Minnesota Zoo

About

Minnesota Zoo sits on a large wooded campus in Apple Valley, a Twin Cities suburb in Dakota County. Animals are grouped by region: the Northern Trail holds caribou and an Amur tiger, while Discovery Bay is an indoor building with aquariums and coral reef tanks you can walk through regardless of weather. The Treetop Trail, built on the structure of the zoo's retired monorail, is a 1.25 mile raised loop that runs above several exhibits and touches down at four points along the route.

A visit here covers more ground than a stop at a smaller attraction. Between the outdoor trails, Discovery Bay, and the raised loop, the property asks for real walking or rolling distance, broken up by benches and seating at spots like Weesner Amphitheater and the Conservation Carousel. The zoo runs a Wings & Things bird show at the amphitheater and keeper talks that change through the season, so it's worth checking the day's schedule at Guest Services when you arrive.

As of 2026, the zoo opens at 10 a.m. (members enter an hour early) and charges $25.95 for adults ages 13 to 64, $23.95 for visitors 65 and older, and $19.95 for children ages 3 to 12; kids 2 and under get in free. Parking runs $10 for a car and $15 for a bus or motor coach, and online tickets are required before you arrive. In fall, the zoo also runs the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, a separately ticketed evening walk lit with thousands of carved pumpkins.

Apple Valley is one of the southern Twin Cities suburbs, so a visit here pairs easily with other stops in Dakota County or a day trip out from Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Accessibility

The Minnesota Zoo is wheelchair accessible: all three entrances are accessible with automatic doors, exhibits connect by ramp or elevator, and the main limitation is that some trail sections have slight changes in elevation.

The zoo has 52 designated accessible parking spaces spread across four lots (two of them seasonal), and you need a valid disability placard or plate to use them. Drop-off areas sit near the South and East entrances if someone is dropping you off instead of parking.

Inside, elevators connect the lower and upper levels near Discovery Bay and serve the Hanifl Nature Center. The Treetop Trail, the raised 1.25 mile loop built on the old monorail structure, has four ADA-compliant access points and is open to wheelchairs, ECVs, and strollers, though its composite decking can build up static electricity, worth planning around if you use a pacemaker or cochlear implant.

All restrooms on site are accessible, with automatic-flushing family restrooms at the Target Learning Center and the Hanifl Nature Center, plus full-size changing tables at the First Aid office. The zoo loans standard wheelchairs for free (a photo ID holds the deposit) and rents motorized ECVs for $40 a day, both first come, first served. Only trained ADA service animals are allowed, on a six-foot leash; the zoo does not allow emotional support or therapy animals, and service animals can't enter the Llama Trek habitat.

If you need a sign language interpreter, captioning, or material in an alternate format, contact the zoo at least two weeks ahead at 651-539-6596 (711 or 1-800-627-3529 for TTY). Guest Services issues an accessibility tag for mobility devices that aren't standard wheelchairs or scooters, so stop there first if your equipment doesn't fit the usual categories.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Minnesota

• Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul)
• Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis)
• Mall of America (Bloomington)
• Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis)
• Voyageurs National Park (International Falls)
• Mall of America & Twin Cities Parks (Minneapolis)

Photo credits

• A leopard mother and her cub rest together on rocks in their zoo enclosure.: Makeenosman, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• A gibbon climbs a tree branch inside a lush tropical zoo enclosure.: Derek Hatfield from Peterborough, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (source)
• A llama and a duck share a fenced petting zoo pen with a flat gravel path.: Derek Hatfield from Peterborough, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (source)