Discover Duluth: Return to Lake Superior Zoo

Sometimes it feels like Lake Superior Zoo can never catch a break. Just two years ago, in fact, even its overseers were struggling to fully commit to the dream.

“Is the Lake Superior Zoo perfect? No, but it has potential,” Ryan Gulker, then the zoo’s director, told the Budgeteer. “Under the right circumstances, this zoo could be a very special place.”

Well, call me Mr. Brightside, but I’ve always felt our zoo was a special place. Even before I called the Twin Ports home, Lake Superior Zoo topped my list of must-see places during visits to the Northland.

Why? Given Duluth’s size, the zoo is teeming with exotic animals; it’s affordable, family friendly fun; it’s close to home/a good excuse to visit West Duluth; you’ll get some exercise walking to all the exhibits (unless you never get off the goofy little train that traverses the grounds); set against rolling hills and bejeweled by the breathtaking Kingsbury Creek, nature enthusiasts have more than animals to get excited about; while smelly, nocturnal exhibits are just plain cool; and learning about things right in front of your face is rewarding — take that, cable!

Oh, and as Andrew Winkler so effectively put it in his book “The Secret Guide to Dating,” animals are cute. Your significant other will dig it.*

*Yes, Lake Superior Zoo is for lovers. … Where’s that T-shirt?

“Discover Duluth” is an ongoing photo essay series by Matthew R. Perrine that highlights points of interest in and around the region. For more photos from this set, click on the accompanying photo galleries.