minnesota or como zoo?

[smalliehunter]

No kids. Just my girlfriend and I going. I haven't been to a zoo in 14 years. Which is a better choice? Plan on spending the whole day so is there better food at One vs. the other. All thoughts and opinions welcome! We are going wednesday.

[highlife4me]

Mn Zoo is better but it is also more expensive, Mn zoo also has the Imax theatre that is worth checking out too.

[Gordie]

I would pick the Minnesota Zoo but I am kind of swaying my vote that way cause I did most of the stone work on the Minnesota trail.

[mainbutter]

Minnesota Zoo is amazing, food is what you'd expect and I certainly always like it, and there is enough to keep you entertained for a day. Everything is also pretty pricey.

The Como Zoo is free (donations preferred), and the wife and I used it as regular entertainment when we were broke college students. They have a number of new and improved exhibits built in the past few years, specifically the polar bear enclosure which was a huge step up from its previous condition, and the new primate enclosures.

For a special day, do the MN Zoo, but if you haven't been to the Como Zoo, check it out some day, it is possibly my favorite staple of the Twin Cities. The Rain Forest exhibit and Conservatory are especially worth seeing in January when you get sick of winter and want to forget that snow is a thing for an hour or two.

[nofishfisherman]

Might be tough to spend an entire day at the Como zoo if you don't have kids. Don't get me wrong its a nice place and considering its free you can't beat it but its much smaller. Even with the conservatory and the rain forest area you could leisurely walk the entire place in a couple hours max. Food options at como are the basic concession stand type stuff but they do have restaurant in the main entrance building as well.

The MN zoo offers a lot more to look at but expect to drop a lot more money. Haven't been there in years but I could see $50 going pretty fast.

If you wanted to save some money you could do como zoo/conservatory and then pack a picnic lunch and head into como park for a picnic or go to a nearby restaurant for lunch. I live a few blocks away and know most of the spots if you need recommendations. You can also do the mini golf course across the street from Como Town, nothing fancy but its cheap and entertaining. Might be able to burn a day if you spend some time in the park itself or depending on which direction you are coming from you could also take a detour and go for a walk down at Crosby Park along the river.

[skee0025]

It also depends on what you expect from a zoo. If you are going to just go walk around the Mn Zoo is the place. If you want to see zoo animals you would normally expect from a zoo, go to como. Mn zoo primarily offers more domestic type of animals: bears, wolves and such whereas Como you get more exotics than the Mn zoo has to offer unless you consider asian cows a big draw.