This hidden gem is one of my favorite spots to meet friends and let the kiddos play! The playground…read moreseems new, and has a little mini one for toddlers and babies. Lots of trails to explore, right next to the water! I've seen people fishing as well. There are lots of picnic benches and large covered areas for bigger gatherings! We've attending a kid's birthday party here and it was perfect.

Beautiful, clean park with nice river views and paved trails. Nice bathrooms and picnic areas and…read morebenches.

This is an amazing playground and one of our favorites...not only is this a playground but it also…read morehas a splash pad. Madison's is named after a little girl who passed away when she was young. The cool part of this playground is that it is accessible to those who are handicapped. Lots of fun ramps, slides and more modern playground fun stuff. Try to score one of the trees to put a blanket under so you can chill in the shade.

Found this place on accident and very happy I did. The playground is very large and splash pad is…read moredirectly next to it. The location is clean and it has a very great story about why it was created. I highly suggest it

Great location to walk the lake and take in the beautiful sights. Often they have events and…read moreactivities tha make the trip even more valuable

One of my favorite parks in the twin cities! I hang out here a lot because my dragon boat team…read morepractices here. But I also like to walk around the lake and paddle board. When I paddle, I love that I don't have far to carry my board into the water. When I walk, I love that there are plenty of places to park and that there are so many points of interest to admire along the 3 mile loop. The beach is nice and the splash pad is perfect for little kids. Great park for all ages

Loved our weekend trip to this park! When we arrived, the parking lot was very busy and there were…read morevery few spots left, even though it's a pretty sizeable lot for a park. We quickly learned this was because there was a special event going on (the Sankofa celebration) inside the center, with vendor tables and a couple of food trucks and even some crafting activities. So we got to experience that on top of the rest of the park's great amenities! The center is sleek and modern inside. LOTS of toilets (single occupant, all-gender), lots of coat hangars, multiple water bottle refill stations. The ground level has some cool reptile/amphibians behind glass you can ogle, as well as interactive informational displays (great for kids and adults, imo). Downstairs they have the rental booth for gear and educational rooms (they had a falcon demo in one while we were there!). Beside the center is an awesome multilevel playground, very fun. As well as a splash pad (for non-winter months) and an elevated boardwalk. The most nearby attraction is obviously the dam, which has an impressive spillway that's mesmerizing to watch. You can even walk across it to go over the river to the park on the other side. Apparently this spot is popular with fishers (though I don't have much knowledge on that subject). There are also trails that can be explored. Paved routes good for all recreational uses, as well as further out hiking paths that are just dirt. It'd be great to come back out again sometime and explore more. Across the street it seemed there was even archery!

I'm really happy this park has been updated to such a lovely and unique park. I love the the…read morenatural material and wood playground. The new visitor center is very nice and cute.

Windom Park NE is my Northeast Go To Park for when I want to play Pickleball…read more The park has 2 Tennis Courts with Pickleball Lines, a Basketball Court, a big field usually used for soccer, since nice walking trails as well as a big building that I once played an indoor volleyball league at. The park is typically not that crowded and parking is super easy on the street along it. The pickleball / tennis courts are in a little rough shape, but I am no professional so I appreciate that it usually means the courts are empty.

Open 10-7 with a bath house to change at. No life guard. Next to a small playground. Perfect for…read moreyounger children, 2!0"-6 grounds for 2-12 and 5-12. 8 yr old had a blast here. .

My kiddos love this park! Both boys, one 4.5 and the other 1.5, both have a blast whenever we go…read more The play structures are very new. Looks like they have been replaced within the past few years. The main structure is fairly large. I believe it has 3 or 4 slides and a tall 'rock wall' for climbing. My little one can navigate but it's high in the air so I prefer to accompany him up there. The smaller platform, for tots his age, has wide steps, a steering wheel, a gradual slide, and a hiding place underneath. Then there's this yellow globe type thing that they can crawl into bed spin. Neither have been much into it but I've seen a lot of older kids enjoying. Four swings, two regular, one for infants, and I believe an accessibility swing, too. Other aspects of the park include a covered picnic area, tennis courts, softball field, and a lit soccer field turned ice arena in the winter. Great for all ages!

I love this park and consider myself so lucky to live close by. The walking and biking trails…read morestretch for miles and seem almost endless. They also follow the Mississippi which makes for a truly calming and serene experience. The playground is huge! There are things for every age group. My only dislike is that it is a sand playground but the kids love it so I can't complain too much. There are picnic shelters and a lot of unsheltered grills with one picnic table which I don't believe require reservations. The interpretive center building is a great place for kids to play and explore. It has a little golf putting area, animal costumes and so much more. You could easily spend an hour in there and the staff are so nice. We're excited to try the wading pool this summer!

North Mississippi Park convinced me to live in North Minneapolis…read more I come here for the playground, which is a bit larger than your typical Minneapolis playground. It is rarely crowded, maybe bc not many people could walk here. I always bring my camera bc it is so freaking gorgeous by the river. The park get busier when the wading pool opens, but we have wading pools closer to our house. I also love taking my kids right down to the shore. Too bad I'm not any good at skipping stones. On the south side of the park is a great Nature Center. Kroening has some great programs and many of them are free! It also has a little history information on the neighborhood which is cool.

I just enjoyed our first time at Big Marine Park Reserve. Yes, you do need a daily ($7) or annual…read moreWashington County pass ($35) if you plan on visiting this park. They have lovely grounds that are kept up. The playground didn't appear to be too old and they had one playground specifically for toddlers and another for big kids that had 2 huge slides. There are bathroom facilities near the beach and by the playground. They also had a water fountain. The beach was great. The water was clear and the floor was sandy. What a beautiful lake. And the water was warmer than I expected even on a cooler 75 degree day. Lots of places to park your cooler and/or towels and wasn't too busy. And lots of parking spaces too.

Our summers seem so short here in MN which is why whenever possible I love spending time of the…read morewater. The best I can do for golfing is mini golf and I'm not even that good and tend to play mini golf like Happy Gilmore. All the more reason for me to go out fishing or boating. One of our favorite locations is Big Marine Park. There is public access to the lake on the North end however for $7.00 a day or a $30.00 for the year, you have access to so much more. From a boating perspective, the access is wide and nicely paved. Room enough for two vehicles at a time where the other access is a single access. Plenty of room to park. There is a fishing pier that is handicapped accessible. A really nice beach with a playground, picnic area and pavilion. There are even scenic hiking trails. The park is open from 6:00am to 10:00pm. Lots to like and enjoy about Big Marine Park for kids of all ages which is just one reason why we look forward to our next visit.