Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Trip

My DIL wanted to go to the Zoo and walk around since it was 40 degrees and sunshiny today. She's due this week, so what she wants, she gets.

We got up, ate some breakfast and drove to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. This little treasure has got to be why Minneapolis and St. Paul consistently rank in the top ten places to live on all the lifestyle polls.

It's a great zoo. And it's free.

This being the first week of April, not a lot of the animals were outside, but there were inside exhibits for most of the animals. It's a compact zoo, but about perfect size for taking small children.
We looked at monkeys, giraffes, zebras, and all kinds of fishes inside. Outside we saw tigers, polar bears, arctic foxes, reindeer and mountain goats.

Once we trolled past the animals, it was time to take a look inside the conservatory. Boy, was that a surprise! What a lovely treat. And the native Minnesotans were out in force to enjoy the greenery.
One of my favorite parts was called 'the sunken garden'. It was where most of the blooming flowers were and you just have to imagine how wonderful it smelled in there.

There is a water feature down the center of the formal garden with raised beds down both sides. The koi were swimming and a fountain bubbled away at the end. The combination of the sunny, warm atmosphere and the formality of the hardscape made it a gorgeous showcase for all the blooms.

Most of the flowers were ones I've seen in southern gardens, so I imagine they're a little harder to grow at this latitude. All of this beauty is provided to the people of MSP for just a donation! Amazing. For the amount of greenhouse I saw, I would expect to pay $10-$15 for entry into an exhibit like this. It was a pleasure to walk through the humid warmth and see all the lovely and exotic plants.

We had a wonderful visit and I think the kids liked it almost as much as I did!
I'm guessing that with a value like free/donation, they will be making the outing to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory a regular trip for the family. I know I would. Apparently, MSP is filled with family friendly venues so this is one of many. I'm guessing that my family will find a bunch of other places to spend a glorious sunny day. But this one tops Grandee's list.

--Sandee Wagner