I am transplant from the other side of the river and absolutely love living in this neighborhood…read more Obviously the perks of this park requires a list so here goes: - The old water tower gets opened up during Highland Fest and in the fall for the fall colors. Once you climb the many stairs, you are treated to an amazing open air view of the surrounding area. The planes at the airport look like toys landing and taking off and all the colors just pop if you time it right. When open, it is only on the weekends. - Two golf courses. On the 18 hole, the 15th hole has a sand trap done up like Snoopy (zoom in on link) in honor of Charles Schulz once being a caddy. The 9 hole across the street is much hillier and is that way because a lot of it is the dirt from the construction of I-94 back in the 60's linking the two cities. http://goo.gl/maps/ZnXbz - Cross country skiing. Both course become x-country ski havens in the winter with even one of the courses having trails groomed. There is also a sliding hill by the water tower which gets packed after a fresh snowfall. - The Pavilion (and many other shelters) can be rented for picnics. Many a fine Booyah's, a fine upper midwestern treat that you need to have once in your life, are served here by neighborhood groups doing fund raisers. Bring a tupperware container to bring some home if you'd like. People will be there with empty ice cream bucket containers for the good ones. - The swimming pool. St. Paul has a few pools now that utilize sphagnum moss as a major cleaning process. Amazing water and you don't come out smelling like a chlorine factory with your hair turning a different color or your eyes burnt red. It's fantastic. - Frisbee course. While I don't understand the layout, many people do and it is always getting used. - Just walk around in the park or on the paths. Towering oaks, deer, fox, willow trees, hills and hidden stairs. This is really an old park and a gem in the city. Even the playground equipment has been updated in the last few years.

The pool facilities are excellent at the Highland Park Aquatic Center, and lots of updates since I…read moreenjoyed swimming here as a kid have really made this a very entertaining destination for kids of all ages and adults too, but the way it's run leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately. There was plenty of free parking and lots of shade available on the pool deck, but during the 4+ hours we spent there (2 adults, 3 kids under age 10) I didn't see one adult worker anywhere-just lots of teen life guards and workers. Also, the pool and deck rules are very unclear, sparsely posted and inconsistently enforced, so we found ourselves breaking all kinds of secret, nonsensical rules only the lifeguards seemed to know about (and we definitely weren't alone). Then, when asked to clarify how what we were doing was wrong, we could never get a clear answer and the lifeguards were often rude and dismissive. We were also given contradictory information from 3 different lifeguards about the same rule! We figured things out for ourselves quick enough and learned which lifeguards really could be consistent, so in the end we had a really good time, just be aware when you go that it's on you to figure it all out, not many of the staff will be helpful (even in matters of safety) at all. Lastly, the admission cost is a little steep ($6 per adult, $5 per kid under 48" tall), and even though they give a little break to families, it's not like you're getting all that much bang for your buck. Also be aware that no outside food or drinks are technically allowed--which I understand to a point, but this is also not listed online or posted officially anywhere on site which is annoying and inconvenient, especially since the concessions are mainly very overpriced junk food. So it would be nice if they offered some healthy alternatives like fruits and veggies rather than more processed, packaged, sugary junk for sale. If that's not possible then just let us bring at least those things with us? With little kids it's not easy to drag them out of the pool, back to the car for a healthy snack--which we ultimately did only to be harassed exiting AND re-entering by the overly enthusiastic little "teen bouncer" at the front gate even though re-admission is permitted as long as you're wearing your wristband. Like I said earlier though; ALL the rules at this facility and how they're communicated and enforced are very inconsistent to say the least! We resolved that if we return we'll just smuggle our own snacks in since they that's what we observed most people doing anyways! The bottom line: you can have a great time in the pool and the facilities have a lot to offer people of all ages if you take some of these tips to heart, learn how to work the ill-managed "system" of rules and their teen army of enforcers, advocate (and think) for yourself a little, and just basically ignore the incredible inconsistency that truly rules here!

The City of Ham Lake offers this free park on Ham Lake, not far off of Highway 65. There is a boat…read morelanding and fishing pier for Ham Lake. 18 Hole Disc Golf course, 4 ballfields with backstops and bleachers, paths and trails (best bet is the nature walk along the lake), Indoor and Outdoor Picnic Shelters, and a playground can all be found here.

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.

What a lovely discovery over between Hudson and Somerset. We purchased the annual pass to utilize…read moreTroy Beach and found out there are several other locations this pass is good for so decided to explore. This area rocks! The day we went we were just interested in swimming and the beach area, next time i will pack a cookout i think or rent one of the kayaks or canoes to float across the lake. There Wear your walking shoes as it is a pretty good hike from the parking spots to the actual place you swim or cook out.

It's a pretty neat place, but if you don't get parking down by the lake, you have quite a hike up…read moreand down a pretty big hill if u want to be by the lake.

Very friendly place for family. Nearby to coffeehouse and restaurant. This could be a popular place…read morefor summer weekends.

A park right on the edge of downtown Forest Lake. How nice to take swimming lunch break!…read more This park has been completely redone since the last time I had been there. Looks like it is kept clean of litter and has some wide open spaces. Boats, beach, tables, playground and a walking path through and around. Somewhat devoid of trees I'm afraid as there is a lot baking sun where the benches are.

Shhhh.... this beach is a hidden gem and I want to keep it that way…read more No lifeguard, which means no one whistling at someone breaking the rules. Blow-up pool floating are allowed. It's a shallow entrance, perfect for little kids. I can walk out 50- yards and it's still only at my waist. Perfect for pontoons to anchor on the opposite side of the bouy line and guest to walk aboard from the parking lot. Weeds/reeds line one side so it's semi private and cuts down on wake waves. It's a gentle lake. The main parking lot gets full fast, but there is overflow parking with a bit of a longer walk. There are 2 picnic shelters. And picnic tables/bbq grills along the perimeter of the sand beach. They get taken up pretty early in the day. There are restrooms on sight that are decent too. The entrance off of Lexington is clearly marked. The road inside forks pretty quickly: public access is on the left, beach goers to the right and follow the winding road to a wonderful afternoon!

County park with large beach and boat launch,trails for family exercise…read moreThe park is a rural non rushed peaceful, large clean beach with nearby boat launch for activities with walking path options, a full feature quieting environment. Great for kids of all ages.

A nice park and beach but a very busy place! At least they have a pretty big parking lot…read more They have a small area of sand near the shoreline but the majority of the "sitting" area is grass. They have little pockets away from the actual beach that you can chill in with your dog or launch off with your kayak/padddleboard but again it's a busy place so sometimes people are using those areas. We went on a Wednesday and the garbage was still full to the top from the weekend so it was a little dirty in the area.

Ya know, look at the one star reviews of this place. In one, someone is complaining about fish in…read morethe water . It's definitely worth a read. Here's what I like about the place: - The beach is small but nice. - Picnic tables and benches along the water where people are hanging out. - A boat launch with info on keeping aquatic hitchhikers off your boat. - A fishing pier north of the beach for those who want to fish. - Open areas south of the beach where to let your dogs swim. - A playground for the kids. - Bathrooms in a legit building open during the summer months. Honestly, the lake is clean and a slow slope into deeper water so you can cool off in. What more do you want?

On the North shore of Spring Lake (in Spring Lake Park, MN) you can find this little gem of a 11.8…read moreacre park. There are picnic tables/shelters/benches, a fishing pier ("no good" fishing per the teens fishing there during my visit), sand volleyball courts, playground, walking trail, softball field, beach. On my visit the beach was closed to swimming (maybe lack of lifeguards?). Off street parking lot, as well as nearby street parking. Mature trees to offer shade. Both Moundsview & Spring Lake Park run this park jointly.