Parking, cleanliness, presentation was 5 stars. However, the condition of some of the animals had me a little concerned. The bear we saw was pacing and panting back and forth. I'm not a zookeeper by any means, but considering the heat and kids screaming, maybe stress and hot! The same was for the mountain lion. He actually was pawing at his enclosure door to get out of the sun, but seemed unable to do so. Other animals were even seen pawing at empty bowls, which again, assuming this to be for water. I grew up on a farm, not a zookeeper, but the animals looked very uncomfortable. read more

This was unexpected. Like, really unexpected. We drove here after camping at a state park nearby, and the roads made us think we were headed towards someone's backyard and we might be the only ones there. We could not have been more wrong! Buses full of field trip kids! So many granny nannies! Plenty of older kids, including a few groups of teenagers! This is a legit nature center, quality playground, and perfectly nice little zoo. I don't know what it's like to live down here, but apparently the locals love this place. That said, it wasn't too crowded at all, and the bathrooms were clean. Parking was easy. We stayed for about an hour, but plenty of people looked like they had packed lunches and intended to stay all day. read more

This place is the most fun little zoo for the least amount of money. All the animals are indigenous to Minnesota and you can get a lot closer to them than any other zoo. Easily the best part were the otters; my favorite!!! read more

Oxbow Park - Otterly adorable - Parks Near Me - Byron, Minnesota

The animal well taken care. Plus people are there educating on you on animals . Plus there are many different trails and place to eat too

I took my grandsons there and we had a great time at the Zollman Zoo. The park is free to visitors and houses over 30 species of wild animals native to Minnesota. Some of animals have physical injuries that prevent them from being released back into the wild, and are surplus zoo animals from other facilities. The zoo is clean and the animals seemed to be healthy and well cared for. We had a nice conversation with a man while he cleaned the porcupine cage. He was friendly and willing to tell us about the animals he cares for and the zoo. read more

Good place for kids and family winter or summer. Nature Play area and animal viewing. There are picnic areas and local events too. There is a new building in construction which is very exciting. I hope to see more family friendly places especially in the winter months when outside is freezing! read more

Awesome place to take the kids, have a picnic, see the animals, or take a hike. Highly recommend for all age groups

I recently made my first visit ti Oxbow Park and I was very impressed. The park is on several hundred acres just outside the small town of Byron, MN and only a few miles west of Rochester. The park is named after an 'oxbow' or U-turn bend in the Zumbro River which runs through the park. It can easily be seen from the road as you enter the park. The park offers hiking trails, picnic areas, camp sites, a baseball field, a learning center, and a zoo... and all of it's free! Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to spend the day exploring everything, so I spent the time I had checking out the zoo, As drive in you eventually come to the learning center and it's impressive parking lot. You have to walk through the learning center to access the zoo. The zoo features the animals native to Minnesota, and is made up of many outdoor enclosures that try to replicate their natural habitat. Many of the animals are here because they were unable to be returned to the wild. I've included several photos but they're not the best. Either the animals were hidden in shadows or I was shooting blind because I had so much light at my back that I couldn't use my screen to get things in frame. There were also exhibits for porcupine, river otter, and bobcat where I could see the animals. Oxbow Park is a perfect place to spend an afternoon or longer. It's beautiful, it's relaxing, and it's free. Kids really love it read more

See all

Beautiful area to hike and enjoy nature. Animals are well cared for and fun to see. We love the kids area, near the zoo, to play and explore as well. read more

Zollman Zoo sits in Oxbow Park a few miles west of Rochester and just north of Byron MN. Is it better than the Minnesota Zoo? Yes it is! You can actually see the wolves here (one was burying a chunk of meat when we were there). They also had otters, a black bear, coyotes, two types of fox, several raptors (even a snowy owl). They had 2 bowls one with prairie dogs and the other with a badger. Prize for the stinkiest animal goes to ... the fishers. And what is Minnesota without horses, cows, turkeys, and chickens? They have a nice visitor area with small reptiles and a lot of hands on material. It's family oriented, they even had some wagons available to help ferry the kidlets around. FUN read more

See all

The zoo area was very nice and fun for our little church school. Thank you for taking such good care of the animals and presenting them in an attractive zoo setting! The play area was enjoyed by all also but is really in need of upkeep. Seemed rather neglected. No running water where there used to be. Frog pond rather murky and neglected, broken activity areas. read more

The park is beautiful and the zoo is very nice in a way, but I was distressed by the obvious distress of some of the animals. The cougar for instance, paces back and forth without ceasing. There are a few other animals that do the same. Here's an article on this type of psychosis that is seen only in captive animals in zoos: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/what-is-zoochosis/. The cages are much too small for most of the animals. There is little for the animals to do, nothing to stimulate their interest. The staff seemed to be very nice, I hope that things will be improved at this zoo. Again, it was pretty in a way but it did not suit the needs of the animals. read more

This donation based park and zoo is a treasure. The animals were fun to look at and learn about and the staff was very friendly.

Just discovered this gem! Brought our 3 month old baby to the zoo. It was fun but she slept through the whole thing! They have birds, big cats, turkey, goats. It's well maintained, and free! People have picnics here and camp as well. Will definitely come back. read more

Oxbow Park - Owl! - Parks Near Me - Byron, Minnesota

What a cute little place for family event. There is a little zoo for the kids and a park for grilling and planning birthday events. I would recommend this place in a heart beat if you want to organize kids birthdays, only if you live in the area. It is a far drive from the cities but the worth it. read more

For the life of me, I cannot understand why this place doesn't have universal 5's. It is free! You can see the animals more up close than any other zoo I've visited. They have great educational signs. The trails are amazing as well. Seriously, what's not to love?!?!? This place is one of the most endearing places in the area. It is perfect for all ages (I brought my elderly parents who adored it and claim this was a highlight of their trip to Rochester)! read more

it's free.....it's a wonderful place to take your small children or the kid that lives deep inside you. I nice little side-walked trail with a small zoo featuring some owls, hawks, wolves, turkey, there were some prairie dogs but they disappeared... I believe they had a bear and a bobcat in the past too. Then the trail ends and you cut across the grass and big open spaces where there are some bison roaming in a fenced field. There are plenty of little trails in the woods to explore and venture on which is fun if you like to walk in the woods. There are several areas to get out and enjoy a little picnic....Very nice area close to Rochester to take your family for free fun. read more

Went for a hike with my husband and daughter. I knew had been raining. Do not take my sticks, did not take my boots. Started out on to hike the zumbro river trail. The mud made it impossible about 40 minutes in and I fell twice. I had joked that it wasn't a real hike unless you had mud in your ears by the end, however I got mud in my hair. I was OK with being wet and dirty but the mud was deep enough in spots it sucked my shoe off and I had to sit down in the mud and actually dig it out. We were able to retrace our steps. We did take the sumac loop which was beautiful and not so muddy. We'll do it again someday when it's dryer. read more

Great place to go for an afternoon with your children. The grounds are very nicely kept and the zoo is awesome.

There's definitely some decent trails if you want to go hiking. The major draw is the free zoo. It's a great place to take kids! There are also picnic tables and camp sites on the property. Sometimes the trails get washed out by flooding though and parts of them will be closed. read more

Oxbow Park - Parks Near Me - Byron, Minnesota

Beautiful spot for hiking and family time. We have even used it for birthday parties and family events.

Say what? There is a zoo in Byron? Why yes, yes there is. And it's not too shabby. Some of the cages could stand to be a bit bigger, and when I went there was a group of high school age kids being kind of jerky to the animals...teasing them, so maybe someone checking on the animals more often would be better. But it's "free", so I'm guessing those things are out of budget. All in all, it's kind of a surprise that it's even there. read more

We had a great day here. Parked about a mile from the zoo and took the nature trail through the woods. Spent at least 2 hours at the zoo. Staff had some owls and hawks out, answering questions and showing off the birds. Then we got to watch feeding time for all the birds of prey. Friendly , clean, and free. Moving here from Chicago I was amazed at all 3 of those features. read more

Nice little Free zoo, you don't see that very often. They have reptiles, Buffalo, birds, Prairie dogs, various barn yard animals. Very cool place to bring the fam. read more

Perfect day for going to the park for mothers day! Oxbow is a nice little Park with various wild animals and reptiles . The kids love the otter display and the Buffalo. I've been coming here since I was a kid. It's close to Byron and easy to get in and out. The best part is is free. We usually pack a picnic and stay for the day. read more

No dogs allowed on trails. Nice free zoo.

great park to bring kids to, cheap, also and you can bring a picnic. They have buffalo, otters, eagles, but the prairie dogs are the best.

Nice and quiet location, clean showers and bathrooms, nicely groomed trails, but the campground host is a giant jerk. If you are under the age of 40 do not expect anything but vinegar from this guy. Rude behavior, rude answers to questions, not welcoming at all. Save your money and go somewhere with a welcoming atmosphere. I love oxbow but not the campground, will never camp there again read more

Oxbow Park is a great place to bring the family for any family occasion. I babysit sometimes and it's a very kid-friendly place. Very good variety of enclosures that get kids and adults excited and interested. Great place to kill time on nice days as well. Highly recommend checking it out. read more