Back to Minnesota


My husband and I have been taking birthday vacations together since we started dating. We'll go somewhere for my birthday week, and go somewhere for his birthday week. My birthday is in June and his is in November, so it works out with the timing of accumulating the PTO needed.


I decided that for my birthday this year, I want to go back to where I grew up - Minnesconsin. I lived equally in Minnesota + Wisconsin, hence the blending of the names. My parents are moving to California, and I know it will be a while now until I will be visiting the ol' stomping grounds again, so I have a checklist of items I want to see. One of those items is "Minnesota Zoo". I haven't been there since I was a kid, and I want to go again. My family historically has mostly gone to Como Park Zoo, which I adore, but I want to go back to Minnesota Zoo since it has been so long.

Entering Minnesota Zoo


It's a pretty easy drive to get to Minnesota Zoo. The parking lot is huge, but we find a parking spot easily enough. I notice already that the way we are going to enter the zoo is different than when I was a kid. When I was a kid the IMAX theater was open, but it is now closed, and that's how we used to enter the zoo. I remember seeing monkeys as one of the first animals upon entering the zoo, but this time we enter by where the leopard and big cats are.

Russia's Grizzly Coast


The first animal we spot in the Russia's Grizzly Coast area is the Amur Leopard. It always amazes me how similarly house cats and large breeds behave at times. The leopard is very playful, flipping on its back and pitter-pattering its paws in the air. The leopard is adorable.


We saw the Amur Tiger next, but they were sleepy and taking a cat-nap. Aha. Ahaha.

Leopard sitting next to green plants behind a wire mesh fence in a wildlife enclosure.
Leopard resting in dappled sunlight beneath trees surrounded by ferns and vegetation.
Leopard lounging on forest floor beside tree trunk with lush ferns in the background.
Tiger resting in dense forest undergrowth partially hidden by branches.

Northern Trail (Part 1)


The Russia's Grizzly Coast is a very small part of the zoo, and then there is this giant loop that goes around this big field called the Northern Trail.


We see a takin laying down in the grass. They look so floofy, but there's a lot of bulk under all that fluff. They can weigh up to 700 pounds (317.5kg). Takin live in a matriarchal society, with female and young offspring making up the herds. Males tend to live in solidarity.


The next animal we see is the bison. I am very familiar with the bison with living in Colorado, but that may not have been the case if protective measures were not enforced to protect bison back in the 1800s. There was a point in time where there was only 600 bison left, but thanks to conservation efforts, the population is up to more than 30,000!


it just goes to show that if we put forth the efforts to save a species (or, hey, the planet itself), we can succeed!


Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs are up next, another one that is greatly familiar to Coloradans. When I first moved to Colorado back in 2015, I was so excited to see these little ones popping up all over the place in the Eastern plains. I was warned by locals to not go near them, because apparently they can still carry the Bubonic Plague.


At this point I'm not sure what "Northern Trail" refers to, because I was thinking North American, but the next animal we see is the Bactrian Camel. Maybe it just means Northern Hemisphere? I have no idea. I was always taught that the humps of a camel hold water for when they are out in the desert for long periods of time. Turns out the humps actually store fat as as food source. They have special blood cells that help with hydration.


Across from the Bactrian Camel is the Asian Wild Horse. The Asian Wild Horse wilderness population had disappeared completely in the 1960s, but thanks to zoos and conservation efforts, there are now about 500 wild Asian Wild Horses.

Brown bison resting in tall green grass on a sunny day.
Close-up of a baby bison nursing from its mother with brown fur.
Two prairie dogs standing alert in lush green grass with wildflowers.
Pair of prairie dogs interacting on dirt mound surrounded by green vegetation.
Two Przewalski's horses grazing together in bright green pasture.
Bactrian camel with distinctive humps standing near water in natural habitat.

Llama Trek


We come upon our favorite part of the zoo - the Llama Trek. It's a seasonal exhibit, but we are both so happy to be here at the right time for this experience. The Llama Trek allows people to walk amongst the llamas. The llamas are usually on the grassy areas, and humans are required to stay on the paved walkways. There are even some younger llamas in the mix with the older ones. For the most part they are all laying down, perhaps for an afternoon nap.

A spotted llama lounges on the grass in a pastoral setting with trees and buildings in the background.
Two brown llamas with fluffy fur look at the camera while standing in a grassy field.

Wells Fargo Family Farm


There is a road that leads away from the Northern Trail, so we follow that back to go to the Wells Fargo Family Farm. It is just as expected - it's a farm with farm animals, but it's really cute. There is a goat barn with a guarded area where the goats can eat along with a kidding stall. We went outside to join the goats in their yard. They kept gently bumping us with their heads to get attention. They really like to be petted.


There is a mama goat in the kidding stall! She has two babies. They were hiding behind their mom, but now they are peeking out over her back rump.


The Wells Fargo Family Farm also features chickens, cows, pigs, rabbits, and horses. Chickens creep me out, but these two were okay. Maybe because they were behind a fence, ha.

A group of goats eating hay together inside a wooden barn stall.
Someone pets a small goat while sitting outside a red barn structure.
A person interacts with a young goat in front of a red barn building.
A small brown goat stands with visitors in a covered farm area.
Two goats rest together on hay bedding inside their wooden pen.
Close-up portrait of a black and white baby goat resting in a wooden enclosure.
Portrait of a young white goat with black markings on its face looking directly at the camera.
A cream-colored pony grazes in a lush green meadow on a sunny day.
Two chickens, one brown and one light colored, sitting together in a coop.

Northern Trail (Part 2)


We walk the path back to the Northern Trail, and what do we see next? Moose. Freaking moose. I love moose so much. There is even a baby moose! I feel like I shall float away with happiness. We only see the one cow moose and her calf.

Young moose calf foraging near green grass and fallen logs.
Moose resting on the ground surrounded by green vegetation.
Baby moose calf exploring and sniffing around rocks and grass.

Weesner Family Amphitheater


We start to walk by this amphitheater, but notice that it is pretty crowded with people. We realize that an animal demonstration of some kind is about to start, so we take a seat in the middle section. I look around and realize we are the only couple without kids. The show begins, and a zoo staff member walks out in a green polo and khaki shorts. She shows us all kinds of birds including a blue throated macaw, a great sulphur crested cockatoo, an eurasian eagle owl, and a harris hawk. The birds fly around the amphitheater, and it's honestly fun to watch.

Person demonstrating falconry techniques in an outdoor garden setting.
Demonstrator with weathervane in outdoor bird presentation area.
Great horned owl perched on tree branch with leafy green background.
Bird demonstration in stone-paved outdoor area with spectator.
Bird handler during outdoor demonstration with decorative crane statue.
Harris hawk perched on branch against bright green foliage background.

Tropics Trail


We make our way into our first indoor exhibit, and we see a group of lemurs. I looked this up just for this blog, and a group of lemurs is called a conspiracy.


The next animal we see is one of Jeremy's favorites to see at a zoo - the Komodo Dragon. These creatures are huge, but I was still surprised to learn that they feast on water buffalo!


Jeremy also loves monkeys, so the Tropics Trail might be his favorite exhibit of the Minnesota Zoo. The white-cheeked gibbon is very fun to watch. They like to spend their spare time swinging between branches of trees. They are extremely playful, and will often just "hang out", literally. Unfortunately, the white-cheeked gibbon is critically endangered. Extensive logging in Laos, Vietnam has removed a large portion of their natural habitat. A fun thing the white-cheeked gibbons do is that they will have singing competitions to establish their eating territory.


We are both excited to see a red panda at the Minnesota Zoo. As we are admiring the red panda, he or she starts to stick their tongue out at people! By the way, they are named red pandas because when they were first discovered, people thought that they were related to the giant panda. Turns out, they are more closely related to the raccoon, which makes perfect sense to me.

A group of ring-tailed lemurs huddle together sleeping on a tree branch.
A white gibbon looks off into the distance in a natural setting.
Close-up of a monitor lizard's scaly head and eye against a rocky background.
A white-furred gibbon sits attentively in its natural habitat.
A black gibbon with distinctive white fur trim sits in a natural environment.
A white gibbon with black facial features perches gracefully on a branch.
A white and black gibbon sit together in their enclosure.
A white-furred gibbon perches on a textured tree trunk.
A light-colored gibbon grooms itself while sitting in a tree.
A red panda peeks through tree branches while climbing.
Close-up of a silver-backed monkey with dark fur sitting behind wire mesh in a zoo enclosure.

Medtronic Minnesota Trail


There is a second exhibit right next to the Tropics Trail that features animals found in Minnesota. I am surprised to see a coyote. I know a lot of people don't like coyotes, but I think they are beautiful.


The gray wolf is near the coyote. They used to be found all across Minnesota, but hunters depleted their populations drastically. Now they find refuge in the forests in the northern part of the state.


The next animal we see is a puma. A puma is also known by other names: cougar, mountain lion, panther, and catamount.


Next to the puma is a Canada lynx, which is a gorgeous tail known for its short tail and big murder mittens (paws). Lynx populations have dwindled in Minnesota, but their wildlife populations are still doing well elsewhere. Their numbers dropped to nearly zero in Minnesota in the 1980s, but have slowly been recovering, so we shall have to see what their future in the North Star state will bring.

Gray wolf resting in natural habitat behind chain link fence surrounded by green foliage.
Close-up portrait of a gray wolf with intense eyes against blurred green background.
Mountain lion with tan fur resting near rocky wall in natural habitat.
Intense close-up of a lynx's face showing detailed fur patterns and piercing eyes.

Exiting the Zoo


We make our way into the gift shop, but nothing really catches our eye. To exit the zoo, we walk by the closed down IMAX theater and I am personally very sad to see it closed. While I haven't been to the Minnesota Zoo in years, my family used to come up to the IMAX theater to see certain movies, and now it is closed down.


We walk out to the car, all done with our day at the zoo. One day, I may be back, but it'll be a while until I'm back in Minnesota.