We had a great time walking thru the historic mill district and over the Mississippi River. It's a nice place to get exercise as well. The views of the city especially at night will last a lifetime read more

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Flour Power. Located alongside the Mississippi River across the riverbank from Downtown Minneapolis is a 1.4 acre park that celebrates water power and the historic flour mills. It is the Water Power Park. Situated on Father Hennepin Island, this is a gift from Xcel Energy, the primary energy company in the Twin Cities. As part of a deal to renew Xcel Energy as the primary source they were mandated to create a park overlooking Upper St. Anthony Falls. The upshot is that the tallest flora are powerlines that tower above the park and a transistor station at the Gateway to the park at Main Street. Although I relished spending time in the home of the current largest mall in America (Mall of America), I was truly at home alongside the Mississippi River. This is my latest review sharing the parks and trails alongside the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. With that said, when I explored Water Power Park, it was one of a series of parks and trails alongside the Mississippi from the Plymouth Avenue Bridge at the north to the Old Stone Bridge at the south. Just like a member in a legendary band, Water Power Park would be part of a whole that would make the Mississippi River Band awesome. It was our last day in Minneapolis that my brother and I explored Water Power Park. We had just walked through Boom Island to the north and were bound for the Old Stone Bridge. Ideally this park goes great with the far more natural Hennipen Bluffs Park at the south. The reason why I did not explore this park earlier in the vacation when I did Hennipen Bluffs Park was that it gave a poor first impression. From Main Street the transformer station dominates the entrance. This is the main sight walking north. Walking south is a different story. From northbound Main Street, we turned onto a trail that reminds me of a dock. The beginning is a slight downhill elevation with ramps. On our left was the Xcel Energy transformer station that brought to life the power lines marching alongside and over the Mississippi River. It was at the end of the primary trail that overlooks the source of the power. If I was interested in the vast information explaining Upper St. Anthony Falls role in providing power there were several kiosks alongside the trail. In all honesty I'd leave the teaching to Google later on. I was interested in taking pictures. Making my way through a flat topography where interspersed trees shared the land with powerlines poles, I walked what was now an smooth unpaved trail to the edge of the Mississippi River. It was at the Mississippi River where I took in spectacular view of the Upper St. Anthony Falls under the Third Avenue Bridge. This is the closest spot to the Upper St. Anthony Falls which is the only water falls on the Mississippi River. There were two prime spots to capture the falls. They were here at the conclusion of the main trail and where the intersection of the main and spur trail. The intersection view provides a close up perpendicular view of one of the falls. It was a neat sight watching a close up water fall at a perpendicular angle. Especially when it is a view of the Mississippi River with the historic flour and lumber mills with the Minneapolis skyline. Heading back towards Main Street I enjoyed a nice vista of grass reaching towards the Historic Pillsbury "A" Mill rising above the transformer station. Instead of seeing the Pillsbury Doughboy, we'd take a short trip on the short dead-end spur trail. This leads to a view of Hennipen Bluffs Park and the Stone Arch Bridge. The later serves as a very popular St. Anthony Falls overlook. There you have it. This review is a representation of first hand experience in a park showcasing water power and flour mills. Hopefully this review has provided knowledge on the Water Power Park. Because when it comes to power, "Knowledge is power." read more

This is a pretty unique attraction along the river and is well worth a visit for anyone visiting Minneapolis or dining in the Saint Anthony Main area. The word "Park" is a little misleading for the section looking over Mill City and the falls. there is no facilities, play ground or other recreational options, but there is some great views and informational placards to educate you on the hydro electric process and how it played a part in forming the city. For the knowledge hungry and history buffs it's a cool way to learn more about Minneapolis and take in some pretty spectacular views at the same time. If you're in this area and you have time I would suggest checking out the whole stretch of parks from Boom Island to the Stone Arch Bridge. But if you only have time for a couple stops you can't go wrong with Saint Anthony and the falls. read more

Water Power Park - Parks Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I had my wedding here 5 years ago. My best friend had his wedding here this year. A unique view of the river and surrounding urban environment. Great view of both St Anthony Main Street and Mill City. The dam is impressive from this vantage point: you can hear the deafening roar and feel the mist. It's an excellent outdoor wedding venue. Although you'll need to sneak in some amplification equipment if you want to be heard above the river's roar. Sneak it in because they don't allow such equipment without a nice fine. Right off Main Street. Walk off your meal and walk across the cobblestone road to view the river in all its glory. read more

The end of main st to the south equals the start of the open space along the river. I didnt realize there was so many man made mods to the area but the harvesting of St Anthony falls for power makes total sense. Folks on benches galore and nature lovers making it down to look at the skyline i to town read more

Another hidden gem right on the riverfront. Didn't really see this place mentioned in the travel guides. Though, there's not much to do other than stare at the rushing water and like me, wonder, "Should it be that color?" I glanced at the info kiosks they had scattered about, but didn't read through them entirely so I'm not sure what the whole story is. 10-15 minutes strolling around will cover it all. Great view of the Minneapolis skyline for us photo geeks. Several restaurants and a movie theatre right at the entrance to the park. read more

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One of my favorite parks Downtown. I just love the views it offers due to the way the observation areas are arranged right next to St Anthony Falls. The TREMENDOUS force of the falls from this angle provides you with an excellent flowing water sound, and sometimes even a picturesque mist. It is the only waterfall I've been to that can set me into a dreamy state that I'm still at Niagra Falls, especially now with the opening of this park. St Anthony is of course much smaller, on a river which on somedays has an occasional foul odor, and Niagra doesn't have a concrete spillway. Wish St Anthony still looked like it did in the historic photos throughout the park, it may have even rivaled Niagra a little as a tourist destination due to it's size if it still looked the way it originally did. It's present helped by man appearance almost makes it look like it's not a natural waterfall when it in fact is. Maybe it's strange to even compare it to Niagra but a person's got to find things close to home that remind you of the amazing places you've been to on travels, no matter what those similiarities may be. After all you only get a few days to a couple weeks to experience those things wheras for most of your life you're gonna have to find enjoyment in local attractions. St Anthony has definetely lost some scenic value because of the spillway, but it still is a large and powerful waterfall that is great to be next to, and at Waterpower Park you're literally right in front of them. There are some things I wish would be different though, hopefully someone with authority will read this and make some changes. To start with there should really be an entertainment pier here, and even if that doesn't happen, St Anthony Falls should be lit up for more nightime enjoyment of the riverfront, its still pretty cool now but with this it would be spectacular. St Anthony Falls is the only waterfall on the Mississippi River, and its huge so it seems weird not to show it off a little. Speaking of nighttime why is it that especially when there are late night festivities this park is closed (10 PM). It woulda been really cool watching the July 4th fireworks here, and it woulda offered a really nice breeze from the falls. Its already really nice but I think it has the potential to be a major attraction read more

We in Minneapolis have one of the first hydroelectric facilities in the nation. It is right here. You can walk down from the cobbles of Main Street and read all the nerdy historic plaques you could ever ask for all about our history powering the upper midwest from St. Anthony Falls. You can take in the views of the new Guthrie Theatre, the Mill City Museum, and the downtown skyline beyond. You can partake of the myriad dining and drinking options at the entrance of the park in the old St. Anthony district. You can get closer to the actual falls than the public has ever been able to get, and stand and ponder Mark Twain while watching Old Man River slowly stretch out and get all frothy as he rolls along over the falls and down past this first big river town on his way south to the gulf. A most welcome addition to our already admirable park system. read more

Great park to get a view of downtown Minneapolis. Kevin's got it all written down.. not much else to say here.