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Zoo & aquarium · Des Moines · Iowa

Blank Park Zoo

Blank Park Zoo is a 49-acre zoological park on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States, near historic Fort Des Moines. Its origins go back to 1966. The pick nearby is Casey's Center, 5.1 mi off.

Photo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0
Nearest place to stay
0.8 mi
Pioneer Lodge
Open since
1966
Wikipedia readers
7.7K
a year · #2,625 of 7,770
In brief

A zoo & aquarium inside Des Moines

Places to stay about a mile away

Pioneer Lodge is 0.8 miles away; Ramada by Wyndham Des Moines Airport (1.0 mi) and Homewood Suites by Hilton Des Moines Airport (1.1 mi) are close too. 21 places to stay are within 4 miles. Hotels nearby ↓

Winters are cold

January nights drop to 13°, with about 37" of snow a year. When to go ↓

Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct

May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 64–83°. When to go ↓

An airport 2 miles away

Des Moines (DSM) has airline service, about 2 miles from Blank Park Zoo.

Established in 1966

Blank Park Zoo dates from 1966. About ↓

Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.

When to go

A month-by-month look

Here are the months at Blank Park Zoo, with their weather.

Jan31° / 13°
Feb36° / 17°
Mar49° / 29°
Apr62° / 40°
May72° / 51°
Jun82° / 61°
Jul85° / 65°
Aug83° / 62°
Sep77° / 54°
Oct64° / 42°
Nov48° / 30°
Dec36° / 19°
Typical highs and lows in Des Moines. Green months are the mild ones. Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Des Moines. Des Moines’s full climate →
About

Blank Park Zoo

Blank Park Zoo is a 49-acre zoological park on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States, near historic Fort Des Moines. The zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Type
Zoo & aquarium
Animals
1 animals · 100 species
Area
49 acres
Established
1966
Wikipedia readers
7.7K a year
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Facts: Wikidata.
Where to stay

Nearby hotels for Blank Park Zoo

21 places to stay within 4 miles. Nearest of all is Pioneer Lodge, at 0.8 miles.

Tavern SouthNick's Tenderloin & Italian BeefLa Rancherita Taqueria y GorditaRancho Escondido Mexican GrillDairy QueenSmitty's Tenderloin ShopLa Cabana Mexican Bar and GrillLa Cabana Mexican RestaurantAbelardo's Mexican FreshBennigan'sCasey'sQuiznosJohnny's Italian SteakhouseDeep End Dive BarKFCKFCChina ChefAndys PlaceThirsty SportsmanMing Dynasty BuffetPrimos Tex Mex Bar & GrillVillage Inn RestaurantsSbarroGarfield's Restaurant and PubMcDonald'sStarbucksStarbucksStarbucksCakesbyYolyFantastic TacosInsomniac LoungeSubwayTime Warp Black Hole Bar and GrillMcDonald'sBordenaro's Pizza and PastaDomino'sKrispy Krunchy ChickenHardee'sQuicks Hot SpiceWicked RabbitChicken HeatCheese Castle PizzaOverboard Sports BarBlank Park ZooPioneer Lodge1Ramada by Wyndham Des Moines Airport2Homewood Suites by Hilton Des Moines Airport3Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Des Moines Airport4DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Des Moines Airport5Holiday Inn Des Moines-Airport/Conf Center6Fleur De Lis Motor Inns, Inc7Quality Inn & Suites Des Moines Airport8AmericInn by Wyndham Des Moines Airport9Days Inn and Suites by Wyndham Des Moines Airport10½ mi
Blank Park ZooWater1Places to stay (the list)Places to eat

Closest places to stay

  1. 1Pioneer Lodgelodge or cabins · 0.8 mi northwestDirections
  2. 2Ramada by Wyndham Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.0 mi northwestDirections
  3. 3Homewood Suites by Hilton Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.1 mi westDirections
  4. 4Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.2 mi westDirections
  5. 5DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.2 mi westDirections
  6. 6Holiday Inn Des Moines-Airport/Conf Centerhotel · 1.2 mi northwestDirections
  7. 7Fleur De Lis Motor Inns, Inchotel · 1.2 mi northwestDirections
  8. 8Quality Inn & Suites Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.6 mi northwestDirections
  9. 9AmericInn by Wyndham Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.6 mi northwestDirections
  10. 10Days Inn and Suites by Wyndham Des Moines Airporthotel · 1.7 mi northwestDirections

Places to eat nearby

50 restaurants, cafés and bars within 1½ miles

9 fast food8 bars & pubs7 pizza5 Mexican & Latin3 subs & sandwiches3 Asian & Indian3 coffee & cafés
Compare 8 towns to stay in
TownFrom Blank Park ZooDrivePlaces to stayPeopleTypical homeSafety
Des Moinesin town—64 45 hotels · 9 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds212,086$195KD
West Des Moines8 mi west15 min32 29 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park74,224$309KC+
Ankeny15 mi north20 min30 28 hotels · 1 motel · 1 campground77,833$331KB−
Urbandale11 mi northwest15 min17 15 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B48,570$336KB+
Altoona12 mi northeast20 min13 10 hotels · 1 motel · 2 RV parks22,796$275KC+
Indianola11 mi south15 min10 6 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 2 RV parks16,829$238KC
Clive11 mi northwest15 min9 7 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins19,861$401KB−
Saylorville11 mi north15 min7 5 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins3,366$314K—

Getting there

Nearest airports with airline service

DSMDes Moines · major hub2 mi
FODFort Dodge Regional77 mi
ALOWaterloo Regional95 mi
Places to stay and eat: Overture Maps (hotels, motels, inns, lodges, campgrounds, RV parks; not vacation rentals) · streets, water and the site outline: Overture Maps / OpenStreetMap contributors · town figures: U.S. Census ACS · Safety: TownRatings Safety grade · airports: OurAirports. Distances are from Blank Park Zoo’s main visitor area; drive times are estimates.
Make a day of it

Places to add to Blank Park Zoo

These well-known places are within 35 miles.

5 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center5 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol11 mi Theme parkAdventureland5 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center6 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium5 mi MuseumPappajohn Sculpture Park35 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum10 mi MuseumLiving History Farms
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain · Pappajohn Sculpture Park: Dsmspence, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Living History Farms: Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Common questions

Questions before you go

Is Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines?

Yes. It’s inside Des Moines, IA.

When is the best time to visit Blank Park Zoo?

May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 64–83°.

What is the closest airport to Blank Park Zoo?

Des Moines (DSM), about 2 miles away.

What hotels are near Blank Park Zoo?

Pioneer Lodge (0.8 mi), Ramada by Wyndham Des Moines Airport (1.0 mi) and Homewood Suites by Hilton Des Moines Airport (1.1 mi). 21 places to stay are within 4 miles.

From locals

Tips for visiting, from Des Moines

Tips will appear here once someone posts in Des Moines’s Town Square.

When do you go to beat the crowds at Blank Park Zoo? Where do you eat after a visit to Blank Park Zoo? Is Blank Park Zoo worth it with small kids? What do visitors to Blank Park Zoo usually miss?

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.