Title, really. Would love to maximize my time there, I don’t mind being cold/dressing warm but if all the animals are freezing cold I am maybe less interested.
There is a fair amount to do inside with Discovery Bay and the Tropics Trail. Still plenty for a few hours enjoyment if you have a membership and little ones.
We basically lived there when our kids were younger. The membership let us go for a few hours instead of feeling like we had to get our money’s worth out of a social trip. It was nice to be inside but feel like you were outside in winter. A they let you bring your own food. I’ve gifted memberships to coworkers as a baby gift especially if they have older toddlers.
If you go when it’s actively snowing we have seen a lot of activity. Monkeys making snowballs! Otters sliding on the tummies. Big cats playing. Wolverines digging. Everyone was very busy during the first snowfall this year
This is incredible to know and makes me excited for the next snowfall! I will for sure be heading to the zoo! Monkeys making snowballs is maybe my favorite thing ever and I haven’t even seen it! :))
The monkeys never threw the snow balls but each one was rolling them and then kinda keeping them just in case something went down. Looked like a stand off
Oh good point. I remember seeing that. We have a membership and go little too often with the kids. You gotta get them out of the house or they go feral
Also it'll be really quiet and lovely if you're dressed well. There are no crowds. Other than the farm being closed it's my favorite time to go to the Minnesota zoo
This is true. The Northern Trail, the big outdoor walking loop, has views of Moose, Bison, Takin, Tigers, etc. All of which naturally live in places that get cold and snowy (Takin normally live high up in the Himalayas). They are absolutely fine.
The Minnesota Trail is about 1/2 outdoors... but its filled with animals that live here normally. The Porcupines are just fine in winter.
Honestly, it's our favorite time to go. A lot of the animals outside at the zoo are MN native or come from cold climates and tend to be much more active in the winter. They do close portions of the outdoors trails when it's really cold, but then the indoor stuff is still a good time. We love grabbing a hot drink and wandering outside to watch the otters play. The best part is the outdoor trails tend to be not as well attended in winter vs summer, so you can sit and watch the animals without hordes of people or feeling like you're in the way. We have a membership and mostly go in the late fall and winter. Summer is nice but it does get hot.
I used to work at the MN Zoo and my go-to tip for visiting is to try and go either right at open or plan so you’ll be there right before close (4pm). The animals are extra active then! Right before close is the most active - you know how pets will start pacing and being annoying as dinner time approaches? Turns out many wild animals do that too.
The bird show and sea lion shows are both indoors as well if you’re into those.
I went last weekend and the outdoor section wasn’t terrible. The wind wasn’t great but it was the best view of the leopards I had in a while as they were up close and prowling around. Red Pandas weren’t out but the rest of the outdoor animals were fun to see
It's great! You just have to "temper" your expectations. We did the Tropics Trail, the aquarium area, and the Northwoods trail last week. No outdoor clothing needed for Tropics and aquarium, but we wore our ourdoor gear for the Northwoods trail. Lots of animals were playing when we went.
There is a sea lion show around 11 each day (make reservations), and a bird show on Tropics Trail at 10:30 (no reservation needed, but busyness will vary). Also, they just brought a new Sea Turtle named Snooki to the aquarium and she is amazing!
Most of the outdoor animals are native to this type of climate. For many of them, it results in more activity and playfulness compared to the summer where they stay in the AC and/or sleep.
The indoor stuff will be packed with kids off of school and Zoo memberships being a popular gift though.
It's great when it's around freezing or slightly above and sunny out. The outdoor animals are more active and it's a nice walk outside. Then you can go into the tropics trail and pretend it's summer.
Just did this yesterday with our 7mo old! It took us 2 hours to walk the entire inside. If you bundle up, you can walk the outside. Yesterday was the most active I’ve seen the animals, it was great!
The animals that are outside are built for this weather, it's not an issue, and they're under constant care from veterinarians so if they have to be kept indoors they are kept indoors.
When the kids were small we had a membership and we’d be there every couple of weeks. That, and the science museum was worth every penny. Gets them out of the house a bit and doing something. Prices were $125-$150 per household for a year so every two weeks comes out to $5-$6 a visit for the whole family. We would do the tropics trail a bunch of times, kids have fallen into that pool where you can pet stingrays a few times, good memories
Others have hit the high points on other things to offer. Have you even gone to Sea Life at Mall of America? It's a really fun way to break up the winter and see some amazing marine life
I didn’t make the rules but I’m pointing out that it directly goes against rule 1 of the subreddit. If we don’t like the rules let’s change them not flaunt them.
I guess my point is people who take time to point out the rules when they have no standing and don’t contribute are just as aggravating and irritating as those who would flaunt the rules. It makes them feel like you do when I did what I did. Don’t do what we did.
There is a fair amount to do inside with Discovery Bay and the Tropics Trail. Still plenty for a few hours enjoyment if you have a membership and little ones.
Tropics Trail is also good for us adults who are feeling tired of winter. Instant warmth, humidity, and bird calls can do a lot for a person.
Yeah, I pop into the Como Zoo conservatory once a winter just for the vibes.
I’m surprised it took me being a parent to do this. It’s such a nice reset to go there when it’s cold.
Totally. If I lived in the southern metro with kids, a MN Zoo membership and regular trips would be part of winter.
We basically lived there when our kids were younger. The membership let us go for a few hours instead of feeling like we had to get our money’s worth out of a social trip. It was nice to be inside but feel like you were outside in winter. A they let you bring your own food. I’ve gifted memberships to coworkers as a baby gift especially if they have older toddlers.
If you go when it’s actively snowing we have seen a lot of activity. Monkeys making snowballs! Otters sliding on the tummies. Big cats playing. Wolverines digging. Everyone was very busy during the first snowfall this year
This is incredible to know and makes me excited for the next snowfall! I will for sure be heading to the zoo! Monkeys making snowballs is maybe my favorite thing ever and I haven’t even seen it! :))
Next snowfall: tomorrow.
Enjoy the zoo!
The monkeys never threw the snow balls but each one was rolling them and then kinda keeping them just in case something went down. Looked like a stand off
The snow monkey exhibit is under construction and is not currently open, at least as of a couple weeks ago when we were last there.
Oh good point. I remember seeing that. We have a membership and go little too often with the kids. You gotta get them out of the house or they go feral
This is amazing. It must be a competition of who can have the most ammo :) I love it!
Also it'll be really quiet and lovely if you're dressed well. There are no crowds. Other than the farm being closed it's my favorite time to go to the Minnesota zoo
I remember reading that all the outdoor animals are from the same latitude band as Minnesota so they are all comfortable in the winter weather.
This is true. The Northern Trail, the big outdoor walking loop, has views of Moose, Bison, Takin, Tigers, etc. All of which naturally live in places that get cold and snowy (Takin normally live high up in the Himalayas). They are absolutely fine.
The Minnesota Trail is about 1/2 outdoors... but its filled with animals that live here normally. The Porcupines are just fine in winter.
Honestly, it's our favorite time to go. A lot of the animals outside at the zoo are MN native or come from cold climates and tend to be much more active in the winter. They do close portions of the outdoors trails when it's really cold, but then the indoor stuff is still a good time. We love grabbing a hot drink and wandering outside to watch the otters play. The best part is the outdoor trails tend to be not as well attended in winter vs summer, so you can sit and watch the animals without hordes of people or feeling like you're in the way. We have a membership and mostly go in the late fall and winter. Summer is nice but it does get hot.
The tropics trail is totally indoors and the Minnesota trail is half indoors. Usually enough to entertain kiddos for an hour or two.
The tigers like to play in snow.
I used to work at the MN Zoo and my go-to tip for visiting is to try and go either right at open or plan so you’ll be there right before close (4pm). The animals are extra active then! Right before close is the most active - you know how pets will start pacing and being annoying as dinner time approaches? Turns out many wild animals do that too.
The bird show and sea lion shows are both indoors as well if you’re into those.
I went last weekend and the outdoor section wasn’t terrible. The wind wasn’t great but it was the best view of the leopards I had in a while as they were up close and prowling around. Red Pandas weren’t out but the rest of the outdoor animals were fun to see
It’s like the #1 thing to do on a cold day with a toddler.
It's great! You just have to "temper" your expectations. We did the Tropics Trail, the aquarium area, and the Northwoods trail last week. No outdoor clothing needed for Tropics and aquarium, but we wore our ourdoor gear for the Northwoods trail. Lots of animals were playing when we went.
There is a sea lion show around 11 each day (make reservations), and a bird show on Tropics Trail at 10:30 (no reservation needed, but busyness will vary). Also, they just brought a new Sea Turtle named Snooki to the aquarium and she is amazing!
Most of the outdoor animals are native to this type of climate. For many of them, it results in more activity and playfulness compared to the summer where they stay in the AC and/or sleep.
The indoor stuff will be packed with kids off of school and Zoo memberships being a popular gift though.
It's great when it's around freezing or slightly above and sunny out. The outdoor animals are more active and it's a nice walk outside. Then you can go into the tropics trail and pretend it's summer.
Just did this yesterday with our 7mo old! It took us 2 hours to walk the entire inside. If you bundle up, you can walk the outside. Yesterday was the most active I’ve seen the animals, it was great!
I feel cold
Hahahah
The animals that are outside are built for this weather, it's not an issue, and they're under constant care from veterinarians so if they have to be kept indoors they are kept indoors.
Just went today and it was pretty great. Honestly was too warm inside with our coats on so going outside was nice.
When the kids were small we had a membership and we’d be there every couple of weeks. That, and the science museum was worth every penny. Gets them out of the house a bit and doing something. Prices were $125-$150 per household for a year so every two weeks comes out to $5-$6 a visit for the whole family. We would do the tropics trail a bunch of times, kids have fallen into that pool where you can pet stingrays a few times, good memories
Just went and saw the red pandas running around and playing in the snow
If it’s cold, I’m going to como for free
Others have hit the high points on other things to offer. Have you even gone to Sea Life at Mall of America? It's a really fun way to break up the winter and see some amazing marine life
Also sustainable safari is at Maplewood and Burnsville mall https://sustainablesafari.net/about/
https://www.visitsealife.com/minnesota/?utm_source=local-listing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=tickets
Apple Valley is not Minneapolis
Asking people in Minneapolis questions about their larger community is reasonable.
I didn’t make the rules but I’m pointing out that it directly goes against rule 1 of the subreddit. If we don’t like the rules let’s change them not flaunt them.
Or we can let the moderators moderate…
I guess my point is people who take time to point out the rules when they have no standing and don’t contribute are just as aggravating and irritating as those who would flaunt the rules. It makes them feel like you do when I did what I did. Don’t do what we did.