The Minnesota Zoo has always been a big draw for both children and adults, and now it’s better than ever with some new and exciting offerings for summer and all year round.
“We just brought in a brand new species for our zoo: two California sea lion pups named Hudson and Flynn,” says communication manager, Zach Nugent. “They’re turning one this month and are about 100 pounds.” Later this summer, the two pups will be joined by three adult California sea lions, which weigh about 700 to 900 pounds.
Another fun event this summer is its bird shows, which will take place three times a day. “We have free flight macaws and a number of different exotic and native Minnesota species,” he says. Visitors can learn about their natural behaviors and some of the issues they face in the wild from a conservation standpoint. “It's a really fun, unique and engaging show, and we've never offered it three times a day.”
Out at the zoo farm, there are milking demonstrations, horse demonstrations, and the opportunity to interact with pigs and chickens as well as with the keepers of the animals.
“We’ll also be doing some public training demonstrations with our gibbons, feeding demonstrations with our penguins and within our shark reef aquarium,” says Zach.
Another popular draw is Llama Trek, which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. “We have about 20 free roaming llamas, and people can wander the trail barrier free, letting the llamas come up and engage with them.” Camel rides are another unique offering.
The Minnesota Zoo is also excited to offer adult-only evenings. Its Wild Night summer festival series takes place on five Friday nights throughout the summer, and the next one is on August 9. “We close the zoo at 4 p.m. to our daytime guests and reopen at 5 p.m.,” he says. “From 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., adults have access to all of our zoo trails, and can grab some food from the food trucks along with beverages.”
There is also a small artisan market to roam. “Then from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., we have two stages with two headlining bands.” Since each band does two sets, people can go to one stage to check out one band, listen to their set, and then go to the next stage and check out the other band performing their second set.
An additional interesting development at the zoo is its Treetop Trail that opened last summer. “We repurposed a former monorail track into an elevated walking path, and worked with the same engineers who developed the New York City High Line. It's a 1-1/4 mile loop, which makes it the world's longest elevated pedestrian loop, and about half of it goes over animal habitats.” The other half goes through undeveloped forests and wetlands that are part of the zoo's property, which is the 5th largest in the country.
“It's a really immersive, restorative experience,” says Zach.
13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley | MNZoo.org | 952-431-9200