Shoreview Community Center gets 5 stars! I went in not expecting much but I was blown away by how…read moremuch fun there was. The waterpark was the highlight. That waterslide with the lights and music? Awesome! It's a one of a kind experience. Beyond the waterpark the playground was also great. It's not your average playground; it's big, well designed and has tons of opportunities for kids to explore and play. What really makes Shoreview Community Center stand out is the community. They offer so much more than just a pool and playground. From the fitness center to the skatepark they have created a space for all interests and ages. It's clear they have invested in making a valuable resource for everyone.

What an amazing indoor water park for the family! We went here for a kiddos birthday party. The…read morecabanas are in Bamboo Bay area vs the main pool area. Bamboo Bay is much louder than the main pool area due to the fact it's more enclosed and there are sprayers with lots of water all over. The lifeguards do a great job of keeping their eyes on the kiddos cause it can get very very packed in both pool areas and kids of all different ages including adults too! The bathrooms and lockers are great and all facilities are pretty new and kept clean. I do love the spinner to spin clothes after swim time... As a side note, if you're like me and just hung out with other parents while the kiddos swam...it can get very very hot and humid so dress accordingly even in the winter time!

I went to the pool with a 10 year old on a beautiful weekday afternoon. Found some chairs to rest…read morein, store our stuff, went on the lazy river and swam in the 6 foot deep pool with her. We also enjoyed the concessions- a hot dog and dipping dots for her and some Highland popcorn for me. We could refill our water bottles when we got thirsty. Parking lot is easy to get into and out of, and parking was plentiful. It was an enjoyable afternoon!

The abundance of seating, both in shade and sun; the variety of pool options from zero entry to…read morepsuedo cliff diving. The abundance of life guards, no annoying ". safety breaks". The random first aid drills are interesting and fun to watch.

Been here a few times with the kids. It is easy to navigate, has a decent amount of stuff to do,…read moreand the lifeguards are on point. It isn't Great Wolf Lodge, it is a manageable size, and has all the things you need - including nachos with the terrible but delicious cheese (that is so wrong yet so right). My kids like bouncing back and forth between the pool with the slides (a walk-in kind) and the lap pool nearby that is more your traditional pool. Prices are reasonable. Its a great way to burn some energy for a few hours.

So you've got this rec center in the middle of the hood. It offers all kinds of things for people…read morein the neighborhood. Playground, basketball, volleyball, yoga, exercise equipment, etc. are all offered and more. But it is the lap pool and swimming I'm writing about that is so awesome. A lightly chlorinated pool. That's right. They have a different filtration method here using sphagnum moss which significantly reduces the amount of chlorine in the water. There is nothing better then getting out of a pool and NOT smelling like a chlorine tablet. Less burning of the eyes and itching of the skin. A win all around. Plus they open @ 6:30am some days for you early morning risers and open it up from 5:30-7pm on other days (see website for schedule). Plus if you got the toddlers and young kids, there is the water park, 2 water slides, and a shallow pool to get them acclimated. Me likey.

Great splash pad, cool playground and lots of green space. My girls love coming here on a hot day,…read morethe water area is pretty big with plenty of seating along walls, benches and a pavilion area. Nice bonus having the concessions and changing/restroom area close by.

My boys requested to go to a park they hadn't been to yet and we found this place! Definitely worth…read morevisiting! The grounds are huge! Footballs fields, volleyball courts, baseball fields! This place has a splash pad, large playground, a tots play area for the little kids, bathrooms, and an area that sells snacks (I'm assuming during the summer months) There is a TON of parking and the grounds were clean! My kids had a blast here!

A nice park and beach but a very busy place! At least they have a pretty big parking lot…read more They have a small area of sand near the shoreline but the majority of the "sitting" area is grass. They have little pockets away from the actual beach that you can chill in with your dog or launch off with your kayak/padddleboard but again it's a busy place so sometimes people are using those areas. We went on a Wednesday and the garbage was still full to the top from the weekend so it was a little dirty in the area.

Ya know, look at the one star reviews of this place. In one, someone is complaining about fish in…read morethe water . It's definitely worth a read. Here's what I like about the place: - The beach is small but nice. - Picnic tables and benches along the water where people are hanging out. - A boat launch with info on keeping aquatic hitchhikers off your boat. - A fishing pier north of the beach for those who want to fish. - Open areas south of the beach where to let your dogs swim. - A playground for the kids. - Bathrooms in a legit building open during the summer months. Honestly, the lake is clean and a slow slope into deeper water so you can cool off in. What more do you want?

I am transplant from the other side of the river and absolutely love living in this neighborhood…read more Obviously the perks of this park requires a list so here goes: - The old water tower gets opened up during Highland Fest and in the fall for the fall colors. Once you climb the many stairs, you are treated to an amazing open air view of the surrounding area. The planes at the airport look like toys landing and taking off and all the colors just pop if you time it right. When open, it is only on the weekends. - Two golf courses. On the 18 hole, the 15th hole has a sand trap done up like Snoopy (zoom in on link) in honor of Charles Schulz once being a caddy. The 9 hole across the street is much hillier and is that way because a lot of it is the dirt from the construction of I-94 back in the 60's linking the two cities. http://goo.gl/maps/ZnXbz - Cross country skiing. Both course become x-country ski havens in the winter with even one of the courses having trails groomed. There is also a sliding hill by the water tower which gets packed after a fresh snowfall. - The Pavilion (and many other shelters) can be rented for picnics. Many a fine Booyah's, a fine upper midwestern treat that you need to have once in your life, are served here by neighborhood groups doing fund raisers. Bring a tupperware container to bring some home if you'd like. People will be there with empty ice cream bucket containers for the good ones. - The swimming pool. St. Paul has a few pools now that utilize sphagnum moss as a major cleaning process. Amazing water and you don't come out smelling like a chlorine factory with your hair turning a different color or your eyes burnt red. It's fantastic. - Frisbee course. While I don't understand the layout, many people do and it is always getting used. - Just walk around in the park or on the paths. Towering oaks, deer, fox, willow trees, hills and hidden stairs. This is really an old park and a gem in the city. Even the playground equipment has been updated in the last few years.

The pool facilities are excellent at the Highland Park Aquatic Center, and lots of updates since I…read moreenjoyed swimming here as a kid have really made this a very entertaining destination for kids of all ages and adults too, but the way it's run leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately. There was plenty of free parking and lots of shade available on the pool deck, but during the 4+ hours we spent there (2 adults, 3 kids under age 10) I didn't see one adult worker anywhere-just lots of teen life guards and workers. Also, the pool and deck rules are very unclear, sparsely posted and inconsistently enforced, so we found ourselves breaking all kinds of secret, nonsensical rules only the lifeguards seemed to know about (and we definitely weren't alone). Then, when asked to clarify how what we were doing was wrong, we could never get a clear answer and the lifeguards were often rude and dismissive. We were also given contradictory information from 3 different lifeguards about the same rule! We figured things out for ourselves quick enough and learned which lifeguards really could be consistent, so in the end we had a really good time, just be aware when you go that it's on you to figure it all out, not many of the staff will be helpful (even in matters of safety) at all. Lastly, the admission cost is a little steep ($6 per adult, $5 per kid under 48" tall), and even though they give a little break to families, it's not like you're getting all that much bang for your buck. Also be aware that no outside food or drinks are technically allowed--which I understand to a point, but this is also not listed online or posted officially anywhere on site which is annoying and inconvenient, especially since the concessions are mainly very overpriced junk food. So it would be nice if they offered some healthy alternatives like fruits and veggies rather than more processed, packaged, sugary junk for sale. If that's not possible then just let us bring at least those things with us? With little kids it's not easy to drag them out of the pool, back to the car for a healthy snack--which we ultimately did only to be harassed exiting AND re-entering by the overly enthusiastic little "teen bouncer" at the front gate even though re-admission is permitted as long as you're wearing your wristband. Like I said earlier though; ALL the rules at this facility and how they're communicated and enforced are very inconsistent to say the least! We resolved that if we return we'll just smuggle our own snacks in since they that's what we observed most people doing anyways! The bottom line: you can have a great time in the pool and the facilities have a lot to offer people of all ages if you take some of these tips to heart, learn how to work the ill-managed "system" of rules and their teen army of enforcers, advocate (and think) for yourself a little, and just basically ignore the incredible inconsistency that truly rules here!

Maybe I don't want to leave a 5-start review because then the secret is out…read more I'm searching for nice, quiet beaches around Blaine. I got tired of Anoka County Parks beaches with lifeguards because they tend to be overcrowded and loud. But that's a different post... Golden Beach was recommended to me a couple of years ago, and I finally took that advice. Easy access off of Lexington, down a quiet residential street. No wonder it's a hidden gem. I had no clue this was back here. A big parking lot right next to a playground. The lot was just re-tarred, but no lines were painted yet. The beach is not visible from the parking lot/playground due to a hill... added privacy. A slight walk to the beach made us pass a clean bathroom and pavilion. On the way back to the car, I noticed there was a concession stand open. Must be on the back side of the restroom building. There was another path leading into tree cover (away from beach path)...did not explore where that went. The beach is narrow and long. There was a retaining wall separating the sand from the grass. Prefect place for kids and adults to sit on while getting sunscreen put on or their swim shoes. Lots of grass to sunbathe in. Big mature trees to find shade under for those not wanting to fry as they watch the water. The swimming area is not roped off. To one side is high reeds. To the other is a fishing dock. Kid swimmers were either out in the open or towards the reeds. I dipped my toe in...87 degrees out and it was cold. There was staked signage that the water was treated with something (I can't remember what). It said the water was safe to swim in, but not to drink it (people and pets). The water didn't look clear, no algae. A very lovely beach. How no one reads this so that it stays that way!

Local Golden Lake Park is a public park on the lake. No outboard motors are allowed on this small…read morelake, so it's a quiet lake to enjoy. Fishing, swimming, hiking, canoe or kayak here. The playground equipment and picnic shelter are closed due to CV-19.

I'm visiting family and we took our six kids to this part to spend time at the splash pad and…read moreplayground one morning. What a beautiful space! There are small rain gardens featuring native plants and plenty of lawn and field all around plus the baseball fields. But we only came here for the kid attractions. The splash pad has three different fountains that will be running at a time, 6 in total, that alternate with three coming up from the ground and three coming from rocks. And then, this is my favorite part, the water from the splash pad spills into a man-made stream. I actually had a lot of fun looking through the beautiful rocks and organizing them by look and feel with the kids. Find the button to turn on the splash pad on the short blue pole by the fountains. There was a small playground that didn't get much attention while I was there, but the large playground has a lot going on for little kids as well as big kids. There's even one really close tonight that you can only get to by climbing up a few rope ladders. They did have porta potties nearby, but the only thing missing is a bathroom. I love that they have a partial fence separating the main playground from the parking lot, and a shaded gazebo for grown-ups to sit at. I wish I had a park like this in my city near Atlanta! It would get so much action. I was actually surprised this place wasn't swarming with people and we visited on a summer Tuesday morning.