Parks, beaches and places to go around Minneapolis-St. Paul
This list covers 81 public places in 32 towns around Minneapolis-St. Paul: parks, beaches, boat ramps, trails, dog parks, libraries, pools, museums, farmers markets, rainy-day spots and courts. Every row links to the place's official site and shows the day it was last checked.
Hours and fees change during the year, so they are left off this page. The official site has the current ones.
- Parks
- Beaches
- Boat ramps
- Trails
- Dog parks
- Libraries
- Pools
- Museums
- Farmers markets
- Rainy-day spots
- Courts
All 81 places
Showing 81 of 81
Parks
Park · Afton
Afton State Park
Ravines drop about 300 feet from grassland bluffs to the Saint Croix River across roughly 1,600 acres of park.
Outdoors
- trails
6959 Peller Ave S, Hastings, MN 55033
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary
The sanctuary is a Dakota sacred site known as Wakan Tipi, and the city now co manages it with Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi.
Outdoors
- trails
265 Commercial St, Saint Paul, MN 55106
Official site · Checked
Park · Victoria
Carver Park Reserve
At 3,719 acres it is the second largest reserve in the Three Rivers system and holds the Lowry Nature Center.
Outdoors
- trails
7025 Victoria Dr, Victoria, MN 55386
Official site · Checked
Park · Prior Lake
Cleary Lake Regional Park
The park carries a nine hole golf course, a swimming beach, rustic campsites and an off leash area for dogs.
Outdoors
- trails
- Off-leash area
- Picnic area
18106 Texas Ave, Prior Lake, MN 55372
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Como Regional Park
About 450 acres around Como Lake, holding the lakeside pavilion, an antique carousel, athletic fields and miles of paths.
Outdoors
- trails
- Playground
- Picnic area
1360 Lexington Pkwy N, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Official site · Checked
Park · Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park
About 446 acres along the Mississippi River, with a visitor center open year round beside the Coon Rapids Dam.
Outdoors
- trails
- Fishing
9750 Egret Blvd, Coon Rapids, MN 55433
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Crosby Farm Regional Park
Floodplain forest along the Mississippi, holding Crosby Lake and Upper Lake, and joined to Hidden Falls as the city's largest natural park.
Outdoors
- trails
- Fishing
2595 Crosby Farm Rd, Saint Paul, MN 55116
Official site · Checked
Park · Maple Grove
Elm Creek Park Reserve
This is the largest park in the Three Rivers system, and its swimming pond is chlorinated rather than open lake water.
Outdoors
- swim pond
- trails
12400 James Deane Parkway, Maple Grove, MN 55369
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary
Founded in 1907 inside Theodore Wirth Park, this is the oldest public wildflower garden in the United States.
Outdoors
- trails
1 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55405
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Fort Snelling State Park
Pike Island is where the Minnesota River meets the Mississippi, and park trails reach it across the valley floor.
Outdoors
- trails
101 Snelling Lake Rd, Saint Paul, MN 55111
Official site · Checked
Park · Plymouth
French Regional Park
The park is on the north shore of Medicine Lake with a creative play area, two large picnic shelters and several miles of trails.
Outdoors
- Playground
- trails
- Picnic area
- Picnic shelter
12605 County Road 9, Plymouth, MN 55441
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Harriet Island Regional Park
The riverfront park faces downtown across the Mississippi and holds the pavilion designed by Clarence Wigington.
Outdoors
- trails
200 Dr Justus Ohage Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55107
Official site · Checked
Park · Bloomington
Hyland Hills Ski Area
Three Rivers Park District runs this hill inside Hyland Lake Park Reserve, with a vertical drop of about 175 feet.
Outdoors
8800 Chalet Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438
Official site · Checked
Park · Bloomington
Hyland Lake Park Reserve
The reserve holds Richardson Nature Center, an 18 hole disc golf course and the play area known as Chutes and Ladders.
Outdoors
- Playground
- trails
10145 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington, MN 55438
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Indian Mounds Regional Park
Six burial mounds overlook the Mississippi from this bluff, and the city now carries the park under its Dakota name.
Outdoors
- trails
10 Mounds Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55106
Official site · Checked
Park · Lake Elmo
Lake Elmo Park Reserve
The 2,165 acre reserve holds a sand bottom chlorinated swim pond and is where Keats Avenue meets 10th Street North.
Outdoors
- swim pond
- trails
1515 Keats Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Lake Hiawatha Park
The park runs about 241 acres, of which roughly 140 are the Hiawatha golf course and 55 are open water.
Outdoors
- Playground
2701 E 44th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Official site · Checked
Park · Monticello
Lake Maria State Park
The park holds one of the last stands of the Big Woods, a maple, oak and basswood forest, on glacial hills west of Monticello.
Outdoors
- trails
11411 Clementa Ave NW, Monticello, MN 55362
Official site · Checked
Park · Chanhassen
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park
The 340 acre county park west of Chanhassen holds a swimming beach, a bathhouse and nonmotorized boat launches.
Outdoors
- Playground
- trails
- Picnic area
6900 Hazeltine Blvd, Chanhassen, MN 55331
Official site · Checked
Park · Waconia
Lake Waconia Regional Park
Carver County runs the park east of downtown Waconia, with a small swimming beach, a picnic shelter and a volleyball court.
Outdoors
- Picnic area
- Grills
- Playground
8170 Paradise Lane, Waconia, MN 55387
Official site · Checked
Park · Eagan
Lebanon Hills Regional Park
Almost 2,000 acres of lakes and trails, with a visitor center on the eastern side of the park that rents equipment.
Outdoors
- trails
- Fishing
860 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN 55123
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Loring Park
Just under 34 acres on the southwest corner of downtown, and the largest park in the Loring Park neighborhood.
Outdoors
- trails
1382 Willow St, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
The eleven acre garden beside the Walker Art Center is free to walk and holds the Spoonbridge and Cherry fountain.
Outdoors · Free
725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Minnehaha Regional Park
The park covers about 170 acres along Minnehaha Creek where it drops toward the Mississippi River gorge.
Outdoors
4801 S Minnehaha Dr, Minneapolis, MN 55417
Official site · Checked
Park · Chaska
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
The University of Minnesota runs 1,200 acres of gardens and plant collections here, open every day but Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Outdoors · Fee
- trails
3675 Arboretum Dr, Chaska, MN 55318
Official site · Checked
Park · Bloomington
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Bloomington visitor center holds exhibits, an art gallery and a bird feeding station, with trails dropping into the river valley below.
Outdoors
- trails
3815 American Blvd E, Bloomington, MN 55425
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Mississippi Gorge Regional Park
The only true gorge on the Mississippi runs through here, with the Winchell Trail and river parkways along both bluffs.
Outdoors
- trails
- Paved path
3349 W River Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Official site · Checked
Park · Savage
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
Glacial ridges make the mountain bike and ski trails here among the more technically demanding in the metro.
Outdoors
- trails
15501 Murphy Lake Rd, Savage, MN 55378
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Powderhorn Park
About 66 acres around an 11 acre lake, with playing fields, playgrounds and a recreation center running community classes.
Outdoors
- Playground
- trails
3400 15th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Official site · Checked
Park · Lino Lakes
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve
Seven connected lakes feed a 22 mile canoe route to the Mississippi, and the reserve holds Wargo Nature Center and a campground.
Outdoors
- trails
- Kayak launch
7373 Main St, Lino Lakes, MN 55038
Official site · Checked
Park · Zimmerman
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
The Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive runs through the refuge and is reached from County Road 9 and then County Road 5.
Outdoors
- trails
17076 293rd Ave NW, Zimmerman, MN 55398
Official site · Checked
Park · Hastings
Spring Lake Park Reserve
Schaar's Bluff stands high above the Mississippi here, with a trailhead, a picnic area and a gathering center on the overlook.
Outdoors
- trails
- Picnic area
8395 127th St E, Hastings, MN 55033
Official site · Checked
Park · Saint Paul
Swede Hollow Park
A 25 acre ravine about 150 feet deep, where a working neighborhood stood from the 1850s until 1956.
Outdoors
- trails
615 Fountain Pl, Saint Paul, MN 55106
Official site · Checked
Park · Minneapolis
Theodore Wirth Regional Park
At about 759 acres it is the largest park in the Minneapolis system, and a floating boardwalk crosses its five acre quaking bog.
Outdoors
- trails
1339 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Official site · Checked
Park · St. Louis Park
Westwood Hills Nature Center
A 160 acre natural area of marsh, woods and restored prairie, with an interpretive center built to a zero energy standard.
Outdoors
- trails
8300 W Franklin Ave, St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Official site · Checked
Park · Center City
Wild River State Park
The park protects 18 miles of shoreline along the Saint Croix, a national wild and scenic river, across about 6,574 acres.
Outdoors
- trails
39797 Park Trail, Center City, MN 55012
Official site · Checked
Park · Marine on St. Croix
William O'Brien State Park
The 1,520 acre park runs along the Saint Croix River about two miles north of Marine on Saint Croix.
Outdoors
- trails
16821 O'Brien Trail N, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047
Official site · Checked
Beaches
Beach · Lakeville
Antlers Park
The remodeled park on the east shore of Lake Marion holds a swimming beach, sand volleyball courts and a fishing pier.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic area
- Fishing
20141 Ipava Ave, Lakeville, MN 55044
Official site · Checked
Beach · Minneapolis
Bde Maka Ska 32nd Street Beach
One of three swimming beaches on Bde Maka Ska, this one on the east shore at 32nd Street.
Outdoors
3200 E Calhoun Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Official site · Checked
Beach · Bloomington
Bush Lake Beach
The beach has drawn swimmers since 1956 and now takes more than 100,000 visits a year from East Bush Lake Park.
Outdoors
9140 E Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438
Official site · Checked
Beach · Minneapolis
Cedar Lake East Beach
Known locally as Hidden Beach, this one is on the east side of Cedar Lake, about 169 acres of water.
Outdoors
2000 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
Official site · Checked
Beach · Minneapolis
Lake Harriet North Beach
One of two swimming beaches on a 335 acre lake, near the bandshell at the north end and about three miles of shoreline path.
Outdoors
4180 E Lake Harriet Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Official site · Checked
Beach · Minneapolis
Lake Nokomis Main Beach
Lifeguards work the Main Beach daily through the beach season, and it is the largest of the swimming beaches on Lake Nokomis.
Outdoors
- Lifeguard (seasonal)
4955 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55417
Official site · Checked
Beach · Saint Paul
Phalen Regional Park Beach
The beach is on Lake Phalen, where a self serve kiosk rents kayaks and paddleboards during the swimming season.
Outdoors
- Kayak launch
1400 Phalen Dr, Saint Paul, MN 55106
Official site · Checked
Beach · Stillwater
Square Lake Park
The Metropolitan Council lists the lake as a special recreation feature for water clarity, and the park has a scuba entry area.
Outdoors
- Fishing
15450 Square Lake Trail Ct N, Stillwater, MN 55082
Official site · Checked
Beach · White Bear Lake
White Bear Lake County Park
The county park on one of the metro's largest lakes has a swimming beach, a boat launch and a playground.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic area
- Boat launch
5050 Lake Ave, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Official site · Checked
Boat ramps
Boat ramp · Lakeville
Casperson Park Boat Launch
This is the public launch onto Lake Marion, the largest lake in Lakeville, with a bike trail running past the park.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Parking
19720 Juno Trail, Lakeville, MN 55044
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Saint Paul
Hidden Falls Regional Park
The public launch here reaches the Mississippi just below Lock and Dam 1, in a 174 acre park named for its spring fed falls.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Picnic area
- Grills
1313 Hidden Falls Dr, Saint Paul, MN 55116
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Monticello
Montissippi County Park
The county park on the Mississippi west of Monticello holds a boat launch, a disc golf course and hiking trails.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- trails
2801 Broadway W, Monticello, MN 55362
Official site · Checked
Trails
Trail · Stillwater
Brown's Creek State Trail
The paved trail runs 5.9 miles from downtown Stillwater to the Gateway State Trail in Grant.
Outdoors
- Paved path
442 Laurel St E, Stillwater, MN 55082
Official site · Checked
Trail · Brooklyn Park
Rush Creek Regional Trail
The paved trail runs 9.64 miles from the Coon Rapids Dam in Brooklyn Park to Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove.
Outdoors
- Paved path
9750 Egret Blvd, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
Official site · Checked
Dog parks
Dog park · Burnsville
Alimagnet Dog Park
The city of Burnsville runs about seven fenced acres here, with a double gated entry, a pond and a wood mulch path.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Picnic area
1200 Alimagnet Pkwy, Burnsville, MN 55337
Official site · Checked
Libraries
Library · Saint Paul
George Latimer Central Library
Saint Paul's central library was built between 1914 and 1917 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Indoors · Free
90 W 4th St, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Library · Minneapolis
Minneapolis Central Library
The largest Hennepin County library opened in 2006 in a 353,000 square foot building designed by Cesar Pelli.
Indoors · Free
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Official site · Checked
Library · Roseville
Ramsey County Library in Roseville
The Roseville branch reopened after a rebuild with twice the space and three times the computers of the old building.
Indoors · Free
2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113
Official site · Checked
Library · Minnetonka
Ridgedale Library
Open since 1982, this branch also holds the headquarters of the Hennepin County Library system.
Indoors · Free
12601 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
Official site · Checked
Pools
Pool · Coon Rapids
Bunker Beach Water Park
Anoka County runs this wave pool inside Bunker Hills Regional Park, and it was the first wave pool built in Minnesota.
Outdoors · Fee
701 County Parkway A, Coon Rapids, MN 55433
Official site · Checked
Pool · Eagan
Cascade Bay Water Park
The city of Eagan runs this outdoor water park beside the Eagan Community Center, with two swim sessions each summer day.
Outdoors · Fee
1360 Civic Center Dr, Eagan, MN 55122
Official site · Checked
Museums
Museum · Saint Paul
Alexander Ramsey House
The 1872 home of Minnesota's first territorial governor still holds more than 14,000 original family objects and furnishings.
Indoors · Fee
265 Exchange St S, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
American Swedish Institute
The museum pairs the Turnblad Mansion, finished in 1908, with the Nelson Cultural Center next door, finished in 2012.
Indoors · Fee
2600 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Bell Museum
The University of Minnesota runs this natural history museum on its Saint Paul campus, with a digital planetarium inside.
Indoors · Fee
2088 Larpenteur Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55113
Official site · Checked
Museum · Falcon Heights
Gibbs Farm
The site pairs the original farmhouse, barn and school with a replica sod house, bark lodge and tipi.
Outdoors · Fee
2097 Larpenteur Ave W, Falcon Heights, MN 55113
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
Hennepin History Museum
The county history museum works out of the 1919 Christian Mansion in the Washburn Fair Oaks district of Whittier.
Indoors · Fee
2303 Third Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Historic Fort Snelling
The Plank Museum and Visitor Center opened in 2021 inside a rehabilitated 1904 cavalry barracks on the fort grounds.
Indoors · Fee
200 Tower Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55111
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
James J. Hill House
The railroad builder's 1891 mansion on Summit Avenue holds 36,000 square feet of living space and is a National Historic Landmark.
Indoors · Fee
240 Summit Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
Mill City Museum
The museum is built inside the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, once the largest flour mill in the world.
Indoors · Fee
704 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
Minneapolis Institute of Art
General admission is free, and the collection runs past 90,000 works covering some 5,000 years of world history.
Indoors · Free
2400 Third Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Minnesota History Center
The building is the headquarters of the Minnesota Historical Society and stands between the Mississippi River and the State Capitol.
Indoors · Fee
345 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Minnesota Transportation Museum
The Jackson Street Roundhouse was built in 1907 to service passenger locomotives and is one of the last working roundhouses in the country.
Indoors · Fee
193 Pennsylvania Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55130
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Science Museum of Minnesota
The museum is on the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul and runs an Omnitheater alongside its exhibit halls.
Indoors · Fee
120 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
The Bakken Museum
The museum is in the West Winds mansion on the shore of Bde Maka Ska and opened in 1975 under Earl Bakken of Medtronic.
Indoors · Fee
3537 Zenith Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Official site · Checked
Museum · Shakopee
The Landing, Minnesota River Heritage Park
A living history village along the Minnesota River, interpreting valley life from the 1840s through the 1890s.
Outdoors
- trails
2187 E Highway 101, Shakopee, MN 55379
Official site · Checked
Museum · Saint Paul
Twin City Model Railroad Museum
The museum left Bandana Square in 2016 and now runs 12,000 square feet of operating model railroads plus a large Lego display.
Indoors · Fee
668 Transfer Rd, Saint Paul, MN 55114
Official site · Checked
Museum · Minneapolis
Weisman Art Museum
Frank Gehry designed the stainless steel building above the Mississippi on the university campus, and gallery admission is free.
Indoors · Free
333 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Official site · Checked
Farmers markets
Farmers market · Minneapolis
Mill City Farmers Market
The market runs beside Mill City Museum on Saturdays, moving indoors on the first and third Saturdays through the cold months.
Outdoors
704 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spots
Rainy-day spot · Saint Paul
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
The city of Saint Paul runs the zoo and conservatory, charges no admission and asks for a voluntary donation at the door.
Indoors · Free
1225 Estabrook Dr, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Saint Paul
Landmark Center
The 1902 building on Rice Park served as the federal courthouse and post office and now runs as an arts center.
Indoors
75 W 5th St, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Bloomington
Mall of America
Nickelodeon Universe fills about seven acres of the center court and is the largest indoor theme park in the country.
Indoors
60 E Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Blaine
National Sports Center
The 600 acre amateur sports campus holds an eight sheet ice arena, a stadium and more than 50 full sized outdoor fields.
Indoors
1700 105th Ave NE, Blaine, MN 55449
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Roseville
Roseville Skating Center
The center pairs an indoor arena with the John Rose Oval, the largest sheet of refrigerated outdoor ice in North America.
Indoors
2661 Civic Center Dr, Roseville, MN 55113
Official site · Checked
Courts
Courts · Minneapolis
Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center
Eleven indoor courts run by InnerCity Tennis, with a court view lounge, lockers and racket stringing at the pro shop.
Indoors
- Showers
4005 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Official site · Checked
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This directory was last checked as a whole on September 21, 2026.
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Jeff Moran, NMLS #483943, licensed to originate in Minnesota through C2 Financial Corporation.