I was looking for some new playgrounds in the area for my little guys to blow off some energy and I…read morehit the jackpot with this park!! This park has plenty of parking lot and street parking! There is a ton of field space to picnic or kick a soccer ball around! The playground is HUGE and has multiple areas! It would be extremely had to be "bored" here! There are picnic tables, lots of chairs and benches around. The playground does have concrete but most areas are rubber or turf grass (yay no messy sand or pebbles stuck in shoes!) The other nice part about this park is that it felt very inclusive! Lots are areas in this part for all ages, sizes and abilities! There is also a skate park! It can get very busy, so coming in the morning or later in the evening will give you the best chance at parking, watching your kids closely and getting to play on all of the equipment!

Great parks, grounds and community center! Tons of lovely options for kids and adults. Plus the…read morefarmers market is top notch.

I was in the area (for a Yelp Elite experience, actually lol) but it was a gorgeous day outside…read more(aka, forties in February) so I wanted to make sure I soaked up some of the sunshine in the afternoon. Peeking at this place on Google maps it didn't look like much, but I gave it a shot; I'm quite glad I did! Part of why I'd been unsure was because it does have a relatively small footprint of the landscape (it doesn't even encompass the entire lake, as many houses have backyards around more than half the shore... boo). But, they made up for it with a really nice visitor center and art installations! Honestly, I'd say this place wouldn't be half as good without the outdoor art walk; I really enjoyed discovering all the unique and fun sculptures along the path. It meant I got a much more engaged and lengthy experience; I don't know if their longest path was much more than a mile's distance, but because of the sculptures I kept venturing off the paved path to check them out up close (and take photos and selfies with each)! It was fun. There seemed to be two parking lots. The one near the visitor center was pretty large and seemed to be necessary; there were quite a lot of visitors there when I was, plus a school bus! Most of the visitors seemed to be there to enjoy some skating around out on the frozen lake, but others were walking the trail. Inside the visitor center were bathrooms, including a family restroom, water fountains, including a water bottle refill station, cute little trinkets to buy, a cafe with beverages and bakery snacks, a cozy seating area, lots of rooms for community events, a board advertising said community events for the next couple months, and an art exhibit. I was grateful for the easy access to bathrooms and water! Just outside the visitor center was one of the most adorable little free libraries I've ever seen, nestled inside a mushroom-like sculpture! All in all, definitely worth checking out. Unless you lived nearby, you probably wouldn't go too repeatedly (I think the indoor art exhibit changes seasonally, but the outdoor one has been installed awhile... one of the plaques read 2018), but it's great for a one-off or occasional visit!

A really fun park with a lot of great art to see while you walk around it. The QR codes give a lot…read moreof additional information to listen to as well. Lots of trees, walking paths and a beautiful lake make this a great place to enjoy nature and art.

A cute little neighborhood park…read more Play equipment suitable for young children. A small pavilion. The best part is the view of the pond. We saw a heron take wing when we were there.

What an incredibly awesome spot, courtesy of the City of Fridley. I was there on a rainy day, so I…read morechecked out the Nature Center itself first. The facilities are honestly quite impeccable. They had a variety of fun exhibits, including a play structure, a comfy spot by the fireplace to read nature books to your kids (or to yourself), building "blocks" (wood pieces), a puppet theatre with plushies, two microscopes with big flat screen TVs to see nature things up close, a bird watching station (with info on how to identify birds), some taxidermy critters, even tanks containing live turtles, snakes, and frogs! Caring for live animals is a task in itself, so I'm impressed they have them here. A couple of the smaller exhibits seemed broken (the one with all the colored lights and the one with the crank for the lightbulbs), but I imagine kids playing with these all day takes its toll. Still, it was super fun! Also inside the building are bathrooms: men's, women's, and family. These were clean and spacious, and even had environmental info in them to read! There was a water fountain and water bottle refill station. Vending machines with beverages and snacks. And pamphlets about upcoming goings-on at the center. Apparently you can also "rent an activity backpack" from the front desk full of fun stuff to inspire exploration along the trails. Outside there is a big picnic shelter with lots of picnic tables underneath it. It also has an inside portion. You can be there and enjoy it whenever, or reserve it for things like birthday parties. Behind that is the Nature Play Area, which is a large playground with nature-themed elements. The climbing structure here was an impressive length, but in particular I liked the giant beaver! I didn't play on any of the equipment just because it was pretty slippery from all the rain. I did however hike all the trails! Yep, all of 'em. The full length of all the trails combined is three miles. I did the outer loop first, then spiraled inward to see the rest, including the two observation points (one has a cool gazebo overlooking the lake!). These'll take you through the woods and over marshland via boardwalk! Lots of picturesque bridges over creeks. So many photo opportunities! I also saw a lot of wildlife: squirrels, frogs, birds. You might also get to see a train rumble by to the west. There is ample signage along all the trail junctions so you never have to worry about getting turned around. Additionally there is an amphitheater and a meditation garden. Unfortunately when I went up to the latter, there was some guy hiding there smoking pot... it reeked! I informed a staff member (because the posted rules DO say no smoking), and he was responsive about the issue. I feel a little bad about tattling, but at the same time, dude, you're ruining other peoples' experiences of the great outdoors! Parking lot seems to be a decent size. I could see it filling up on a day where they have a popular event going on though. I'm definitely considering coming back with a friend for their upcoming Pumpkin Carving days! I'd love to visit again for another hike once more of the trees begin changing color.

Lovely nature center inside the metro! I didn't have a chance this time to go into the visitor…read morecenter but the walking paths in the woods are very nice and secluded. There's some nice ponds throughout the woods that has swans geese and other birds. Theres also a playground near the visitor center. Great place to take your family or little ones for a walk in nature.

Nice park at the confluence of the Rice Creek and Mississippi River. It offers: a pretty spot on…read morethe river, fishing, hiking on both paved & unpaved trails, picnic grounds, nature observation area. There are 2 parking lots-use the one by Banfill-Locke for handicap access.

Wooded ravine park sheltering the Rice Creek meandering through it. Between Highway 65 and…read moreUniversity Avenue, this park has the Rice Creek Regional Trail run through it. Multiple parking lots, picnic pavilions, four footbridges across the creek, many unmarked non-asphalted hiking trails. There are 2 playground areas, and an off-leash dog park. Come and explore the park when you're in the area!

This is an OK dog park. It's big, wood chips everywhere. Trees for shade, seems to be well…read moreattended. With one glaring problem. There are no trash bins inside the fence?!?!?!?!?! Did the people who planned this place not realize that dogs poop? I tend to give humanity the benefit of the doubt and believe most people want to pick up their dog poop, but to have to physically leave the park with your bag (which freaks my dog out to no end) throw it in the dumpster and then come back in? Really? There was so much poop in the park I spent the whole time looking at my feet trying not to step in anything, so I didn't talk to anyone and can't comment on the cliental. Throw us a bone with ONE TRASH CAN PLEASE!

Can you review a park?? Well... YES!…read more This park is a must if you: 1. Want a fabulous walk. Park by the beach and take the long way around! It's completely paved if you have probs walking (like me) or have a lovely in a wheel chair!! 2. You want to swim! The beach didn't appear to have life guards. But there is plenty of swimming room... or SUP, or kayak.. or... 3. Want to host a party! Every weekend the pavilions are being used for gatherings! It's pretty cute! 4. Love photography! The wild flowers are insane this year (even with the lack of rain)! 5. Are an urban forager! I got a bowl full of blackberries today! Delicious 6. You're a mocker. You hang that hammock anywhere you can! 7. You bike! The trek by the lake links to other trails! Well paved are ready for the cycles! Or you just love a good playground! Go to this park!! Here's my boy playing in the lake (not at the beach) and the new friend we made!

Excellent park for walking, playing and socializing. I'm at the beach a lot here that connects to…read moreLong Lake. Nice size city beach. Water is fairly clean for a city lake. A little murky but not horrible. Open space to play volleyball or sit in the grass. Nice wooded paths to walk dogs or go for a run.

Rice Creek Regional Trail Corridor is quite long-I think that this Yelp review pertains to the…read moreregional trail between the Lexington Avenue to almost the old Arsenal. There is a paved hiking/biking trail as well as a wetland Rice Creek flowing through it. This really is a lovely area. The Rice Creek Off-Leash Dog Area is on just off Lexington Avenue North. There's a canoe access area just before the main parking lot. The public bathrooms are closed for the season.

Wow, Rice Creek is a hidden gem. I'm specifically talking about the creek, we didn't use the…read morewalking trails or dog park. We kayaked down rice creek from County Rd J to Old Highway 8, which goes through Rice Creek Park. It was amazing! It's hard to realize you are ok the Twin Cities, as you are completely surrounded by nature. We saw cranes, deer, ducks, musk rats, flowers, reeds, calm flowing water, and all sorts of other nature. We did not see cars, houses, buildings, advertisements, or any of the other normal sensory bombardments of city life. The entire creek, or water trail as it's called, is pretty long and goes through several lakes. The portion we went down was about 4.5 glorious miles. The water is pretty shallow throughout and the only rough water is just right after you go under a couple of bridges. If you have access to any paddle powered water craft, go check it out now!

Maybe I don't want to leave a 5-start review because then the secret is out…read more I'm searching for nice, quiet beaches around Blaine. I got tired of Anoka County Parks beaches with lifeguards because they tend to be overcrowded and loud. But that's a different post... Golden Beach was recommended to me a couple of years ago, and I finally took that advice. Easy access off of Lexington, down a quiet residential street. No wonder it's a hidden gem. I had no clue this was back here. A big parking lot right next to a playground. The lot was just re-tarred, but no lines were painted yet. The beach is not visible from the parking lot/playground due to a hill... added privacy. A slight walk to the beach made us pass a clean bathroom and pavilion. On the way back to the car, I noticed there was a concession stand open. Must be on the back side of the restroom building. There was another path leading into tree cover (away from beach path)...did not explore where that went. The beach is narrow and long. There was a retaining wall separating the sand from the grass. Prefect place for kids and adults to sit on while getting sunscreen put on or their swim shoes. Lots of grass to sunbathe in. Big mature trees to find shade under for those not wanting to fry as they watch the water. The swimming area is not roped off. To one side is high reeds. To the other is a fishing dock. Kid swimmers were either out in the open or towards the reeds. I dipped my toe in...87 degrees out and it was cold. There was staked signage that the water was treated with something (I can't remember what). It said the water was safe to swim in, but not to drink it (people and pets). The water didn't look clear, no algae. A very lovely beach. How no one reads this so that it stays that way!

Local Golden Lake Park is a public park on the lake. No outboard motors are allowed on this small…read morelake, so it's a quiet lake to enjoy. Fishing, swimming, hiking, canoe or kayak here. The playground equipment and picnic shelter are closed due to CV-19.

What a great park. I was in town the other month for work…read more I made it a point to try or 2 of the disc parks on town before I left. My third day in town I made it up to Hansen Park. I had read something about the course having the original basket design, but I didn't really know what I was getting into. I arrived to a beautiful Minnesota park. some geese were about, and plenty of people having fun about 5pm. I started on the first whole, and found that the course on UDisc was different with odd par 6 options But the 1st basket I could see, on the left side of a pond. i played it well, but found that the old school baskets were tougher to drop the disc in. I nailed that one but the next couple holes got me. It's really is an idealic park. Undulating hills and good vibes were everywhere. If you like disc golf, or just a pretty park, this is a good one.

So smooth.Not so much people.So big I think it's about 300 ft long.So much fun kids loved it.They…read morewanted to stay for so long bc it was so smooth and big.