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Photo: Iain Campbell, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This nationally-recognised zoo, established by the state in 1978 as the primary local attraction and "wildest place in the Twin Cities", includes 2500 animals on 485 acres. Themed walking trails range from one to two miles in length. Exhibits are divided by climate, not species, into six themed areas including a Tropics Trail (animals from rain forests and tropical habitats), a Northern Trail (large animals from the world's cold climates, such as musk ox) and a Minnesota Trail (Minnesota native animals including black bears, wolves, wolverines and a beaver pond). There are monkeys, penguins and an aquarium. Extra charge applies for IMAX and the Conservation Carousel ride. Restaurant, souvenir shop, live music venue on-site. 24-hour information line: +1 952-431-9500.
The Minnesota Zoo is an AZA-accredited zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The zoo is one of two state-supported zoos in the United States, with the other being the North Carolina Zoo. When it opened on May 22, 1978, it was fairly revolutionary in its exhibit design. The zoo, built in a suburbanizing rural area, had more space to house exhibits and was one of the first zoos to organize its animals by their living environment as opposed to their species.
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18 holes on 190 acres, banquet space, full scale bar, restaurant and outdoor patio, Valleywood Grill (+1 952-953-2335), pro shop (+1 952-953-2323), lessons.
Forests, grasslands, marshes and wetlands. Largest park in Dakota County. Hiking and mountain biking. Canoeing, kayaking, swimming, camping and horseback riding in summer; skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and ice fishing in winter.