Double check their hours on the Meet Minneapolis Visitor Center web page as the ones listed on Yelp…read moredid not seem accurate, at least when we visited in June 2024. On their web site they are listed as Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. (NOTE: Closed Sunday and Monday). As tourists staying in M'polis for a week we tried to visit this visitor center twice, but it was closed. The third time was a charm, but that was already halfway through our trip. It would have been nice to have been able to visit at the beginning of our stay when we needed information. We also found their 10-4 hours a little inconvenient as we like to get up and out early while on vacation. Besides that, the staff were very friendly and the store/info center is nicely appointed, if a little sparse. They do sell postcards if you're looking for some. Located near the Nicollet Metro station.

I'm a first time visitor to Minneapolis, and their flyer in the airport offering a free tote bag…read morewas a good enough incentive for me to walk over from my hotel. They sell souvenirs - including some from local artists. But the tourist information with maps of the metro, downtown, and tour info was what I needed. Thanks to the helpful staff, I learned about a Twin City Highlights bus tour that I'll take tomorrow. I loved the accents of the staff too! (I have a strong Boston accent.)

This is probably the only visitor center in the state park system to have it's own Yelp page…read more That's because it's the premier center for a busy park and is open from 8-4. There is a larger gift and clothing center, helpful information from a friendly employee, maps. A good place to stop before and after your park activities.

Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center is situated near the Mississippi River, historic Fort Snelling, and…read moreseveral trails. The building is beautifully crafted, so it blends in perfectly with its surroundings. The bathrooms are clean and they are open after the lobby closes.

Fun place to walk the dogs and to try a new park. Plentiful parking, a nice building to learn more…read moreabout the area. Easy trails and fun to see the water pouring over the dam. There were some spots that fisher people had left miles of line and hooks - not great for walking dogs. I picked those up and put them in the line and hook receptacle which was an easy walk from all the fishing leftovers I picked up. Please do better if you're fishing than doing the cut and run. There are parks on both sides of the river if you're up for an adventure. Not too much foot traffic when I was there, but lots of bikes, most with bells to alert me they were coming which is appreciated.

The staffs is super helpful, the reason for the low rating is the upkeep is on the poor side the…read moreweeds along the fence rail makes fishing horrible , let alone trying to look through it . And speaking of fishing , this place "USE" to be phenomenal, now it's all fish out , tons of snags, with all those budget and constructions , there's very little to poor fishing area , the docks are old , too bad they never use some of that money to build a stone pier that extend from one side to the other below the dam. Worst now is that the STOP the road from reaching the other fishing dock so it's a very long walk from both side of the parking lot. So much of the land scapes are looking more like over grown weeds then a work of art . I do have to give them credits for supporting the troops.

This visitor center is just inside the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota, so you do not need…read moreto pay the museum admission fee. This is a smaller center with a few exhibits. One is a virtual canoe paddle simulating traveling on the water, while another is a virtual soaring exhibit. There's a hands on knot-typing exhibit. There is no associated gift shop with the visitor center. The science museum does have a gift shop in the lobby, but it doesn't have any National Park Service branded items such as medallions, clothing, etc. I would say that the visitor center should not be the highlight of your trip - visiting and experiencing the river itself should be! There are a fair number of NPS guided talks, tours, and paddling programs every week, so plan your visit around those or go through a tour company.

Located in Science Building to the right as you enter. Small area but full of information and…read moreactivities for the kids. It shares the space with Science Museum, no cost for National Park exhibits, but it does cost to go inside the actual Science museum. You can walk around lobby and see some additional cool stuff for free. The restrooms are clean. Parking can be rough & somewhat confusing. We parked over by Square near Public Library (also worth a visit). The square area park is also very nice with some sculptures of beloved "Peanuts" characters. The 5 "Star" Rating is mainly based on interaction with Ranger Nathaniel. He was awesome, very informative and showed us on the map areas that would be of interest based on our conversation. All his suggestions were spot on "Thanks Nate". We found the Heron Rookery. Ranger Nathaniel was fantastic & made our visit very rewarding.

The refuge is a great place to explore nature. There are many trails to hike both short and long…read more The Visitor's Center has a wonderful display and activities. There is also a viewing area where there are bird feeders. A favorite is the turkeys that stop by! The staff here are helful and friendly. They also plan community events that are always fun and educational.

Hooray, I finally came here when the visitor center was open! I've been a couple of times in the…read morepast just to do some hiking on the trails, but I'd never gotten to see the inside as the hours are somewhat narrow being just Wednesday through Sunday. It looked really grandiose from the outside, so I'm unsurprised the inside was quite modern and comfortable. It's comprised of many available seating areas where you can sit and relax (I especially recommend the seating facing the bird feeders, though there's also a cozy fireplace), or simply wander and explore the exhibits they have up with information on them about the history of the refuge, the work its done and is doing, and the animals that inhabit it. This is important work! I'm so glad they're doing it. Unsurprisingly there is a gift shop with expected trinkets such as stickers, pins, patches, plushies, postcards, jewelry, hankerchiefs, and lots of books. So if you'd like to support the refuge and get a little something for yourself, that's a great way to do it. There is additionally an art gallery with revolving local Minnesota artists that take inspiration from nature, an auditorium playing a looped track, and plenty of space for kids to play (including corn hole and giant puzzles). There is a conference room (downstairs) and a community room (upstairs), and considerable office space (not open to the public, obviously). Two water bottle refill stations. Clean bathrooms (separated by gender, but there's also a bonus unisex, accessible one). These folks do LOTS of events throughout the year, most of them completely free to attend (some require RSVP, others don't), so I recommend keeping an eye out for something that interests you. Plenty of free parking is available on site. There are picnic tables around the visitor center, as well as an outlook with binoculars. If you go down along the left side the visitor center, it will take you to the trails if you're here to do some hiking. :)

Loved our weekend trip to this park! When we arrived, the parking lot was very busy and there were…read morevery few spots left, even though it's a pretty sizeable lot for a park. We quickly learned this was because there was a special event going on (the Sankofa celebration) inside the center, with vendor tables and a couple of food trucks and even some crafting activities. So we got to experience that on top of the rest of the park's great amenities! The center is sleek and modern inside. LOTS of toilets (single occupant, all-gender), lots of coat hangars, multiple water bottle refill stations. The ground level has some cool reptile/amphibians behind glass you can ogle, as well as interactive informational displays (great for kids and adults, imo). Downstairs they have the rental booth for gear and educational rooms (they had a falcon demo in one while we were there!). Beside the center is an awesome multilevel playground, very fun. As well as a splash pad (for non-winter months) and an elevated boardwalk. The most nearby attraction is obviously the dam, which has an impressive spillway that's mesmerizing to watch. You can even walk across it to go over the river to the park on the other side. Apparently this spot is popular with fishers (though I don't have much knowledge on that subject). There are also trails that can be explored. Paved routes good for all recreational uses, as well as further out hiking paths that are just dirt. It'd be great to come back out again sometime and explore more. Across the street it seemed there was even archery!

I'm really happy this park has been updated to such a lovely and unique park. I love the the…read morenatural material and wood playground. The new visitor center is very nice and cute.

Visiting from California.. After seeing Stone Bridge and walking around the trail, someone told us…read moreabout the St Anthony Falls and 3 days before we arrived the state had an overflowing rain so the waterfall was wonderful. Great views, but it was very windy but was so worth it. One of my favorite places in Minnesota also Minnehaha Falls is beautiful too. Recommended it.

This is an amazing water feature! The path to the falls is lined with information panels and…read morehistorical exhibits. The falls have an overview deck above them where you can get pretty close to the main falls. If you want to learn more, visit the visitor center on the west side of the river or try scheduling a tour of the lab. It's all free to visit.

Minnesota has always impressed me with the effort it puts into its green spaces, parks, trails and…read moreespecially its playgrounds. There are a lot of good ones scattered throughout the Twin Cities, but the Hyland Play Area is operating on a different scale. The first thing that hits you is simply the enormity of it. A landscape photo barely does it justice. This isn't a playground with a couple of oversized structures--it's an entire playscape built around elevation, exploration and seemingly endless ways for kids to disappear upward and reappear somewhere completely different. There are distinct areas that make it approachable for kids of different ages, select water features, and plenty for younger children to explore without making the bigger kids feel like they've outgrown it. But the stars are those towering structures and enormous climbs spread throughout the park. If you've got a kid who needs to "get their zombies out," this ought to do it. A determined child could probably accumulate the equivalent vertical ascent of Minnesota's Eagle Mountain before lunch. What impressed me almost as much as the playground itself was how well the space handles people. There can seemingly be hundreds of kids here and somehow it doesn't feel like hundreds of kids. The scale absorbs everyone. Instead, you get this constant background soundtrack of giggles, playful screams and kids absolutely exhausting themselves. And somebody clearly thought about the adults. There are huge umbrellas providing shade along with benches, tables and places to settle in while the kids go explore. You quickly understand why the crowd is such an interesting mix: stay-at-home parents making a morning of it, grandparents with their grandchildren, friends meeting up with their kids, and even remote workers squeezing in some laptop time while periodically looking up to make sure everyone is still accounted for. It's less "take the kids to the playground for 30 minutes" and more pack some food, bring water and make this the destination. We're only reviewing the play area for now, but based on this alone, Hyland deserves the five stars. It's enormous without feeling chaotic, ambitious without forgetting the little kids, and thoughtfully designed for the adults who inevitably spend half their day here too. Minnesota does parks exceptionally well. This is one of the ones worth going out of your way for.

Hyland Lake Park is one of my favorite places to rent a kayak and fish for bass in the Twin Cities…read more The lake is never too busy and the bass are always biting :) I easily rented a single-person kayak online and walked up to the rental booth to pick up my life jacket and paddle - off I went! There is a nice sandy beach, and other boats available to rent (including paddle boats!) This is a must-stop for your summer itinerary in Minnesota!

Avoid the Twin Cities at all costs. Poorly planned / coordinated May - October construction season…read moremakes getting around impossible. Too cold November - April.

The Yelp Elite event was absolutely fantastic. This community is amasing to be apart of with som…read moremany incredible events, freebies, and activities. Mikhala is always coming up with a wide range of events around the Twin Cities and partnering with local businesses. My first event with this group was the Twin Cities Yelp Elite'ers at the Fair!