One of Minnesota’s favorite attractions by far is Como Park, 384 acres of paradise in Saint Paul. Most popular in the park are undoubtedly the Como Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. We’ve all been countless times to admire the adorable animals and stunning flowers, but how much do we actually know about those places? We rounded up 10 awesome facts that might give you a better appreciation for all the history behind the park and work that went into making the zoo and gardens so magnificent.

1. Como Zoo actually started in 1897 when the city of Saint Paul was gifted 3 deer and needed somewhere fenced off to put them.
Flickr/Michael Hicks
2. Como was the first zoo in the world to successfully hand raise Siberian tigers!
Flickr/Bjorn Watland
3. The zoo is in Polar Bears International’s network of Arctic Ambassador Centers and have sent teens to Churchill, Manitoba to see polar bears in their natural habitat as a part of Polar Bears International’s Leadership Camp.
Flickr/Bjorn Watland
4. Archie Brand brought his famous Seal Show to Como Zoo in 1956, bringing new popularity and allowing the expansion of the animal collection.
Flickr/Chris
5. Como supports nearly 40 Species Survival Plan animals!
Flickr/Bjorn Watland

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6. The 1937 Holiday Flower Show included a faux pipe organ in the Sunken Garden.
Flickr/Tony Webster
7. Speaking of flower shows, the conservatory has been offering them for over 100 years!
Flickr/Brian Adams
8. The McNeely Conservatory is a U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service designated plant rescue center for plants under threat of extinction. Saving nature's species, one flower at a time.
Flickr/Rhonda Fleming Hayes
9. They give the fruits and vegetables produced in the Edible Garden (started in 2011) to the zoo animals as enrichment.
Flickr/Michael Hicks
10. In 1962, a hailstorm hit Saint Paul that was so strong, the golf ball sized hailstones crashed through the conservatory ceiling shattering nearly half of the glass!
Flickr/m01229

Aside from the zoo and conservatory, what is your favorite part of Como Park?

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