this will cover my visits in June 2020 and December 2019(the indoor exhibits where closed on my last visit and the exhibits haven’t changed indoors since I went so I wil cover that trip as well).
The main building is obviously the entrance to the zoo(and it’s also the oldest) the first floor has a modest gift shop and restaurant, as well as a 2 story exhibit for black-crested mangabey, it’s not the greatest exhibit ever but it’s fine, the floor below houses mainly reptiles. On the left is a small exhibit for Gila monsters, the second viewing for the mangabeys next to that is a tall terrarium for a Bali python, a tank for Great Barrier Reef fish and another tall terrarium this time for a veiled chameleon. And on the right is an exhibit for a snapping turtle, with a exit On one the right and an exhibit for a Burmese python on the left, Scattered around the room are exhibits for a possibly temporary exhibit for amphibians of Minnesota.
Going down the room you will find an extension to the building called griggs learning center. The first thing you’ll see is multiple recently constructed exhibits for rabbits, Batam chickens, African Pygmy hedgehogs, European ferrets, chinchillas, guinea pigs, ring-necked doves, the first African straw colored fruit bat exhibit, and the largest exhibit for red-crested touracos. On the left are various terrariums for tiger salamanders, emperor scorpion, dune & leopard geckos, red kneed tarantula, giant stick insects, hissing cockroaches, American bullfrog, fancy rats, hognose snakes, rainbow boa, and Bullsnakes, next are two turtle exhibits a mostly-water exhibit for painted turtles & red eared sliders, and a sandy one for desert tortoises. In front of you there will be 5 similar glass aviaries for Moluccan cockatoo, green winged macaws and blue & gold macaws, double yellow-headed amazon parrot, black-headed caquie, and military macaw. And on the right there is a meshed aviary that originally contained a screech owl, but now has a Cabot’s tragopan in it, and right next to it is a glas-fronted aviary for American robins, northern bobwhite quail, and red footed tortoise. If we exit next to the snapping turtle we will see a newly constructed outdoor exhibit for black -crested mangabeys.
Moving farther down we will find some small acacia trees and a sheltered viewing area for the African lion exhibit, then moving down further is a wpa building repurposed as a preschool, next to that is what worst likely was a walk-through aviary, is now home to bald eagles, and a smaller aviary next to it that will soon contain red tailed hawks. These exhibits where damaged in a snowstorm last year and are undergoing repairs.
Next to that is a walk-through red kangaroo and Bennett's wallaby exhibit, once you’re done with that your taken into the Australia and Oceania building. The first thing you see when you walk in is 2 terrariums on either side. One for a green tree python and the other for bearded dragons, moving down on your right is an exhibit for around 12 prehensile tailed skinks, next is an exhibit on your left for golden coin and spiny turtles, and across from that is an exhibit for kookaburras and a green iguana, next is an exhibit which once help the Reef fish, was renovated and now contains budgerigar and brush-tailed bettong next to that is a terrarium for waxy monkey frogs, and finally the last exhibit is similar in design to the skink exhibit, but this time it’s a rotating exhibit for Gould’s monitors, and a mertens water monitor.
After you exit the building you have to turn around and go back the way you came. Next you can take a bridge over to the other side of the creek, where you will find 2 abandoned deer paddocks and a circular aviary for common ravens, next, past the empt exhibits there is a refurbished wolf exhibit with a small cave structure in it next is a new bear exhibit for the zoos brown bears, this was build on the same footprint as the old bear grotto in its place, the bears will move to there new exhibit next summer, the new exhibit will replace the old polar shores are(which contained polar bears, harbor seals, North American River otters, and snowy owls) with new otter and silver fox exhibits coming too the current bear exhibit will be home to American black bears once Phase 2 is complete. Next to the new bear exhibit is the old cougar exhibit that has two new cougars as well, and in between the two exhibits is soon going to be an exhibit for great horned owl and North American porcupine.
Moving down are to smallish cat exhibits. One for Eurasian lynx and the other, slightly larger one for a snow leopard. Across the creek again we go and we find an exhibit for turkey a vulture and a gopher tortoise, behind it is a exhibit for a Chinese goral and white-naped cranes.
Moving around is an exhibit called the chicken coop, and it contains game chickens, pyimoth rock chicken, pekin duck, and Indian peafowl, next to that is a contact yard for Pygmy, nupine, pygora, and Nigerian dwarf goats, Shetland and baby doll sheep, and Llamas.
Moving up you’ll find a building with 3 outdoor wooded caged exhibits, one for Angolan colobus monkeys and cape porcupine, another on the other side for ring tailed lemurs, and one right next to it for swift fox. Going inside the building shows you the primate conservation center, the first and largest indoor exhibit is for the Angolan colobus monkeys and the cape porcupine, across from that is the indoors area for the ring tailed lemurs, and next to that a smaller exhibit for cotton topped tamarin. Then moving into a dark hallway there is one final primate exhibit this time for goldi’s monkey and speckled mousebirds. Across is a terrarium for a European glass lizard.
Next is the nocturnal building, the first thing you see is a cave-like exhibit for a large spotted genet, the exhibit next to it is a mixed species exhibit for prehensile tailed porcupine, southern flying squirt, and 6 banded armadillos. There is an exhibit in the middle for more African straw colored fruit bats and some times brush-tailed bettongs. Next to the porcupine mix exhibit is a similar exhibit for spectacled owls, and a larger one for Pallas cats, on the other side is the largest exhibit for two toed sloths and a kinkajou, next is a smaller exhibit for a burrowing owl that doesn’t like me, the next exhibit was empty when I visited but I’m pretty sure it contains the zoos striped skunk(the signing kinda implied that would be the case) and one final exhibit for yellow billed hornbills.
Going back outside you’ll find a row of exhibits with rocky fences. The first one is an aviary for a Eurasian eagle owl, next is an exhibit for prairie dogs, and a exhibit with chain linked fence for Flemish giant rabbits. Across from that is a newly built yard for a reeves muntjac, and finally there is a glass window to a large exhibit for the zoos new Amur tiger. And that’s the end of the zoo
Overall, for what it is, Lake Superior zoo is pretty great, my only problems are the parrot aviaries, the snow leopard and Eurasian lynx exhibit, and the smaller lion exhibit but it’s a pretty great small zoo, and I recommend going there
The main building is obviously the entrance to the zoo(and it’s also the oldest) the first floor has a modest gift shop and restaurant, as well as a 2 story exhibit for black-crested mangabey, it’s not the greatest exhibit ever but it’s fine, the floor below houses mainly reptiles. On the left is a small exhibit for Gila monsters, the second viewing for the mangabeys next to that is a tall terrarium for a Bali python, a tank for Great Barrier Reef fish and another tall terrarium this time for a veiled chameleon. And on the right is an exhibit for a snapping turtle, with a exit On one the right and an exhibit for a Burmese python on the left, Scattered around the room are exhibits for a possibly temporary exhibit for amphibians of Minnesota.
Going down the room you will find an extension to the building called griggs learning center. The first thing you’ll see is multiple recently constructed exhibits for rabbits, Batam chickens, African Pygmy hedgehogs, European ferrets, chinchillas, guinea pigs, ring-necked doves, the first African straw colored fruit bat exhibit, and the largest exhibit for red-crested touracos. On the left are various terrariums for tiger salamanders, emperor scorpion, dune & leopard geckos, red kneed tarantula, giant stick insects, hissing cockroaches, American bullfrog, fancy rats, hognose snakes, rainbow boa, and Bullsnakes, next are two turtle exhibits a mostly-water exhibit for painted turtles & red eared sliders, and a sandy one for desert tortoises. In front of you there will be 5 similar glass aviaries for Moluccan cockatoo, green winged macaws and blue & gold macaws, double yellow-headed amazon parrot, black-headed caquie, and military macaw. And on the right there is a meshed aviary that originally contained a screech owl, but now has a Cabot’s tragopan in it, and right next to it is a glas-fronted aviary for American robins, northern bobwhite quail, and red footed tortoise. If we exit next to the snapping turtle we will see a newly constructed outdoor exhibit for black -crested mangabeys.
Moving farther down we will find some small acacia trees and a sheltered viewing area for the African lion exhibit, then moving down further is a wpa building repurposed as a preschool, next to that is what worst likely was a walk-through aviary, is now home to bald eagles, and a smaller aviary next to it that will soon contain red tailed hawks. These exhibits where damaged in a snowstorm last year and are undergoing repairs.
Next to that is a walk-through red kangaroo and Bennett's wallaby exhibit, once you’re done with that your taken into the Australia and Oceania building. The first thing you see when you walk in is 2 terrariums on either side. One for a green tree python and the other for bearded dragons, moving down on your right is an exhibit for around 12 prehensile tailed skinks, next is an exhibit on your left for golden coin and spiny turtles, and across from that is an exhibit for kookaburras and a green iguana, next is an exhibit which once help the Reef fish, was renovated and now contains budgerigar and brush-tailed bettong next to that is a terrarium for waxy monkey frogs, and finally the last exhibit is similar in design to the skink exhibit, but this time it’s a rotating exhibit for Gould’s monitors, and a mertens water monitor.
After you exit the building you have to turn around and go back the way you came. Next you can take a bridge over to the other side of the creek, where you will find 2 abandoned deer paddocks and a circular aviary for common ravens, next, past the empt exhibits there is a refurbished wolf exhibit with a small cave structure in it next is a new bear exhibit for the zoos brown bears, this was build on the same footprint as the old bear grotto in its place, the bears will move to there new exhibit next summer, the new exhibit will replace the old polar shores are(which contained polar bears, harbor seals, North American River otters, and snowy owls) with new otter and silver fox exhibits coming too the current bear exhibit will be home to American black bears once Phase 2 is complete. Next to the new bear exhibit is the old cougar exhibit that has two new cougars as well, and in between the two exhibits is soon going to be an exhibit for great horned owl and North American porcupine.
Moving down are to smallish cat exhibits. One for Eurasian lynx and the other, slightly larger one for a snow leopard. Across the creek again we go and we find an exhibit for turkey a vulture and a gopher tortoise, behind it is a exhibit for a Chinese goral and white-naped cranes.
Moving around is an exhibit called the chicken coop, and it contains game chickens, pyimoth rock chicken, pekin duck, and Indian peafowl, next to that is a contact yard for Pygmy, nupine, pygora, and Nigerian dwarf goats, Shetland and baby doll sheep, and Llamas.
Moving up you’ll find a building with 3 outdoor wooded caged exhibits, one for Angolan colobus monkeys and cape porcupine, another on the other side for ring tailed lemurs, and one right next to it for swift fox. Going inside the building shows you the primate conservation center, the first and largest indoor exhibit is for the Angolan colobus monkeys and the cape porcupine, across from that is the indoors area for the ring tailed lemurs, and next to that a smaller exhibit for cotton topped tamarin. Then moving into a dark hallway there is one final primate exhibit this time for goldi’s monkey and speckled mousebirds. Across is a terrarium for a European glass lizard.
Next is the nocturnal building, the first thing you see is a cave-like exhibit for a large spotted genet, the exhibit next to it is a mixed species exhibit for prehensile tailed porcupine, southern flying squirt, and 6 banded armadillos. There is an exhibit in the middle for more African straw colored fruit bats and some times brush-tailed bettongs. Next to the porcupine mix exhibit is a similar exhibit for spectacled owls, and a larger one for Pallas cats, on the other side is the largest exhibit for two toed sloths and a kinkajou, next is a smaller exhibit for a burrowing owl that doesn’t like me, the next exhibit was empty when I visited but I’m pretty sure it contains the zoos striped skunk(the signing kinda implied that would be the case) and one final exhibit for yellow billed hornbills.
Going back outside you’ll find a row of exhibits with rocky fences. The first one is an aviary for a Eurasian eagle owl, next is an exhibit for prairie dogs, and a exhibit with chain linked fence for Flemish giant rabbits. Across from that is a newly built yard for a reeves muntjac, and finally there is a glass window to a large exhibit for the zoos new Amur tiger. And that’s the end of the zoo
Overall, for what it is, Lake Superior zoo is pretty great, my only problems are the parrot aviaries, the snow leopard and Eurasian lynx exhibit, and the smaller lion exhibit but it’s a pretty great small zoo, and I recommend going there
