Blank Park Zoo
Blank Park Zoo
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Imagine a place where you can have a wild family adventure viewing rhinos or feeding a giraffe while also helping preserve animals for future generations. A portion of the proceeds from your visit to Blank Park Zoo is used to protect animal populations throughout the world. Blank Park Zoo is approximately 30 acres and features an indoor rain forest Discovery Center, Jamaa Kwa Africa, Australia Adventure, Kids Kingdom, Great Cats Complex, a Sea Lion and Seal pool and more.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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See what travellers are saying
- fridaysgaNorthfield, Minnesota160 contributionsLovely small zooWe enjoyed spending time at this small but enjoyable zoo. We enjoyed seeing the red pandas. We were surprised in the Australian section that the wallabies were free roaming! We had fun feeding a giraffe (extra cost, but reasonable). We did not ride the little train around the zoo. The zoo is easy to get around.Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 September 2023
- Ed J1 contributionEat Before You VisitA smaller zoo than compared to larger cities, but still a pleasant way to spent a couple hours. Our only complaint is the lack of places to eat in the zoo. Only food stand is run by HyVee and only during the summer. Fall, winter and spring, work your visit between meal times.Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 30 September 2023
- Happiness2172894641817 contributionsNice smaller zooSmaller zoo but lots of different species and large exhibits for many of the animals. Lots of staff out and about, plenty to see. Great petting zoo area. Saw a few species I've never seen before like mountain zebra's, white handed gibbons, and harbor seals.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 5 April 2024
- Donna S66 contributionsIt's always fun to go to the zoo!The zoo was well laid out and very easy to navigate. We went in the morning and most of the animals were outside. They all seemed well cared for and the staff seemed enthusiastic about working with them! We were impressed by the number of staff that were there to answer questions. The wallabies and peacocks were outside where you could see them without a wire fence. The train ride was fun! Highly recommend even if you are not a kid!Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 13 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
651 reviews
Excellent
292
Very good
232
Average
94
Poor
25
Terrible
8
Reynaldo W
6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Though we were able to see some great animals like the Lion and Tiger, our experience was almost ruined early by customer service. We were in Des Moines this past week 7/30-8/5 for the the track AAU Junior Olympics and decided to visit this Zoo. With over 15K people attending the event I wondered if maybe they might have special pricing as some of the other local attractions did so I simply asked “any discounts or special pricing for the Junior Olympics?”. The sales clerk paused then replied “of course not” and proceeded to tell me what my total was for my family of 5. I found this to be rude and unwarranted as it was a very logical question though she tried to make me out to be some idiot. Honestly, it’s typical to leave over bad customer service but my kids wanted to see the tiger and rhino. Maybe don’t come to work if you people bother you. Great animals viewings though!
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RuthS
38 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
This zoo was such a pleasant surprise. The drive route (from West DesMoines area) was very easy access, with almost no traffic around 9a.m. on a Wednesday. The parking was close to the entrance - unlike some zoos where it seems like the parking is 5 miles away. The zoo is well-shaded, with short walking distance between exhibits. Many animals are quite close to human observers.
Highly recommended if you have very young children, grandparents coming along, or if it's upper 90°!!!
Highly recommended if you have very young children, grandparents coming along, or if it's upper 90°!!!
Written 29 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjw
Hampton, IA1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Family
Avian flu that shut down aviary, pelicans, (and goldfish for some reason) aside — the zoo has fewer and fewer animal exhibits. One bathroom was shut down, and the one by the concession stand was really dirty. The discovery center was closed, and it didn’t look temporary. The train was fun, but you pay an additional small fee. Perhaps the pandemic hit it hard. Hope it can come back. A bit of a disappointment today.
Written 17 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R W
Lewisville, NC126 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The staff and volunteers are so friendly and full of information.
The zoo exhibits are average. It’s not a very large zoo. The water animals seem very happy. The larger animals need more space and natural habitat. Which I realize is hard to do with limited land space.
There is a good variety of animals.
The trip was definitely worth the time because of the staff ‘s willing to share so much about the animals.
The zoo exhibits are average. It’s not a very large zoo. The water animals seem very happy. The larger animals need more space and natural habitat. Which I realize is hard to do with limited land space.
There is a good variety of animals.
The trip was definitely worth the time because of the staff ‘s willing to share so much about the animals.
Written 1 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pamela G
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Family
I have been going to Blank Park Zoo since it opened. And now that I am taking my greatgrand children I can not believe how badly maintained it is. All of the paved paths are un even and today I fell 3 times from the holes and uneven pavement. They are always building more and more but do not maintain the visitor areas. If you cannot maintain the visitor areas how can we trust you to take proper care of the animals.
Written 2 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fridaysga
Northfield, MN160 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
We enjoyed spending time at this small but enjoyable zoo. We enjoyed seeing the red pandas. We were surprised in the Australian section that the wallabies were free roaming! We had fun feeding a giraffe (extra cost, but reasonable). We did not ride the little train around the zoo. The zoo is easy to get around.
Written 17 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna S
66 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
The zoo was well laid out and very easy to navigate. We went in the morning and most of the animals were outside. They all seemed well cared for and the staff seemed enthusiastic about working with them! We were impressed by the number of staff that were there to answer questions. The wallabies and peacocks were outside where you could see them without a wire fence. The train ride was fun! Highly recommend even if you are not a kid!
Written 13 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bibliobabe2002
Buffalo, Minnesota31 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Small, but nicely done zoo. I didn't expect much from this zoo and it met those expectations. The grounds are neat and well kept. The animals look to be well cared for (the male lion especially was glorious) and healthy. I very much enjoyed walking among the wallabies, seeing the harbor seal and watching the penguins play. The giraffe and lorikeet feedings were closed the day we viewed. This is a good zoo for little kids and their parents. I enjoyed it, but once was probably enough.
Written 21 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happiness21728946418
17 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Smaller zoo but lots of different species and large exhibits for many of the animals. Lots of staff out and about, plenty to see. Great petting zoo area. Saw a few species I've never seen before like mountain zebra's, white handed gibbons, and harbor seals.
Written 5 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbie s
2 contributions
Feb 2021 • Family
We came from out of town to visit this zoo. I had heard good things. Everything is closed due to Covid. No vending machines. No giraffe feeding. But they still charge you a full amount. Don’t waste your time. We were done in about an hour.
Written 6 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is an Australia exhibit, which was closed when we visited in April, but it said that it would be open in May. I would assume that the koalas are in there.
Written 29 June 2019
how many miles does it take to get to holiday inn to blank park zoo and then back
Written 7 May 2019
If we remember right the parking was free
Written 6 November 2018
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