Animatronic animals bring smart zoo experience to Bemidji Saturday

Wild Adventures: A Smart Zoo Experience will set up at Boardwalk Minigolf & Snack Shack at 610 Lake Shore Drive on Saturday, June 27, from noon to 6 p.m., putting hyper-realistic, fully animatronic animals on the south shore of Lake Bemidji. The lineup includes lions, tigers, elephants, pandas, monkeys, a smoke-breathing 40-foot king cobra and dinosaurs.

The touring attraction is presented by I Heart Cookies back up and folds in more than animal figures. A separate listing for the same tour describes a fully immersible virtual reality aquarium, soft play equipment, fossil dig pits, face painting, temporary tattoos and photo ops, making the stop part exhibit, part hands-on play space and part novelty event. In Kearney, Nebraska, admission to the same tour required a cookie purchase per person, with cookies priced at $5 each or six for $25.

Boardwalk gives the event a setting already built around family traffic. The business describes itself as an 18-hole mini-golf course with a bonus 19th hole that gives a free round for a hole-in-one. Its seasonal operations list no reservation required, ample free parking and stroller accessibility, and the site says the property hosts birthdays, family outings and group events.

That mix of features fits a one-day summer outing for Bemidji families who want something different without leaving town. The six-hour window gives visitors a broad arrival range, and the attraction’s emphasis on animatronics and interactive features sets it apart from a standard zoo visit or a static display. By bringing a larger-format traveling show to a local private venue, the event also shows how Lake Shore Drive businesses can draw weekend traffic with attractions that are short on travel time but heavy on spectacle.

Boardwalk’s own schedule lists extended seasonal hours, including sunny days and event nights, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on its site. For a Saturday on the lake, the stop adds another option to Bemidji’s summer lineup and turns a familiar mini-golf site into a temporary destination for families looking for animals, play and a photo-ready outing in one place.