Take the kids to see some kids ... and piglets, lambs and chicks

Kathy Berdan, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Apr. 14—Baby animals. Fluffy, wobbly, a little bit smelly baby animals.

If you and the family need a little time with ducklings, chicks, piglets, kids and other baby animals, there are two chances to visit the young'uns in the Twin Cities right now.

Spring Babies are visiting Brooklyn Park at the Twin Cities Festival site, and Farm Babies have returned to the Minnesota Zoo.

Farm Babies at the Zoo

Visits with piglets, kids, chicks, a pair of mama llamas and more farmyard friends opened last weekend at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Online reservations — in keeping with COVID crowd restrictions — are required for in-person cuteness close-ups and some dates have sold out. Check mnzoo.org for information. Virtual visits are also available and include online livestreams, games, photos, videos and fun farm facts, according to a Zoo news release. There's a live goat and sheep barn webcam.

The Zoo is also showcasing the importance of pollinators such as butterflies and bees, the "Forgotten Farm Babies."

And all the lambs and kids aren't just for kids. The Farm Babies edition of Adult Night Out at the Zoo (with cocktails and firepits and games) is April 23 and May 7 ($10 for Zoo members, $20 for non-members).

Farm Babies runs through May 16. Timed tickets are free for Zoo members and range from $19.95 to $13.95 for non-members. Children 2 and younger get in free. Tickets and reservations are at mnzoo.org.

Twin Cities Festival Spring Babies

You might know this Brooklyn Park location from the fall harvest festival and maze, but they also have a spring event where visitors can hold and pet baby goats, sheep, ducklings and chicks. There's also a corn pit, straw bale maze, play area and hayride.

Spring Babies is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through April 25. Twin Cities Festival is located at 8001 109th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Admission to the festival grounds is free, but a ticket is required to hold and pet baby animals. Ticket price includes most activities; inflatables, rides and concessions cost extra. Tickets can be purchased for $11 online, $10.50 on-site with credit card, and $10 on-site with cash. Kids under 24 months get in for free. For tickets and info, go to twincitiesspringbabies.com.