Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

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Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Logo

Address: 1225 Estabrook Dr, Saint Paul, MN, 55103
Upcoming Events: Jump to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Events

Website: Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
Phone Number: 651-487-8200
Admission: FREE, but donations appreciated.
Hours: Open 365 days/year

  • May 1-August 31: 10am-6pm
  • September 1-April 30: 10am-4pm.

Always a great choice for an inexpensive outing with out-of-town guests, the greater Como Regional Park has many picnic areas and playgrounds to add to the fun. It is a short walk to nearby attractions such as the world-famous Ordway Japanese Garden, Como Town Amusement Park and Cafesjian’s Carousel. Most of the zoo is outdoors so you will want to dress accordingly for the Minnesota climate, but there are several buildings with exhibit viewing areas – particularly for non-native animal species. These are good spaces to pop into when it rains or if you need to warm up a bit in winter. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is also a balmy option in these cases. It has a delightful summery feel year-round with pretty pathways and tropical gardens stuffed with flowers like orchids and ferns.

Visiting Como Zoo with kids

Toddler Girl Looking Through View Scope at Como Zoo, Saint Paul Minnesota
Taking a closer look at Como Zoo’s big cats.

Como Zoo hours and prices

Como Zoo is open 365 days a year and has two sets of hours. Admission to the zoo is on a drop in basis with no advanced reservations needed to visit the Como Zoo, the visitor center or the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. Como Zoo provides FREE admission and is open to anyone regardless of ability to pay, but a voluntary donation of $3/adult and $2/child helps pay for care and feeding of the plants and animals.

  • April through September, it is open from 10am to 6pm
  • October through March it closes two hours earlier, 10am to 4pm.

Bringing and buying food at Como Zoo

Carry-in food is welcome at Como. You can pack your own picnic and there are picnic benches and grassy spaces around the zoo, as well as nearby in the larger park. You can also purchase food from Como’s vendors. However you choose to eat, food and beverages are not allowed in 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.

Park and Ride Bus to Como Zoo in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Save the hassle AND make the kids happy — Park & Ride

10 Ideas for family fun at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

Check out these 10 unique experiences any time you visit Como Zoo:

Make your own checklist of Como Zoo animals to visit

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. If you would like a Como Zoo map to help you find your way to a specific habitat, find a printable visitor map here or grab one at the entrance.

  • Large cats – lions, tigers, cougars
  • Primates – gorillas, apes, orangutans and more
  • Hoofed animals – zebras, giraffes, bison, reindeer, etc
  • Polar bears, penguins & puffins

You can also use Family Fun Twin Cities’ checklists & links for inspiration when planning your family’s visit:

Como Harbor

Como Harbor is the reinvention of Como Zoo’s seals and sea lions habitat. Como built the new habitat to dramatically improve the care they can provide to seals and sea lions and also offer visitors better views and face-to-face experiences. In fact, zookeepers believe Como Harbor exceeds all best practices for care of seals and sea lions. Seals and sea lions are part of the pinniped family and Como has three pinniped species: two gray seals, two harbor seals, and four sea lions, including Sparky. The habitat features a large outdoor salt-water pool that the seals and sea lions will use all year and a private state-of-the-art indoor facility for the care of the animals.

Other updated amenities include a shaded amphitheater, an underwater viewing discovery zone, modern bathrooms, a new outdoor café named Pier 56.

The Sparky Show

The “Sparky Show” is a sea lion show that began in 1956 and features Como’s sea lion ambassador, Sparky (now Sparky the VI). It has evolved through the years into an educational show where visitors learn about nature, conservation, and animal care.

Gorilla Forest Exhibit

Alice, the female gorilla who lost her first baby in 2014, gave birth to another baby in October of 2017. The baby girl was four pounds at birth and is only the third gorilla to be born at Como.

Image courtesy Como Park Zoo

Visit The Snow Leopards

Como Zoo welcomed a mating pair of European-born snow leopards in March 2016. Zoo keepers tell us these cats are fun to watch. They are young and playful.

Flower Shows at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Seasonal flower shows are show year round in the Sunken Garden. Lovely anytime, this is particularly nice December through March, when flowers are non-existent outdoors.

Girl Showing purple flower at Como Conservatory in Saint Paul Minnesota

Giraffe Feeding Station

It costs $5 to feed a giraffe some lettuce at 10:45 a.m. daily and also 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There is also another observatory deck for free viewing. Giraffe feeding is available May through September.

Leonard Wilkening Children’s Gallery

This indoor space, nestled between the zoo entrance and the conservatory, is designed for small children to learn about plants and animals in a hands-on manner.

Children playing on climbing structure featuring a turtle, giraffe, gorilla and tiger in the Leonard Wilkening Children's Gallery - Como Zoo Spring Edition

Tropical Encounters exhibit

The Tropical Encounters exhibit is an indoor rainforest immersion experience. You’ll see a sloth, stingrays, turtles, amphibians, an anaconda and birds flying free. There are also smaller displays with tropical insects.

Como Zoo & Conservatory special 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 annual events:

Mother’s Day Bonsai Exhibit

A favorite of ours is the Mother’s Day Bonsai Exhibit. Not that we need an excuse to get to the zoo in May, but who can resist tiny trees?

Groovin’ in the Garden

Outdoor concerts start just after the zoo closes on Wednesdays in June and July. These shows are perfect for the whole family with the addition of fun outdoor games and food available to purchase – or just bring along a picnic.

Japanese Obon Festival – Lantern Release

This annual late-summer festival now requires advance tickets and usually sells out. It is still an affordable $5/adult and $3/child.

Halloween events

The zoo used to offer the Como Zoo Boo as an annual fundraising event. They discontinued after 2017 but offer spooky programming in its place. There is also traditionally a pumpkin patch at Como Park.  If you are looking for the Jack-o-Lantern Trail, that is held at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley.

Music Under Glass

There is no age restriction on these concerts held in the conservatory, but it is a little closer quarters than the summer concerts, so these events may be best with older kids and teens.

Noon Year’s Parties

Como traditionally greets the new year with two parties — one on the 31st and one on the 1st — where they have a ball drop at noon,  dancing, games, and special animal enrichment.

Birthday parties at Como Zoo

The zoo offers birthday bash packages featuring six unique party themes – each with live animal visitors, plants, or a personal tour of a featured animal exhibit (public area). For an added fee, Como will provide pizza and cake. Packages starting at $250.

Find more birthday party ideas at FFT’s Ultimate Guide to Birthday Parties in the Twin Cities

Classes & camps at Como

Como offers summer camps for kids in preschool through sixth grade. Learn more about camps at FFTC’s Guide to Twin Cities Summer Camps.

More information

Upcoming Family-Friendly Events


Fun Past Events We Hope to See Again


Please Note: FamilyFunTwinCities.com is an independent website run by Twin Cities families for Twin Cities families. We attempt to include the information we find most essential as parents. We make every effort to keep up with changes. However, we are not employed by or connected to this venue, and information sometimes changes without our knowledge. We recommend calling or checking the venue’s website for up-to-date information.

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