The city revamped this beautiful park two years ago and it is one of the favorite destinations in…read moreEden Prairie. The Amphitheater seating is reflected in a smaller seating area surrounding a smaller, more flexible space for concerts and kid-friendly productions as well as private parties. The enormous playground is multi-level and has play structures for everyone from toddlers to teens. Today a group of tweens was climbing the web structure, laughing and playing and challenging each other to get to the top. The different playground levels are all accessible by slides and steps and ramps and the wood chip base is interspersed with flexible, bouncy "miracle turf," the springy rubber paths perfect for differently-abled children. There is a large swing with safety straps, spinners, acoustic drums, bells, and a rolling rain maker - thousands of BBs encased in plexiglass that shower endlessly with the turn of a wheel. My grandson calls this the Big Playground and spent well over an hour running and shrieking and playing on this gorgeous spring day. There are plentiful picnic tables, actual restrooms in the park building, lots of parking, and easy access to the trails to walk around Staring Lake. (Tip: it's pronounced "Starring," something residents know but newcomers may not. Don't ask me, I said "Staring" for years after moving here ...) Bring a snack or bring lunch and relax while your kids burn off all that energy!

Lots to do at Staring Lake. There's also three unique entrances with their own parking lots, one at…read morethe south end, one at the north end, and one on the west side. Depending on where you enter from, you can enjoy different activities. The south entrance has a very extensive playground, as well as basketball courts, bocce ball courts, a volleyball court, and disc golf. There's lots of benches and tables to sit at or eat at, as well as a full amphitheater. There is a building with indoor restrooms (well kept), a water fountain and water bottle refill station, and a couple of rentable rooms and a rentable gazebo with BBQs, as well as an office (though that was closed when I was there midday on a Monday). There's plenty of parking spaces at this entrance. The north entrance has a smaller playground as well as a garden, a couple of cabins that serve as a place for community events, a firepit, canoe rentals, a pier, a red tail hawk enclosure, an observation station (for their stargazing activities), a minimal wildlife blind, and a nature trail. There is limited parking at this entrance. The west entrance was lamest by far. It had a sizeable parking lot, but the only amenities were a port-a-potty, a pier, and access to the paved trail that goes all the way around Staring Lake. Speaking of the trail, which is what I hiked while exploring here, it is entirely paved and has a line down the middle to delineate directionality. The east side is quite lovely, taking you through shaded secluded-feeling forest; the west side is not as nice, with less shade and a loud road right next to the trail as well as lots of residential housing. Yuck. It also connects with the nearby lake north of it, Purgatory Creek Wildlife Area.

What a fun night! My Husband and I went out with another couple and it was a delightful evening…read more The staff was excellent and Captain Josh was very informative about the lake and the development around the lake. We'll do this again!

Recently celebrated a friend's birthday on one of the Yachts here. This is actually the 3rd time…read more The first 2 times we were on a different model than this most recent one. Both models were 2 floors generally nice. I did like this most recent one better because it had a front deck and way better seating areas in my opinion. Staff were nice. The bar/snack options were only okay in my opinion. Very limited to type of drinks they could mix and also a tiny bit of inconsistency depending on who made the drink. The drinks were reasonably priced. The rental package I guess required a meal plan - which chips and salsa and veggie tray were chosen. They also sold a few snacks at the bar (a few typical bar snacks). We were able to use our own device to place music via an aux. It was a 2 hr event, we had so much fun the time went by really fast. I would recommend their rentals!

Poor customer service and hidden charges when something goes wrong. Be extremely careful if…read morerenting from this company.

Excellent company to deal with for jet ski rentals. Priced right and they were so very helpful for…read moreus , especially since we are not from the area . We will definately rent from them again in the future .

When my 9-5 job starts to drag and I begin to envision scenes from the movie "Office Space", I lace…read moreup my tennis shoes and head to Lake Smetana for a quick run. The scenery and solitude of the lake calms me. Lake Smetana has a 1.6-mile loop trail around the lake (Running the outskirts of the lake will put the run closer to 3 miles). The path is fully paved and scenic. The trail is not very busy, except for lunchtime Monday-Friday, when workers in the surrounding office buildings often walk or run on the path. There are water fountains and several benches placed along the path. I've never seen a boater on the lake, but there is a boat ramp off of Flying Cloud Drive and Smetana Lane. The lake is pretty and looks like a nice place for a romantic boat picnic or kayaking. All I know is that after my run around the lake, my day always looks better. Great for a walk with friends, quiet meditation, nature watching, a quick run, or a quiet lunch if you live or work in the area.

worst experience I've had in my entire life. brought my boat in for service and both my fish…read morefinders were stolen from their lot and the owner was rude and offered no apology, he shrugged his shoulders and told me to contact my insurance company even though he was liable for the theft's. long story short I would never recommend this place to anyone.

Randy and Brian and the whole staff were welcoming, friendly and very knowledgeable. Recommend…read morehighly

Knowmad gets my highest recommendation from our initial phone conversation to having a Knowmad…read morespecialist see us off at the airport for our return trip home. We spent an unforgettable 10 days hiking the (express!) Inca trail to Machu Picchu and visiting Lima, The Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes and Cusco. I could write 10 pages about how much we loved traveling with Knowmad so I'll try to stick to the highlights. My husband and I usually handle all of our own travel planning, but when we came across Knowmad while researching how to visit Machu Picchu we realized we would probably get a lot more out of a trip to Peru traveling with specialists from the country. This was 1000% true and working with Knowmad made planning our trip so easy and fun. Our travel specialists Renee and Shannon found a way for us to do everything we wanted to do (and so much more!) while staying within our budget. They were remarkably thorough with answering my countless questions and we could not have been more prepared for our visit, with very minimal effort on our end. Once we met up with our Knowmad guide, Fernando, in Cusco every day of our trip was amazing and we learned so much about the Inca culture and the Andes while having a ton of fun and going at our own pace. By the time we made it to Machu Picchu it was so much more meaningful because we had an understanding of what makes it such a special and mystical site. The Inca trail was absolutely breathtaking (and I'm not talking about the altitude ) and we couldn't have done it without Fernando as our fearless guide. He looked out for us every step of the way and made us feel like family throughout our time with him. Our trip wouldn't have been nearly so memorable without him. Another highlight was our e-bike ride through the Sacred Valley with our awesome guide Kirvi, who was so kind and on top of making sure we were safe and even getting some awesome photos and videos along the way. Our driver Abraham made us feel so welcome and kept us moving along and safe throughout our trip. The restaurants and hotels Knowmad arranged for us were excellent, and our picnic in the Sacred Valley and Pachamanca experience were unbelievable. Thank you Knowmad for making our trip such an incredible experience we will never forget!

Knowmad planned our trip to Argentina in March. They listened to what we wanted and then arranged…read morea flawless trip. They were also very responsive whenever I had questions. I highly recommend them if you wish to have a special excursion to a South American country.

A must do if you're visiting or as a local as well! For under $25 each you can see d time on the…read moreMississippi and the surrounding banks , hearing how it started and grew into the twin cities. Highly recommend and maybe do a couple of times a summer .

Fun, no frills cruise down the Mississippi and back. Informative pre-recorded narration, but very…read morehard to hear from the back upper deck. Especially when there is a group of women talking loudly non-stop. LOL! A very good value and something different to do in the city. No outside food or beverages are allowed, but they do have snacks and sodas available. This would be even more fun in the fall when the leaves are at peak color.

I have been doing business with the great folks at Tonka Bay Marina for over 15 years! They have…read morealways provided quality work and reasonable prices. Not the cheapest on the lake, but you get what you pay for! Also, the owner's are dedicated to helping the greater Lake Minnetonka community. From helping the U of M with AIS studies to personally taking veterans out on the lake, they go above and beyond to contribute in a positive way. That's a business I can support!

This is the most complete and professional marina on Lake Minnetonka!…read moreI wouldn't do business anywhere else. Their crew is top notch!