If you want to get in a little furry fun outside of the Valley, head to Fawn-Doe-Rosa in Saint Croix Falls. This 53-year-old, 17-acre wildlife educational park gets you and the kiddos up close and personal with a variety of animals. Deer, birds, goats, and sheep roam freely around the park and are extremely friendly to their human visitors. Guests have the opportunity to pet live skunks, ride miniature ponies, and watch bears, wild cats, and farm animals enjoy a life of leisure with the help of an extremely knowledgeable and caring staff.

BONUS: If you have some added time to kill, Wild Mountain is just a short drive away in Taylors Falls, Minn. Families can burn off energy (and cool down if needed!) at an enormous water park complete with water slides, a lazy river, and a water playground. There’s even a 1,700-foot-long Alpine Slide that carries daring riders down the side of the ski “mountain.”

Fawn-Doe-Rosa Wildlife Educational Park • (715) 483-3772 • fawndoerosa.com

Wild Mountain • 37200 Wild Mountain Road, Taylors Falls, Minn. • (651) 465-6365 • wildmountain.com