This is a small pocket park that sits adjacent to the Smith Avenue Bridge high atop the bluffs. It…read moregets its name for its view that its visitors get of the Minnesota State Capitol. It also provides stunning views of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, the Mississippi River, and downtown Saint Paul. There is free street parking in front of it and within a reasonable walking distance. This park is not for those with a fear of heights because you are high above the water. I have seen this park spelled with an "a" and with an "o". The correct spelling is Capitol, with an "o", as in the Minnesota State Capitol. Outside of the breathtaking view the park does not have much to offer. There are some benches in the area to sit on. There are however, some shady characters that hang around the area and use a little opening on the side of the overlook to walk underneath the bridge. This is a nice spot that overlooks downtown St Paul and the Mississippi River. You can get some good pictures from here. It is in relatively decent shape, even though it is in an area that seems to be neglected. This place is definitely worth a peek if you are in the area. I would not make a special trip for it or anything.

It's not much in the way of a park, small and without grass. However, it delivers what it promises…read morein the name. You do get great panoramas of St. Paul. There is also a car/pedestrian bridge directly next to it, so you can add depth and variety to your photos of the skyline.

This is a nice green space that bumps up against cycling and pedestrian paths along the river. You…read morecan really feel some Minneapolis history when walking around here, as you're surrounded by beautiful buildings from a time when milling was (seemingly) the biggest industry around. Speaking of milling around, I was coming out of a meeting and had a gap between calls, so this was my chance to steal a little time in this fine city and see what the energy is like. I tell you on a late May day with full sunshine and temperatures locked in around 70 degrees, the energy is pretty damn perfect. This only added to my already high appreciation of this city. So you can kind of tell I'm lumping the surrounding area in here, not just the acreage of grass and signs that make up Gold Medal Park. You're also just steps away from some coffee shops, businesses, a liquor store, and even the Vikings stadium. It's great how nestled away it seems despite being integrated into the fabric of downtown. Overall this is a great space and if I stay in the area again, I'll probably try to find the time to explore the paths and surrounds further.

Spend some time in the Guthrie and then came outside to enjoy the the un-conditioned air :)…read more The park is a beautiful open space. The hill gives you are great view of the entire surrounding area. Lovely :)

Loved joining Billie's line dance in the park it was a beautiful evening and so much fun!! It's a…read moregreat hang out space in the middle of the city. And there was a lot of street parking nearby.

In Minnesota Vikings do not raid shorelines by the ocean; instead they raid NFL games off the green…read moreshoreline of a 4.2 acre park that bridges their home ship US Bank Stadium to the rest of downtown Minneapolis. Where the Minnesota Vikings do their 100 percent all to raid their way to hard-won well-deserved victories through sheer determination and fovus, locals and visitors do their best to raid their way from pressure with quality of life victories visiting parks like this one. I was one of those visitors when I saw it at least three times. Placed on two city blocks of greenery bridging US Bank Stadium to the Edition Building with the rest of downtown, it is truly the Promenade of US Bank Stadium. In place of a massive parking lot fronting the NFL Stadium is a picturesque green lawn overlooking overlooking it. When I walked in the southern section of downtown, the walks led me through The Commons. My walks here included exploring the skyway to near its southernmost point that dropped me off nearby, passing through it to and from a walk inside and around US Bank Stadium, walking the city streets towards US Bank Stadium, and passing through on Portland Street from the Mississippi River to the downtown core. From my firsthand experiences here, my favorite activity was taking in the green carpet of grass interspersed with young trees leading to the US Bank Stadium. From the northernmost reaches of the park at the Edition Building I enjoyed it over a cup of Starbuck's. From the opposite direction on the US Bank Stadium steps, I enjoyed the picturesque view of this linear carpet of grass leading towards the Downtown skyline. If I had not been saving my appetite for dinner, I would have enjoyed eating the food that the sundry of food trucks parked on Forth Street serve. Every time that I arrived here was by foot. However at the southwest corner of the park is US Bank Metro Station. From here you can ride the Metro for a reasonable price to a few downtown Minneapolis stations, City of St. Paul, Mall of America, and other stops. If I was tired it is nice to know that it is off The Metro Blue and Green Lines. You can bank on it that the park overlooking US Bank Stadium is a nice outdoor place to visit when seeing the southern section of downtown Minneapolis. The Commons does a fantastic job giving locals and visitors an outdoor space to celebrate the Minnesota Vikings and the city's parkland. I recommend seeing it.

We had a great time walking thru the historic mill district and over the Mississippi River. It's a…read morenice place to get exercise as well. The views of the city especially at night will last a lifetime

Flour Power…read more Located alongside the Mississippi River across the riverbank from Downtown Minneapolis is a 1.4 acre park that celebrates water power and the historic flour mills. It is the Water Power Park. Situated on Father Hennepin Island, this is a gift from Xcel Energy, the primary energy company in the Twin Cities. As part of a deal to renew Xcel Energy as the primary source they were mandated to create a park overlooking Upper St. Anthony Falls. The upshot is that the tallest flora are powerlines that tower above the park and a transistor station at the Gateway to the park at Main Street. Although I relished spending time in the home of the current largest mall in America (Mall of America), I was truly at home alongside the Mississippi River. This is my latest review sharing the parks and trails alongside the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. With that said, when I explored Water Power Park, it was one of a series of parks and trails alongside the Mississippi from the Plymouth Avenue Bridge at the north to the Old Stone Bridge at the south. Just like a member in a legendary band, Water Power Park would be part of a whole that would make the Mississippi River Band awesome. It was our last day in Minneapolis that my brother and I explored Water Power Park. We had just walked through Boom Island to the north and were bound for the Old Stone Bridge. Ideally this park goes great with the far more natural Hennipen Bluffs Park at the south. The reason why I did not explore this park earlier in the vacation when I did Hennipen Bluffs Park was that it gave a poor first impression. From Main Street the transformer station dominates the entrance. This is the main sight walking north. Walking south is a different story. From northbound Main Street, we turned onto a trail that reminds me of a dock. The beginning is a slight downhill elevation with ramps. On our left was the Xcel Energy transformer station that brought to life the power lines marching alongside and over the Mississippi River. It was at the end of the primary trail that overlooks the source of the power. If I was interested in the vast information explaining Upper St. Anthony Falls role in providing power there were several kiosks alongside the trail. In all honesty I'd leave the teaching to Google later on. I was interested in taking pictures. Making my way through a flat topography where interspersed trees shared the land with powerlines poles, I walked what was now an smooth unpaved trail to the edge of the Mississippi River. It was at the Mississippi River where I took in spectacular view of the Upper St. Anthony Falls under the Third Avenue Bridge. This is the closest spot to the Upper St. Anthony Falls which is the only water falls on the Mississippi River. There were two prime spots to capture the falls. They were here at the conclusion of the main trail and where the intersection of the main and spur trail. The intersection view provides a close up perpendicular view of one of the falls. It was a neat sight watching a close up water fall at a perpendicular angle. Especially when it is a view of the Mississippi River with the historic flour and lumber mills with the Minneapolis skyline. Heading back towards Main Street I enjoyed a nice vista of grass reaching towards the Historic Pillsbury "A" Mill rising above the transformer station. Instead of seeing the Pillsbury Doughboy, we'd take a short trip on the short dead-end spur trail. This leads to a view of Hennipen Bluffs Park and the Stone Arch Bridge. The later serves as a very popular St. Anthony Falls overlook. There you have it. This review is a representation of first hand experience in a park showcasing water power and flour mills. Hopefully this review has provided knowledge on the Water Power Park. Because when it comes to power, "Knowledge is power."

This cute little park was actually our first stop on our recent trip to the Twin Cities. Tucked…read moreaway in a residential area not far from where we were staying, Mattocks Park was the ideal spot for us to kill a little time before checking in. It seems like a popular spot for a Thursday afternoon as there were several families enjoying the playground while a handful of individual patrons relaxed and played on the lawn. The trees were blossoming pink on one side of the park and were absolutely beautiful as a backdrop for a few quick laps. Would recommend for your next picnic or hammock day!

This tiny but mighty neighborhood park has a good amount of open green space. Behind the tree line…read morelives the playground. Even with these attributes it's lacking a dog park or walking path/trail, but don't let that stop you.

This is a beautiful beach! Plenty of sand and grassy areas to sit. The parking lot is a good size…read moreand there's a second parking lot across the street for the playground. That being said, I do want to make a note that the Playground is in a completely different area than the beach. Even though it's right across the street, you cannot see the beach from the playground and vice versa. They have single stall toilets, which were pretty nice as well. The area was clean and beautiful landscaping/pollinators!

It's a very nice area for morning walks and I love that you are pretty close to the lake. I feel…read morelike being in MN you have such a great selection of parks with a lake view given we have so many.

A small park with a beautiful fountain, garden beds, evergreens, and more. Usually a spot for…read morepicnics, small gatherings, engagement photos, prom photos, etc. I have only been once where it was empty. They recently added in a side walk that makes it easy to cart things in. However, there aren't any bathrooms nearby if you're hosting an event like a picnic.

Small, quiet park. Nice area with benches, sculptures, and pretty landscaping. Free parking all…read morearound. Nice views of Saint Paul.

In the 1880's this site used to be a hotel. It burned to the ground, but before it did, can you…read moreimagine the views? Not too hard to imagine, because you can walk to the ledge over Grand Hill and look down at the river, the bluffs, the bridges and trees and wonder if they look back. The park has been all kinds of tore up for some time as they installed a GIANT statue of an eagle killing a snake, some grand gesture of Americaness or some such that was salvaged from some razed building in St. Paul then moved to a parking garage and then moved to the park for us to enjoy. There will be seating wall, a "plaza" and a drinking fountain, and hopefully coming this spring....GRASS.