Minnesota Zoo — Attraction in Apple Valley

As I began to approach Minnesota Zoo, I started to anticipate a memorable experience.

My significant other and I landed in the South Entrance Gibbon Lot and parked there. We walked towards the Lower South Entrance and we had to halt everything. There was a sign that stated Welcome! Online tickets required and available at MNZoo.org Scan QR code for tickets. This was a rather odd obstacle in our path. There was complimentary Wi-Fi here under the network Minnesota Zoo Free Wireless. Online, I checked out the Admission and Parking section. General Admission for Non-Members that were Adults ages 13-64 was $23.95. Additional Charges was Parking: Car or Van $10.00. I clicked Zoo Timed Admission and for the Times Available, I chose 1:30 PM.

The sign before the building entrance stated Online Tickets Only. This seemed to be a serious thing here and I thought it was a poor business practice. Fortunately, it was fast to scan my e-Ticket.

Our first stop was Discovery Bay. I got to see the Spotted garden eel and the Splendid garden eel in a display there. They were unique and interesting to watch. Not too far from them was the Shrimp display. They looked vibrant and it was worth the stop.

Northern Trail was an awesome section of Minnesota Zoo. I almost had to stop to see the Bison display. There were quite a few of these beautiful animals. Right past them was the Black-tailed Prairie Dog display. They were small and adorable. Seeing the Moose was the best part of the day. It appeared rare and I felt honored to see it. The Reindeer or Caribou display was exciting. They seemed active and it was nice to admire them from afar.

Our last stop was Minnesota Trail. I got to see the Coyote display. They were beautiful. After that, I saw the Gray Wolf. It was large and gorgeous. Not too far away was the Puma (AKA cougar, mountain lion, panther) display. They were active.

We headed towards the South Entrance/Exit. Going through the Zoo Exit door was the worst part of the day.

The service was good. Everyone I encountered was friendly. I didn’t have any issues in that category.

Overall, I had a decent time here and I enjoyed seeing every animal I encountered. I might go back someday.

Date of visit:...

My friend and I visited from out of town. We were deciding going to the Mall of America’s aquarium, but we decided to go to the Minnesota zoo upon realizing that they, too, have an aquarium! We went on a weekday so it wasn’t extremely packed. I will say, though, I recommend purchasing your ticket ahead of time because you are required to make an account and there are selected entrance times that you can pick from (we didn’t know this), and it’ll be less of a hassle so that you don’t have to pay for the tickets as you walk in. Upon entering, my friend asked guest services if they had any physical maps, to which they don’t, so you have to scan a QR code in order to access it on your phone. We started walking around and noticed that we entered the treetop path instead of the regular zoo path which led us to walk endless miles of scenery. We were a little disappointed that we hardly saw anything notable while on the path, though. When we got to the right path, we visited the farm first, but there was not much to see in terms of animal variety. There were sheep, goats, a couple of cows, and a couple of horses. It is a zoo so we didn’t mind the lack of variety, however when we got to the actual zoo portion, we were disappointed with how many of the animal habitats were empty due to “upcoming plans.” There were large spaces between animal habitats so there was a lot more walking and seeing empty plots of land than there was seeing animals. Also, most of the attractions and food spots were closed or not open to the public, so that was really disappointing. Overall, it was nice visiting a zoo out of town, but it was disappointing not being able to see animals that you normally see in a zoo like elephants, giraffes,...

I love our zoo. I really, really do. It has wonderful wildlife, beautiful grounds, and very friendly staff.

But this place is missing some things to hit the 5 star experience. The MN Zoo could help itself, some too with some amenities, such as additional food and shop options, stroller restrictions, and better markings on animal enclosures.

Firstly, for me, the venue gets too crowded to be enjoyable. Dodging stroller caravans that stretch for miles isn't an easy task. On a plus side, there are some areas that strollers seem to be off-limits to, but all of the double-length strollers with one child inside seemed hard to avoid. I understand that each one of those kids paid admission, too, but it still dials down the fun on the overall experience.

Second, the zoo does have a lot of animals off-exhibit...but: I get it. Animals need time away to rest, recover, heal, hibernate, etc. However, the labeling of exhibits left a lot to be desired. It should be obvious that an exhibit is empty, and I feel they could do a better job of that.

Third, why not just bake the cost of parking into the ticket costs. C'mon. In spite of my 3 star review, a Visit to the MN Zoo is a good value, really. They have some amazing animals here and It's a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Fourth, I love the Tigers. Best exhibit of the day.

Finally, if you come visit the zoo, come in the spring or summer. The winter was a little too cold to hit all of the outdoor locations we wanted to hit, and a few of the animals are in hibernation. While attendance seemed super-high the day we went, the cold weather also pushed them all inside. Going in the summer might ease that strain with fewer people stacked on top...