Tell me about your favorite MN zoos/aquariums/museums (Minneapolis: find a job, buying)

[cephalopede]

Good morning folks. I just posted over in Wisconsin but figured I could expand my search over this way, too. I'm still a ways from graduation but after a too-long journey through college I will eventually be graduating with a degree in environmental education. I live in California, which is a great place to educate people about the environment. It's probably not the easiest place to make a living teaching anyone anything, however.

My partner has some family and roots in NW Wisconsin, and would be thrilled if we ended up nearby. I would really like to find a job at a quality zoo, aquarium, or science museum in a fairly liberal and ***** friendly area, and I dream of eventually buying a few acres and having a small hobby farm somewhere I can feel safe.

So fill me in on your favorite spots and, if you care to, the surrounding area. My partner really likes the Lake Superior Zoo, but I'm under the impression that Duluth isn't such a great place to live.

[golfgal]

The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley has long been a zoo focused on conservation..so much so they even have a high school attached to the zoo that focuses on Environmental issues--http://www.district196.org/ses/

Minneapolis area is always listed as one of the most gay friendly places in the US.

The Lake Superior Zoo is nice, it's small though. Duluth is not a bad place to live, but it's VERY cold there in the winter and not very warm in the summer and coming from CA, that will take some getting used to. Job possibilities in the Twin Cities are just much greater than they will be in Duluth for you.

[cephalopede]

Oh wow, the Minnesota Zoo looks amazing...they have a job posted now that I'd love to do with a very decent salary range, too. Good to see!

One of my major concerns about moving up that way is the snow and cold. I've never lived anywhere that got regular snow (my roommates and I stayed up until 4 AM in December to catch about 30 seconds of snowfall here), so it's a little frightening to my temperate sensibilities. Obviously people manage, somehow.