Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Zoo

My extended family (parents, sister, brother-​in-​law, husband and nephew) and myself visited the Reptile Zoo in Owatonna and enjoyed it. There are different snakes, turtles, frogs and crocodiles. I would say the adults all enjoyed it more than my three year old nephew – his attention span isn’t long enough even for this, but there was a play area with some toys in the center of the indoor zoo and he was able to entertain himself while we looked around.
The employees were knowledgeable and even brought out some of the reptiles for us. We were all entertained.
FYI – teachers get in for free with ID.

We took a group of individuals to the RAD Zoo for a day trip. It was a lot of fun. At least three people in our group were VERY afraid of reptiles, and lucky us, there was an escapee! (We found a small gecko.) A person with us picked it up and we helped return it to safety.
Most of the enclosures look really nice and are the right sizes. It was very warm in there, but it was welcome because it was so cold outside.
We had gotten a special Living Social Deal (which was TOTALLY worth it!) and so we all got to meet a snake in the end. Two people in our group who were afraid of snakes overcame their fears and ended up petting it. All in all, it was a neat day, and it’s for sure worth seeing at least once, but I think I will go back.

We had a lot of fun and our boys (7 and 10) loved it. I have a great dislike of zoo’s in general so I won’t let that taint my review. It could be cleaner, it could be better lit (half the light fixtures where in need of repair; hey I’m an electrician I notice these things) but all in all our boys loved it. Solid 4 star for kids.

So we packed the family and headed south to the Reptile and etc. This idea was brought on by a deal from Living Social.
Yes, I did drive right past it due to the warehouse-​like building and the air was a bit heavy. However, there is some really cool reptiles in there. Also, the fellow working there was a fountain of knowledge regarding not only what was housed in this exhibit, but differences of species, colors of the reptiles, alligator blood (?) and other stuff that my two kids thought was actually cool enough to listen about. The kids got to pet a snake as the question of how the scales feel was bantered about and we even had a picture of the family taken of us holding an alligator! Sally, and only a fifty pounder. The forced smile on my wifes face, priceless!
According to (I HATE WHEN I DONT GET THE NAME of) the fellow working there, more reptiles are on the way, including a cobra and death adder; possibly as ealy as end of September. All this information given while he was scratching said alligator above behind the ears. I’ve never, until then, seen an alligator smile. Who knew?
It turns out this is a temp facility (yes, it’s depressing as is) with a lot of black rubber and plastic pool liners for the inhabitants. The building owner doesn’t want any «permanent» structures and the RAD Zoo owners are seeking a new building for this exhibit. Although not an expert in reptiles, or even a novice for that matter, the animals do look well cared for and the cages are clean. It truly seems to be a goal for this business to expand into one of the largest reptile exhibits in the country. And my kids thought is was awesome!

I went to this place for my birthday. Yep, my 31^st birthday! That’s how I roll. I’m originally from SE MN and now reside in Minneapolis, so Owatonna is a great halfway point to meet up with my family. Though myself and my brother are both reptile enthusiasts, neither one of us had heard of the RAD Zoo until I heard about it a couple weeks ago on the radio. Apparently, Justin Bieber’s snake now lives there. It’s a pretty small but colorful snake that was hiding away, a grower not a shower. Oh, and it’s name is Johnson, get it?
Anyway, birthday fun was had by all, including my parents, hubby, sister-​in-​law, brother, and 5-​year old niece. It’s definitely a boot-​strappin’ it operation, but also fairly new. I recall they mentioned they are hoping to move to a new facility soon. The animals were clean and healthy, and the staff did a great job keeping visitors excited with the reptile show and various feedings (rattlesnake, python, turtles, iguana and gator). There were about a dozen kids there while we visited and they were all having a great time (except for one little guy whose mother could have used a Nanny 911 intervention). As the previous reviewer mentioned, they do birthday parties and have a tent with tables set up for that. While I think it would be a great place for children’s birthdays because of the animals and staff effort, I’d think twice about bringing food in there. Not exactly appetizing aroma or décor for that.
All in all, I would return and recommend to others. I’m also excited to see if they move into a more permanent facility. It would only make a good business even better.

Stopped by this place today. Its across 35 from the airport in a big warehouse building. Keep your eyes peeled; I didn’t find it the first time by. The «zoo» is completely inside this huge pole building that is poorly ventilated. It was 86 this afternoon and even hotter in the building. There is quite a lot of space. There is a makeshift stage area and some benches. There is a huge tent inside the building for birthday parties.
There is a giant American alligator that definitely stands out. There are dozens of turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards, and caiman (caimen?) My 10 yo really loved it. I found it somewhat depressing, however, I often find zoos a little depressing. We were there close to closing time and maybe that’s why most of the turtles and tortoises seemed so hungry.
I probably don’t need to go back there to remain happy in life, but my husband will more than likely take our daughter back when he makes his Cabellas trips. I definitely would check it out before considering a birthday party, it was so uncomfortably hot.
Open Mon-​Sat 10am-​6pm; Sun 12pm-​5pm