I was here by myself while my husband was working. I wasn't expecting much but I had a wonderful time exploring the zoo. The animals looked happy and most were active. The staff were friendly and the zoo was very clean. I'm from California so I'm used to massive zoos but this one was quant and perfect for a quick visit. It looks like they have a ton of kid activities so that would be something to look into. read more

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Nature walk and seeing real animals in the natural environment. Easier location to reach read more

Red River Zoo - Chameleon - Zoos Near Me - Fargo, North Dakota

This is a cute little zoo in Fargo. While they don't have as many animals as some of the big zoos, the staff is very friendly and the animals seem well taken care of. read more

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Before ever going, I knew the Red River Zoo was pretty awful. My parents have lived in Fargo 5+ years now, and even before that we came to Fargo at least a couple times a year since I was in elementary school and I had never gone to the zoo. I don't mind going to zoos- they're not my favorite but I'm willing to go. But come on- how is a zoo in Fargo, ND going to rate to somewhere like San Diego or Tampa or somewhere? It just can't even shine a light on those, so why waste the money? Any zoo in ND is probably going to be very sad, because there's few animals that can realistically (without being straight abusive) survive in this intense climate year round- and even the cool ones that do qualify are not going to be found in a lame old zoo in North Dakota where no one goes. Sorry to be rude, but the truth hurts sometimes. Even more unfortunate, there are so few things to do in Fargo, that my friend and I finally decided to hit up the zoo for the first time one weekend because it at least got us out of the house. The good news is, admission is super cheap- it was $22 for the both of us. But I kid you not, I could literally feel the depression walking into this zoo. It's the quietest place I've zoo I've ever been in, and it genuinely had a horrible atmosphere. We visited on a super nice day in the summer, so it being off season or something wouldn't warrant the dreariness felt here. There are so few animals, and just nothing all too exciting. The main thing my friend and I wanted to see was the red panda. We did get to feed some llamas and a cow, and that was kind of fun. But I've fed giraffes in Pensacola before- once again, you just can't shine a light to other places. The red panda was the shining star, as expected. Those things are so freaking cute! We spent half our time at that exhibit I think, and another good chunk of our time just watching the silly prairie dogs. To give this place credit: they really tried. The setup could be cute, if they at all maintained it. I felt so bad for the otters, whose water was so murky green and disgusting you couldn't see through it, and understandably they steered very clear of it. The Red River Zoo just lacks all appeal, in every way. The red pandas are the only glue holding this place together, and we all know even superglue can only get you so far. read more

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I'm not a fan of zoos to begin with, but this is a meh little zoo...probably best for small children. The climate is pretty tough for many species to live outdoors, so of course it might limit your choices of animals to keep. Maybe concentrate more on the indigenous animals of the region as more of a sanctuary for injured wildlife? Better signage too, please. Prairie Dogs are so cute and fun to watch! As with all zoos, earlier in the day is the best time to go! read more

Red River Zoo is definitely a smaller zoo. However, it is well taken care of and always a delight! They have interesting animals, usually a baby or two, and it's affordable to visit! Really, the visit could be anywhere from 30min-2hours depending on what you make of it. I enjoy having the ability to feed farm animals like cows, alpacas, and goats. There's a few cool sculptures (like a giant picnic table), and a fun 'natural playground' made out of wood. It's also super affordable! It's worth checking out. read more

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There's no way this zoo features 600 animals as stated by an employee in a follow-up comment. I counted less than 50. Several of the exhibits appeared to be under maintenance. I understand that the zoo is a "cold weather climate" zoo, hence no tigers or anything of the like. I think a little more effort could be made to make things visually appealing for guests as well as making it a better place for the animals. Definitely not worth the $10 and not worth getting off the interstate for a visit. The only highlights were the employees seemed to be enjoying their jobs and a curious sheep approached me in the children's area. A deer got fairly close to me as well. They have a feeding machine for the sheep, but the feeders only take quarters. The change machine was out of service. I've uploaded a few snapshots of the animals I did see. read more

Fantastic and adorable little zoo tucked into a bustling Fargo! Winter made it a little frigid to enjoy everything fully but we tried and still had a great time! The otters and wolves were by far the most entertaining and had us laughing and amazed for 30 mins each. Since it was/is the dead of winter some animals were not out but hey, thats cool. I kinda felt bad for the ones that were since it was freezing but they didnt seem to notice all that much. The wild rabbits running around were awesome to spot and petting the cool and drooly cows was also great. I vow to cut down on my meat consumption after this visit bc animals are my friends. Learned a few new things whilst walking about and saw some unique creatures I had never seen before! I love zoos and anything animal related and if you didnt give this place four stars or above you are a righteous turd ferguson. read more

Red River Zoo - Wolves !! - Zoos Near Me - Fargo, North Dakota

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Traveling east and after a couple disappointments of early closures or seasonal closures I was finally able to make good on my zoo promise to my toddler. It's on the smaller side, which is just fine. All the animals were out and easily visible and we got a couple great shows from the wolves and the ravens. My favorite part was feeding the animals and hers was the surprise carrousel. Spent hours here and am highly satisfied with the value. read more

Red River Zoo - Carrousel ride - Zoos Near Me - Fargo, North Dakota

This is a great zoo. Animals are cold climate animals appropriate to this climate...Red Pandas, prairie dogs, bison, takin, lynx, and critically endangered black footed ferrets. read more

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Hands down the smallest zoo I've ever been to. Being that I live in the 7th largest city in the US I'm use top everything being huge haha. I throughly enjoyed visiting this zoo. My favorite part was seeing animals that I typically would see in the South. If you could describe this place I'd call it the winter animal zoo. It appeared all the exhibits had animals that can resist the harsh weather. While it would be difficult to go dead of winter I'd like to visit and see how the animals interact then. Suggestions-Wolf exhibit is neat Moose Out read more

Don't expect much when visiting Red River Zoo. We were in Fargo for a day and decided to stop by the zoo. It's small, the animals look exhausted. It's the perfect zoo for an elementary school field trip. I did not like the fact that a RAT ran inches away from my feet while we were viewing the eagles. It kinda creeped me out. read more

very nice place got to feed a few animals very cool experience very cool animals at this zoo read more

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Took my bf here when he came to visit over the summer, wasn't expecting much...it is very very small but the price is right and if you have a AAA card you get an additional discount. The grounds are well kept and maintained, we strolled and lingered and it took us under 2 hours to see everything. The red panda was hiding up in a tree so I only got a good look at its behind. The meerkats were cute, they have a little bug and amphibian exhibit. There is also an open air bird exhibit, they also had a bald eagle and another type of eagle or falcon in a separate display. There was a small petting zoo and a few camels. All in all it wasn't a bad little zoo and more than I expected. read more

What the Red River Zoo lacks in size and variety, it more than makes up with quality exhibits. During my epic voyage (http://KananAcrossAmerica.blogspot.com) I found myself worried that my visit to Fargo would be underwhelming, but this place is a total gem! This zoo is famous for its Chinese Red Panda exhibit, I had no idea what a red panda looked like, sadly the baby is not on exhibit yet. They have really cool meerkat and prairie dog exhibits, as well as an impressive area for wolves. My personal favorite, however, is the Russian Red Squirrel, it is ADORABLE! A must see for any squirrel aficionado, like myself. At $7 admission, its totally worth it! read more

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What a great little gem! Highly recommended. Although it is small, there is a lot tucked into the premises and it's all interesting and fun to visit. My two teens and I decided to check it out on a Sunday in late April and we all came away from our 2 hour visit both surprised and delighted. Between the little baby twin Jacobs lambs and the red panda that was stomping around, we were almost in a Cuteness Coma. Also on display was a very tame otter, slightly unnerving wolves, livestock, snakes, eagles, Sichuan Takin (they look like they came straight out of the original Star Wars movie), a bunch of camels and a lot more. read more

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Small but mighty! I really appreciated this zoo for its combination of animals. Bald eagles, wolves, ravens... these animals almost feel common, but I've never seen them, especially up close. That's not to discount the red panda, camels, otters, and other cats and birds that make up this unique display of animals. It is small, a quick visit. Alone I did it in about 30 minutes. But it was a cool day and the animals were active and I got to see every one of them. read more

A very small zoo which you can walk around in less than 1 hour. It is nicely maintained with a friendly staff. They do not have a large number of animals. What they do have are in very modern enclosures and you can up and close with them. I was especially impressed with the wolf exhibit. This is a nice place to spend several free hours walking around. read more

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Over the last few years, the zoo has improved a lot! I went to Zoo Brew here they had local breweries offering samples of their beer. They also gave us the chance to pet the porcupines Toby and Rosy! I appreciated this event as it was adults only and in the evening. But I also love the zoo in the daylight and with my little nieces and nephews. The zoo has grown from a few "farm animals" to a wild variety that everyone can enjoy. read more

I have to admit that I was not expecting all that much from this zoo. i am used to Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo!! I mean come on how is a little Fargo zoo going to compare with the two Chicago Zoos??? I was thinking that is wasn't going to be close. We went on a Monday so there was not much of a crowd. The staff was really friendly. The things that really impressed me was the well maintained grounds. I was really shocked at the the impeccable conditions of the grounds, buildings, and animal habitats. The zoo pretty much looked nearly brand new. The zoo is a fraction of the size that I am used to but it is a very relaxing environment and i could have easily spent an entire day down here. read more

Our family of 4 cost $40 for admission. We did the whole zoo in just about an hour - and that was including a second visit to a few exhibits. The real star of the whole day was the sloth - my son's favorite animal (and first time seeing one in person). However, we could have sat and watched the prairie dogs all day. They were so full of personality! Lol! We also really enjoyed feeding the alpacas and goats. Overall, kind of pricey for what it is, but it was fun and seeing a sloth was a bucket list item for my son. read more

The rest of the zoo pretty ok but the petting zoo??? This area of the zoo used to feel like an actual petting zoo or the animals looked happy (horse not so much aren't they herd animals???, bunny alone, chickens there are two) The animals looked healthy (cows not so much...skinny and drooling not something you usually see in a cow... if it's treatable maybe a curtain/notice saying so and we're not feeling well so children and adults aren't horrified/saddened at the appearance of unwell animals...opportunity to educate and not look neglectful. The area of the zoo where the frogs and snakes are looks like a high school shop project by some C students. read more

I met my friend here and her two children (5 and 1). I wasn't expecting much. I must say though, that we all had a great time. It is an open air zoo, and luckily the weather was nice. We saw a house cat staring at the Russian Squirrel's through the fence, which was quite hysterical. The kids petted horses, cows and goats, we saw deer, wolves and bald eagles. And there even was a volunteer walking around with a snake for kids to pet. It was fantastic. read more

For Fargo, ND, I give it 4 stars. My son enjoyed it. I guess I can't completely compare it to zoos in big cities because of the location. This place only has about 20 animals. One of which is a prairie dog! (we have these all over the sides of the road where I live) For a cheap day out it wasn't bad though. Had a carousel and playground at the end for the kiddos. read more

I was staying at the Arbuckle Lodge and had a view of Red River Zoo from my room window. As such, decided to take a walk one morning and enjoy this very nice zoo and watching the various animals. The park foliage is also very pretty in early June when I visited. read more

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We came across the Red River Zoo in a phamplet that was in our hotel. We kind of just up and left Grand Forks for the weekend, with a destination of Fargo ~ we didn't have any plans. We got to the zoo, and it was what we expected. A small, family friendly zoo with great prices. There was a room just for amphibians and reptiles ~ I tricked my bf into going in there... I told him it was a gift shop and he was not all about THAT! We got up to the doors, and the smile that came across his face was priceless. There is also a little petting zoo here, with a beautiful horse... and it was honestly the first time I had ever touched a cow... and it was cooooool. Our favorite was the Emperor Tamarin, they were hiding in a building that is being renovated at the moment. They were the cutest things ~ they loved my shiny purse! When we got shiny objects out of my purse for them to look at, the old timer came out of his hiding nest. :) One thing that I loved hearing about this place was the fact that the bald eagle that was here, was there under a rescue mission. He had been electrocuted and 1/2 of his wing was fried, the zoo took him in to nurse him, and let him have a safe home. That warmed my heart. It is not a big extravagant zoo, but I think that is what made the trip perfect for 2. That and the carousel that we got to ride on for $2! read more

Would say it looks new and maybe that's why there's not a high ratio of animal to land. There were a few unique Asian animals but I would say I'd much prefer the Bismarck Zoo. read more

This is a really nice, very small zoo. If you're coming from a big city, don't be taken aback by the fact that this zoo is next to the interstate and shares a parking lot with the neighboring hotel. there aren't a ton of animals, but we saw takins (not sure I had seen one, and there was a cute baby takin!) and red pandas. - very cool. The carousal was fun too. I don't know that I'd recommend this zoo in the winter. Not many indoor areas - the entry way/ gift shop is pretty tight, and the snack bar is a little hut outside. But on a nice summer day, it was fun to walk around. There's a little playground too for the kiddos. read more

This is a nice little zoo located in a busy area of Fargo. I'm not one who likes going to zoos. But my lady friend coaxed me into coming here. I ended up enjoying it. I was impressed by the variety of animals I saw. The wolves were wonderful to watch. Also I liked the prairie dogs. A perfect fit for a North Dakota zoo. Finally there's an area you can feed and pet farm animals. Terrific for kids. Even for adults like myself. read more

Small zoo took about an hour to walk through. Advertised large cold climate animals and we were looking for polar bears and such - they don't have. Lots of exhibits were new and looking great only a handful were older or under reconstruction. Clean. read more

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I liked this zoo, but for the most part it was pretty basic. The animals were pretty entertaining, if they were awake. It was rather warm, so that didn't help them either, so I can forgive. I was disappointed with the lack of more species of animals, but the one that saved the trip the most was the Cinese Red Panda. I've always been fascinated by them and to see one up close was awesome. Also, not much offered in the gift shop for purchase, especially items that say Red River Zoo. If the zoo had a better gift shop, I would have rated higher. read more

I can't tell if it was the time of day or the weather, but I was really disappointed with the number of exhibits that appeared to have no animals in them. Out of the 17 exhibits with aimals 4 were either under construction or the animals were MIA. It seems like a space with a lot of potential, but with my little yooper's two year old attention span and fear of large animals, we were in and saw it all within less than an hour. read more

We went in the middle of winter, seemed like it was coldest day ever! We were able to see all the animals. Was cool to see camels covered in snow and even tho we were the only ones there other than one guy, the educational program still was amazing about the eagle. It's a smaller zoo and animals seem to be taken care of wonderfull read more

Fargo never had a zoo when I was there. Closest one was Chahinkapa in Wahpeton. Closest really good one was in Minneapolis. This one is perhaps somewhere in between. I'm more spoiled these days, having both an aquarium and a generally pretty solid zoo within easy reach and the bar has been raised. What I like here is that this zoo tries really hard. The staff seems genuinely interested and caring in both the general happiness of their guests and their animal residents, not an easy balancing act and one that most zoos discard as unmanageable once they reach a certain size. Of course, this one is not to that size yet, so you can have a lot of animal-gazing time and they do a lot of outreach interaction-type stuff with the various creatures and the people wandering the zoo. All to the good, but it's hard to say how long before access becomes a lot more limited. On the grounds is a sort of café, which is nice for the drinks they sell in the entry building when you first walk in, including flavorless Propel, of all things. There are animals in that first building, too, that are pretty cool, so don't sleep on them. Being a smaller zoo, it is also pretty manageable to walk around it and see most everything in a fairly minimum amount of time. They also have a respectable indoor carousel and that place also houses birthday parties, though it is in the wide-open and entry there is not restricted to guests, so it can get a bit odd at times. Rates are very reasonable for that. You can also rent the trapper's cabin, which is a very, very cool idea and spot, right next to the gray wolves. Gift shop is a bust and for some reason, they have gift stuff next to the carousel. No earthly idea why. It also has a reasonable play area, again, for reasons nearly unfathomable to me. Kids see that and are frequently done with the zoo, particularly if they're younger ones. As it stands, this is a work in progress, but they seem to have some good solid plans (including a children's area) and adding more animals. Given the climate there, these are not particularly exotic animals, for the most part. They also seem to have some solid corporate patrons and support there, so I feel strongly that in 2 or 3 years, we should see something pretty good from them and all in all, they could have a pretty good zoo on their hands. They still have some road ahead, though, but I do commend them for making the effort in that largely godforsaken market. read more

They have renovated a lot of the zoo recently and it looks really nice and more spacious. They have fewer animals than i remembered being there last time though and almost every exhibit is just 1 of each animal, which is kind of strange. read more

When you think about zoo, you think about a lot of different sets of animal you are going to encounter. Scary tigers, lions, monkeys, elephants, seals. Well, dont!!! This red river zoo can only caters to so many animals in its small vicinity. I bet this place is beautiful in summer time but I visited in winter time. Guess what I ended up seeing? The red panda was there, thank god. There is a horse, a couple of camels, the wolves and some reptilians. Not too much to see, took us an hour to see everything and its quite a cute place to take your mind of ur busy hectic life. Just enough to clear your mind and take nice memorable picture with your honey. For $8 you get your money worth, at least I get the wolves running around the fence trying to catch me thinking that I am delicious. LOL. Anyway, stop by and have fun at your local zoo. Wahpeton zoo, you are next on my list. I wanna see orangutan! read more

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I think that rating this site a 5 is perfect!! The map is awesome and the datail is phenominal. I would have a picture available but have to upload one before i can actually show more. Locaation is no more than perfect as well in the fargo area. I would recomend traveling to come see the animals in the zoo!!! But be careful they are not all for petting or feeding. read more

Small zoo in comparison to the Fargo/Moorhead city size. Always seems to have one area or another under construction so your ticket price is still full price and yet you aren't getting the full experience (or warning that their petting zoo is closed in one case). Unfortunately due to the location not much room for expansion so what you see is really what you get but you can tell they have done drastic improvements over the years since I was younger. Would love to see something more interactive for the kids besides the carousel and playground. Bring cash- most of their concession stands do not accept cards (the front entrance and gift shop do). Have never had a problem with my toddler and toting little snacks in for her. read more

Very disappointed. It was very small. Didn't have any bears, monkeys or anything like that.