. My husband found out that there is a Domino's nearby that is able to deliver to the llama farm so we have a lunch in the picnic area after to close out our visit every year. Highly recommend visiting this amazing llama farm!