This park always seems to be packed with families. There is lots of great playground equipment (on…read morea rubber bouncy surface), a splash pad, and plenty of areas to set up a blanket on the grassy areas for a picnic. There is a gazebo, too, with picnic tables. The play area is surrounded by some benches, and there's also an adult bench swing. The city also puts on various events (generally warmer months), from Tour de Apple Valley, to music in the park on Fridays (performed on the park's music stage, to Oktoberfest. Entertainment, fun for families, oftentimes food trucks or various vendors... come check out this great little park that is surrounded by lots of good restaurants. When my nieces and nephews were younger this was my go-to place for entertainment, but it's also a great place for the community.

This is a wonderful park! It has a large playground area and a water park feature come with your…read moreswim suit on ! The kids just live it! And parents and grandparents too!

Lebanon Hills Regional Park is such a great park for hiking! The trail system consists of over 14…read moremiles of summer hiking trails and over 12 miles of mountain bike trail. There are multiple parking lots available and even if they seem full don't let that deter you as the park is so large it never feels overly busy. There is also a beach and picnic area available too.

Came here to see the fall colors mid October. They looked so beautiful! I loved how easily…read moreaccessible the trail was. It's fully paved and has a few winding bridges, one that goes above a lake. You could easily spend several hours here because the park is so large! The people on the trail were really friendly. I loved seeing all the wildlife along the trail too. We spotted several caterpillars and saw ducks and different birds in the distance. The fall colors were very beautiful and the trail was wide and relatively empty for a Sunday mid-day. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely come here again in the future !

Clean park, with a large playground ages 5-12, with multiple rotating play toys, and climbing…read morestructures. Small playground for under 5, two sets of swings. Large soccer field and volleyball area. Two large shelters with picnic tables and grills and a really nice water splash pad.

My 4 year old had so much fun playing at this park. It's a really unique place with tons of little…read moreplaces to explore.

It's FREE! You should go check it out and see what you think. Worth a visit…read more It's a nice little afternoon distraction/explore. Took me about an hour and a half to walk the entire thing (both sides of Diffley) and I wasn't rushing at all. As you would expect from the name, there's a variety of art to pause and look at/photograph. Some of it is pretty, some is odd- again, as one would expect from art! I don't rate it that highly only because it wasn't all that much. I don't think I'm liable to go back, unless they posted some new 2025 events (the only ones listed were from summer of 2024) that catch my eye? The grounds are reasonably well marked with maps so you'll know where you are going and not get lost. There are port-a-potties on either side of Diffley, which seem to be well-maintained. The parking lot is a mid-sized gravel lot with little shade. My favorite things here were the "labyrinth" and the "poet tree box". Cute.

I like a cool, as in shady, respite from the urban rush as the park will sneak up on you from…read moreDiffley Road in Eagan. Enter a tree lined non-paved roadway with grass growing on the sides and we pull hard right to allow space for a car in the opposite direction. Unpaved parking lot and then follow the signs to either the nature trails or sculpture walk. There are no paper maps but there is a sign board with a sketchy map and another sign with a qr code, but you probably don't need to bother as the park isn't that big and I found I could cross over from one trail to the other. There is a fairly thick forest but not a wilderness as we can hear traffic rushing from roads on either side. The sculptures are interesting as is the founder Anthony Caponi who was born in Italy. There is a detailed fascinating portrait of this artist shown occasionally on Mn Original on Twin Cities Public Television, taped in his last year of life. I'm grateful this chunk of land was not sold and developed into cookie cutter houses but preserved and still private property.

If you're looking for a great spot for you and/or your kids to run around and climb stuff, this is…read moreit! Really great playground structures with plenty of different types of equipment, including things like balance beams, teeter-totters, and spinners, in addition to more standard playground fare like swingsets and slides. There's also a splashpad that you can activate for playing around. Water squirts or dumps from various water features. A lot of fun. It was even still running in October when I was there! Lots of gazebos (which can be reserved, if desired) with picnic tables and grills and trash/recycling cans. An ice cream truck swung by while I was there, much to the delight of the kids there. Massive parking lot. Only port-a-potties. Nearby is also a large grass field for soccer. If you go a little deeper in, you'll see it also connects with the Black Dog Trailhead. Be aware however that this is a "minimal maintenance" trail. I tried to follow it for aways after the railroad track but felt a little lost and ultimately turned back. Not sure how often or at what time of year they maintain it to make it easier to follow, but it's understandable that they don't because it is part of a specific biome of wet meadow known as a "fen". These are fairly rare and thus requiring protection, so tread lightly and respectfully if you do go! It's important nature be preserved as much as possible.

There are not a lot of amenities at Cliff Fen but it could be educational as I learned what a 'Fen'…read moreis and realized I learned about this in 5th grade. It's too nerdy scientific to explain here so if you have a quest to know search away. I was looking for walking paths but none were to be found. Otherwise it's a nice family style park with a large playground and covered picnic area. There is a parking lot which is large for a park this size so they must plan to have events with the large open fields ready for different sporting events. I was creating my own walking area without a path until I tripped over a branch and went tumbling and decided that's enough Fen and lack of Zen for the day.

Best kept secret and splash pad!! Super lovely park with all these places for kids to play in the…read morewater. They have public restrooms by the flags if you need them. Cool murals and beautiful flowers. Very beautiful peaceful place. Lots of places to sit - concrete benches and grass.

My son absolutely loves this park! Such a cool splash pad and wading pool area for kids and the…read morecommunity to use for free. They also host party on the plaza here during the summer which we've enjoyed. They have music, food trucks, movies in the park, and other festivals held here. During the winter they light up the trees, so beautiful!

Took a nice walk around Thomas lake park and enjoyed the scenery. It has well paved paths that are…read morewide. There are many benches along the path, some overlooking the lake which make for a nice rest. There are ample parking spots available and a park pavilion down one of the paths. Only drawback was all of the poop that has been left behind by pet owners.

Pros- lots of green, clear trails for walking, running , lots of entrances and exits. Lots of…read morebenches and places to rest . I saw at least one large playground. Can't wait to bring the rest of my family. No cons.

Whitetail Woods is such a great park system tucked near the University of Minnesota agricultural…read moreresearch farm. It's one of my favorite nature spots close to the Twin Cities. Even though it's not far from the metro, once you're out on the trails it really feels like you're deep in nature. It's quiet, peaceful, and you can't hear any city noise. There are plenty of trail options with different lengths and scenery. You'll find trails around the lake, wooded paths, prairie areas, and a mix of paved and natural surfaces. It's also very dog friendly, which is a big plus. They've done a great job with the amenities too. There's a nice play area for kids, restrooms, and well-maintained paths. One of the best things about this park is that it rarely feels overcrowded.

I love this park! Whitetail Woods is a relatively new part of the Metropolitan Parks System, but…read moreit has quickly become a favorite. It is close to the cities, yet when you're walking/hiking/snowshoeing, or whatever, it feels very isolated. Part of that in nature feel is because it is primarily surrounded by federal or state wildlife area and a U of MN researh farm. We first discovered if for snowshoeing and it continues to be one of our favorites for that activity. There's hiking trails you can walk on, or you can explore your own path. The terrain is varied with flat plains, lots of hills, plus swamps. Though we love it best in Winter, it is beautiful for hiking during any season. There's enough variation in terrain that you can get a good workout. Though it has become more popular as people have discovered it, it is still large enough that you do not feel overrun. There are also camper cabins if you would like to stay overnight. Highly recommend as an outdoor escape.