Minnesota Zoo
Zoo · Apple Valley, Minnesota
A state zoo on five hundred acres of woodland in Apple Valley, built in 1978 around an idea most American zoos had not tried — that a zoo in Minnesota should specialise in animals that thrive in a Minnesota winter rather than apologise for the climate. So the Northern Trail runs Asian wild horses, takin, moose and Amur tigers through open country that looks like where they come from. In 2023 it converted its derelict monorail track into the Treetop Trail, a mile and a quarter of elevated walkway through the canopy above the animals.
13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, Minnesota, 55124, United States
Open daily year round, generally 9:00 to 16:00 or 18:00 depending on season; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Tickets are cheaper booked online than at the gate, and parking is charged separately per vehicle. The Treetop Trail is included with admission. Seasonal special exhibits may carry a surcharge. There is no useful public transport; it is about 25 minutes south of Minneapolis.