Lake Minnetonka

49.1 mi

Madison Lake is a great lake full of friendly people and boaters! It has a great, low-key vibe and…read moreis the epitome of Minnesota nice!

Weaver Lake Park

4.5

(4 reviews)

17.0 mi

If you are looking for a place to picnic, enjoy the summer sunshine at the beach or take your kids…read moreto an amazing play structure you have found a home. Weaver Lake is on of the gem three river parks in Maple Grove that has ample space for people to spread out, picnic tables, great places for groups, outdoor sporting areas and is a tremendous place to get away regardless the season. The park has designed ice area for winter but I am from California so I don't want to curse myself in fall :) This place is beautiful, bring your family, a loved one or come collect your thoughts, you won't be disappointed.

A fun playground with a slide that goes down to the beach. There is a little bit of everything for…read morepeople to enjoy outdoor time as well as clean bathrooms. Take yourself there with a nice picnic and enjoy!

Amazing play structures for kids

Kids love this place

See all

El Rancho Manana Campground & Riding Stable

58.9 mi

This campground is fun for the entire family! There is always so much to do in a weekend! They…read moreoffer horseback riding, beach on a lake, kid crafts, DJ or live bands, grey group or single family camping. Easy to walk/ bike or horseback riding trails (26 miles!). They have canoe and water bike rentals along with activities every weekend! They even host 2 bluegrass festivals, 1 yoga festival, and a wild west show!

Horseback riding at El Rancho Manana!

See all

An eagle out on the El Rancho Mananas lake!

Lake Zumbro

4.0

77.4 mi

When you live in Rochester and you have a boat--this is one of the nicest places to get it wet for…read morea couple hours as you don't always have time to drive north ---We have used this lake many times just to get out of the house and drop a line--and I have caught a few fish but always thrown them back. There is a waterski show on the lake typically every wednesday night during the summer. It gets busy with tubers, skiers, and fishing. It is a small lake but the summers are short in MN so you need to get your boat out every chance you get even if it's just for a few hours.

Lake Harriet

4.8

(101 reviews)

18.6 mi

In the dead of winter, the art shanties are a fun activity at Lake Harriet. Always new and…read moresurprising shanties that come from the creative minds of the artists. You can dance, dress up and sing, learn about what lives below the ice, be a cat, cast a spell with Taylor Swift lyrics, and help aliens understand humans. This event epitomizes how Minnesotans don't let freezing temps keep them from enjoying the lake and expressing their creativity.

Minnesotans really know how to throw events no matter rain, shine, or winter. Reflecting on this…read morepast winter reminded me of the surreal experience of standing on top of this frozen lake having moved from a two season state. If you've never been when it's frozen over I would highly recommend coming during their kite festival which also happens during the art shanty exhibits. If you show up to the kite festival on a whim, no worries, the park will have kites for sale. I would highly encourage coming with footwear that has good traction or added cat tracks to get secure grip on the ice.

See all

Eastman Park

(2 reviews)

51.4 mi

Amazing view usually a lot of room for people to do things and it always the best spot to take my…read moredog to walk and go potty also has good parking spots and it's a maintained park

Eastman Park is located just off of downtown St Cloud. Lake George is located in the park and…read moreoffers walking paths, fishing in summer, and ice skating in the winter. Community events are held in the park. It is a great place to walk and enjoy the view of downtown St. Cloud. On Wednesday evenings in the summer, there are free concerts. Food and craft vendors are there so it is a great way to spend a summer evening.

See all

Lake Johanna

4.6

(7 reviews)

26.7 mi

This is such a great spot to take kids since there is a playground but right across the street you…read morehave a lot of walking trails and I think it's really well paved out and you can choose which trail to take depending on the distance you want to walk. They have plenty of parking and it's an activity you can do all seasons.

I liked this lake a lot. I think the size of the beach and the proximity of bathroom facilities &…read morenearby playground is perfect for toddlers and young kids. I also like how less crowded it is compared to other bigger beaches/lakes.

Sandcastles

See all

Holland Lake Trailhead

27.0 mi

This is a great place to get access to the Lebanon Hills park in Dakota county. They have a nice…read moreplace for grilling and lunch at the entrance. They also have a dock out into Holland lake that gives you a great view of the lake. Hiking, horse riding, and ski trails all start here. Jensen lake is off to your right as you enter the trail system, and the Visitor Center is off to your left. If you are not familiar with the trail system, bring a map you print from home.

Plenty of benches

See all

Map

Paradise Park

4.8

(4 reviews)

50.8 mi

Paradise Park was a great pit stop for our family in Chisago City on our way to northern…read moreWisconsin. It is a spacious park with tons of space. The highlight was the huge metal slides. The kids also liked the zip lines and the playground.

The name says it all. I didn't expect such a cool park hidden away in the back of Chisago City…read more Hidden across from the skating park by highway 8 is this awesome park. Upon reaching the playground from the parking lot, I first noticed a huge black hole at the end of a wooden bridge and a sign. I thought it was some kind of sewage hole but boy was I wrong! It's the entryway to a huge covered slide!!!! And a few feet away is a wide wavy double slide! Even better, next to the slides is another course - a zip line swing!! Oh man, in all my years I've never seen such cool playground courses in a park. Then you also have a complete playground course with many different slides, climbing Bridges, tunnels, rock climbing, money bars and a swivel bar with swings alongside. This park was definitely a paradise kind of park. Even I had to experience the slides & zip line for myself. Need a little adrenaline? This is where. Take a walk on the path down the dock to the fishing pier or alongside a small beach. It was a great small park filled with fun playgrounds for kids. Dogs are welcome here

See all

Lake Ann Park

4.8

(10 reviews)

6.1 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.

See all

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

Three Rivers Park District

(5 reviews)

12.9 mi

I brought my family to this park for their annual triathlon and the whole place is just incredible…read more Second tri ever for me, and the park offers so much for kids and families. Beautiful lake, ample parking, AWESOME playground for the littles. I only live half an hour away and I'd never been here before, but I'll be back! Always great to find a new place.

This park is a total gem! Lots of slides and things for the kiddos to climb. My 5 and 12 year old…read moreboth had fun finding the hidden animals throughout the playground. Looking forward to coming back again in the Spring!

See all

Baker Park Reserve Campground & Beach

4.6

(14 reviews)

8.7 mi

First time camping with our trailer and it was a good campsite to start at! Only 20 minutes away…read morefrom the cities. The site was clean and maintained. The bathrooms were well kept and all around the campsite. The trails and bike paths were nice and plentiful. You can walk around by the lake and fish. The site itself was open and wasn't very private but not too close to where it's suffocating. Overall a great place to camp!

Nobody should be without a picnic table at Baker Part Reserve! The park which winds along the…read moreshore of Lake Independence has tables in every direction. There are probably more tables than parking spaces. Another regional park that provides all the amenities expected including huge sun umbrellas along the sandy beach. More than one restroom and changing facility, grilling areas kids playground. Of course I found some walking paths which is about all I care to use. No problems if you don't like difficult trails, most are paved and the unpaved are still easy. Take your hike and head back to the table.

Entrance in Maple Plain, Mn.

A nearly private cove.

See all

The great umbrellas.

Ramsey Falls

4.7

(7 reviews)

75.1 mi

Great park to spend a few hours in. There is a little zoo with elk, bison, goats and some birds…read more Lots of playgrounds and trails to burn your kiddos energy down. On top of that, there is a nice little walk to a small water fall. No entrance or parking fees. Rustic camping is an option as well if you are looking for a place to stay. Big hadd to find, the park is right on town. A good use of a few hours if you want to get outside.

The zoo is a nice touch. My 4 year absolutely loved it. Lots of trails for folks if all ages plus a…read moregood driving path to the waterfall if that's all you want to see. We had fun and can't wait to go back to explore more.

See all

Firemans Park

(3 reviews)

8.0 mi

I recently came here to ice skate and had a really pleasant time! The pond had been cleared off in…read morea somewhat oval shape and was relatively smooth. I would recommend it if you have your own skates!

Fireman's Park is located on the west side of downtown Chaska. Easily accessed by walking and…read moredriving. It is adjacent to the Chaska community center and Crooked Pint's patio overlooks it. It is a fantastic area for kids. With playgrounds, a splash pad, and fishing allowed by the DNR it is a great place for first-time fishing experiences. The lake has crappies, bluegill, walleye, and largemouth bass. It is also ice-skating available in the winter months. The landscaping is beautiful. They have flower gardens and an awesome boardwalk that lights up at night. It's a stunning sight. The fun continues with a beach that has lifeguards on duty from 1 PM - 7 PM during the season in addition to your required supervision. The concession stand and restrooms are available from Memorial Day to October. a beach. Planning a party? The picnic shelters are available to rent for an affordable cost. You can rent a time block of 9 AM - 3 PM or 4 PM - 10 PM. Speaking of renting.. paddle boats and paddle boards are also available for 30 minutes at a time. There are many monuments around the park to teach about the brick-making in Chaska and the history of the local fire firefighters. It is so important to see brave heroes being memorialized and remembered here.

A mural at Fireman's Park/Curling Center in Chaska

See all

Bay Rentals Inc

3.9

(29 reviews)

2.5 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.

See all

Metro Lakes Marina

3.1

(25 reviews)

3.3 mi

We rented 2 pontoons for a work function…read more It went well. The boats were well maintained and we had 0 problems with them. They were easy to drive. The back part had a canopy so you could stay out of the sun if you wanted to or sit in the front for the full sun effect. It was a fun day.

I give them 3 stars solely for the fact they had pontoon rentals available a week before we wanted…read moreto go out on the lake. Everything thereafter was not worth the reservation. All week there was going to be chance of storms so we wanted to wait it out and see if it was going to be accurate or not. The cancellation policy on the day of is for weather only (rain, high winds etc). So it's now the day of a reservation (11-7) at 9 am and it's severe thunderstorm watch all day. I call at 9 and ask if we're able to get a full refund, they say no because they have to wait to see if it's going to be bad weather during our reservation time. Fair. I call back at 1045 to cancel because I see it's going to be bad all day, not worth going out at all for $750 or even a partial refund of 375 to go out for half the day. I was still charged the $100 cancellation fee even though the weather was no good. It's upsetting they tried to get me to do a half day on the water when an hour into our reservation it's been lighting. We live an hour away from this location so none of it made sense for us to commit to this reservation unfortunately. If you don't want to go through what I did with no sympathy, either book another company, but your own boat, or cancel 3 days ahead of time