My First Trip to the Dakota Zoo [PHOTOS]

This past weekend was incredibly eventful for me. My girlfriend was in town, which gave me the chance to show her all around Bismarck-Mandan and hit up some attractions that I hadn't had the chance to visit yet. One of those attractions was the Dakota Zoo.

First off, I think it's absolutely amazing that there's a zoo less than a mile from my house. I've driven by the entrance countless times in the two months that I've been here and am glad I finally had the chance to check it out. I had this assumption that it was just a run-of-the-mill zoo with animals native to North Dakota but I couldn't have been farther from the truth.

For the admission price of $7.25 each, my girlfriend and I were able to spend over two hours walking the grounds of the Dakota Zoo. When you first walk in, you're greeted by your more petting-zoo-friendly animals, like goats, mini-donkeys, and mini-horses. Once you get deeper into the zoo, though, you come across a wide range of animals. There's an aviary and bird area, which houses bald eagles, turkeys,etc. There's also a big cat area, which featured a couple of tigers, a snow leopard, and a bobcat. There was a large bear exhibit, which made for interesting viewing because a couple of the bears were chasing each other around the pen and fighting. I think my favorite part, though, may have been the otter exhibit. Unfortunately, there was only one otter in there at the time and he didn't have full use of his pen, due to the cold, but he walked right up to the glass and just stood there as we watched. This may make me sound like a bit of a nerd...but it was AWESOME!

If you haven't had the chance to visit the Dakota Zoo, I definitely suggest doing it. Take the kids, take the family, or just go by yourself. It reminds me of a much larger zoo on a small scale and it's very affordable. They even have memberships available, so you can visit more often.

Check out a few of the photos my girlfriend snapped below and learn more about the Dakota Zoo at their official website.