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I hail from a small town about an hour and a half north of St. Paul called Willow River.  A lot of my friends still live in the area and when we’re really lucky and really good with our calendar we can get our families together.  The stars aligned this past weekend and my best friend was able to come down to visit for a day with her two daughters.  When I heard she was coming I knew the perfect place to go with four kids in tow…Como Zoo!

We started our day at Como Zoo around 10 am meeting by the flamingos right outside the Conservatory doors, after that we spent an hour strolling (literally strolling two kids at a time) the pathways.  We saw everything from an adorable baby orangutan hanging on for dear life to his momma, to what I believe is the largest tiger I’ve ever seen.  From there we enjoyed the Sparky the Seal show, giraffes, sea lions and zebras.  By then we had worked up quite the appetite so we stopped into Zobota where we got the best park food I’ve ever had.  I’ve been to plenty of zoos and amusement parks in my life, but the food you get at Zobota’s is delicious and borderline gourmet!  I had the Hickory Burger after debating if I should get it or the San Antonio Club sandwich, which was topped with a chipotle mayonnaise sauce.  As you can probably tell, I’m still wondering if I made the right choice, I guess I’ll just have to go back and compare!  My girlfriend got a freshly topped salad that was so big, it was falling over the sides. On another note, Zobota’s also offers free wireless, which I didn’t use, but I thought it was a cool feature.

Now, hind sight is 20/20, but I probably should have hit up Como Town and all the fun rides there with the kids before lunch.  There were no catastrophes though, so, we’re safe!  But seriously, make sure if you get your kids onto the new Tornado ride, there’s a responsible kid at the helm, because we had a wild child spinning the cup and we had 4 extremely queasy kids walk off.  Here’s a great deal to tell you about too.  This week Como Town is doing a fun promotion called the Family Fun Economic Stimulus Package.  All the rides will be free starting at 4 through Friday night.  With all the money you save, you can buy quite a few bags of their mini-donuts, which are the best outside of the State Fair.

Finally we ended our day with a trip to Candyland on Wabasha Ave. in downtown St. Paul.   Their carmel corn popcorn is so delicious, you won’t believe your tastebuds.  You have to make sure you go in and get a fresh order though because it’s still warm and literally melts in your mouth.  Also grab a few of their Pecan Snappers just because it would be a tragedy not to.  I would suggest you grab the goodies and head over to a movie in a park.  Comcast is going to be showing a movie in different St. Paul parks throughout the summer.  This Friday, June 12^th they’re showing RV with Robin Williams at Griggs Recreation Center, but my girls are excited because on Friday, July 17^th they will be playing the movie Igor at the Arlington Recreation Center.  The movies usually start at dusk.

See, this is just a few of the reasons that every time I have guest visit from out of town we head to St. Paul.  There are so many hidden treasures throughout the city that a lot of times, we’re discovering new things to do right along with the friends we’re in charge of showing the town.

Rebekah Wood is an anchor on EYEWITNESS NEWS mornings from 5-7 a.m. and Midday from 11a.m.-noon.