Love walking around this lake. Cool beach fronts and nice open fields with playgrounds.read more

Lovely little sandy beach with lifeguards, bouyed water boundaries, and semi-private shower and…read morechanging areas. Closest to a California beach experience I've found in the Twin Cities thus far.

In the dead of winter, the art shanties are a fun activity at Lake Harriet. Always new and…read moresurprising shanties that come from the creative minds of the artists. You can dance, dress up and sing, learn about what lives below the ice, be a cat, cast a spell with Taylor Swift lyrics, and help aliens understand humans. This event epitomizes how Minnesotans don't let freezing temps keep them from enjoying the lake and expressing their creativity.

Minnesotans really know how to throw events no matter rain, shine, or winter. Reflecting on this…read morepast winter reminded me of the surreal experience of standing on top of this frozen lake having moved from a two season state. If you've never been when it's frozen over I would highly recommend coming during their kite festival which also happens during the art shanty exhibits. If you show up to the kite festival on a whim, no worries, the park will have kites for sale. I would highly encourage coming with footwear that has good traction or added cat tracks to get secure grip on the ice.

Need a quick but close-by getaway and one with lots of wildlife? I highly recommend this one,…read moreespecially with the little humans as the trail is super easy but still is dirt so feels more like in nature. The highlight was going on the bridge and seeing swans, ducks, turtles, & egrets! Not too busy right now with the center under reconstruction. Just park on the street and walk in.

Lovely trail to walk this fall. Very popular so very busy…read more If you don't want crowds during these covid times probably not the best location. So popular that parking can be an issue. They have a long lot and thankfully someone else was leaving when I arrived so I could park in the lot to meet my friend for our outdoor walk and talk. Nice variety of nature- woods, lake, etc. Clear marked trail and nice spot during a less busy time.

Great park with really nice scenic walking routes. Great little bridge to over the water. Very…read moreclean and lots of parking. Definitely a beautiful spot to visit.

A fantastic little 1.1mi loop around a lake in Eagan. This park also features an impressively sized…read moregazebo with picnic tables, fire pit, restrooms (seasonal), grills, trash/recycling, and even concrete cornhole. There is a children's playground as well with a wide variety of features like swings, climbing walls/ropes, diggers, slides, spinners, and more-- you and/or your kiddos are gonna have lots of fun here. The playground is on gravel. There's also a volleyball court with sand, and lots of open grassy space to kick or throw about a ball. Seriously excellent amenities. The trail has inconsistent surfaces-- some of it is paved, other parts are dirt and gravel. Just something to be aware of (it wouldn't work well for skateboarding or rollerblading, for example). There are a couple docks you can fish off of or just sight-see from. A wooden bridge across the lake makes for excellent photographs. There is also a boat ramp (walk to, not drive to). The parking lot is pretty large with many spaces.

I have such a nice time at this park. I go here to study. To relax. To take in the scenery…read more It is a bit crowded but that's because it's such a nice environment. I enjoy finding quiet nooks at the park

Love this place!!! There seems like so much to do in the summer and winter. Today we had some time…read moreto kill exploring Minnesota more and thought the paddle boats would be fun. Normally I can't get on a Pb due to weight limits but the duck/swan hold 1400 pds or so. They are easy to drive and it's a nice scenery. If you are hot and want to get wet you can go under the fountain (which we did!) the workers were super friendly!

There are sand volleyball courts just a tiny walk away and people gather there to just play. It's…read moreamazing and the people there are super kind and inclusive. (I would know I'm always the youngest there by like 10 yrs) It is my favorite place and playing makes me indescribably happy. It's amazing the most popular time is about 6-9 bc it's getting colder and more people come. We go everyday now (when we can) It's amazing please try it out if you are interested or just like V-Ball

I go here on a regular basis. It is and always will be one of my favorite late walks in the Twin…read moreCities. About 3.12 miles around and you get a little bit of everything. There is nothing like it in the summer.. there is a spot where you can rent a kayak if you want (which I do fairly often on a hot day) and you can pull it up to a beach and take a dip. Just so lovely. The walk is also great and it gives you a bit of everything. Gorgeous lake, some wood scenery, on a main road as well if you want to stop off and grab food or a coffee. There are a few parking lots where you can pay for parking but there is also a lot of free street parking which is typically what I do. Just all in all a lovely walk everytime.

Just so you know this park is in Bloomington, not Minneapolis, the search maps pull by a zip code…read moreoffice. I've put in a request for Yelp to update. This is a nice park, not outstanding, just nice. In the summer there is swimming and a large central building. A few picnic tables and short hiking paths that connect to larger trails. There is a guard station that on occasion charges admission to the park, otherwise there are two parking lots to handle events.

If I had to choose one of the parks on this road, it would be the one the street is named after,…read moreand for good reason. The panoramics along the lake are postcard worthy. There is an honest to goodness Beach here, and I barely even explored what looked like a dense wooded trail network.

The refuge is a great place to explore nature. There are many trails to hike both short and long…read more The Visitor's Center has a wonderful display and activities. There is also a viewing area where there are bird feeders. A favorite is the turkeys that stop by! The staff here are helful and friendly. They also plan community events that are always fun and educational.

Hooray, I finally came here when the visitor center was open! I've been a couple of times in the…read morepast just to do some hiking on the trails, but I'd never gotten to see the inside as the hours are somewhat narrow being just Wednesday through Sunday. It looked really grandiose from the outside, so I'm unsurprised the inside was quite modern and comfortable. It's comprised of many available seating areas where you can sit and relax (I especially recommend the seating facing the bird feeders, though there's also a cozy fireplace), or simply wander and explore the exhibits they have up with information on them about the history of the refuge, the work its done and is doing, and the animals that inhabit it. This is important work! I'm so glad they're doing it. Unsurprisingly there is a gift shop with expected trinkets such as stickers, pins, patches, plushies, postcards, jewelry, hankerchiefs, and lots of books. So if you'd like to support the refuge and get a little something for yourself, that's a great way to do it. There is additionally an art gallery with revolving local Minnesota artists that take inspiration from nature, an auditorium playing a looped track, and plenty of space for kids to play (including corn hole and giant puzzles). There is a conference room (downstairs) and a community room (upstairs), and considerable office space (not open to the public, obviously). Two water bottle refill stations. Clean bathrooms (separated by gender, but there's also a bonus unisex, accessible one). These folks do LOTS of events throughout the year, most of them completely free to attend (some require RSVP, others don't), so I recommend keeping an eye out for something that interests you. Plenty of free parking is available on site. There are picnic tables around the visitor center, as well as an outlook with binoculars. If you go down along the left side the visitor center, it will take you to the trails if you're here to do some hiking. :)

This lovely park has extensive walking/jogging trails through the lake, marsh and woodlands, plus…read morehigh quality children's play areas, a full water park ( closed for the winter in late August), tennis and pickleball, and fishing docks. I enjoyed an early morning walk along the lake front and marshland with nice late summer flowers and great bird watching.

It was a cute park, more run down than the other parks we visited in the area. It does have a lot…read moreto do and is safe for toddlers and bigger kids!

It was my first time in the city, and I had some downtime to visit some nature-y spots. Lyndale…read morePark was one of my favorites! I did enjoy the Peace Garden side more than the Rose Garden side (the roses were not in bloom at the time I traveled there), but they still had other beautiful plants and flowers there. This was such a good place to ground down and be one with nature. There are porto potties, paid parking (not expensive), and even a bird sanctuary trail.

This is truly one of the most beautiful spots in the metro area. During high season - mid to late…read moresummer - the rose garden is so lush and spectacular. It is so peaceful. I always bring my out of town guests here and they are in awe. it's also a perfect spot for date night for a walk before or after dinner. Love sitting by the fountain or setting up a picnic under the trees in the park on the hill on a sunny afternoon.