Conservatory or greenhouse?

We went to the conservatory at Como Zoo a few days ago, and it was exactly as I had remembered. I've been there dozens of times over the years, and this time was no different than the last few.

For those of you that haven't been there, let me tell you a little about what it actually is. It's a giant greenhouse. Full of plants from all over the world, even in the winter it has a tropical feel to it. There ponds with coi fish in them, an entire room dedicated to the wide variety of ferns that grow all over the planet, and more flowers than I care to count. It really is a magical oasis in the frozen tundra of the Minnesota winter. Today at least, the magic was manifested in the flesh before our very eyes, in the form of what appeared to be a wizard overlooking one of the ponds as seen here. He's the bearded man on the right, holding a staff topped with a crystal ball.

All kidding aside, the place is pretty cool. Many of the plants have little fact plates by them, they tell you little insights about the plants, and if they were, or are, believed to have some sort of medicinal value.

There's not really much else to say about the place. It's not very often we have an opportunity for a tropical getaway here in Minnesota in March, and all for the price of free, if you choose not to donate.