Hello, friends! You may recall that my husband and I have decided to visit one Minnesota attraction per month in 2024. We didn’t think of the plan until February, so January was a bust. In February we went to the Spam Museum and in March we went to the Bell Museum of Natural History. So far, so good!
We traveled to our nation’s Southwest in April and visited 6 national parks while we were there, which will have to take the place of our Minnesota Meanderings for April. I’ve been slowly posting our travel adventures at those parks under the title of “The Wanderers.”
And now we come to May. Or rather, May is behind us now, but we did, in fact, squeeze in a Minnesota Meandering at the end of May: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul.
Como Park has been around for over 100 years and countless parents have brought their children there over the years. Both Kris and I remember being brought there when we were young; I couldn’t find our family photo there, but do have this charming one of little Kris wandering in the conservatory.
However, neither of us remember going there since then, and to our shame, we never brought our children there when they were growing up in Minnesota. We should have our heads examined. For one thing, the park is FREE. Yes, you read that right. There’s a suggested donation of $4 for adults and $2 for children (that’s so cheap now that it’s hard to imagine what it was 50-60 years ago when we were young). This is how we remember the cages looking way back then:
Como Park Z&C is owned by the city of St. Paul and operated by its Parks and Rec department. It’s been around as a destination since around 1900, the 300-acre property having been purchased by the city in 1873. In addition to the zoo and conservatory, there’s an amusement park, carousel, Lake Como, a golf course and more.
The conservatory was renamed “Marjorie McNeely Conservatory” in 2002 after her husband, Donald, donated $7 million (she had died in 1998 and was apparently an avid gardener). As an aside, good old Donald McNeely was one of the original investors in the Minnesota Vikings!
Okay, that’s enough history. The day of our visit was absolutely perfect, weather wise. We went through the zoo first, skipping the show at the aquatic animals area. I happily engaged my camera in the excessive manner to which I am accustomed, so I will prune through my photos and share some of the better ones here, but there will be lots, even so. I got quite distracted at the gorilla exhibit and could have stayed there for hours. Anyway, buckle up!
After we had sated ourselves with the animal viewings, we made our way to the conservatory. Oy, was it hot and humid in the first part (ferns and such). Don’t expect a lot of learned discussion about the plants, but do expect more photos.
Oh, I should share a story I read when doing research for this post. In 1963 a rare Agave American plant unexpectedly bloomed – this caused quite a stir at the time. One of the shoots from the plant grew up to 35 feet, requiring the removal of one of the roof panels! The stalk bloomed into over 300 flowers. I suppose it’s possible I got a photo of this plant – who knows? I’m fairly lazy about identifying things; I just take photos of the things that delight and interest me, including my husband.
Next up: Fort Snelling
I’ll delete this in the morning for free – no donation required.
Lynniebeemuseoday 
Lovely photos, Lynn! —Lori
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Thanks! ❤️
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