The best community pool I've ever been to! It feels more like a water park. Super clean, friendly,…read moreand the water slides are epic. It's $15 per person to enter if you're a visitor. The snack shack is super reasonable and they even have a big sand pit area.

Stopped by to say at the Po. It was our first time. The staff was great. We lasted 3 hours. The…read moresand/water park was a huge hit when the kids needed a break. Will come back!

I brought my kids here for their "turf tot" hours and they LOVED it. In the winter, a few days per…read moreweek, the Hopkins Pavilion covers the rink in grass and then puts out kids "attractions" like bounce houses, tricycles, and items to climb on. It only costs $5 per child to get in, and my kids played for a solid 2 hours. When it's cold out, this is a great spot for young kids to run around, and it's awesome that they open at 8am. If you are looking for a reasonably priced kids indoor play area that wont break the bank, this is a fantastic option!

The best part about this arena is there are really good heaters in the stands for the fans and it…read moreusually feels crowded because it's not too big. Things generally run on time here and the tournaments that I've been here for went off very smoothly.

FIRST! WAHOO! Dear…read moreSoccer Blast, First, I'm mad at you. Where the F were you in the mid 80's when I was hauling my ass to the NSC in Blaine for ODP practice every freaking weekend? You are literally situated less than a mile from my childhood home, which makes this like some cruel joke. That said, you're the best indoor soccer facility in the Twin Cities (and I've played at them all). You give folks the opportunity to play indoor or outdoor, single sex or co-ed and on various levels from beginner to competitive. Your refs (especially Forrester and TJ) are the kind of caliber you don't typically get in rec leagues, which is as valuable as the convenient location and above-average facility, in my opinion. If you like old-school boards, they've got 2 of those. Gone is the Astroturf of yesterday. You can even play in your regular cleats on this pitch. Same goes for the indoor/outdoor field (domed from October-May). You'll never play on regular grass again. As loyal Burnsville-ite (Burnsvillian?) you give people a reason besides Buck Hill to come south of the river. Go Beaver Fever! Love, Holly

Anything that gives people an outlet to stay active in the deep cold winter in Minnesota deserves…read morefive stars in my book. I have been to Soccer Blast more times than I can count as my daughter has played soccer in Minnesota from the time she was six years old--she is 23 and still plays...so I have spent many an hour on the bleachers at Soccer Blast during the winter on Saturdays and Sundays...I am thankful that places like this exist and indoor soccer is a whole different game than full field outdoor but it really gives kids a chance to work on foot skills and passing..

Absolutely awful experience. They clearly oversold tickets so there is no where to sit to watch…read morepractice. I got yelled at by security for standing too long looking for an open spot. We brought our kids, they had purchased children's tickets. They ran out of autograph vouchers and told my son that he is out of luck. How could they possibly not have enough vouchers for all the children's tickets they sold?

Say it with me: SKOL! Fancy new digs for the Vikes…read moreSuper Bowl this year! Drove up today (Sunday) around noon and the parking lot was almost entirely deserted. Was thinking they must be closed. First set of doors that I tried were locked, but then I went around back to the gift shop entrance and was able to get in. I did not get a chance to see much of the practice field as they did have that closed off today. The museum is twenty bucks to get into. Was hemming and hawing about whether I wanted to pay that to get in. Paid it, and glad I did. Tons of interesting memorabilia and very cool interactive exhibits, including a virtual reality one. I never set foot on Winter Park where the Vikings used to do their training camp,but I have to believe this is a huge upgrade.

The University of Minnesota Recreation Center offers everything students and faculty could possibly…read moreneed. This was my first visit for the purpose of volunteering at USA Swimming Junior National Championship. Parking can be a challenge for visitors. There is a nearby parking garage and very limited surface spaces. The area around the pool was clean. The building although dated to possibly the 70's is in great condition. The majority of the facility is the competition pool used by the University of Minnesota Swim team. The facility is nicely maintained. However, faculty and students can use the pool. The Olympic size competition pool is 50 meters with movable bulkhead, platform diving and well. The aquatic complex consist of approximately 145,000 gallons of swimming capability. The Long Course pool has eight lanes for competition.. The spectator area is expansive and spans the entire length of both sides of the pool and well. The public locker room area is large and pretty clean. There were two malfunctioning items. Great facility and hope to return for another event in the near future.

Honestly as good as it gets. Literally the best recreational…read morecenter I've seen in my life, I wouldn't even call it a gym because that would be history's biggest understatement. I would go as far to say that their services are better than Sydney's Olympic Park Aquatic Center. The Rec has honestly changed my life for the better. In my experience, the machines have always been clean and plenty to go around for everyone to work on any muscle or work on cardio. It can get a bit crowded at peak times; there's always space for everyone, even if you gotta wait a bit for a specific machine.

The University of Minnesota Recreation Center offers everything students and faculty could possibly…read moreneed. This was my first visit for the purpose of volunteering at USA Swimming Junior National Championship. Parking can be a challenge for visitors. There is a nearby parking garage and very limited surface spaces. The area around the pool was clean. The building although dated to possibly the 70's is in great condition. The majority of the facility is the competition pool used by the University of Minnesota Swim team. The facility is nicely maintained. However, faculty and students can use the pool. The Olympic size competition pool is 50 meters with movable bulkhead, platform diving and well. The aquatic complex consist of approximately 145,000 gallons of swimming capability. The Long Course pool has eight lanes for competition.. The spectator area is expansive and spans the entire length of both sides of the pool and well. The public locker room area is large and pretty clean. There were two malfunctioning items. Great facility and hope to return for another event in the near future.

All I wanted to do was get some help, instead, I was being condescended to, given really foul…read moreattitude, and made to feel a burden, all by the building manager who is supposed to address issues patrons has. This is a great center, until it's not. I go almost every single day. I've only ever had an issue twice. The problem is that they have almost no one to address issues. it could be as simple as asking patrons to follow the policy. member services apparently isn't allowed to do this. So, by the time a manager comes, the patrons violating the policy have caught on that you're complaining, and they run away. Then you're told, well they're gone now so....and if you don't accept their answer to basically deal with policy violations and move then why have the policy in the first place. You're even told to ignore those who were giving you a hard time and not following the rules and told "you could just go to another machine" I guess that's true if that wasn't my last one. I was then told, "well there's one other one on the third floor." Suddenly, it became a discussion of buts and should haves and not addressing my concern at all. It's so exhausting as a patron to be put down when I literally just wanted to use a machine when they were basically not using it and reserving it as a group. Only after it was escalated to higher up individuals (beyond - to reiterate - beyond the basic building manager - was my issue at least somewhat addressed. Again, almost always there is no issue, but when there is you won't get much help. I was berated, had eyes rolled at me, and other odd responses. What did they want me to do, escalate the situation with the patrons not allowing me to use an open machine? The reason I'm giving it one star is that this lack of basic support could be a safety issue at some point and demonstrates a weak infrastructure to enforce their own rules.

This is a really nice sports complex! Golf, soccer, lax, baseball! It has it all!…read more The bleachers at the baseball fields are really nice with some umbrellas in between for shade or light rain protection. The grass and infield are well taken care of. It's a little tricky to find it...driving through the park and ride lot to find the road to the older kid's baseball field. There's only portable bathrooms. Since it takes forever to get anywhere else since this complex is nestled between historic Fort Snelling and the airport. You could take the light rail to the Fort Snelling stop but you'd have to walk 3-4 blocks to get to the ballfields. The old buildings from the fort are quite photogenic and fun to take pictures of until the game starts. You can hear the roar of the crowd, the roar of interstate traffic, and the roar of the planes overhead! Still a really nice complex to meet all of your sporting needs super close to the cities.

[Note: this facility is multi-purposed. My review is about the fitness amenities (gym, locker…read morerooms, fitness room). There are also conference rooms, an auditorium and other event spaces here that I won't be discussing.] The City of Saint Paul owns and operates several recreation centers. I was looking for an indoor walking/running track and a fitness room and came across the "Saint Paul Getting Fit" program, through which I can buy a membership to use any of the facilities for--get this--$30 *annually* (http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=2940). Not per month, per year. So with the cold weather on its way, I went to my nearest recreation center, the Wellstone Center (also known as El Rio Vista Rec Center) and bought a membership. The lady at the front desk was very nice and helpful. There was open gym going on for volleyball and basketball, as well as a big festival in the auditorium. She was handing out passes, taking gym fees, and helping me sign up for my membership, without so much as blinking. Do not hesitate to call the front desk line if you have questions, she will help you out. (Tangent: when I first heard about the Getting Fit program, I called the main St Paul Park & Rec office. The person I talked to didn't give me any information, and couldn't even tell me which Rec Centers had walking tracks. Very underwhelmed). The locker rooms are on the lower level. Small, but fine for my needs. It's BYO-Lock, and they do have small and larger lockers. There are also two shower stalls in the ladies locker room, for your reference. The fitness room is also on the lower level, and is fairly small. There were three ellipticals, two treadmills, a multi-function weight machine, two sets of free weights, two bars for bench press (one standard, one was a really cool self-spotting machine), and a couple other pieces of miscellaneous strength-training equipment. The treadmills are really nice--newer, with good options for programmed and manual work outs. As a cooldown, I went upstairs to use the walking track. Myself and the SO were the only ones using it on a Sunday afternoon. The track is smallish (11.5 laps = 1mile) and is probably only about 6 feet wide, but it does the trick. It's suspended over the gymnasiums, so I had a good time watching the local teens playing volleyball and basketball. Overall, I was very impressed with this facility for the price I paid to use it. Their fitness amenities don't have a ton of capacity, but there also aren't many people using it (There were 2 other people in the fitness room, and no one on the walking track). The facility is clean and well-maintained. The staff is friendly and helpful. And it's, overall, a fantastic amenity for the West Side community.

The Wellstone Center is a multi-use facility. My review is primarily for event rental…read more I love the Wellstone Center. I have attended a few different training events here. I find that they offer a variety of rooms and room sizes for rent, and they appear to set their prices at a reasonable rate. They offer assistance with setting up and with the A/V equipment as well. The location is easy to find and the parking is good, too. As far as other uses for the center, I understand they have really great fitness amenities and the membership here is very affordable.