Firemans Park

4.1 mi

This is a small park situated in downtown Shakopee along highway 101. It connects with the State…read moreTrail along the Mississippi River. There is a little outdoor amphitheater in the center with ample seating where they currently do movie nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Bathrooms are well-lit and clean. There is a water fountain to refill your water bottle as well as a soda pop vending machine. A large picnic area has a roof covering over it. A goodly-sized playground for kids to enjoy is made of wood with physical challenge elements like monkey bars, climbing wall, and balance ropes, as well as lots of swings. It is very charming. The ground consists of old crumbled up rubber tire bits so your kids won't hurt themselves if they fall. There is a parking lot directly beside the playground.

Overlooking the playground and swing set.

Connects to the State Trail.

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Green grass and paved trail.

Lake Ann Park

4.8

(10 reviews)

5.8 mi

Great place. Nice pic nic, great concerts, very clean. Will be back to rent a paddle boat.read more

Since retirement, my wife and I would bring our young grandchildren here for a stroll every…read moremorning. Very peaceful here and I truly enjoy the scenery. The kids love the playground here.

Cool critters to climb through. Soft ground surface too.

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Lake Ann lily pad flora. the water is so clean and clear you can look down 15 feet and see fish and aquatic plantlife.

Nesbitt Park

10.0 mi

Fantastic park that's a bit hidden which makes it less busy. Large playground area, many benches…read morefor picnics, walking/biking trail and baseball fields. Lots of parking too. We are glad that we found this park that is close to us!

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Pheasant Ridge Park

10.6 mi

This is one of our favorite Waconia parks! The road closure bypass is how I found it in the first…read moreplace. Excellent play structure for all ages, picnic table for snacks, trash can for snack wrappers, large grass area with plenty of shade and a walking path. The neighbors all seem to have their dogs contained so no worries about aggressive strays.

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Lions Park

4.8

(4 reviews)

3.2 mi

Very nice park. Variety of entertainment for kids, as an adult love the musical parts of it...read more

Looked like an open course but the placement of baskets makes this a very fun course to play. Good…read morejob on layout of course! Several long with great technical shots.

The playground

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Round Lake Park Shelter

4.3

(8 reviews)

7.8 mi

Fun way to spend the day! The beach area was currently closed 06/02/2026 but the splash pad and…read morepark were so much fun we did not miss going into the beach area to swim! Plenty of seating and grass areas to sit and have lunch and play all day!

Shhh! Dont go here!…read more You should totally go here. I've been going here for years, including before and during the times of Covid. The swimming beach is rarely crowded. The life guards are legit, like you want them to be. The water is big enough for little kid play and big kid or adult swimming. There's a splash pad! There's a fishing pier! There's a shady place with tables to eat! There are decent bathrooms! And it's free, like parks should be.

Play area rules/ breakdown

Splash pad

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Older kids play park

Friendship Park

2.2 mi

Great park and playground off Hundertmark Road with easy parking and good playground equipment…read more Good spot to play with dog and connected to many walking and biking trails. Enjoy!

Gale Woods Farm

4.5

(10 reviews)

10.8 mi

We went here during the Saturday morning program. It's $6 per person over 2 years old. We…read moreabsolutely loved it. My son didn't want to leave. There isn't a huge variety of animals but it's so interactive that it doesn't matter. Play with chickens, pet a cow, walk with sheep. It was lovely and we will definitely be back. Plenty of parking. Wasn't crowded when we went. You will have to walk quite a bit and getting around with a stroller is challenging so be aware of that.

Such a fun experience! I loved watching my 3 year old explore the farm & all the animals. They have…read morecows, chickens, cats, dogs, sheep and more! You get to even go in the pasture & coop to pet the animals. This place is for all ages-including adults! They also have a garden that kids can go in and learn & water them. The workers are mostly volunteers & they are so friendly & helpful. Highly recommended taking a family trip here. They also have a nice inside space that has a store and nice bathrooms, including family rooms, for visitors to use.

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Staring Lake Park

4.6

(5 reviews)

7.6 mi

The city revamped this beautiful park two years ago and it is one of the favorite destinations in…read moreEden Prairie. The Amphitheater seating is reflected in a smaller seating area surrounding a smaller, more flexible space for concerts and kid-friendly productions as well as private parties. The enormous playground is multi-level and has play structures for everyone from toddlers to teens. Today a group of tweens was climbing the web structure, laughing and playing and challenging each other to get to the top. The different playground levels are all accessible by slides and steps and ramps and the wood chip base is interspersed with flexible, bouncy "miracle turf," the springy rubber paths perfect for differently-abled children. There is a large swing with safety straps, spinners, acoustic drums, bells, and a rolling rain maker - thousands of BBs encased in plexiglass that shower endlessly with the turn of a wheel. My grandson calls this the Big Playground and spent well over an hour running and shrieking and playing on this gorgeous spring day. There are plentiful picnic tables, actual restrooms in the park building, lots of parking, and easy access to the trails to walk around Staring Lake. (Tip: it's pronounced "Starring," something residents know but newcomers may not. Don't ask me, I said "Staring" for years after moving here ...) Bring a snack or bring lunch and relax while your kids burn off all that energy!

Park and trails are lovely. Unfortunately the fishing pier is surrounded by lily pads, rendering it…read moreimpossible to fish from. My son was very disappointed.

Staring Sunrise

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Trail map

Lake Ann Park

4.8

(10 reviews)

5.8 mi

Great place. Nice pic nic, great concerts, very clean. Will be back to rent a paddle boat.read more

Since retirement, my wife and I would bring our young grandchildren here for a stroll every…read moremorning. Very peaceful here and I truly enjoy the scenery. The kids love the playground here.

Cool critters to climb through. Soft ground surface too.

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Lake Ann lily pad flora. the water is so clean and clear you can look down 15 feet and see fish and aquatic plantlife.

University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

It much one need or should say about this place, one has to experience it !!!…read moreMake it a days event walk about the most wonderful flowers one can fine in MN and one would think not to find in MN ! It is a great experience and I say: You will be back ! Visit the gift shop and support the place with a purchase ! O matter what: I'm sure you will not be disappointed !

This is an amazing place to spend a day or extended afternoon in the twin cities. I was gifted a…read moremembership and have had the chance to come here twice, once for an event and once for the 3 mile walk, and both times have been blown away by the breadth of planning and botanical mastery that has gone into these gardens. We saw the setup for a wedding while we were there and it was breathtaking. The small gardens near the front are beautiful, but it's a true feat to walk (or drive) the three mile walk and to see the entirety of the gardens. There's a fun (and quite difficult) maze, a sculpture garden, many different tree and flower displays, shrub displays, and way more! We haven't had the chance to check out the farm that's on the property, but are really looking forward to it! This is a great place to spend a day with energetic kiddos, or to just lose yourself in nature for a little while. And each month something new is in bloom, so there's always new to see and do!

Cafe at the arb!

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Eden Prairie Community Center

3.4

(25 reviews)

8.0 mi

I'm not a member. This is for the toddler / family swim time at the Eden Prairie Community Center…read moreand overall, it's a wonderful experience. The water play area is perfect for little ones -- warm, safe, and sized just right. The staff has always been friendly, and the atmosphere feels welcoming for families with young kids who are still getting comfortable in the water. The only thing holding this back from a five-star experience is the family area bathrooms. They aren't dirty, but they definitely need more frequent cleaning and restocking during busy toddler swim hours. With so many young families coming through, a little more attention there would make a big difference in comfort and overall impression. Still a solid place to bring the little ones for a fun swim -- just hoping the bathroom upkeep improves to match the rest of the experience. Price is okay for someone that only comes occasionally - but it's a good resource to have if you're local - Try them out!

This is regarding the fitness classes. The pools are wonderful…read more With the Y and Lifetime members coming here it's getting busier. Most of the classes fill up fast-you need to get on a list a week before usually when you're in class. which can be stressful. The management doesn't seem to care. Plenty of space open in the studios after late morning and wouldn't add classes especially cycle, mix it up and body pump! Pretty sad that management doesn't really care

Kids swimming area

Fabulous pools

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Jetboyz

4.7

(3 reviews)

10.3 mi

We have been with them for a while. Maintenance required, we went there, told us that's just the…read morejetski at 100 hours, saving time and money. Real nice good people.

Honest and upfront about costs. Did a fantastic job fixing my jet ski that had several issues. I…read morehighly recommend them.

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Bay Rentals Inc

3.9

(29 reviews)

10.3 mi

Overall, my friend and I had a pretty good experience. The jet skis were superb and the weather out…read morewas beautiful. We were debating doing the 1 or 2 hour rental. We decided to go with the 2 hour rental and were happy that we did. The 1 hour rental would not have been enough time given the massive size of the lake. My only critique is to train the young high school boys a little bit about customer service. They were very rude while assisting us with getting on and off the jet skis and looked like it was a pain to be helping us. On the other hand, the high school girl checking us in and out was great!

Overall we got to have fun on the lake but I will say these machines are a bit beat up and seem to…read moreneed a tune up. As I would turn the machine would lose a lot of power and my partner ran out of gas with a hour left, so they didn't fill up both machines asine still had half a tank left. $600 deposit and make sure to take a good video of the machines. The process of receiving instruction was a little odd as a younger kid was giving us rules then a seemingly drunk older man in a truck kept talking over him who I assume is the owner? Kind of a weird dynamic going on here. The process of taking off and riding was good no issues there.