Of the two zoos in the twin cities, the Como Park Zoo is definitely second in line behind the Minnesota Zoo (about 30 mins south in Apple Valley). However, Como Park offers a free opportunity to see some animals, and enjoy nice scenery. I still recommend this zoo if you’re in the area, and hope they are able to make some improvements soon.
Highlights:
- Sparky Show – By far the highlight here was the Sparky Show. Sparky is their sea lion, and they do about a 20-minute show that showcases Sparky jumping, diving, and playing around with the keeper. This area is currently under construction and will soon become Como Harbor – excited to see what that turns into.
- Butterfly House – This was possibly the best Butterfly House we’ve been in! A select number of guests were able to release butterflies, which was an awesome experience for our kids, and the entire house was full of butterflies flying around. Normally a butterfly has to magically appear on my daughter when she’s not looking for us to be able to leave…but at this one she counted 15 that actually landed on her!
- Gardens – the Zoo is connected to a series of very well cared for gardens, and they are perfect for photos.
- Indoor play area – a bridge between the zoo entrance and the gardens, the indoor play area allows younger visitors the opportunity to play zoo, and also see some small animals (fish tank, snake, frogs, etc.)
Lows:
- Polar Bear exhibit – the polar bear was inside, but this animal looked severely depressed (see photo gallery); I’m not sure what was going on, but they need to start with a larger indoor area for this animal.
- Primate House – we visited on a warm but overcast day, and all of the primates were inside. Perhaps outside they have lots of room, but inside they looked crowded, and viewing was extremely crowded as well.
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