Out to the Woods: Minnesota
American Bison - Minnesota Zoo
My girlfriend and I went on a camping trip to Minnesota! It was the first time either one of us had been to that state and it was a great trip. We stayed at Lake Sakatah and visited quite a few parks while we were out there. Minneopa State Park had a stunning prairie with Bison, as well as one of the most impressive waterfalls I've seen in my life! While on the drive there we stopped at La Crosse Park in Wisconsin and got to witness a Bald Eagle fly overhead while being chased by Red Winged Blackbirds. We did plenty of boating, fishing, cooking and hiking while at Lake Sakatah, but of course we took a day to explore Minneapolis as well. While there we managed to see three wildlife attractions, including the amazing Minnesota Zoo, Snake Discovery Zoo, and a SeaLife Aquarium at the huge Mall of America! Overall this trip was a ton of fun, as well as a nice escape from the hot temperatures that were gripping Chicago at the time! I can't recommend a trip up to the land of a million lakes enough!
The majority of our Minneapolis day consisted of visiting the amazing Minnesota Zoo! This was one of the more unique zoos I've ever visited. While most zoos, big or small, aim to showcase as many species as possible, Minnesota focuses on housing animals that can live comfortably either fully indoors, or outside year round in the shifting Minnesota climate. Due to this fact, it forgoes the usual animals like Lions, Rhinos and Giraffes for cold tolerant species such as Moose, Wild Horses and Amur Tigers! The habitats here were often huge and built into the natural terrain, and the many indoor exhibits looked well suited to its inhabitants. Its also a genius idea to have all the indoor attractions at the front of the zoo, so in the harsh winter you can have a fulfilling zoo visit without going on the long trek to the outdoor habitats! Some highlights of this institution was the diverse collection of North American animals, the single best bird show of any zoo I've been to, and the extensive treetop trail which gives amazing views into the huge hoofstock yards! While you might miss out on some popular savanna species, this is a great visit for being such a well done and unique zoo, definitely worth a drive out to gorgeous Minnesota!
We also saw 2 other facilities the day of the Minnesota Zoo Trip. The first was the Snake Discovery Reptile Zoo! It was a really unique little reptile zoo based out of their main reptile store. Their signage and educational talks were really engaging and while their species collection largely consisted of animals you'd find in a cool pet store, it was nice to see these often overlooked animals given zoo style habitats!
The day finished at the Mall of America (an insane place which nearly stopped me from bringing my camera into the aquarium!) where we went to the SEA LIFE Aquarium there! It was a smaller aquarium for sure, and had a shocking collection of rarities for a aquarium I didn't even know existed (we only discovered it after we were already in the mall)! While some of the exhibits didn't look large enough for their inhabitants, the highlights was definitely the long underwater tunnel through both freshwater and saltwater tanks!
