Red River Zoo
Red River Zoo things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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This place is cool but I recommend coming in the summertime. I came on a Saturday and the place was nearly empty. Very quiet but I got to see the animals with no wait. Some exhibits were a little depressing but I attribute that to it being winter 🤷♂️. The best animals were the crane, camels, foxes, Blanding's turtle, and the Jacob sheep. The cranes were cool because one of them was so chill and sleeping while the other was aggressive and tried biting me the whole time I was near the exhibit. The camels were totally just vibing, not a single thought or action, just vibes. The foxes ran around the exhibit and groomed themselves honestly it was super cute. The Blanding's turtle followed my finger around in his tank from the other side of the glass and was super energetic. The Jacob's sheep were aggressive but o ly when they realized I had coins, recognizing them as the ticket to food to which they promptly gobbled up all of the food I bought them from the machines provided. Other cool animals were the kookaburra, the corn snakes, the ravens, and what I believe to be a Himalayan Tahir. Last but not least, the red pandas were super chill. The discovery center of agriculture was a little out of place. Overall, bring the family for a really chill experience.
Leif SatermoLeif Satermo
10
Beware of the Merry-go-round. It will ruin your visit. Would love to praise and give a high rating, because for a zoo in a small city it is really nice. However, the visit to merry-go-round at the end was not merry at all and ruined our day. The ride is sponsored by I assume is a local family and they either hate kids, or would be appalled with how something with their name on it is being ran. After spending $3 a kid to ride (which is ridiculous on it's own) the little girl operating it stopped it right away and told us we had to get off because one of our kids was crying. Thou shall not cry on their very important ride apparently. Our other two kids were devastated, which naturally lead to them crying. It tainted what was a great family vacation. For further context the crying child was actually not crying but screaming with glee because he loved it so much. Even if he was crying, that is no reason to kick a kid off a merry-go-round. Young kids cry... Always! Happy, sad, hurt, excited. They are always crying. Trust me. You can't stop life for a crying child. Disney has the most strict standards for these kinds of things and they wouldn't stop the carousal for a screaming kid. (We have family that works there, we asked them and they laughed at how stupid the idea is). Get over yourselves power tripping teenagers running the ride and just let parents parent our children. Believe me, if there was a problem I don't know any parents that wouldn't address it better than you can. I don't need you telling my kid he can't cry.
Brian HirscheBrian Hirsche
00
Absolutely love visiting here! My kids love learning about all of the animals. I love the "scenic trail" feel to the zoo. Very natural feeling. Animals always seem happy and content. There is a Mommy Pod for nursing mothers, which I have very much appreciated. The event days are a blast. Always very interactive for kids of all ages. The otters are definitely a family favorite! The food and drink stand is fairly priced, not extremely over priced like large zoos. Lots of benches and seating scattered throughout for resting tiny feet. The playground is awesome. When my daughter took a little tumble and employee ran over to help us and walked with us to a bench (she just got a small scrape, got more scared than anything). They even popped back by a few minutes later to make sure she was ok and told us to let them know if she needed a bandaid, ice pack or anything. We buy a family membership every year!
Brittani ClaeBrittani Clae
00
It's a cute little zoo and pretty well maintained. There's not a ton of diversity but it did advertise that it houses animals from similar climates so don't expect to see lions or polar bears. There are some unique animals like the Pallas Cats and the Takin. For the price I feel like we definitely got our money's worth. It was $50 for two adults and two children. The discovery barn and farmyard animals are always a hit, the kids love feeding the goats and alpacas. There's a couple different playgrounds to take breaks. There was only one food vendor that we saw but had easy okay options like tacos in a bag, uncrustables, etc. Almost everything is outside but there are a few different buildings to get out of the heat. With two younger kids (5 & 4) I felt like this zoo was the perfect size, we were able to see everything and take our time in 2 hours with a break for food.
Heidi Cook (Heidi)Heidi Cook (Heidi)
10
Date of Visit: 10/13/2019 - We had a great visit to this zoo! Having grown up with the Minnesota Zoo (in Apple Valley, MN), this zoo seemed quite small, but we really enjoyed how quaint it was. We also enjoyed that there appeared to only be 4-5 families walking the zoo while we were there, so it was almost as if we had our own personal zoo to ourselves. The staff we encountered by the front door was incredibly friendly, however, the staff we encountered by the carousel were not friendly at all. We stopped into the shelter to take a quick photo of the carousel and were glared at the entire time. Only took us about 30-45 minutes to walk the entire zoo.
Tara HTara H
00
This was such a cute little zoo! Had it not been so cold, we would've spent more time there! We were very surprised to see lots of indoor viewing places that were nice and warm and had bathrooms! The animals were very interactive! A wolf came running towards us like a puppy and seemed to want our attention! For as small as it is, it's beautiful and charming, and I recommend this to anyone! Sometimes less is more; and I mean that you can spend so much more time enjoying the scenery and animals! Rare ones at that! We truly enjoyed this zoo more than was anticipated! If we ever end up in Fargo again, we'll be sure to come again! Thanks so much!
The Deja Vu ArtistThe Deja Vu Artist
10
Nearby Attractions Of Red River Zoo
AmericInn by Wyndham Fargo Medical Center
Wingate by Wyndham Fargo
C'Mon Inn
Visit Fargo-Moorhead
Off The Hook Seafood Llc | Mobile Seafood Market
Rabanus Park
Wood Chipper from "Fargo"

AmericInn by Wyndham Fargo Medical Center
4.3
(469)Click for details

Wingate by Wyndham Fargo
4.2
(457)Click for details

C'Mon Inn
4.2
(371)Click for details

Visit Fargo-Moorhead
4.7
(292)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Red River Zoo
Space Aliens Grill & Bar
Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews
Nine Dragons Restaurant & Slap Shot Pizza
Pizza Ranch
Taj India Restaurant
Deep Blue Seafood
Smiling Moose
Dolly Down Grill
El Agave Mexican Restaurant
Applebee's Grill + Bar

Space Aliens Grill & Bar
4.1
(1.3K)Click for details

Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews
4.5
(551)Click for details

Nine Dragons Restaurant & Slap Shot Pizza
3.3
(369)Click for details

Pizza Ranch
4.1
(1.2K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
4255 23rd Ave S, Fargo, ND 58104
Map
Phone
(701) 277-9240
Call
Website
redriverzoo.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.4
(990 reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
family friendly
Description
The Red River Zoo is a zoo in Fargo, North Dakota. The zoo's first 8 acres opened in the spring of 1999. It gained accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2006.
attractions: AmericInn by Wyndham Fargo Medical Center, Wingate by Wyndham Fargo, C'Mon Inn, Visit Fargo-Moorhead, Off The Hook Seafood Llc | Mobile Seafood Market, Rabanus Park, Wood Chipper from "Fargo", restaurants: Space Aliens Grill & Bar, Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews, Nine Dragons Restaurant & Slap Shot Pizza, Pizza Ranch, Taj India Restaurant, Deep Blue Seafood, Smiling Moose, Dolly Down Grill, El Agave Mexican Restaurant, Applebee's Grill + Bar

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