Reviews of Hemker Park and Zoo (Zoo)

Lydia Schultz

Was a far drive from where we live but the kids and I had an amazing time! Definitely will be coming back. Amazing animals that are well taken care of and just a beautiful place!

Katie Olmscheid

Always a favorite with our kids.

Susie Czarnetzki

Fantastic place! Animals are very healthy and well cared for. Staff is friendly and helpful while providing a safe and fun learning environment. Great for younger kids as well as adults.

Anjel Kuhn

OH MY GOD WHAT AN AMAZING ZOO!!!! it was the best zoo I've ever been to! Great for kids and love the hands on feeding you can do with the animals. Rate it 20 out of 10! ????????????

Darcy Martin

What an amazing local zoo!

Nick Barrett

Great place for parents and kids. Wish we had more time to explore! Can't wait to come back.

Melissa Swanson

This was our families first time at your zoo! We absolutely loved it! Especially feeding the Budgies & Tio! Definitely will be back as I think this is our new go to zoo!

Mary Klein

Place smelled they need to do a better job cleaning. Animals had little to no shade and often small enclosures. Save your money drive to como or Minnesota zoo for more enjoyable experience.

tom courchene

Can't Miss! Love this place

Devyn Iglesias-Fuller

The animals were great! More shade in the large loop would be appreciated.

Brenda Wiese

As Grandparents, we visited the zoo yesterday with our daughter and 3 young grandchildren, ages 2, 4, 6. This zoo was perfect for all ages. The kids loved it and were curious to see what was the new animal(s) coming up. The staff were very helpful when we had questions and the animals appeared very well cared for. This was a great adventure with young grandkids. And we were able to pack a picnic lunch and bring it into the picnic area to enjoy while the kids also enjoyed the playground. Our grandkids enjoyed feeding the giraffes.

Rachael Warner

We loved it here! It is wonderful to see the animals so loved by their caregivers. We can't wait to come back!

Tami Nielsen

This place is amazing.Get up close to the animals.Feed a giraffe. Worth the travel time!

Kyle Sullivan

Awesome

Barry Anderberg

Sooo fun! Our family had a great time. The budgies were our favorite! We'll be back!

megan anderson

This place was so much fun for my family and I, it doesn't look very big but when you get in there and start walking around you'll be surprised at how much there is to see and do!

Kirsten Voges

Such a hidden gem!!! Great variety of animals and they offer a much more personal experience than the bigger zoos. We got to feed otters and a giraffe!!! My toddler had an awesome time! They will be bringing in a rhino here in the next couple of weeks and we will definitely be coming back for that. I plan on telling all of our friends about our wonderful experience and about the fantastic staff.

Samantha C

We love going to this zoo! The animals have always been active when we have gone. The employees are always kind. Favorite zoo to visit.

Cristian Arias

Nice zoo

john hammick

It was amazing to see great to know it was so close to home. Kinda small but for a day of fun this is a great place very friendly staffing! Thank you

Christopher Towle

Great zoo!

Misty Marotte

Fantastic little zoo

Karla Olson

Well cared for animals and there whole place in general.

Tracy Rorman

It was really fun, my son’s first visit to the zoo and he really enjoyed it.

Ashley Robbins

Love it!! You're really close to the animals!

Ann Marie Courchene (Husbamd Tom)

Great day spent with Fam & Friends

Lindsey Will

Love this place! Getting close to a giraffe,rhino and Otter?! Plus I was (nicely) attacked by a ton of budgies! Had a blast

Leslie H

Love this zoo! You get much closer to the animals than you do in the bigger cities zoos. You can feed birds, giraffes, and more. Definitely a fun place for the smaller kids and families. Not the easiest accessibility for wheelchairs but it is manageable.

Michele Illies

Great zoo considering size and scale. Tons of fun for kids and adults alike.

chackos123

I had a ton of fun at Hemker Park & Zoo (and so did my kids ????). The park had a pretty impressive number of animals to view. They all appeared to be healthy and very well cared for. The bird enclosure where you can feed the birds was really cool. The seed sticks are a couple dollars extra, but I felt well worth it. I also paid extra for the kids to feed the giraffe some lettuce and I can't lie, that was really fun too! We enjoyed the afternoon here and ended the trip with a little time on the playground set. A perfect way to wrap things up before the car ride home.

Kimberly Nokk

My son and I had a blast at Hemker Park and Zoo! Such a fun and family friendly place, with a nice variety of beautiful animals! We are already planning our next trip back!

Tracy Smith Anshus

Great experience My grandkids loved all the animals especially the giraffe We got to play on the playground. And had a nice pick nick

Jim De Leeuw

Fun zoo to bring the family to. Small but not too busy

molly schindele

Really nice little zoo

Chelsie Hueckman

What a great place off the beaten path!! Loved the variety of animals, and the fact that you can have those interactive moments with the animals (I.e. feeding the giraffes, feeding the birds in the aviary, etc), that make them all the more real for a kiddo! Wish we lived closer!

Tina Michalski

Wonderful place to visit. Picnic area. Gift shop. Lots of animals. Entertaining monkeys. Curious camels. Zebras, reindeer, giraffes, etc

Dodd Lambert

Fun place to take the kids

Megan Robillard

We all had a great time! Definitely recommend!

Bryce Parker

I bring the family here a few times a year and it never disappoints. It continuously improves too.

Janelle Thompson

Wonderful staff and caretakers. So many animals and family friendly! Also great for date night! Brew at the Zoo was sooooo much fun!

Sang Le

The lady in the front was really rude and impatient. I asked her a couple of questions and she was just giving me attitude.

La Chaparrita Bonita

Not what I expected but kiddos had fun looking around

Chris Goering

Was a great place to visit, anybody in the area should cash in on this local treasure! A variety of animals, great food, nice walking trails, and a big enclosed bird area where you can feed them, it was amazing

Bryan Blumenschein

Great zoo, nice family friendly atmosphere! Getting to feed the animals is something you can do at the larger zoo's. The zoo is a great size, it makes a great half day trip from the cities. They have food on site and 2 little gift shops.

Tim Schmidt

I really enjoyed this zoo. A lot of variety. Space to sit anf relax. Every type of animal from Lynx, Monkeys, Giraffes, Owls, Bords that land on you and eat, reptiles, Zebra, flamingos... And more. So good. Tge animals were relaxed. They seemed to be very well taken care of. They were not pacing in cages. Wonderful experience for our family.

Debra Engen

The kids had a great time and so did the adults.

Malisa Dukart

Loved it!! Very unique, lots of exotic animals, many were endangered. They had Giraffes and a Rinosurous! Staff was very nice and answered questions about animals. Cages were clean, beutiful place, you could have a Birthday party there under the shelter or any other small get togethers. Flowers all thoughout the zoo with little sitting areas!

Ashley Brinegar

Such a wonderful place! ♥️

Gary A (Strong Motors)

Was great. Nice open environment. Great animals. Playground for the kids was nice. Very relaxing.

Randy Czarnetzki

If you have kids, check out this diamond in the rough. Buy some seed sticks at the admission desk and go to the Budgee cage. Giraffe feeding is #2. Feeding the otters is overrated. Bring lots of quarters to buy other feed from the dispensers.

Kurtis Haider

Affordable, they have a lot of animals to see, and the layout of the zoo is not bad. The playground is great for little ones. You can feed a giraffe, which is an absolute hoot (especially if your toddler is doing it too). Very easy to spend a whole day at. Wouldn't recommend ordering food when it's really busy -- it was a terrible experience. Basically waited an hour for a corn dog. Also, the vending machines will rob you. But you can bring your own food in, which is what we'll do next time. Overall, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Samantha Barrett

Just all around the best experience! It isn’t crowded!! Everything is so clean!! Friendly staff!! Cutest animals. Feels like a true home for the animals, not just a zoo! Thank you for sharing them with us!

Amanda Scepaniak

Something for everyone! I Absolutely love the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the animals for feeding! Well kept and run by an amazing family! Can’t wait to go back!

Chad Johnson

Seemed like just chain link cages in a field.

Sherry Tuxen

Small zoo with big experience.

c Finn

Great place to bring the kids. Lots of monkeys, turtles, birds and various large animals. The animals seem happy and well taken care of. My son loved feeding the parakeets in the aviary. We were able to grab a little lunch there for very reasonable prices. About an hour and fifteen minute drive from the metro, but a very fun day trip. Would recommend for ages 3 - 12.

Jeremy Compton

Fun, amazing animals

Amber Taylor

Love this small zoo. The animals all look so happy

Michael Ondarko

Awesome!!! Great job taking care of all the wonderful animals! We can tell thier passionate about thier zoo!!!

Amy Andrews

The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the zoo. The price for admission is on point with the different animals that are taken care of. The lunch/snack offerings are on par with other attractions. The amount that is given for the price is fair. I was able to see the different animals closer than other locations I have been to which is an advantage here. There seemed to be one location for the restrooms. The benches located around the park were very nice to see from and Eagle Scout project. Picture opportunities along the outer trail were nicely put together. I would highly recommend this place for the up and close viewing of the different species from around the globe.

Laura Schwitters

Great experience, especially feeding the giraffes! We all loved it and will definitely be going back!

Sandy

My boyfriend and I love coming to Hemker Zoo. It's a family run gig but they keep expanding and are very awesome to their animals. They provide very spacious enclosures for their animals and are always building better housing. Been coming here for the past 8 years and every year they get better and better.

Ryan Mareck

Nice family zoo! You can get close to the animals. Great for little kids.

Dan Brown

Small zoo with awesome animals which you're able to feed (cost extra).

Peter Haugen

Awesome

Terry D Hausmann

Quaint, but a bit expensive, little get away. Mobility assistant for handicapped ( a golf cart) cost an extra $20. Good place to tire out grandchildren.

Jeff Garies

Great place for the little one's. Our son loved it!!

Simon Krystosek

So much fun, much more to see then one thinks! Feed the giraffes!

sharon moeller

We enjoyed ourselves

Eric Dunham

I wasn't particularly impressed by this zoo—while they do have a lot of animals, and they have some cool things (like the parakeet feeding area), a lot of the animals seemed quite out of sorts, their cages were too small, they'd worn tracks around the edges from pacing, they seemed dirty and uncared for. In a zoo, the first thing I look to see is that the animals seem happy, and I just didn't feel that that was true here.

Joy V (Xfyre12)

Great selection of all kind of animals. You can even feed the penguins. Call for more details

Gretchen Gosnell

Great hands on experience! Wonderful staff and the place is very well taken care of. Happy animals.

Brittany Koch

My wife, my son & I visited the Hemker Zoo today. When we first pulled up, we were worried cause it didn't look like much. We already drove over an hour to get here so we still went. We arrived, paid to get in and all agreed we wanted to do giraffe feeding. While walking around, we loved watching the animals and seeing some of our favorite animals. We got to touch the huge tortises. They have two peacocks wandering around as well. When it was time for the giraffe feeding, it was fun. We loved watching the giraffes with their long tongues, grabbing the lettuce to eat it and petting the giraffes. They have a very nice shaded area with a bunch of picnic benches to have lunch with a playground next to it. We brought our own lunch in a cooler but they do have some stuff you can buy there. If you have any questions, the family is phenomenal!! Very sweet and poliet. Our main reason we drove out to this zoo is because we read on the website we could a pet a penguin which has been our sons biggest dream! After we got done walking around and doing us, I walked into the gift shop area and asked Anne how could we pet a penguin. Anne explained that's it an additional fee so I walked over and explained this to my family. We discussed it was too much. We didn't bring a lot of money due to recent events on our life, so we told our son, who has autism, maybe next time. I know we promised. He understood. We went to the bathroom before we were to leave and my wife told our son to pick out a stuffie since he couldn't pet a penguin. While paying for the stuffie, Anne asked where we were from and we explained everything. Anne did the unthinkable. Anne made our sons wildest dreams come true. My wife cried. My son cried. I did everything in my power not to cry. He got to pet a penguin. He was the happiest boy I have ever seen. Thank you ladies so much!! This place is incredible! We don't have words to tell you how thankful we are! THANK YOU♡

Nicholas Wells

My little one loves the animals and they all seemed happy/content. In light of the current atmosphere during Covid I have a little trouble recommending due to none of the other patrons wearing masks in the small gift shop/front desk. I also recommend buying tickets online to expedite your entry.

Eric Carlson

Feed the giraffe!

Hannah Schuett

We always have a great time here! Wonderful staff and a wide variety of cute animals. Highly recommend making the trip!

T P

This is a smaller farm like experience with exotic animals. The experiences you can purchase are pretty cool. We got 1 on 1 time with a penguin, fed the giraffes, fed the rhino, the otters and the koi fish. Lots of zoos let you feed giraffes, but where can you pet a penguin or feed a rhinoceros! The people were pretty friendly and I saw them cleaning tables and refilling soap at their hand washing stations. Prepare to get dirty, we were all fithly by the time we left. Also we were late and they were extremely accommodating in moving our experiences around so we could still do them all. Only negative is that my little boy fell and was bleeding and crying and about 5 workers walked passed and not a single one inquired if everything was OK or if we needed anything. Perhaps they are just used to kiddos crying or were hyper focused on their jobs and not really paying attention?

Brenda K

Son loved it! So close to the animals!

A F

We go once a year! Great staff, neat animals and bathrooms have always been clean during our visits.

Rick Stafford

Visited this amazing zoo this afternoon. Went to celebrate my girlfriend birthday and boy was I glad we went. There are a lot of interesting and interactive exhibits. You can tell that each animal gets the care and attention they need as it was clean and well spaced out.

Eric Reinhardt

Zoos fine spamming for reviews isn't

Crystal Pace

Awesome job with a social distancing and sanitation stands. Up close experiences with the animals, small crowds, the staff are knowledgeable and care deeply for the animals, nummy options in concessions and very affordable. Highly recommend for all ages!

Barbara Oemcke

Exceptional zoo in the rural area. Good value and plenty to see for young kids.

Kristine Liljenquist

My favorite zoo ever

Karma Eh

Very fun. Plenty to keep you busy. My son loved feeding the birds and the giraffe. First time there with my 6yr old. We lasted 4 hours.

Stacey Kolle

Very nice place. You can see the animals very well. Small, family owned zoo.

Cameron McIver

Excellent place for a family fun afternoon! We had a great time and for to feed the giraffe and the birds.

Robert Remley

This is an amazing place.

Ryan Bonniwell

Perfectly sized zoo for a 3 yr old!

Nathee Suriyavejwongs

Very nice zoo to visit. You can see animals closely. Glad to see adorable red panda there.

T V

Super cool place. Low-key type zoo with plenty to offer! Lots of little monkey and birds. Kind of a farm type feel. So many animals for kids to see. Rhino feeding was really cool!

Suzie V

Super friendly place lovely staff and the animals are well cared for.

Tyler Anderson

Was a fun zoo. Will probably return later in the year.

myria vanhavermaet

I have been to this zoo multiple times. The staff are very friendly and are happy to answer any questions you have about the animals. The animals have large cages and are well taken care of. There is multiple opportunities to feed animals along the way. They have a picnic area and a snack wagon. There is a nice playground for the kids. Definitely will be back

Lisa Sabyan

Great place to visit!

Valentine Nde

Our boys hard a blast even though it was cold and wet. Definitely going back again.

Randy Jones

Great zoo in a small town area

Teresa Bechtold

It was a fun place for the family

Leslie Zeek

This was a terrific place to visit. There are lots of animals to see, they are very well take. Care of, and the staff is knowledgeable and extremely friendly. We will definitely return!

Brandon Hurrle

Lots more animals than I expected, nice and quiet, perfect for small kids.

Marcia Quist

Loved how close you can get to the animals

Lee Katzmarek

So much fun for kids packed into just 20 acres.

Amanda Huls

Had a good time with the kids at the zoo. I wish more of the animal habitats were labeled. The budgie house was so much fun!

Patrick Elmore

This is a great zoo! We got to feed the Giraffes and and other animals very fun for the kids.

Anthony Matheny, Keller Williams Classic Realty NW

Absolutely love this place! They have a huge selection of animals!

Kristen Carlson

Many different types of animals. Lots for kids to do. The animals were Lively, well-kept and fun to see up close.

Jo Henning

Love this zoo!!

Mark Nedoroscik

Really nice zoo, friendly workers

Roger Spieker

Granddaughter really enjoyed everything.

Nate Deana Zieske

Nice day trip

Tracy O'Connor

Great zoo in central MN. Animals are clearly well cared for and healthy. Nice to see so many animals up close

Jumbalaya g1010

Loved feeding the giraffes

Chawni Whitlock

Test place to bring kids. They have a nice playground and picnic area.

jodie madison

So much fun and so much to see!!!

Hannah

Love all of the events they put in, especially Brew at the Zoo!

Aaron L

My family enjoys the zoo. Been going there for last 4 years multiple times per year.

Margie N

We had a great time! We love the canary house. We spent most of our time there on our last visit. We also loved feeding the 2 giraffe and the otter. It was a day we will remember! Grandma and 3 kids

ronald ledford

Small but very fun place to visit

keche mohamed

Nice place to go

Ben Thoele

Well done! Great variety of accessable animals.

Jason Blommer

The animals appear well taken care of, and they aren't so far away that they cannot be seen. They let you feed the otters and giraffes for an additional fee. Giraffe feeding takes less than a minute, otter feeding about the same. They have an enclosed bird area, where you can feed them too. The birds will land right on the feeding sticks, so it's cool for the little kids. Pricing isn't too bad for a couple hours worth of entertainment.

Jennifer Dorholt

Two of my daughters participated in Hemker's Zoo camp this summer and had a Blast! We will definitely be going back next year! Highlight: feeding the Rhino! I would highly recommend, coming from a mother of 3 animal loving children...

Benjamin Carlson

Very fun, interactive zoo experience for the kids! Giraffe, otter and bird feedings were a blast for the kids, too! Highly recommended ????

Michelle Groetsch

Perfect day for the zoo! Clean place and very kid friendly.

Sara Smith

Love this place, lots of fun animals to see. It's just little bit more expensive

CeCealia Schultz

Went to boo at the zoo and it was so much fun! Beautiful day and animals.

Collin McIver

Great little zoo! Tons of fun.

Esraa Kadhem

The kids and I loved this place. We have the chance to feed the Griffe at their fed time. We bought lettuce ticket at the entrance ???? and spent time feeding them with some lovely pictures! The recently added a ride small safari car. The …

Jim Zons

Nice little zoo where you can really see the animals close up .. perfect for families!

Abbie Whitlock

Nice little place.

Dustin Poganski

Small but fun for the whole family. It has penguins, red panda, giraffes, reindeer, and so many more. Worth the drive.

Arika Muellner

My family loves this zoo. Instead of walking around staring at animals in cages there are opportunities to interact with so many of them! We fed giraffes, budgies, otters, monkeys, goats, & a rhino!! Next time we want to play with the penguins, alligators and boa constrictor! The family that runs this zoo is so nice! All the employees are wonderful. I can't say enough great things about this zoo.

Dennis Tjaden

Enjoyed Park lots of animals that are not displayed in others. Very nice

Angela Paulson

My family loves this zoo! So friendly, clean, and always a joy to visit!

Janell Tibodeau

This was the best experience! My 14 and 15 year old said it was a 10 ot of 10! Super clean, friendly staff. The animals appeared well loved, grounds well kept, the flowers and foilage were beautiful. All of this surrounded by by the love of cornfields and country roads!

Jennifer Jackson

Wonderful family experience! You felt immersed in the lives of the animals.

SagerRager

Hands down best zoo I've ever been too. I've experienced the MN zoo and the Denver CO zoo and this zoo tops both of those. Highly recommend. The food, the gift shop and being able to feed the giraffes, rhinos and otters was just the best.

Jasmine Nieto

Nice little zoo, the animals were so close and looked SOO healthy and happy! All of the staff said hello to us. This is a smaller zoo, but there is a lot more opportunities to interact with the animals. Lots of birds.

mama

Really great place to go with the kiddos

Pastel Freak

Amazing animals! Bird house was super fun, people are so friendly and I loved it!

Author Samantha Kroese

Great little zoo! Friendly staff. Well cared for animals. Loved feeding the Budgies!

Courtney Schmidt-Anderson

Great zoo to bring the family to. Lots of exhibits, friendly staff and reasonably priced!

Sue Jones

Very deceptive when coming up to it. They have more than you think when you drive in. Price is maybe a little high. Signage is not very good.

David Vee

Giraffes were great! Its like being at a farm, only with cooler animals. My kid liked the playground more than anything.

Elizabeth F Bacon

Some of the animals were hiding or moved somewhere else. Didn't get to see the tortise.????

Tanner Bonnema

Amazing experience! My family had such a great time here! Very inviting atmosphere, perfect size for walking around with small children, plenty to do and tons of close-up experiences. I would go here over down to the cities any day! My …

Larissa Brantley

Love this zoo! They have lots of different animals and alot of unique birds. Speaking of birds, they have an enclosed aviary with a bunch of cockatiels or something??? Like little small birds, anyways, you can go in and feed them and they land on you and it's just soooooo cute, one of my absolute favorite experiences of my whole life. It's quite a big zoo with lots of places to walk to. You can also feed giraffes and otters there which is fun. There is a place to get hot food and they have really good onion rings and pretzels, and the gift shop has a ton of really cool items, its hard not to overspend your budget ????.

Jessica Lovell

Very clean Zoo I'm very nice zookeepers and watched out for little kids running around when they were trying to feed and take care of the animals

Christopher Douglas

Incredible experience, so much to see and do!

Steve Dub

We enjoyed the zoo we live in the DC area and have gone to the national zoo which is a totally different thing. The experience at this zoo is very up close and personal which was perfect for our 4 children. They actually enjoy the experience more than the DC zoo because they were able to get up close feed giraffes and hang out in the bird sanctuary. You ever in the area stop by and check them out!

nathan willette

Took the family and had a great time! We were able to feed the Koi, giraffes, and otters! The kids LOVED it. We'll be back for sure!

Karen Timp

I was here with our class, one student has a wheelchair and wanted to feed the otters, they made arrangements for this person to e able to do so even though he couldn't reach over the glass! They even helped with the chair (400+ lbs) when it was stuck in the gravel! Very nice people and a great place to go!

Hans Oaken

The canary cage was awesome! CCW friendly

Lydia Johnson

Would definitely recommend. They have a few animals that I’ve never seen at other zoos. We went when it was super busy. People were parked on the street. Everything was spaced out well making it feel like your family was by yourself or only one- two other groups by you. Going here you have the opportunity to see animals real close. They also offer feeding animals at a cost for even closer interaction. We were there for a solid 4 hours with all adults and we were completely entertained. To anyone considering going do it! Great date or family out-ing!

Ahna Lee Lloyd

We went to this zoo due to receiving a gift certificate. It was our first experience here and it was so fun. You definitely need GPS to get there but it’s worth it! It’s a lot smaller than most metro zoos, and very well laid out. Especially now during a pandemic the signs are well made and displayed all over. The concession stand had a lot of variety and options, and the picnic area included a pavilion and smaller tables with umbrellas. The picnic area encircles a playground area for kids in a central location. Before you even get to the admissions booth you get to see animals! This is a perfect spot for younger kids as it is smaller to navigate and you won’t get lost.

Gregory Allum

Outstanding family owned zoo. Good variety of animals. Larger than expected. Very friendly staff. Nice price also. Glad we stopped.

Arnoldo Moreno De La Garza

Fun place to visit with family! Takes a good long while to see all the animals. There's a food stand, and they have a nice gift shop. All the animals seem well. It looks like they are all being taken care of tremendously.

MelodicM9

Found an extra exhibit called "Killdeer".

Kalene J

Neat place right off I 94! Great place to stop to stretch with the kids during roadtrips.

Patrick Murphy

Awesome Animals! Awesome Food! Awesome Price! Awesome Everything!

Yeehaw Smarties

This place was a lot of fun to visit! There was a bigger variety of animals than we expected! There are even some birds that roam around outside of cages. A word of warning though: the birds in the budgie house love to nibble on shoes, so don't wear flip-flops or they will bite your feet!

Steven Mader

Good Variety of animals, nice place to spend with your family!

Poob Tube

Awesome experience! Great staff and what a variety of animals! My family had a great time and can’t stop talking about it! Thanks!

Eddi The Rabbit

Great place! Nice animals and park. Feeding the animals was super fun!

Marshall Tebben

Giving this a 5 star because they're actually open compared to the loser leadership at the Minnesota Zoo. The MN Zoo costs about as much to operate closed as it does opened, yet they refuse to open other than some crummy drive through park. Why can't they implement practical social distancing measures?

Colby Borowick

The animals here are very interactive, and that is something to really appreciate. All the facilities are reasonably maintained, and the enclosures themselves are sized pretty well and seem to be more of a natural habitat that the animals appear to really appreciate. I've only been to maybe 7 large zoos across the US, but I really like this smaller one and come back a couple times per year.

Linda Blaskowski

Fantastic place for your family or class field trips

Parker Jordan

It was good they really cleaned it up in the last few years.

Rich Stephens

Very fun place, interaction with animals, it's a very well maintained place. I will certainly be going back!!!

Scott Johnson

Enjoyed our afternoon visit.

Ari Cully

Wonderful place to bring children

Keith Harvell

This zoo is just spectacular!! You can tell that the owners love what they do and generally care about the animals they have. They actually think about how to design the habitats for the species and try making it fun for them. They may not have as many species as other zoos but you won’t get up and personal with them like you will here. You can purchase lettuce leaves for $3 and feed them up close to the giraffe!! If you loved birds, they have an awesome enclosure where you can buy a food stick and have several all over you, as you watch them nibble the treat. Absolutely LOVED it and plan on making this a regular gig, summer months!!

Sheri Ellis

This is such an awesome zoo!

Bethaine Wheeler

Brew at the Zoo was a blast!

Marky Roepke

I really enjoyed it. Lots of different animals. The workers were nice and knowledgeable. The coolest for me was being in the bird shed that's screened in. Buying the seed stick and having all the parakeets on me was really neat. The only downfall of our day was it rained most the time we were there. That only gives us more reason to go back for more. Thanks for having us

whodibrown

Super friendly staff everywhere always asking if anything is needed. passion zoo not a profit zoo

Amanda Erickson

Very impressed! Very fun afternoon for the kids!

Eric Rieds

Fun place to bring the kids. Many different animals. Feeding the birds is fun. Snack bar on site!

Nancy L

We love this zoo. It's small enough for little kids to stay excited about the animals and the feeding of the animals was extraordinary. They do a great job at this zoo.

Paul Peterson

Amazing small zoo atmosphere. Staff is very friendly and approachable.

Jaclyn Zillmer

Great experience and place to take the family

Bruce Purcell (The Actor)

We just discovered this place. Giraffes, that you can feed! Out in farm country. We even had a golf cart for my 83 year old father-in-law! Great day.

Names To Remember

First Time Experience, Large Varieties of Exhibits, Up Close and Personal Experiences...Hand Feeding Giraffes, Variety of Birds....Was an AMAZING Experience to Share with Your Family. Memories Made for ALL Ages...Thank You Hemker Park & Zoo for the Family Memories Created Today from All of US at Names To Remember :)

Carmen Dischinger

We weren’t sure what to expect when pulling up but were very pleasantly surprised to find a great variety of well-cared for animals that were close enough to get a good look at! There were places to stop and sit along the way, photo ops and food! And it was the perfect size to see everything in a couple hours!

Marina Morgan

What a treat! Such a special place. We will be back

K Doherty

We made the decision to visit this zoo because my grandson can not be in crowds due to a medical condition and the lingering Covid situation. We arrived and although the parking lot seemed full we never were around a lot of people. There was no lines for anything. The exhibits allow for up close and personal viewings of the animals. We were able to purchase additional opportunities to feed individual animals. Our favorite was the Giraffes! We drove an hour and a half to get there and it was worth every minute and every penny. We enjoyed it so much we made a pact to return annually to celebrate our Grandson! I looked forward to our future trips to this zoo and can’t wait to see the new Rhino when he arrives!

Alisha Sunderbug

Amazing park great for everyone

Arden Nelson

Cute Place! Small but nice, you can tell the staff are very dedicated and the feedings are great. We came for the otter feeding and it was so fun.

Tonya Dugstad

Great place.

Sankar Jena

A small (not so small though) local zoo. Very amazing.

Brandon Moos

Love this Zoo! Our family’s favorite place to go together.

Jacquline Sanvig

We all had a blast. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Great place and I would definitely recommend Hemker Park & Zoo.

James Hanks

This place was great! You can get up and close to all the animals! Even feed a few of them! Very kid friendly! I'll be returning for sure!

jeffrey alan

We had a lot of fun on our first trip. There were a lot of people there because of Halloween coming up and costumed kids when we were pulling up, so we had to park up the road a ways. It was a fun experience and we'll probably go back in the future during the spring or summer.

Andy Rando

This zoo RULES, My kids had a great time! I recommend the bird feeding sticks.

Jill Stewman

This zoo is so fun! My daughter loved feeding the birds and giraffes.

Garth

Hemker is a lovely local zoo just north of Freeport MN. It's not large but is a respectable size given that this is multi-generational family run zoo. With no major financial trustees Hemker's does not have the gloss you might expect from larger state or national zoos. But it makes up for that with a proximity to animals that you are not afforded in larger zoos. Giraffes can freely reach past their fence and interact with visitors. Flamingos are within an arms reach and Scarlet Ibis fly freely around visitors inside their habitat. Most other animals are just the other side of fences that are mostly 1 or 2 feet away from the paths. There are many feed stations around the zoo which offer feeding pellets for $.50 All in all a fun local place. Shade is limited since you are out in the prairie. Be sure to bring a hat and sunscreen on bright days.

Shawn Davis

Fun, affordable, outstanding!

corey vener

Hemker park and zoo is a wonderful place to go and spend time with your family. The staff is amazing and really care about you and the animals.

Angela Olson

Great place!

Sarah Moe

Great local place to go with the family for a day of fun without driving across the state or breaking the bank. Nice variety of animals, easy to get to

Mark Chapman

What a gem of a tiny zoo. Well worth the visit. Great place to bring kids.

Jess Franks

I take my grandkids and ladies from our group home here as much as I can. We always have a wonderful time when we go! So many different animals to see and feed. The staff are amazing as well so friendly and always willing to answer questions and interact with the kids.

Karin Blythe

Loved feeding the giraffe!! The hands on with the animals was top notch. Feeding the budgies was also a highlight of our trip. A bit concerned about the welfare of the many parrots. Definitely not in good shape.

Kris Bush

This is a great animal park. It is family owned and the staff is wonderful. They are expanding and I can't wait to see what is being added. My husband and I enjoy visiting here a few times during the summer. It's a drive for us, but worth it. Don't forget to have money to feed to giraffes and otters. They recently added a rhino and it is an unique experience to feed him. Make sure to visit Tio in his barn and give him some treats.

Amanda Dillon

It was a wonderful little zoo!

Jeffery Booth

We took our grandson for their spooky Halloween day and it was amazing we all had so much fun my favorite was the baby Rhino. our grandsons favorite was all the candy and the little sea otters I highly recommend this place but remember it is a lot of walking!!

Brittany Altendorf

Great adventure! Loved every minute!

Jessica Tolve

Had a blast, enjoyed the variety of animals and they look happy in their enclosures. The attractions look well cared for and my daughter absolutely loved feeding the giraffe!!!

Amy Rech

Loved this place!!

Emily Bernstein

Wonderful zoo with lots of great personalized experiences. The zookeepers take good care of the animals and are very knowledgeable.

Paul Beaulieu

Cute animals

Erica Ellestad

My family and I had a Great day there at the Zoo. The staff did a great job with customer service and the groundsand bathrooms were very nice and clean. Liked how they told about the animals when it was the time for a group feeding you chose, interesting facts for sure..We will definitely be back again.. Thanks again for having us. ????????

S

Never thought I could touch a flamingo and feed a giraffe. There are a lot of interesting animals and things you can do. It's definitely worth the drive and price.

Brandon Ebensteiner

Super cool, fun, what a hidden gem! My kids had a blast we will definitely be back!

Rachael Dockendorf

So much fun and great staff!

Shelby Ferguson

This was so much fun! I will choose Hemker over Mn zoo and como! Thank you for the wonderfully fun day! Highly recommend coming here! So much great animal interactions. My 2yr old is obsessed with the bird aviary. The excitement of that was worth it!

Clara Moyle

Nice little zoo. Fun to feed the giraffe and the birds. Was high priced.

Dave Cobb

Fun little zoo, be sure to feed the giraffe and the birds. Kept kids entertained for a couple of hours and they want to go back for the bird feeding again.

Sheila Ascheman

Wonderful day at the zoo!

Jesse Flynn

Love this Zoo, always stop in when we are traveling within an hour away. Feeding the giraffe were so fun!

Gina Bear

We had an amazing time at Hemker park and zoo,the staff is great and very helpful, my girls and I will be back.

Jayde Norby

Fun place!

Steve Wander

Great time with the grandkids.

Brandie O'connor

We spent a solid 2.5 hours here easily and happily! We will definitely be back! Clean, unique, friendly staff! Snack and souvenir stands, playground and lots of cool animals. 10/10 Che Mack it out.

Phil Brinegar

The staff is fantastic! We did the giraffe feeding and it was so fun! The facilities are well taken care of and it is a very clean zoo. They are a true small town treasure!

Robzilla Tucker

Great place to bring the family and can see all animals

Jerome Lindquist

Like the personal experience this place gave...very friendly and knowledgeable.

Megan Rogers

First time to this zoo. It's a great place - lots of fun for kids. Be sure to go down and around all the paths so you don't miss anything. You can feed birds (buy the sticks when you pay admission). There's also a playground, a cafe and a souvenir shop.

Teresa Figallo

Lots of fun for the kids, and small enough not to wear the adults out. It was a pleasant venture!

Jason Anderson

Cute zoo lots of animals! Clean and we'll kept. Lots of fun, they've done a great job!

G-man Ray

Awesome place! My family had a wonderful time!

Paula Bergner

Had a great time.

Jessica Floyd

We took our 14 month old to the Hemker Zoo and we had such a fun family experience! There was a wide variety of animals and the zoo was so well maintained. It was easy for my 14 month old to see and hear the animals which is much different than the larger zoos in the city. We are looking forward to going back!!

Pamela Bezeau

Great place to go with family. Loved the budgie house

Erin Wanderscheid

This is the best zoo! Well maintained. So much to see and do.

Alyssa Hayes

The enclosures are obviously too small. Most need an upgrade in space. Especially for the Giraffes. A typical medium sized room isn't good to house a giant animal like that, even if it's for "viewing pleasure". When it starts to toss its neck around and pinning its ears its clearly agitated and upset. I would be too. Please, PLEASE make some of the enclosures bigger.

Tracy Helmke

It's a great little zoo close to home. There's a nice picnic area where kids can play and you can purchase food at the zoo or bring in your own. There's something new every year.

Chuck Raduenz

Not a bad place. Few odd animals like zebras, camel, monkeys, yak, and giraffe. Seems like more birds than anything. But could just be me.

Renee Bjork

The outstanding thing I noticed right away is how relaxed all the animals are. Also the zoo is set up so that you can get a great view to observe the animals. The variety of animals is wonderful also. I cant wait to return with more grandkids. My favorite was the large parakeet aviary that you are able to go inside and the parakeets often land on you.

Mark Prokop

Cool place. A lot of nice animals. Well kept up and some fun things for young kids to do.

venessa coates

We love this place. Super nice for the little one, she can walk it and have fun. We loved feeding the KoI and the food to the other animals. Feeding the Rhino was fun but not what we expected, we figure everyone still learning how to do this best and we will Definitely come back to do it again. Just waited for a long time to drop our banana and not be able to actually feed it and have to move for the next one so quick. But it was still super amazing and fun to be so close to Tio. He is beautiful and amazing and loved the experience. The park is so fun. Mine is to little she fell off the slide each time cause it isn't really set for toddlers but we kept trying. The staff is always soooo nice and helpful. We love this zoo and always recommend it to everyone and say get a roll at Charlie's when you leave too. We will be back a few times this summer. Thanks for being so great for my family fun!

Jordan Boevers

Awesome! We did the VIP tour and it was well worth the price. We had a group aging from three to mid fifties, and everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves. The staff was very friendly, patient, and knowledgeable about their animals. Will definitely be returning.

Kristen B

I have nothing but high praises for Hemker. I needed some special accommodations for a family member visiting due to health conditions and the staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful experience. The wonderful memories we took away from our visit will last a lifetime. Thank you for the fantastic service.

Steve Kremer

Really nice place from the time you walk in the doors until you leave. The Granddaughters had a great time.

Dennis Heimerman

Had a great time at Hemker Park with our granddaughters. What a wonderful and devoted staff.

Trasi Ergen

Fun place for kids and adults! I highly recommend going.

april barker

Great place to see animals up close, clean . But no food , except for chips, pop, candy. Great place to bring a picnic lunch. $$$

Matt zondervan

Me and my family went here was very nice kids loved it. Staff was great! Pluss lots of animals to see it's well worth it!

Warren Cain

It was a fun place to visit.

Jill E

Huge variety of animals, friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Mary Filzen

FABULOUS!!! wonderful animals, clean, large enclosures, friendly staff. LOVED IT!!!!

Ryan Hoffman

Nice people there

Robin Pine

We took some people who had never been there and they were very impressed with the amount and different variety of animals in a small hometown zoo! I am always happy when we go there.

Chris A

Great place to take the kids! We all had fun!

Amber Ellison

Hemker zoo was great! Very clean and kept up well. Good flow to the space. And good variety to see.

Kirsten Kidrowski

We visited Hemker Zoo with our toddler and will definitely be going back! We fed giraffes, river otters, budgies, and the guinea fowl and goats. The site is well maintained and the animals were happy and active - much better than I’ve seen at other zoos. The memories made will be cherished and I’m excited to go back to make more! Great job Hemker family!

Larry McDermeit

Very impressive for family run and operated zoo keep up the great work my grand kids loved it so did my wife and I we'll be back

MrTherater1

Way over priced, but I do like the uniqueness of the location

Zaynaba Donald

It was very clean the staff was great and friendly and helpful. There was lots of benches to sit down and it wasn't crowded. It was a great zoo for the kids. We had a great time.

Barb Hudela

So much fun. Lots of different animals to see

zach stamey

Amazing place and wonderful staff

Jeremy Hall

Very cool place, out in the country! They just got a giraffe!

Linda Walker

They do have basket food. We had chicken strips and french fries, and they were delicious.

Karla Kocher

I LOVE this place!! It was a coolee amd windy day but i really enjoyed it. It is a smaller sized zoo but the variety of animals is (to me anyways) amazing. I LOVE Stevie the Secretary Bird, he is awesome. I will definitely be back next year with family!!

Nicole Denny

Vary friendly ppl an they treat you like family

Michele Gross

A surprising array of animals found in a small town. My kids loved seeing the giraffes up close and had a blast feeding all the little birds with their popsicle sticks covered in bird seed. The otters and baby zebra were high on their list of favorites as well. Clean restrooms, clean cages/trails. We enjoyed our time and will be back again.

Zakry Townsend

First time going here and will be back again and again. Have gone to come on the mn zoo a ton of times over the years and this will now be my favorite. Their animals actually have grass to graze on! Got to see them feeding the lynx and bobcats too, fresh chicken. The animals here actually looked happy and healthy. They seem to really try to build a habitat that the animals can thrive in. And it's a nice flow to the place so you can let little kids run around:)

Howard Phelps

I drive by the place even in the winter animals look like they can use lots more room

Theresa O'Donnell

We absolutely LOVE Hemker zoo! They have a good variety of animals that you can see very well. And it is easy for the younger children to walk around the whole place.

Robert Trosdahl

Nice little rural zoo!!

Trisha Stanger

The kids had a great time, they were disappointed it wasn't for the entire week❤️

Justin Johnson

Great family friendly fun

Kristy Hass

Kids had alot of fun in the bird pen!

Nicole Strassburg

Nice place! Just the right size for little ones with opportunity to interact with some of the animals.

Kent Weis

Hemker Zoo is great every single time. We go at least once a summer. I will say that we're starting to feel a bit nickeled and dimed work all of the up charges. I almost deducted a star for that. Generally... a really great, family run operation. It gets better every year.

Sandra Allen

It was a nice surprise to run across this place out in the middle of nowhere. Most of the animals had very nice enclosures but some barely had room to turn around.

Cindy Jacobs

Expensive

Joe Baca

Nice variety of animals. Paths were easy to use stroller. Convenient.

Adrian Hourselt

Fun times. Great for kids!

Nikk Larsen

Very fun place, feeding the animals was quite the adventure for the kids! Felt like I was just out at the farm. A farm with some odd animals!

Phil Weller

Real family outing!

Janet Montreuil-Althaus

Went with family for grandsons birthday. Loved it. Great animals and staff

Cynthia Ramirez

Great family zoo!

Mitch Loch

Great family atmosphere

Ahmad Mutan

Perfect place for adults and children

lu anders

Hemker is an awesome gem in the middle of Minnesota! Thanks again for a wonderful experience.

Jennifer Elton

Always enjoyable!

Kirk Erickson

Feeding the rhino was awesome

Sean Jackson

Lots of animals. Well worth the price. All the animals are well cared for. Had a lot of fun feeding the giraffe and otters. Well worth the trip. I can't wait till they get the rhino's.

Ben K

Loved the VIP tour. The staff is super knowledgeable and friendly and you can tell they have a passion for their jobs. They have good food here and also have a lot of hands on feeding with animals! First time to ever pet a giraffe or rhino was yesterday ! I will definitely be going to Hemker zoo again :)

Tera Brown

GREAT ZOO. Kids loved all the birds!!! Beautiful facility!!

Kathy LaPlante

My husband, daughter, her 2 kids and I had a wonderful day at the Hemker Park and Zoo!! The environment of the zoo is amazing! It was great to see the animals so close up! My grandkids got to feed the giraffes, the otters and the newest …

Pete & Linda Bleess

Great zoo to visit. Easy to get to, plenty of animals and an amazing bird cage. Place is clean and animals are well cared for

Amanda Zeman

Such a fun interactive zoo!

Eric McMahon

Very clean and well maintained. Good variety of animals to see, as well as a handful you can feed including a giraffe. Would highly recommend, especially with children.

Jamie D.

Horrifying Experience. The Budgies at the exhibit were swarming people at the door and dozens were flying and running out the innermost door everytime it opened. It was a complete frenzy and one budgie was crushed under the door and died despite the adults trying to be careful. It was impossible to move further inside the exhibit because of the swarming and because everyone with food sticks were by the door it just exacerbated the problem. The zoo should have closed this exhibit due to the unsafe behavior of the birds - for the protection of the birds - until they calmed down. But no staff was nearby, no one was monitoring the situation and visitors were too ignorant to realize just how dangerous the swarming really was. Unfortunately because of all these things, a tragic accident happened. All the other "interactive" exhibits at this zoo were monitored by staff but not this one. Will not be going back again. Update/Response to Response: I am glad that you are making the changes that are necessary to maintain the safety of the birds. I just don't think I can go back after what happened. It was very traumatizing because I have always loved the Budgie exhibit the most. It's not something I will get over anytime soon.

Cathy Rindels

The grandkids has a great time! You can feed a giraffe, koi and guitars, alpcas etc.

S KK

I love supporting local businesses! We drove an hour and a half to come to this zoo instead of going to one of the larger ones in the cities. We arrived at 4:05. Closing time was 6:00, so we had plenty of time. It was drizzling a bit, but we didn’t care. However, once we paid $75, we realized that most of the animals were inside. Had they mentioned it before taking our money, we would have come back next weekend. When I mentioned this before leaving less than an hour after we arrived, I got a rude, condescending reply of “we do what’s best for the animals”. I get it. If you don’t keep the animals out in the rain, that’s fine. But if you could mention that it’s mostly birds and a few random animals here and there left out today, we would have happily paid the $75 the following weekend. It just seemed like common courtesy as a business to mention that to guests before taking their money. It felt like a complete money-grab. Unfortunately, we will not be donating to this business again. They seemed greedy and callous. I would recommend to others that this tiny little zoo isn’t worth that kind of money and a business with such poor customer care doesn’t deserve your money anyway.

Kari Johnson

Great for family n friends fun. Great for a class trip. Clean, have a pik nik area n playground. Animals of various types and birds of many variaties. Great time n educational for all.

Rebekah Cook

Love this cute zoo.

Aidan Kluempke

Fantastic Family Fun!! Many cool attractions and events there.

Timothy Martin

My wife and I visited Hemker Zoo on a Saturday and it was good experience. We opted to pay for the "feed the giraffes and otters experience" which was definitely worth it, made for some good photo ops. If you have kids this would be a great place to bring them as it is very child friendly. You can tell that the staff takes good care of the environment because everything is quite clean and in good repair. My only one complaint(and it's not really a complaint) is that it'd be nice to see the animals in larger more realistic enclosures. But that's one of those things that comes with time and funding. Otherwise we had a great getting up close to the animals and feeding them.

Tim Stahl

Great place for the family

Paulette DeBord

Fun place to go! A lot of different animals

Kevin Theisen

Fun place for the family. The animal habitats make it so you can see the animals easy.

Amanda Lingl

Hemker was so much fun! Doesn't look like much when you pull up but there are so many well cared for animals & photo ops! It was awesome! Our 2 year old loved feeding the giraffes and the pretty birds. Will definitely be back!

Lindsey Foley

loved all the close encounter opportunities! My family had a great time here. Anticipate spending extra to feed the giraffes, otters, and budgies. Also bring plentiful quarters! You can buy little cheerios to slide down a tube in to some of the monkey enclosures, which they go crazy over! We went mid-july and the mosquitoes were bad in the shade and flies were bothersome in the sun. We did not anticipate needing bug spray or deerfly patches but would bring some next time. Also I wish they would plant more shade trees along the perimeter, it’s scorching without shade in the summer.

Joseph Hanson

Super cool! Surprised by the animals they actually have there... And their animals appear to be well taken care of also

Jacob Shelley

Careful with giving them your email and phone number. They will spam you about leaving a review.

Gina D

"That was fun!" A very happy 3 year old! Parents enjoyed themselves too!

Joel Miller

Quaint zoo with a decent variety of animals for the size. Good for about 2-5 hours of family entertainment. The staff is friendly. A small entrance fee is required.

SJ W

Nice small zoo, with lots to do, outside of the crazy city limits! Affordable and the encounters are always a great option. We went three years ago and lots has changed, which is always great! Would recommend and return.

Jon Nelson

Very clean and great variety of animals!

Joel Mueller

Great zoo, with a ton of animals you can't see in the city. Just wish the rhino had come out to play ☹

Jeff Jones

Excellent small zoo. The animals are very alert and seem to interact more with people than zoos. I loved the opportunity to feed, though not touch, animals. Signage on the animals need works.

Tamara Garding

Love feeding the parakeets

D Spanier

They do have food now. Very relaxing atmosphere.

Hayden Host

Very fun and reasonably priced only downfall not enough parking

Emel Eisenzimmer

Beautiful small zoo

Lisa Lyons

We did the VIP tour. It was fantastic! We had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend it!

Matt Jarvis

This was an awesome family place for a picnic and to see many different types of animals. We will be back and highly recommend to anyone that is interested. I would prefer Hempkers over MN or Como zoo anytime.

Brian Rayhorn

Great small town zoo

Laurie Manteuffel

By far the best Zoo experience in the state. Very easy to navigate.. clean .. family oriented.. fun and very interactive! Outstanding in every way! I would recommend a visit or two a year .. the biggest little Zoo in Minnesota!

Richard Hoke

Nice zoo, has a playground for the kids

Gregory Beach

This is a small family owned zoo. It is a great trip with little kids.

thomas charboneau (T.C.RIDER)

Nice

Janelle Krey

This place was so much fun! Really cool experience feeding the giraffe and rhino. Feeding the birds was fun too! The place is very nice and was not crowded at all. Will definitely be coming back again!

Courtney Owen

Fun variety of animals, activities, and food!

Miche A

Great place to visit. A lot of animals and kids really loved feeding them. Very nice place to spend the day.

Emily Gagliardi

Always love it! Just a wonderful adventure every time!

adam schmidt

Amazing little zoo.

Jeffrey Mayer

Great time.

Amanda Fischer

Love how intimate the setting is here. You can really see each animal. I love all the extras you can get, too. Super fun!

mark Weispfening

Very clean. Great staff Great for your family

Merideth Shykes

Giraffes, otters, goats, etc. Staff are kind and helpful. Can't wait to go back!

Lacy Popp

Surely love this little family run zoo

shawna kranz

Loved the rhino. It was a very nice afternoon. The zoo was small but a great place for a family to have an affordable outing.

Emily Owen-Dobmeier

The giraffe was so cute.

Rachael Diehl

The VIP tour is so worth the price. Our guide was amazing and we will forever remember the experiences of feeding the rhino, koi, giraffes, and otters! I chose the VIP tour due to not being able to move my leg very well. This way I was able to experience the zoo with as little pain as possible. The staff was wonderful as always! Thank you Hempker Zoo!!

Matthew J T

Great experience for the kids. You can get right up close to many of the animals.

Sharon Blaskowski

My Grandchildren look forward every year to going to the Hemker Zoo. As soon as it starts to get warm the first question out of their mouths is "Grandma, when are we going to the zoo?". Of course, it isn't just one trip during the spring, summer or fall. It is several for they always have different things going on! We LOVE the Hemker Zoo! It's a WONDERFUL place to take your family, grandchildren and yourself for a fun filled relaxing day! It's all about family there! Family Owned and operated and that is what makes the difference! And when you're there, don't forget to get in on feeding the giraffes! Your children and grandchildren will have a blast. You even get a chance to touch them!

joy pahl

It was great as usual but we went to the 2 feeding of the giraffes I barely touched the little one and I got yelled at do not touch them they hate to be petted while they looked awful damn friendly for giraffes that hated to be petted so that was a little annoying if they hated being petted so bad then why were they so friendly

Kim Ablard

Hemker Park & Zoo is an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING place to take our Grandchildren!! We will be visiting again!

Jason Nelson

Lots of exotic animals. Bring lots of quarters to feed them!! Family friendly!!

Jen Fox

Amazing! Feeding the parakeets is an amazing experience!

Joseph Henderson

Lots of animal interaction! A cool hands on experience! Feeding the giraffes was really cool! ????????

Branda Yoch

Thank you for being open!! My son didnt want to leave!

A DUH!!

Awesome, lots of animals, you can feed otters, giraffes, monkeys , parakeets and some farm animals. Kid friendly has a play ground and sitting area for lunch.

S Stork

This place is awesome! A must go if you have kids.

cindy holtan

Amazing time at the zoo today. When you drive up the zoo looks really small in size, but it is definitely a nice little hideaway. Lots of animals, and you are able to feed many of them at a price. You can feed a rhino, giraffe ????, otters, many of the monkeys, koi fish, and obviously a petting zoo. Well worth the drive. It was an amazing experience, and I can't wait to experience it again.

Jen Bayha

My first visit to Hemkers was very entertaining! The exhibits were so unique and up close ! The layout of the zoo is beautiful and a great family experience!

Dan Paulson

The Hemker zoo is always a fun experience. We have been there multiple times with our grandchildren and the visit never disappoints.The new Rino building is great ????.

Shane Eastman

Nice, small family-run operation. Waterfowl are impressive.

Cory Illies

Great place for kids

JessicaRae Merten

tons of fun

Renee Olson

Outstanding but they need food for visitors

to mikles

We enjoy this quick, 30 min. Out of town experience.

Jody Bruggeman

Was an amazing time. Kids loved feeding the birds and the rhino!

Amanda Pitts

Lovely park and zoo. Lots of animals I wasn't expecting to see. Good food at the concesions and super friendly staff. We enjoyed our day there leisurely wondering the zoo.

Rebecca Bennett

Loved feeding the giraffe ????

Catherine Bedore

We have been here a few times. Small enough to walk around with children, elderly and others that may have limited mobility and stamina. Wonderful variety of animals that are active, enjoyable to watch and entertaining.

Molly Anderson

Great zoo! My kids love coming here!

Michelle Feldt

Fun zoo, lots of animals, nice paths

Amy Larson

So much fun for little kids.

L Sweeney

We had a great day at the Hemker Zoo today!! Worth the drive of an hour and a half!

C K

Very nice smaller sized zoo. Worth a visit!

Chris Kramer

Staff is wonderful. Kids enjoyed being able to get close to the animals.

Josh Bebeau

Small place, animals have a good habitat easy to get around.

Jason Thomsen

My family and I enjoy this zoo every summer. Wonderful people/staff.

Liz Paul

Always love this place!

Angela Massmann

Budgie aviary was the best!

Travis Exe

Its such a fun place. They have such cute, friendly animals. I will go back again for sure!

dawn ruschmeyer

Our family had so much fun at Hemker Zoo! My son loved feeding his favorite animal the giraffe!

Jill Christen

Love this liocal zoo! Employees are all THEIR family and they are all grand. It was a beautiful time in the sunshine!!

Jessica Larson

I heard about Hemker Zoo on our towns Facebook page when another parent was looking for stuff to do with their children. I'm definitely glad that I did because my almost 3 year old son loves animals and had a great time. Unlike other places, we could get tickets that day (last minute trip after getting out of work early and needing to keep my little busy). The prices were reasonable which was great because than both my husband and I could participate with our son without breaking the bank. Though my 3 yr old was a little intimidated by the giraffs size, we did the giraff feeding and koi feeding for all 3 of us. I was not sure what to expect for either as I didn't know anyone personally who has gone but we definitely had more than enough food for the koi fish. This zoo was big enough to keep my son entertained and excited for a few hours but not large enough to overwhelm or make us feel like we missed anything. I do suggest bringing some cash as they do have a few vending machines to feed some of the other animals. All in all, my family enjoyed the experience and will be going back!

Jessica England

Had a great time! Low crowds. Grounds well kept. Lots of shade. Favorites were the penguins, giraffes, and monkeys. Best part was feeding the Rhino! We will be back.

Kaylyn Thompson

Such a fun experience! Feeding the birds was my favorite part. All of the staff were super friends!

Julia Sorenson

I love this zoo for my kids aged 3 and 5. It’s not huge so my kids have no problem walking on their own the whole day. Great variety of animals and nice playground for a break. Wonderful zoo and I always love going back.

Bob Stein

Great zoo with family focus! You get closer than most other zoos as well. Fun exhibits, chance to feed a giraffe, feed birds, and lots of other fun experiences. Well worth the trip.

Georgia McCroy

This an amazing zoo that our family visits at least once a year. It has a great variety of animals but you don't have to walk for miles in between things. The kids loved feeding the giraffes, the budgies and the otters. A family of 6 and we did it all for less than $125.

Glen Peaslee

My girlfriend and I had a lot of fun! We got to feed the rhinoceros and enjoy the scenery! It is definitely a great outing for the family.

Ashley Bourgois

A great small zoo that is very clean and has great animal experiences. A lot of different animals you usually don’t see at a small zoo. I would bring my kids back for another visit.

Erin Frederiksen

Great educational peguin experience.

Marisol Solis

????

sophia koehnen

An extremely unique experience you will Not get at anything other Zoo!???? we have been there twice and have plans to return again very soon.

Peggy Peloquin

This is a great place to bring family. The up close and personal experience with the giraffes and rhino's are a must

Jessica Eve Bous

This is an AWESOME PLACE! FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO! The only thing I didn't like so much was the high price of admission. Otherwise it was a FANTASTIC TIME HAD BY ALL!

Anita Dumarce

I LOVE THE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL FEEL OF HEMKER ZOO.

Don Schmidt

What a awesome place to spend a few hours, we loved it.

Tony Z

Great time for the family. We will be making this a regular activity.

Mike Grundseth

Nice place to bring the kids. They have more to see here than expected for a small community.

Todd Moen

Great zoo

FEMA Re

AMAZING zoo to go to! Managed well and just an overall fun experience for adults and kiddos!

Aubrey Decker

The kids could get up close to the animals. Not to crowded. Staff very friendly.

S S

Nice little zoo. Animals were definitely more friendlier than other zoos we have been to. The outdoor playground was greatly enjoyed by my son.

Jenny DeYonge

Great zoo!! Very clean and animals were well kept and close to see. Kids had a blast feeding the birds and monkeys. Lots of different animals to see there. Will definately bring kids again.

Roman E.

This place was awesome! You can feed birds, goats, monkeys, and giraffes.

mari K

10/10 would recommend! Make sure to get feeding sticks for the birds!

Nancy Throlson

Great that this treasure is local. No matter how many times we have been here we never tire of the collection of animals. Really love that little red panda, could watch him all afternoon.

Amy Evenson

Good experience

Lynn Tatro

We love this place!!

Bethany Stepanek

Absolutely beautiful park and zoo!!!

Wade Zimmerman

Awesome time with the kids, great staff

Noah Monte

Really low-key zoo, perfect place to kill a few hours and see some awesome animals up close! Most reactive and goofy animals I've seen at any zoo. Highly recommend, will be back to take more pictures.

Jeff Long

Awesome place! Any age. Good assortment of animals, caring and helpful staff!

Marci Rich

Very nice zoo! Animals are well cared for and have great little habitats. Lots of information about the animals.

Brock Wood

Great interaction! Defintely recommend for any family with kids 10 years and youger

Carrie Stagnaro

Very friendly. Fun for family!

Kim Anderson

Great place for a family outting

Cassie Fankhanel

Great zoo, kids had a blast!

Francis Chock

East to get to. Service was excellent. Great family fun. Good for all ages.

Cory Backes

We attended the Brew at the Zoo event and had a great time! Thank you Hemker Zoo this was a blast! This hidden gem is a must see! We will be back to check on all of our new friends at the zoo.

Alyssa Goldschmidt

We took my son here for his 4th birthday. The penguin exhibit was awesome! I've never been to a place where the penguins can come right up to the window by you. Also somewhat affordable. We pulled up & right off the bat It was a disappointment. From the parking lot you could see 90% of the animals. This shouldn't be classified as a "zoo", It's more like a wildlife park(and that's even cutting It). If you like to see farm animals & birds, this Is the place to go! We walked the entire thing(which took about 1/2 hour) & my kids couldn't wait to get to the park area. Park was good, the web climber thing was an accident waiting to happen. We came, ate, & left all within 2hrs. We we're really hoping for more(especially from all the previous reviews). All In all, my 4 year old had fun at the park. If you're looking for a quick stop on the way to somewhere, this would be a good place to get out of the car on a long trip.

Erik Cagle

Great zoo love the way the staff cares for the animals!!

Nicky Clark Svien

Really cool zoo. Heads up if you go in May or October that you'll miss about 1/3 of the animals because it's too cold out for them and most animals are outside. Cash preferred, there's an additional charge for cards. Bring change for food …

Lucas Anderson

Great zoo in the heart of MN! Feed the giraffes, totally worth it!

Dan Frank

Great with the Grandkids

Melody Kushinski

Great small zoo that you will miss if you don't know it's there. Lots of cool animals to see and the staff is great! Worth the drive!

Amy Swanson

There are a lot of animals for a small zoo! A perfect zoo for a quick day trip! Very clean grounds!

Katherine Wagner

Wonderful, peaceful place!!!!!

Miranda Bryant

It's a great place with close up encounters of the animals. The staff is very friendly. They go above and beyond to make sure your visit was great! Our visit was a wonderful experience. I would most definitely come back again

Kate H

Love the close up encounter with the animals and feeding the giraffe it was such an amazing experienced.

Sydney Taylor

We had a blast! We went and checked out the zoo for my birthday and were so surprised how empty it was there. We had fun feeding the animals. I was a little disappointed feeding the otters though. I was thinking it was more up close like the giraffes instead they were pretty far down in the water swimming. My 5 year old wasn’t able to see at all so dumped it and walked away.

Amber Miller

We had a blast here. Lots of great exhibits and the staff was great! The bird house was so much fun. Got this incredible memory with one of the littles... apparently it was breeding season for the turtles haha. All the turtles were feeling randy.

Joseph Hafner

Great little zoo in the middle of nowhere. All of us loved it.

Yasin Hashi

Good plaza zoo fine

Paj Ann Herr

Such a unique zoo. Saw animals I’ve never seen before. Worth the drive from the twin cities.

Katie Zipse

Amazing place!! Well worth the drive. We will visit again for sure!

thomas colman

Great zoo

Helena Halverson

Great fun for the grandkids!