Earlier this summer, my husband, our two children, and I were spending the weekend at my family’s lake home in Minnesota.
The situation wasn’t as ideal as the Instagram photos made it look. The boat wasn’t in yet, both kids refused naps, and were on a fruit snack only diet. We needed an activity — so we set off to explore the Trowbridge Creek Zoo!
Trowbridge Creek Zoo
The Trowbridge Creek Zoo is located in Vergas, Minnesota, and is less than a half hour away from the Detroit Lakes area. It’s open seven days a week (weather permitting), from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
This is a pretty no-frills zoo, but don’t let that deter you! The zoo is very clean, doesn’t smell like a zoo at all (if you know you know), and has a great playground.
Good to Know
There is no food available for purchase, but there are picnic tables if you want to bring lunch or snacks.
Tickets range from $14 for kids ages 3-12 (ages 2 and under are free) and $16 for adults. And there are also military and senior discounts.
When we arrived at the zoo and bought our tickets, the employee asked if we wanted to purchase a cup or basket of food for the animals. We said yes — which was the right answer!
The Animals
All of the animals are in separate fenced off areas, and the ones you can feed have a long tube on your end where you slide the food in. The other side of the tube is in the animal’s fenced area. I think this is great, especially if your child is afraid of larger animals. Feeding them this way is totally safe, and you never get in contact with the animal.
My kids loved the feeding aspect — the animals always ran over to get the food, so we got to see them in action and interact with them a little more!
I was so impressed with the variety of animals at Trowbridge Creek Zoo. They have zebras, monkeys, kangaroos, llamas, wolves, a capybara, and so many more!
And the animals all seem happy and well cared for, which is reassuring.
You can easily spend an entire morning or afternoon exploring the Trowbridge Creek Zoo.
We spent about an hour and a half going through the zoo and playing on the playground. It was a great way to spend an afternoon at the lake. And everyone was in a much better mood when we left!
If you need a little day trip outing, I absolutely recommend heading to the Trowbridge Creek Zoo!
And for more activities in Lakes Country, check out Day Trip from Fargo: Things to Do in Detroit Lakes.
