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.

I have such a nice time at this park. I go here to study. To relax. To take in the scenery…read more It is a bit crowded but that's because it's such a nice environment. I enjoy finding quiet nooks at the park

Urban Oasis for a Peaceful Stroll! Centennial Lakes is a…read moregreat outing, earning five stars from me. I wanted a nice place to stretch my legs, and this park was just right. The paved paths make for an easy and accessible walk, suitable for a quick escape or a leisurely stroll. What really stood out to me was how quiet it felt. Even with buildings in the background, the park feels remarkably peaceful. The gentle sound of water, the rustling of leaves, and the overall calm let you forget you're in a busy area. It's a fantastic bubble of serenity. The scenery mixes urban sophistication with natural beauty. Modern buildings create a sleek backdrop for the beautifully designed waterways and landscaped grounds. Even without full bloom, you can see a real commitment to diverse plants here. I can't wait for a return visit in the spring! I can only imagine how bright and colorful it gets when everything is in full bloom. If you want a peaceful place to clear your mind, enjoy some fresh air, and take a nice walk, Centennial Lakes is a must-visit. Whether you have 15 minutes or an hour, it's the perfect spot. I left feeling refreshed and energized. I can't wait to see it come to life in the spring!

This park is located in the heart of downtown St. Paul and is pretty basic. It spans 4.2 acres and…read morewas developed in 1922. There is metered street parking, with a 2-hour limit, in front of the park and there is other metered parking and commercial garages with in a reasonable walking distance. This park is very scenic and has a lot of potential. It sits up high and overlooks the Mississippi River. The park has some decent green space pockets that could be used for picnic and possibly frisbee or playing a light game of catch. It has a bunch of trees that provide a decent amount of shade. There is also a nice paved walkway around the parks perimeter that can be used to walk/jog. You will find some benches along that walkway that had a bunch of homeless people sleeping on them and a few people from nearby offices eating their lunch. The park could be maintained a bit better but, it is not horrible. The park an arcing pergola and two operational fountains. They are the best part of the park and make for some very nice pictures. The park is riddled with a bunch of homeless, as I mentioned, they were on the benches and one was in the fountain. The park has hosted events such as Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Country Flannel Night, Food Truck Friday: Voices of the Community, Francis Ford Coppola Winery Happy Hour, Hops & Hounds, and UCare Sunday Music in the Park. Either way, this is a nice park to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, whether to sit and hang out, eat lunch, walk along the river overlook or just chill by the fountains.

This is an ideal park for panoramas. You won't get a better view of Raspberry Island and the bustle…read moreof St. Paul can be momentarily forgotten while walking here.

This is a small 0.85-acre pocket park located on the northern and lower end of the Smith Avenue…read moreHigh Bridge, opposite Capitol View Park. It was created in 1987 when the new High Bridge was finished. The park includes a circular paved walkway, a couple of benches in the back and some public art. It also features a big green Adirondack chair. The chair was originally installed in the park in 1995. It was remade in 2002 with treated materials that would withstand the harsh Minnesota elements. Other art that you will find in the park includes. Community Gates, a sculpture of salvaged rock and metal by artist Craig David, a Peace Pole with the words, "May peace prevail on the earth" in four languages which was installed in 1997 by a Girl Scout troop and The Watcher which was created by Zoran Mojsilov in 1995 using leftover rock that had been used to create garden walls in the park. The park is in adequate condition and is relatively a place to just hang out and relax. It is a good resting point for those walking the bridge or for those that want to take the art in. There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance in the neighborhood adjacent to the park. Keep in mind that the road in the park is busy, with cars flying down to the bottom of the bridge. I do not see this park as a long stop because the park does not have much to offer and lacks a lot of the amenities that you would find in other parks such as a play area or rest rooms.

For a newbie in this area, trying to figure out where Landmark Plaza starts and ends was a…read morechallenge. There really isn't an official sign that says that you are here. My touristy impression is that Landmark Plaza is the small park in front of the historic Landmark Center. The plaza connects to both Hamm Memorial Park and Rice Park. It also has a few bronze Peanuts statues. I had parked at Infor Commons. When I had stepped out of the building and crossed the street (jaywalking across a one-way street is easy), I was at Landmark Plaza. It's cute. I can see it being a small greenspace to take a break and people-watch when it's warmer. I'd guess that Rice Park has more people there when the weather is nice, so hanging out at Landmark Plaza is a good alternative. Landmark Center is pretty cool. I learned that it used to be a post office and court house. It's now a cultural centre for music, theatre, exhibitions, dance, and more. It was nice discovering Landmark Plaza on my way to a Minnesota Wild game. I enjoy such discoveries and learning about them. (105)

This is a small pocket park that looks like a walk through. It was previously the Orpheum Theatre…read moreand later a state bank. It is a half an acre and features a couple of Peanuts statues, including one of Lucy and Linus leaning on a low wall, one with Charlie Brown sitting with a dog on his lap, and another depict Schroeder playing the piano while Lucy is leaning on it, swooning all over him. If you look closely, you will see small interpretive plaques embedded in the tops of the seat walls. It is near the Landmark Center, where it gets its name from. There is paved and cobblestone walkways that are starting to break off and come apart, along with some benches to sit. You add a little green space and that is basically all the plaza has to offer. You will find metered street parking around the perimeter of the plaza. Be sure to check the meters' enforcement hours. You may not have to pay depending on when you are there. It is a decent place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city or walk your pooch. I will admit though that this is not a destination spot and will probably be visited by people that are passing by the plaza on the way somewhere else or just wanting to take a quick break of the hustle and bustle of the city.

I had high expectation.... There was garbage, you could tell people live there in the picnic…read moretables, unfortunately I didn't feel safe.

A really nice dog park in downtown Saint Paul. I parked by the farmers market and walked over. It's…read moreright along the side of the CHS baseball field. There's only one dog area, so just be aware in case you have a small dog that's not used to bigger dogs. It's a long park that wraps around a bit but it's not very wide if your dog needs a lot of space to run around. But it's clean and the people are pretty friendly. I don't think it'll be our regular spot, since my puppy does better in more open spaces, but it's a great little spot!

I have lived in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles etc etc. and all my experiences with the…read morepolice in this precinct have been super fast efficient and gracious. I am a senior female of color and have been treated with great respect fortunately. This past summer two men were heard yelling at one another one morning with the result of one getting stabbed, yes at 10 am behind our garages ( 1880's house converted into 4 rentals). The perpetrator ran away from the victim right up our driveway. And our neighbor who witnessed everything called the police who arrived in minutes. The second incident was at our post office near highway 52 on a boiling June day this summer of 90 degrees. A Mexican mother ran into the post office at 5 pm yelling to borrow a cell phone speaking only Spanish I speak fluent Spanish and asked her why and she said she must call her husband ( rush hour) to come with the keys for her 2 year old child was locked in the car. I quickly told her in Spanish, no time, we must call the police who CAME in less than 5 minutes of my call. The child had passed out was sweating to an extreme her tiny body was very hot after he immediately got the door open. I told the mother to please take the child out bring her inside the cool post office give her water and the mother REFUSED. So I quickly informed the officer, he felt the child and agreed and insisted the mother remove and cool her down. He was truly kind patient calm respectful of us all. The child was SO hot... I think she had left her in the car windows all closed while she had gone into the post office .......

I am always nervous each time I meet any Police officer though sometimes I pretend not to be. But…read moretoday, 8/12/2024 I was at Children's hospital and got lost going to the Pharmacy with my grand baby and ended up into the cafeteria. There was a Police officer at the end of the line closer to me but I skipped him and looked at the person in front of him and asked him to direct me to the Pharmacy. The person did not hear me but this officer kindly directed me to the Pharmacy. He actually had to explain a couple of times the directions. It was not too far but listening to an officer was just nerve wrecking. Anyway, after the visit to the Pharmacy I went to thank the officer and I don't know if he knew that I was nervous but he carried a good conversation with me, taking the fear of unknown away from me. When leaving I asked for his name and he just said Chris, like some local, regular person, but I asked for his last name, and then he just handed me his business card. When I was in the car heading home, I looked at the card and it said "Commander" under his name Christopher Kasal. I almost melted, he was not even just a regular officer but a Commander. I was talking to a Commander yo'all! Oh Wow! What a humble human being. He actually treated me like some important person for real!. Thank you very much Commander Kasal and St. Paul Police for having people like him in your department.

I used to work across the street from the Foshay - was there about ~9yrs and never checked out this…read moregem. I did go during Doors Open which is probably the busiest time to go. They have 1 elevator that goes straight up to the 30th floor. The details on the doors and around the building were amazing. Once you get up to the 30th floor there's a small museum where you can learn more about the tower. Then you take a few stairs up to get out to the observation deck. I will say it's pretty tight up there. Not ideal for big groups that can't separate. Each direction has a look out otherwise you can just look through the bars. For sure a cool place to visit at least once.

I love learning about a building's history, so it's nice that the Foshay Tower has this small…read moremuseum to share theirs. The building was built in 1929 and was modeled after the Washington Monument in DC. At the time it was the tallest building in the Midwest and it stayed that way for 48 years. Wilbur Foshay was an art student turned businessman who made his money with utility companies. Just six weeks after the building opened, the great depression started and the building was auctioned off. Foshay was accused and convicted of fraud, sent to prison, then later pardoned and let out early. The building was offices for many years, until 2006 when it was turned into a hotel. The observation deck at the top gives a great view of the city. You can walk a full 360° path around the 30th floor exterior. It is a little narrow, can be slippery in inclement weather, and needs some TLC (to remove graffiti etc). It is $18 to visit, or free if you are staying at the hotel. They've always charged a fee to ride the elevators: in 1929 the fee was $0.50. Adjusting for inflation that would be about $9.50 today. I think the $5-10 range would be more appropriate for a visit. It doesn't take too long to experience the whole thing, maybe an hour at most.

I'm shocked this hasn't been reviewed! Longfellow Gardens is a cute little field area with…read moresidewalks, tall grass, a statue, some arches, flower gardens, benches, and trees. I use it primarily for photography, but I've seen other groups gather to do park-like activities on occasion (yoga, picnic, etc). It's never been particularly busy when I've gone and there's a little parking lot near the entrance. It's honestly a hidden gem!