Family Fun Directory

Como Zoo Now Open - Masks & Reservations Required

After being closed due to Covid-19 for several months, the zoo and conservatory have reopened with its school-year hours hours (not summer hours) - daily from 10am-4pm. Maximum capacity has been capped at 250 visitors. For now, advanced reservations and face coverings are required.

Como Zoo Hours and Prices

Como Zoo is open every 365 days a year and has two sets of hours from April through September, it is open from 10am to 6pm; and from October through March it closes two hours earlier, 10am to 4pm.

Como Zoo is FREE and open to anyone regardless of ability to pay, but a donation of $3/adult and $2/child to helps pay for care and feeding of the plants and animals.

Bringing and Buying Food at Como Zoo

You can bring a picnic or other food to Como Zoo. There are picnic benches and grassy spaces around the zoo and nearby in the larger park. You can also purchase food from their vendors. However, they do not want you bringing food and beverages into the zoo buildings.

Como Zoo Directions and Parking

Find directions to the zoo here or use the mapping feature on our calendar below. There are parking lots throughout Como Park, including right next to the zoo. However, in the summer months, you'll save a great deal of hassle and frustration if you park at the State Fair Grounds and take the shuttle to the zoo and back to your car.

Save the hassle and makes the kids happy - Park and Ride.

Como Zoo Events

If you pick the right time in the summer, there is often live music and other activities. The Conservatory also offers Music Under Glass on Winter Sundays. This is a good opportunity to check out their ongoing flower shows, too.

Throughout the year, the zoo will dedicate a weekend to explore specific topics related to their mission. Check our Family Fun Calendar for special events.

In particular, families love these events:

Anytime Family Fun Ideas at Como Park Zoo

Como Zoo Animal Visit Checklist

You can use the following checklist when visiting the zoo to see how many of these animals you can find while exploring. If you want to learn more about any of the residents of the zoo, click on their images at the como website; and if you would like a como zoo map to help you find your way to a specific habitat, download the visitor guide here or grab one at the entrance.

Here is a full alphabetical list of what kind of animals are at Como Zoo

Visit the Western Lowland Gorillas

Image courtesy Como Park Zoo

Alice, the female gorilla who lost her first baby in 2014, has given birth to another baby on October 18, 2017. The baby girl was four pounds at birth and is only the third gorilla to be born at Como.  John Dee, curator at Como Zoo, says "With this birth, everything is tracking as it should. Alice has shown herself to be very attentive, very nurturing, and very protective of her new baby, just as we hoped she would”. Gorilla babies are born nearly helpless except to cling to their mother's hair and to nurse. They stay with their mothers, who are very protective, for several years after birth. Mother and baby will remain off exhibit until they have bonded. Watch for them when they return to the Gorilla habitat.

Visit The Snow Leopards

Snow Leopard - image courtesy of Como Zoo

Como Zoo welcomed a mating pair of European-born snow leopards in March 2016. Even before they have kits, zoo keepers expect the cats to be fun to watch. The are a young and playful couple, particularly Moutig, the male (pictured below).

Giraffe Feeding Station (May-September)