Rice park is an adorable spot right in the heart of the city. Featuring the peanuts characters, plenty of benches and lights, it is a breath of fresh air! Very well decorated and a popular spot for events. Currently hosting the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship events including s'more's, plenty of hockey games, and more family fun in the park. read more

Rice Park - Rice park - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Rice Park has a beautiful water fountain, plenty of seating and shade under the large trees. Events are often hosted here on the weekends and throughout the summer. In the winter there are ice sculptures and displays. read more

Rice Park - Rice Park - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

At the last Minnesota Wild game that I attended, I had parked at Infor Commons. I exited the building and needed to cut across a park to get to Xcel Energy Center. I came to realize that I was walking through Rice Park. This public park has a fountain that was fairly frozen when I was there in March. I'm sure that it's beautiful when it's warmer and there's water coming out of the fountain. There's also a bandstand. I was thrilled to see sculptures of Peanuts cartoon characters. I quickly cut through this park to get to the game, but took my time to stroll through the park after the game was over. Rice Park is one of the venues of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. I have never been to it, but I did see on Fox 9 Good Day that an ice palace was built here for the occasion. The park's location is cool. It's bordered by the Landmark Center to the north, the Saint Paul Hotel to the east, the George Latimer Central Library to the south, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to the west. I basically stood in the park to admire the other sites as the tourist that I can be. There is a sign that details the history of this park. It is named after Minnesota Senator Henry Mower Rice. He donated the land to the city in 1849 along with Saint Paul banker John Irvine. The land was first used by settlers to dry laundry or graze animals. The park's first major renovation occurred in 1965 renovation that was initiated by the Women's Institute of Saint Paul. A statue of a girl created by Wisconsin artist Alonzo Hauser was added as a centerpiece to the park. It's a nicely maintained park. I enjoyed looking at all the Peanuts statues. They are fitting tributes to Charles M. Schulz, who hailed from Minneapolis. I hope to return when it's warmer and enjoy the park more. It was a pleasant surprise finding this park and strolling through it. (104) read more

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This is a historic park is located right across the street from George Latimer Central Library. It is named after territorial Minnesota Senator Henry Mower Rice, who donated the land to the city in 1849. It hold the distinction of being the city's first public square. There is metered street parking surrounding it and a public bus stop on the backside of it. Be sure to check the times of meter enforcement. You may have free parking coming to you. There is not much to this park. It is pretty much a place to walk a dog or just hang out. It has some nice paved walkways and benches placed throughout. There is pockets of green space You will find a fountain here at the park that is functional in the Summer. As an added bonus, there are two bronze sculptures of Peanuts characters by Tivoli Too. There is Peppermint Patty kicking a soccer ball and Lucy sitting on a bench reading a book. The park can be rented through the Park Permit Office's lottery. The park is the site of weddings, festivals, and special events such as Saint Paul Winter Carnival. It also turns into a skating rink in the winter. As I mentioned, the park has a limited utility, but it is still nice. It is a good place to just hang out and relax during nice weather and offers an awesome venue for a special event. read more

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Interesting park in downtown St. Paul featuring a fountain in the middle and two Peanuts statues. They also have a bandshell so I'm assuming they have concerts there sometimes. Worth checking out if you're in the area but go during the day since the area might be kinda sketchy at night. read more

Rice Park - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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If you're looking for a place to go around the holidays, this is it. The Holiday decorations were stunning to say the least. The ambiance surrounding the park is top tier with the vintage style buildings and high rises. Would highly recommend for a Saturday night out on the town. read more

Rice Park - Christmas shenanigans in Rice Park. - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Rice Park is in the historic center of the city in downtown St Paul. It's popular with locals and visitors. There's a fountain. You can see the Landmark Center, their Central Library, and St Paul Hotel. It's a very busy area with lots of traffic and public transportation. A lot of bus stops close by. read more

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On a beautiful day this is a cool place to hang out here, lots of people taking pictures.. read more

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We took a stroll on Christmas Day through Rice Park and although the ice rink was closed and it appeared some construction was taking place, we still had an opportunity to take some pictures of the Peanuts characters. We ventured by foot towards Nicolette Island and stopped along to see the view of the bridge and water below. Eerily quiet and of course everything being pretty much closed, we decided to head back to the car and do a quick drive by the Capitol. Not the best time of year to visit. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be when the weather is nice and the construction is done. I'll be back in the spring. read more

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It feels like Rice and Mears Parks are mimics of each other on opposite sides of Raspberry Island. They have a similar natural layout with surrounding downtown urban magnitude. read more

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This Is a pretty nice park and area in general. It's near the museum of science. Not all the sculptures are right at this park, but keep walking and you'll find it. read more

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While on temporary assignment in St. Paul, I walk through Rice Park twice a day to get to the office. It's a very nice green oasis in the heart of downtown, between the library, civic center, and St. Paul Hotel. You can enjoy the many benches, statues, Peanuts Gang sculptures, and gorgeous fountain. There is a hot dog vendor near the bus stop if you have a hunger pang. There are the occasional sketchy types and panhandlers lounging on the benches, so be aware. read more

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This park and area made my heart so happy! Chuck Shulz was born and raised in St. Paul, so you get to see statues of The Peanuts around the parks (incredibly nostalgic). The upkeep of the flowers, fountains and grounds are in great shape! Definitely worth the stop! read more

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Great place to relax drink a coffee and in the winter enjoy the holiday lighting.

Lovely, beautiful park. Summer or Winter, it is a pleasant place to enjoy a stroll or to grab a bite to eat from the numerous food trucks that line the street. Potter's Pasties, Man Cave Meats and the Egg Roll Lady are seen there often. Go visit the Landmark Center and enjoy the Schubert Club Museum or catch a show at The Ordway right across the street from Rice Park. The George Latimer Library is on the other side, another great place to visit in this historic area. During the Summer months, they have the water fountain on which looks great against the sculptures and the green foliage. In Autumn, the wonderful colors of the leaves serve as a pretty backdrop to the tall skyscrapers in St. Paul's business district. My favorite season is Winter. During the Winter months they go all out with lights on the trees and Christmas decorations. They have Ice Sculptures too, and an ice-rink for ice-skating right by the Landmark Center. This is truly a wonderful place to enjoy time with family and friends during the Holiday season. The area is not short on places to stay or dine. The St. Paul Hotel is directly across from the Park. There are lots of restaurants nearby too (ranging from affordable to splurge) within walking distance: The St. Paul Grill, Meritage, Pazzaluna, Kincaid's, Great Waters Brewing, Afro Deli and Anita's Cafe which is inside Landmark. The Peanuts cartoon sculptures are too adorable, my daughter is a huge fan and loves to play on them when we visit. One of the oldest parks around, it's definitely a legend! read more

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Rice Park and its surroundings carry so many great memories. It's such an enchanting little park DT St. Paul especially at night.The park is a nice bonus to being in St. Paul. It's charming! Christmas tree lighting, ice rink, white lights, and the Peanuts characters all make this such a lovely spot in the winter time. Can't forget the view of the beautiful good old LandMark Center where my prom was held back in High School. Nice memories, even if my date wasn't the most fondest of memories. read more

When I think of Rice Park, I always picture it in the winter with the lights twinkling, ice sculptures, skating rink... it's like magic. Though it's not quite as bustling, there's a beautiful town square feel to it like a European plaza. It's flanked by some of the most historic buildings in St. Paul (the library, St. Paul Hotel, Ordway and Landmark Center). I'll keep this short, but I urge you to put this park on your wintertime to-do list. :) read more

Rice Park - The Peanuts are here! - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Best park for a romantic winter stroll (omg such a MN thing..) when you're out of a show at the Ordway or leaving the Landmark Center. The trees are all strung with beautiful lights and it's gorgeous. The only thing is the Winter Carnival presentation in the park was a little lacking this year. I don't ask of much but this year there just wasn't much there to stand around and look at while freezing your a&$ off. The ice sculptures were pretty cool but nothing to stand a goggle at for much longer than a minute. The ice bars are kind of a cool concept, no pun intended :). The park is amazing though, it can be bum central by day in the warm months so beware but other than that a total 4 stars for sure!! read more

Rice Park - Inside of Landmark Center across the street from Rice Park, both so prettay! - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Rice park is a hidden gem of a park in many ways: 1) you can enjoy the playful peanuts character sculptures featured throughout the park; 2) you can stroll the park in the evening, hand in hand, with the ones you love after enjoying a dinner downtown; and 3) it comes alive in the winter with light-bedazzled trees and public skating; and 4) It's home to the Ice Palace -- an actual palace sculpted in ice, during the St Paul winter carnival. You can also enjoy the public library, landmark center, St Paul Hotel and Ordway theater. It's a great place to have a picnic lunch in the summer, with good proximity to Chipotle, Erbert & Gerberts, Subway, and many local restaurants. It's also close to the Wednesday, Food Truck Court located at 52 West Kellogg Boulevard in Saint Paul, during the summer. read more

Rice Park - Ice palace in progress for St. Paul's winter carnival. Woot! - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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I have yet to see this place without the blanket of white snow everywhere. But with the harsh, cold wind against your cheek and the crisp January air, it's perfect time to check out the Winter Fest that goes on during this time of year. In checking out the ice sculptures that were carved in one of the coldest times of the year, I am amazed that people could bare the freezing cold to carve some amazing sculptures. I loved the fact that Rice Park is nestled in downtown, yet it seems as if it was strategically tucked away in some corner. It's almost like a secret hiding place; a good place to collect your thoughts or read a book or perhaps enjoy a good cup of joe. Rice Park is surrounded by some great architecture that canvases the sky. For instance, the Landmark Center isn't a far walk at all, and the architecture is very charming as well as other surrounding buildings. It's great that it's very close to some places that I will one day check out (Ordway Center, Xcel Energy, etc.). I'm sure I'll go back during the warmer weather where you can actually walk around a while instead of not being able to feel your fingers and such. read more

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Love the opportunity to reminiscent childhood memories with Snoopy, Charlie and the Peanuts Gang here! read more

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It's beautiful but there's too many low lives hanging around. No one likes bums. They drop it a star down to 4. read more

Rice Park - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Intimate with an old-world charm that one finds in cities across Europe, St. Paul's Rice Park is the heart and savior of an otherwise dull and spiritless downtown. Under the strain of torpid city planners who lack any sense of vision, the park lingers in the unrealized potential of a world-class town square. A number of formidable St. Paul institutions frame the block-shaped Rice Park. Oldest among these is the north facing Landmark Center, a Romanesque Revivalist jewel that houses several Twin Cities arts organizations. The luxurious, crescent shaped St. Paul Hotel faces the park from the southeast, blending well with its Renaissance Revival neighbor, the St. Paul Central Library. Rounding out this quartet of magnificent architecture is the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, the primary stage of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Schubert Club, and a host of Broadway plays. Constructed in respectable scale, this modern, copper-lined and glass-paneled building avoids disrupting the integrity of the surrounding designs. Though adorned with a pleasant fountain at its center and a generous supply of built-in benches, Rice Park is looked at less as a destination than as a pathway for those venturing into or out of the area's attractions (the Science Museum and Xcel Energy Center are also nearby). Its heaviest usage comes during the St. Paul Winter Carnival, when sculptors, in what must be described as a labor of love, brave the cold January air, crafting images and shapes out of ice. Winter is also the season when the trees in the park are laced with an intricate web of lights. At night the scene evokes a kind of Nordic grace that seems inspired by Helsinki, Copenhagen or Oslo, helping us forget about the staid, impersonal modernism that typifies most American cities west of the Mississippi. The stone-lined roads of the park's perimeter are connected to half a dozen arterial streets pulling away from the park, leading outward to the many points of (dis)interest in downtown St. Paul. If you follow the road north of the hotel, you'll find a cozy Caribou Coffee tucked away at an angle, though it really ought to be facing the park directly. My amateur-designer impulse would find room for a book store somewhere along the park, as well as a New York style deli that can create a culture of newspaper stands and late night snacking. Of course, to generate this demand more housing is needed in the vicinity, and St. Paul has exiled much of its residential units to the eastern edge of the downtown, several blocks away. Despite its imperfections (none of the intrinsic), Rice Park possesses the basic tools for St. Paul to be elevated to greatness, offering us glimpses of an urban cosmopolitanism that we all seem to long for. read more

Ok so I came down here to catch Pokemon. There were a lot. But the park was also super cute. Definitely come down here! read more

I love this place in the winter. The christmas tree and ice rink are awesome and usually not overcrowded. Skating is free (along with rentals if you have a wells fargo card) which is inline with the holiday spirit. The rest of the year is pretty good too. The park is well kept and just located in a nice area. read more

Skating at Rice Park is something I had never done before. Considering my girlfriend and I were going to be downtown for the Swarm game that night, seemed like a great afternoon kind of thing to do before hand. It was. It was a great time. The ice will never win any awards for being the best quality of ice. In fact, of all the outdoor rinks I've ever skated on (and that's A LOT of them), this may have been the worst ice. But, you're not there to practice backward cross overs or in tight turns. You're there for two things: 1. People watch/laugh at people who fall (I hate saying it, but, foreigners on ice skates is downright f*cking hysterical). 2. Be all romantic like with your special someone in the cold, under the lights, while you avoid flying by little kids showing off. Parking is a mess, as you'd expect for Rice Park. Hit a ramp up and walk or try and wait to catch someone leaving for a meter nearby the park. There is a warming house with coffee and cocoa as well. So you can get your skates on without freezing your fingers off. Watch the first step getting onto the ice though, it's a doozy with how terrible the ice is and you don't want people to laugh at you right away :D If you want a fun, romantic thing to do - for free even (minus parking) - this is a great winter date idea. Plus, you can always hit up some fantastic dining right around the area. read more

Beautiful park in Downtown St. Paul. I love all the Peanuts characters around town but the ones in rice park are pretty cute too! A gorgeous fountain in the park as well. Perfect for a summer / fall stroll. read more

Cute little park in the middle of downtown Saint Paul. It's gorgeous in the winter time when the lights are up. There's not much off street parking but if you go in the later evenings, you may find yourself a spot. It's also right across from Central Library so day breaks are perfect. read more

Yes, I have to admit it. We visited this park just to see the Peanuts characters. I have been a fan of the Peanuts gang, especially Snoopy since I was a child. And I could never miss the chance to see this guys face to face! We spent over 1/2 hour posing the the statues. It was definitely worth going out of our way to visit. read more

Took a stroll to Chipotle during lunch but saw food trucks at Rice park so we stopped at Rice Park before commiting to Chipotle. Rice Park was already busy with Pokemon hunters but there were 4 food trucks. An eggroll truck, taco truck, Bacon n me (of course I would remember this name for sure, BACON!!!), and another one that i didn't care for. My coworker decided to try the eggroll truck while I walked back to Chipotle. Rice park is such a nice park. Great for relaxing or just people watching. They have many events there and during the winter months, they put an ice rink there. Check out the events for rice park. read more

This park is lovely, spacious, with a beautiful fountain in the middle. My husband and I were married in a very small ceremony here. I could not have asked for a better setting. read more