Reviews

Jacob Grundhauser

A wonderful park with informative exhibits, a great picnic area, and super friendly staff! Well worth a stop or a day trip!

Genx Fem

This location is such a short drive from Rochester! The animals are well cared for and several you can pet or get very close up views. We spent about an hour and half just walking though and looking at the animals and visiting the visiting center.

Mike F

Friendly staff, great atmosphere and wonderful way to spend an afternoon with your kids. Definitely worth the visit and the charitable donation to help them out!

Barbara Oeffler

My family loves this place. It's free to visit with a donation location inside of the building. Clean bathrooms! They have a lot of animals that are native to Minnesota. You can learn about different things inside the center as well. There are walking trails and even a campsite right off the park, which is super cool. We come here any time we have to go into Rochester for doctors' appointments because it's very close, just right by Byron.

DeeAnn Statz

This quaint zoo, nature center, and park located in Byron, Minnesota, is quite impressive and free. They do accept donations with no pressure. There are many animals that are naturally from Minnesota. At the nature center, they have an address book to sign. They also sell bluebird house kits for $10 to make your own bird house with complete instructions and wood pieces and nails included. They also have great hiking trails. There are butterflies, birds, and natural wildflowers to enjoy.

Anne Veldhuisen

A beautiful place to camp and hike! The trails are well kept and the grounds are well maintained and built. Can't wait to try their new campground next year! The zoo is informative and fun, giving a glimpse into the native animals of our region. Clean, welcoming, and family-friendly!

Lacey

Easy to find, very clean/well maintained, free to visit. Animals are all native to MN and I enjoyed how they displayed the stories of how the animals ended up at the zoo. Definitely recommend - weren't prepared for hiking but will do that next time for sure!!

Sarah Mathre

I loved visiting Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo. The animals inside and outside were a delight, and the green placards explaining how each arrived there were a great touch. The signs showing their conservation status added an educational element. The festive Christmas decorations made the visit even more enjoyable. We also explored the park and hiked a short trail, which was fun and added to the experience. It’s a fantastic spot for families with young kids, nature lovers, or anyone who enjoys a good zoo and a bit of hiking.

Kairouan Balvik-Porter

What a beautiful place! There was no cost to get in and It’s not so huge that it takes all day to walk and see the animals. The man at the desk was very friendly and helpful! They have great information on all the animals including scientific and given names and why they’re there. You can even volunteer to help. What a great experience! I highly recommend visiting ♥️

Breanna Marquardt

It's a donation based zoo but a donation isn't required. They have an indoor nature center that's perfect for little kids who want to learn about some of the animals and it's a smaller zoo so it's perfect for people with little kids because there is a lot to see but it doesn't take hours to walk it. What's really cool is all the animals are native to Minnesota that they have so you could actually potentially see something out in the wild.