July 2022 Minnesota Trip

Persephone

Well-Known Member
As part of my ongoing attempt to visit every AZA accredited zoo, I will be visiting Minnesota from July 2 to 5. I will be visiting Minnesota, Como Park, and Lake Superior Zoos. Anything else worth visiting? I know there’s a Sea Life in the mall but I haven’t really liked the two aquariums in the chain I’ve visited before and this one isn’t accredited. Wildcat Sanctuary doesn’t give tours and Save A Fox is booked through 2022.

Tourist recs don’t have to be zoos or aquariums, either. I wouldn’t mind having a few things to fill in the trip since I really doubt Como Park and Lake Superior take more than a few hours each.
 
I get where you’re coming from on SeaLife, as they do tend to be a little cookie-cutter. That said, I’ve found the Minnesota one to be much different in character and collection than the others, as well as much larger, so I’d give it a go. And don’t forget Great Lanes Aquarium while you’re in Duluth!
 
There are more than 20 zoos in the state of Minnesota and I've visited these 11:

Como Park Zoo (Saint Paul)
Great Lakes Aquarium (Duluth)
Hemker Park & Zoo (Freeport)
International Wolf Center (Ely)
Lake Superior Zoo (Duluth)
Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley)
North American Bear Center (Ely)
Zollman Zoo (Byron)
Pine Grove Zoo (Little Falls)
RAD (Reptile & Amphibian Discovery) Zoo (Owatonna)
Sea Life Minnesota (Bloomington)

It's true that the Sea Life there is slightly bigger and better than any of the other American Sea Life franchises, so it could be worth a look for you. It's not great, but if you are in that neck of the woods anyway...

And you simply must visit Great Lakes Aquarium as it's a decent, niche facility that is literally 10 minutes down the road from Lake Superior Zoo.
 
I’ll add my two cents as a former local. Lots of options to fill out your trip. Here are some ideas:

Other zoos/aquariums

The biggest of the non-AZA zoos are Hemker and Safari North, both in central MN. Both are privately owned zoos so the setup is basic paddocks and wire cages. As mentioned in the post above there are some rarities to be had at both. You might consider a visit if there’s a species you particularly want to see, but I’d personally pick other options ahead of them.

Also as others have mentioned, Sealife and Great Lakes aquarium are the two aquariums to consider. Sealife is bigger/better than the typical mall/tourist trap aquarium in that it has four big tunnel tanks (N. American freshwater, Amazon, Sharks/Jacks/etc., Coral Reef) instead of one. In terms of species the most interesting are probably Bowmouth Guitarfish and Green Sawfish. If you’ve been to a few bigger aquariums you’ve probably seen everything before though.

Great Lakes aquarium isn’t huge but is more unique. You just have to go knowing that the star attractions are otter, sturgeon, and trout. There are usually some rarely exhibited fish on display. I’ve not visited for quite a few years but in the past recall seeing Arctic Grayling, Deepwater Sculpin, and Iowa Darter, among others. If I was visiting Minnesota and wanted to add one additional zoological attraction I’d pick this one. Very easy to combine with the Lake Superior Zoo, as well as some nearby outdoors destinations.

Wildlife/Parks

Among charismatic wildlife species, Black Bears are 100% guaranteed with point-blank viewing/photography opportunities at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a couple hours north of Duluth. I’d strongly consider a trip here if you don’t mind viewing wildlife at a site where a feeding station has been set up. It could be combined with some of the parks north of Duluth. For example, driving the roads in Superior National Forest gives an outside shot at Moose. Highway 1 and its offshoots are a decent option for this. Note that the road that goes straight north from Duluth, Highway 53, services huge iron mines and isn’t good for wildlife.

Loons and Bald Eagles are both abundant in Minnesota, especially in the north. If you want to see them around the Twin Cities, spend a bit of time along the rivers for eagles, and go to Vadnais Lake for loons. You'd likely see both if you spent time around Duluth also. Other charismatic species are either too elusive (Wolves, Lynx) or too far from the places you'll be (Elk, Bison) to reasonably target on a short trip.

If you’re into birding, McGregor Marsh (between Duluth and the Twin Cities) is the best place in the world to try for Yellow Rail. The Sax-Zim bog near Duluth is known as a winter spot for owls and boreal songbirds, but even in summer is good for specialty birds like Connecticut Warbler and Black-billed Magpie.

For parks, a good option right in the Twin Cities is Fort Snelling State Park. Interesting historic fort, and surprisingly good for wildlife. Eagles are pretty much guaranteed, and the river backwaters are good for beavers. A little farther afield is Interstate State Park, which has some interesting glacial geology and again is a good spot to see eagles. North of Duluth the nicest park is Tettegouche State Park, which has large waterfalls, cliffs, extensive forests, and some interesting smaller wildlife like Franklin’s Ground Squirrel and Snowshoe Hare.

Cultural Attractions

Most of the major cultural attractions are in the Twin Cities. If you like art the Minneapolis Institute of Arts has a good collection with works by the likes of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, etc. and is free. There are two museums with natural history elements – the Bell Museum and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Both are nice but I’d personally skip them on a short trip. The Mall of America is obviously an option also. Minneapolis and Saint Paul each have various dining/shopping districts too but I’d skip these on a zoo-focused trip.
 
Thank you all very much for the suggestions! I’m taking Amtrak into the twin cities and only plan on having a rental car one day, although I could expand that to two if needed. Minneapolis Zoo will probably take most of the day. Como Park and Lake Superior probably won’t.

I will definitely check out Fort Snelling, @Gondwana. Also likely to check out Tettegouche if Lake Superior Zoo doesn’t take too long. I really like day hikes in scenic places.

I might check out the Great Lakes Aquarium, but I probably won’t. I went to the similar National Mississippi River Museum a few months back. It was fine? Didn’t overly enjoy it. I’d rather allocate the time to Tettegouche or McGregor Marsh.

Leaning no on Sea Life. As interesting as a Mall of America trip would be it is the weekend of the Fourth. I imagine it’ll be packed. And while it certainly sounds better than the others in the chain, I live in Northwest Indiana. I could take the train into Chicago and see Shedd if I wanted to.
 
SeaLife Minnesota is quite different than other SeaLife aquariums and is absolutely worth a visit. The tunnel tanks are a highlight.

Great Lakes Aquarium is pleasant enough aquarium, and they do have some extreme rarities. I think it would be worth checking out while you're in Duluth.

I also recommend checking out Gabbert Raptor Center while you're in the Twin Cities, their bird of prey collection is very nice!

If you are interested in wildlife, Sax-Zim Bog (an hour north of Duluth) is a must. It is home to many rare boreal species such as Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Great Gray Owl, Moose, and more. The Great Gray Owls are surprisingly easy to see and so impressive in person!
 
I wish I could have gone into more detail, but it seems like much of what I was going to say has already been said!

I would also recommend much of what has already been said. SeaLife Minnesota, Great Lakes Aquarium, and Gabberts Raptor Center, as mentioned above, are all really solid institutions that you should consider visiting.

Hemker park is an ok private zoo with a very nice collection of Ungulates and Waterfowl, including many rarities such as West Caucasian Tur, Alpine Ibex, Transcaspian Urail, Grey Gull, Great Indian Hornbill, and Buff-Cheeked Gibbon. Although it is pretty far out there, so you probably wouldn't have the time to visit. Safari North Wildlife Park also has some rarities, which include Common Palm Civet, Booted Macaque, and Striped Hyena. If rarities aren't you're thing, I would not recommend you spend the time to go out there and see them.

As for historical/cultural sites, there are plenty. I haven't been to Fort Snelling in a while, but from what I remember it was really interesting. the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Walker Art center are both really good art museums that you should consider visiting if you have the time. the MIA has really good section of ancient Chinese art that is definitely worth checking out. The Walker is more focused on modern art, but also has a really nice sculpture garden right next door (Home to the iconic Spoon and Cherry). The Bell Museum is an excellent Natural History Museum with a nice selection of taxidermy specimens and even a small section for Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates. The Science Museum is also really nice, but probably too large for you to fit into your timeframe.

I do hope you have a good time in Minnesota! The Minnesota Zoo is very good (Although a bit empty ATM), while Como and Lake Superior are both really solid zoos.
 
Thank you all once again for the feedback. I get into the city at 6:30 AM on the 2nd and have to leave at 8:30 AM on the 5th. At present I’m thinking about the following as an aspirational schedule. Some things might get cut depending on my energy / pace.

Day 1: Minnesota Zoo, Mall of America
Day 2: Lake Superior Zoo, Sax-Zim Bog, maybe Great Lakes Aquarium
Day 3: Como Park Zoo, Gabberts Raptor Center, Fort Snelling

While it is always fun to see an animal I haven’t seen lots of times before, I have limited time with the rental car (12 hrs) on Day 2 and some of that is already sunk into getting to Duluth / other places and back. The museums sound fun, especially the sculpture garden, but I don’t really have a good place to fit them in.

Thank you all once again for the feedback. If you think I should shift things around or consider something not previously proposed please let me know.
 
Minnesota Zoo will take most of the day, I'm assuming you'd be going to the Mall of America in the evening? That will probably work but it will be a long day.

That was the plan. Truth be told I’m arriving in town early that morning after sleeping overnight on a bus. Might be best to either push Mall of America to Day 3 instead of the raptor center or just scrap it altogether.
 
Went to Como Park Zoo and Gabbert Raptor Center today. Got some small blisters because my feet do that easily so I'm deciding if I do something that involves a little more sitting tonight. Out of curiosity, how long would it take to go through the Science Museum of Minnesota?

Onto the reviews.

COMO PARK ZOO AND CONSERVATORY REVIEW

Como Park is a perfectly adequate zoo. It does most things you'd want from a zoo competently. Not the best I've seen at almost anything, but nothing seemed particularly subpar. It's a good zoo. And a free one. Although, for some reason, they still require reservations for entry. It's not entirely a COVID control thing either as they don't require masks in buildings. Unsure what that's about.

The gorilla, polar bear, and california sea lion / harbor seal exhibits were the standouts. The gorillas have an indoor area and multiple outdoor ones. There was a baby gorilla on display. They seemed to have some kind of sore on their back? I hope they're okay and that's been looked at. It was a dismal day so the polar bears were all inside. All three of them. I assume one is the child of the others but they all looked pretty big. And the sea lion / seal area has a big show seating area, a dining area overlooking the exhibit, underwater views, decent theming. Pretty big for a pinniped area, too.

I can't tell how I feel about the cougar and snow leopard exhibits. They have three viewing areas: a dark indoor space, a small ground level space, and also a small area they can climb up to. None of the three areas seemed up to modern size standards, but the idea is cool and combined they're far from the smallest exhibits I've seen for the species.

There was signage for kudu and arapaima but I didn't see them. Admittedly the arapaima signage was part of a themed area and might've been a pain to remove once they stopped displaying the species. I also didn't see the wolf but that's because the wolf exhibit is pretty heavily planted and wolves are built to blend in.

Food was meh. It looked good when I saw someone else eating it but it ended up being... not actively bad, but not really pleasant either. The restaurant by the sea lions sells more things than the one in the visitor center. Didn't see the lions but I did hear them.

The highlights of my trip weren't the ABC species. My absolute favorite were the dall sheep. I've never actually seen them before. They had a baby and a juvenile that were chasing each other around. The baby was awkwardly trying to climb a pile of rocks that were bigger than he was. And doing a lot of zoomies when he wasn't doing that. The juvenile kept jumping up against the wall of her exhibit and then using it as a springboard to jump off. I stood there watching them in the rain for a long time and have no regrets.

The arctic foxes were delightful as they usually are. There are a few semi-hidden viewing areas that gave a great view. I saw at least three. Summer coats, which are still pretty cute even if the winter ones are more iconic.

Their ostrich was attempting to bite raindrops out of midair. She was very frustrated that they kept coming. It was funny to watch. Could get a view of the baby zebra doing their best to be a zebra at the same time. They gave up part way through and lied down while their mother ate beside them.

Oh, and the sloth was active. Slowly trying to figure out how to reach a leaf he wanted to eat. Very determined. Even if it took a while. So cool seeing them move. Their claws are always somehow bigger than I'm expecting. (Also I have no idea why there's a random saltwater aquarium in the tropical area.)

Oh! I liked the African lungfish in the indoor section for giraffes. Pretty easy to miss since if they're out in the field its a very skippable area. They're such cool fish. They had an African bullfrog nearby which, while not rare, I always enjoy looking at.

Conservatories aren't really my thing but I still enjoyed my walkthrough. The fern room is a very cool concept and I liked looking at all the prehistoric-looking plants and the sheer variety the ferns came in. The north gardens was my favorite since the signage emphasized how the different plants could be used for food or medicine. North Carolina's aviary did something similar. I really liked it in both places. The bonsai / rock garden was also very interesting to look at.

Overall, a solid 6 or 7 out of 10 zoo. Nothing bad, not a whole lot great. I have higher hopes for the Minnesota Zoo Monday.

GABBERT RAPTOR CENTER REVIEW

Fun fact: Google Maps does not know how to get from Como Park to the raptor center on foot. Took me on a sketchy path through the fairgrounds that was ultimately blocked by some gates. Was two minutes late but they still let me on the tour.

It was a good tour. The Center houses about thirty raptors that can't be released and has public tours of parts of the facility. The enclosures aren't particularly impressive, but this is a rehab center and not a proper aviary. Merlins and saw-whet owls were the only ones I haven't seen a few times before. The merlin was being very vocal and the bald eagle next door kept looking like he wanted to do a murder.

They didn't get into the details of where the birds came from and why they can't be released unless I asked. Felt like a waste. That's always been my favorite part of other rehab center / animal sanctuary tours. It mostly focused on general information about the species and what different types of raptors are built for. It was fine. Just not really what I was expecting. Worth the price if you're on campus but I wouldn't really go out of your way to see it.

If I get to the science museum tonight I'll throw up a review of that. Still unsure if I'm going to the aquarium tomorrow, but I'll drop a review of Lake Superior Zoo and a few quick thoughts on Sax-Zim bog as well.
 
GABBERT RAPTOR CENTER REVIEW

Fun fact: Google Maps does not know how to get from Como Park to the raptor center on foot. Took me on a sketchy path through the fairgrounds that was ultimately blocked by some gates. Was two minutes late but they still let me on the tour.

It was a good tour. The Center houses about thirty raptors that can't be released and has public tours of parts of the facility. The enclosures aren't particularly impressive, but this is a rehab center and not a proper aviary. Merlins and saw-whet owls were the only ones I haven't seen a few times before. The merlin was being very vocal and the bald eagle next door kept looking like he wanted to do a murder.

They didn't get into the details of where the birds came from and why they can't be released unless I asked. Felt like a waste. That's always been my favorite part of other rehab center / animal sanctuary tours. It mostly focused on general information about the species and what different types of raptors are built for. It was fine. Just not really what I was expecting. Worth the price if you're on campus but I wouldn't really go out of your way to see it.
Did you get a species list?
 
Off the top of my head,

Bald Eagle
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Peregrine Falcon
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Barn Owl
Saw-whet owl (can’t recall species)
Merlin
Eastern Screech Owl
The saw-whet owl would be Northern. Thanks! No harrier or Boreal Owl?
 
There was signage for kudu and arapaima but I didn't see them. Admittedly the arapaima signage was part of a themed area and might've been a pain to remove once they stopped displaying the species.
Kudu should still be there, but the Arapaima hasn’t been at the zoo in a very long time. The signage in Tropical Encounters badly needs an update.


(Also I have no idea why there's a random saltwater aquarium in the tropical area.)
I believe you his is only a temporary measure until the tank moves back into the Aquatic Animals Building after those renovations are completed


It was a good tour. The Center houses about thirty raptors that can't be released and has public tours of parts of the facility. The enclosures aren't particularly impressive, but this is a rehab center and not a proper aviary. Merlins and saw-whet owls were the only ones I haven't seen a few times before. The merlin was being very vocal and the bald eagle next door kept looking like he wanted to do a murder.
I didn’t know Gabbert’s had a Merlin’s!? Do you know if this was a recent acquisition?

@birdsandbats the Boreal Owl hasn’t been there for a couple of years now, unfortunately.
 
The Canal District of Duluth is way more touristy than I was expecting. Reminds me of some of the pricier tourist districts in South Carolina. Only colder. It was a rainy day so I opted to go to the aquarium instead of the bog. Here are your reviews.

LAKE SUPERIOR ZOO REVIEW

Four hours later I’m still trying to figure out if I liked it or not. On the pro side, I really loved their nocturnal house. I find that those are either done wonderfully or terribly and this was on the better side. None of the species were terribly rare but the combination and presentation was nice. And they were active! The genet was curious about the humans across the glass, the armadillo was scurrying around, the bettong was hopping all over, the slow loris was out (!) and moving (!!!). Even the sloth—okay the sloth was asleep. Can’t win them all.

I thought their grizzly bear exhibit was strong. Also liked the prairie dog. And it’s always an unexpected delight to see Chinese goral. Siberian Lynx is also a new one for me.

I’m just confused by a lot of the zoo’s choices. Next to the Wolf enclosure are two equally large ones with carnivore fencing with—nothing. They’re pretty overgrown, too, so they’ve been empty for a while with no announced replacements. The signage just lists them as a (fenced in) wildlife area. This is in spite of the fact that each of these yards are larger than the current exhibits for the tigers, lions, black bears, snow leopards, or cougars. The last two would need some netting erected but the first three could just be moved in. It’s baffling that they’re permanently empty. Equally baffling is the kangaroos seemingly only having access to half their yard, with nothing at all in the other half.

It wasn’t a bad zoo, exactly, and I very much enjoyed parts of it. But some of the ABC enclosures felt a bit small which was really frustrating when they had space right there. I would move the black bear and cougar there, move the Lynx to replace one of them, let the snow leopards also use the Lynx exhibit, maybe move the goral to whichever predator exhibit remains unused. That’s just with a few hours of thought.

6/10, I think.

GREAT LAKES AQUARIUM REVIEW

Y’all were right. I loved this place. Has elements of the Tennessee Aquarium which I adore. The signage and education on the second floor were top notch. The species list was underwhelming but the presentation and theme made up for it. It felt like a love letter to the water in a way only a few aquariums truly do. Everything the National Mississippi River Museum should’ve been but wasn’t.

The deep water fish were one of the highlights for me. I don’t think I’ve seen any of the sculpin species they had before. Might never again, either, given the difficulty in obtaining them. The otters were also pumped full of energy and wrestling each other in the water. An 8/10 experience, about as high as it can get without anything bigger than a zebra shark.


Minnesota Zoo tomorrow.
 
The Canal District of Duluth is way more touristy than I was expecting. Reminds me of some of the pricier tourist districts in South Carolina. Only colder. It was a rainy day so I opted to go to the aquarium instead of the bog. Here are your reviews.

LAKE SUPERIOR ZOO REVIEW

Four hours later I’m still trying to figure out if I liked it or not. On the pro side, I really loved their nocturnal house. I find that those are either done wonderfully or terribly and this was on the better side. None of the species were terribly rare but the combination and presentation was nice. And they were active! The genet was curious about the humans across the glass, the armadillo was scurrying around, the bettong was hopping all over, the slow loris was out (!) and moving (!!!). Even the sloth—okay the sloth was asleep. Can’t win them all.

I thought their grizzly bear exhibit was strong. Also liked the prairie dog. And it’s always an unexpected delight to see Chinese Goral. Siberian Lynx is also a new one for me.

I’m just confused by a lot of the zoo’s choices. Next to the Wolf enclosure are two equally large ones with carnivore fencing with—nothing. They’re pretty overgrown, too, so they’ve been empty for a while with no announced replacements. The signage just lists them as a (fenced in) wildlife area. This is in spite of the fact that each of these yards are larger than the current exhibits for the tigers, lions, black bears, snow leopards, or cougars. The last two would need some netting erected but the first three could just be moved in. It’s baffling that they’re permanently empty. Equally baffling is the kangaroos seemingly only having access to half their yard, with nothing at all in the other half.
Glad you got to see the Slow Loris out and about! The last few times I've visited it's sleeping in the lefthand corner :rolleyes:.
Has the grass grown at all in the Bear exhibits? I was disappointed by how bare they were on my last few visits, but it seemed like there was some greenery coming in.
Those empty exhibits you were talking about actually used to hold Domestic Reindeer (later Pere Davids Deer) and White-Tailed Deer until around 6 years ago. They are supposed to return to these exhibits in the near future, but I'm not sure when this will be.
It too puzzles me why the Kangaroo don't have access to the other half of their enclosure. this exhibit is also slated to be repurposed in the near future, with the Macropod's being phased out for something different.
 
Glad you got to see the Slow Loris out and about! The last few times I've visited it's sleeping in the lefthand corner :rolleyes:.
Has the grass grown at all in the Bear exhibits? I was disappointed by how bare they were on my last few visits, but it seemed like there was some greenery coming in.
Those empty exhibits you were talking about actually used to hold Domestic Reindeer (later Pere Davids Deer) and White-Tailed Deer until around 6 years ago. They are supposed to return to these exhibits in the near future, but I'm not sure when this will be.
It too puzzles me why the Kangaroo don't have access to the other half of their enclosure. this exhibit is also slated to be repurposed in the near future, with the Macropod's being phased out for something different.

I think it was the first time I’d ever seen a slow loris active and in plain view. Don’t worry, though: he went back into his box shortly after I got there.

Honestly the goral, deer, and Lynx would’ve given them a really really good Asian collection for a zoo of that size. I hope they get those back. Maybe even with takin or something.

There was no greenery in the bear exhibit. Really the only thing holding it back from being perfect.
 
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