The Summer heat is finally here!
At How 2 Mom, we are always looking for fun activities to keep the kids busy. Below, you will find a list of (mostly) outdoor activities and places to visit to help you make some fun summer memories! In addition to the places we suggest, we also made sure to include some fun activities you can do at home if that’s where you feel most safe!
A big thank you to Family Fun Twin Cities for the At Home Activities and a big thank you to Heidi Lorrin and fellow Cottage Grove moms for a collective effort in creating this Summer list!
At Home Activities
Pools
- Anoka County Aquatic Center (Outdoor)
- Apple Valley Family Aquatic Center (Outdoor)
- Battle Creek Waterworks (Maplewood)
- Bloomington Family Aquatic Park (Outdoor)
- Bunker Beach (Coon Rapids)
- Cascade Bay (Outdoor) (Eagan)
- Como Regional Park Pool (St. Paul) (Outdoor)
- Crystal Cove Aquatic Center (Outdoor) (Crystal)
- Edina Aquatic Center (Outdoor)
- Great River Waterpark (St. Paul)
- Grove Cove Aquatic Center (Indoor) (Maple Grove)
- Highland Park Aquatic Center (Outdoor) (St. Paul)
- Jim Lupient Water Park (Outdoor) (Minneapolis)
- Lorraine Park Pool (South Saint Paul)
- Richfield Outdoor Pool
- SandVenture Aquatic Park (Shakopee) (Outdoor)
- St. Louis Park Aquatic Park (Outdoor)
- The Grove Aquatic Center (Indoor)(Inver Grove Heights)
- Tropics Indoor Waterpark (Shoreview)
- Venetian Waterpark (Maple Grove)
- Wild Mountain Waterpark (Outdoor) (Taylors Falls)
- Williston Pool and Splash Pad (Indoor) (Minnetonka)
Parks/Wading Pools
- Bryant Square Park (Minneapolis)
- Lake Hiawatha (Minneapolis)
- Linden Hills Park (Minneapolis)
- Wabun Park (Minneapolis)
- Waite Park (Minneapolis)
Splash Pads
- Andrew’s Park Splash Pad (Champlin)
- Cedarcrest Park Splash Pad (Bloomington)
- Central Park (Maple Grove)
- Central Park Splash Pad (Eagan)
- Cliff Fen (Burnsville)
- Conway Park (St. Paul)
- Delano Central Park and Splash Pad
- Harmon Park (West. St. Paul)
- Highlands Park (Cottage Grove)
- Huset Park West (Columbia Heights)
- Kelly Park (Apple Valley)
- Lagoon Park (Jordan)
- Lewis Park (St. Paul)
- Madison’s Place (Woodbury)
- Miller Park (Eden Prairie)
- Nicollet Park Commons (Burnsville)
- Oak Hill Park and Splash Pad (St. Louis Park)
- Phalen Park (St. Paul)
- Rosemount Splash Pad at Central Park
- Round Lake Splash Pad (Eden Prairie)
- Waite Park (Minneapolis)
Beaches
- Antlers Beach (Lakeville)
- Baker Park Reserve (Maple Plain)
- Baylor Regional Park (Norwood Young America)
- Bde Maka Ska 32nd Beach (Minneapolis)
- Bde Maka Ska North Beach (Minneapolis)
- Bde Maka Ska Thomas Beach (Minneapolis)
- Bellaire Beach (White Bear Lake)
- Big Marine Park Reserve (Marine on St. Croix)
- Bryant Lake Regional Park (Eden Prairie)
- Bush Lake Beach (Bloomington)
- Carver Lake (Woodbury)
- Cedar Lake East Beach (Minneapolis)
- Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park (New Prague)
- Cedar Lake Point Beach (Minneapolis)
- Centerville Beach (Lino Lakes)
- Cleary Lake Regional Park (Prior Lake)
- Coon Lake Beach (Ham Lake)
- Elm Creek Swimming Pond (Maple Grove)
- Fish Lake Regional Park (Maple Grove)
- French Regional Park Beach (Plymouth)
- Lake Byllesby Beach (Cannon Falls)
- Lake Elmo Park Reserve
- Lake George Beach (Oak Grove)
- Lake Harriet North Beach (Minneapolis)
- Lake Harriet South Beach (Minneapolis)
- Lake Josephine County Park (Roseville)
- Lake McCarrons County Park (Roseville)
- Lake Minnetonka Regional Park Beach (Minnetrista)
- Lake Minnewashta (Chanhassen)
- Lake Nokomis Beach (Minneapolis)
- Lake Rebecca Park Reserve (Rockford)
- Lake Saint Croix Beach
- Lake Waconia Regional Park
- Lakeside Commons Park (Blaine)
- Long Lake Regional Park (New Brighton)
- Memorial Beach Park (White Bear Lake)
- Orchard Lake (Lakeville)
- Phalen Park Beach (St. Paul)
- Point Douglas Beach (Hastings)
- Prescott Beach (Prescott, WI)
- Round Lake Beach (Eden Prairie)
- Schulze Lake Beach (Eagan)
- Shady Oak Beach (Minnetonka)
- Silver Lake Beach (North Saint Paul)
- Snail Lake Regional Park (Shoreview)
- Snelling Lake Beach (St. Paul)
- Square Lake Beach (Stillwater)
- The Commons (Excelsior)
- Tony Schmidt Regional Park (Lake Johanna) (Arden Hills)
- West Medicine Beach (Plymouth)
- White Bear Lake County Park
- Wirth Lake Beach (Minneapolis)
Ice Cream
- Cup and Cone (White Bear Lake)
- Grand Ole Creamery (St. Paul/Minneapolis)
- Milkjam Creamery (Minneapolis)
- MN Nice Ice Cream (Minneapolis/Stillwater)
- Nelson’s Ice Cream (Stillwater/St. Paul)
- Schoolhouse Scoop (Hastings)
- Sebastian Joe’s (Minneapolis-2 locations)
- Selma’s (Afton)
Nature Centers
- Carpenter Nature Center (Hastings)
- Dodge Nature Center (West St. Paul)
- Eastman Nature Center (Dayton)
- Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden (Minneapolis)
- Harriet Alexander Nature Center (Roseville)
- Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center (Marine on St. Croix)
- Minnehaha Falls (Minneapolis)
- Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (Chaska)
- Richardson Nature Center (Blooomington)
- Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Lake)
- Theodore Wirth Quaking Bog (Golden Valley)
- Westwood Hills Nature Center (St. Louis Park)
Sculpture Parks
Parks
- Abdella Memorial Park (St. Paul Park)
- Brookview Playground (Golden Valley)
- Central Park (Maple Grove)
- Dingle Park (St. Paul Park)
- Elm Creek Park (Maple Grove)
- French Regional Park (Plymouth)
- Grandview Park (Castle Park) (Hudson)
- Hamlet Park (Cottage Grove)
- Heritage Park (St. Paul Park)
- Hyland Play Area aka Chutes and Ladders (Bloomington)
- Jerry Ruppelius Park (Champlin)
- Kelly Park (Apple Valley)
- Lagoon Park (Jordan)
- Lake Camelot Park (Plymouth)
- Lake Minnetonka Regional Park Playground (Minnetrista)
- Lake Rebecca Park Reserve (Rockford)
- Lone Lake Park (Minnetonka)
- Madison’s Playground (Woodbury)
- North Loop Playground (Minneapolis)
- Oak Hill Park (St. Louis Park)
- Pioneer Park (Stillwater)
- Plymouth Creek Park
- Ravine Park (Cottage Grove)
- Schaper Park (Golden Valley)
- Teddy Bear Park (Stillwater)
- West Medicine Lake Park (Plymouth)
- William Berry Park (Minneapolis)
- Woodridge Park (Cottage Grove)
Animals
- Como Zoo (St. Paul)
- Fawn Doe Rosa (St. Croix Falls)
- Gale Woods Farm (Minnetrista)
- Govin’s Farm (Menomonie)
- Hemker Zoo (Freeport)
- Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley)
- Oliver Kelly Farm (Elk River)
- The Raptor Center (St. Paul)
- The Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Zoo (Owatonna)
Orchards/Mazes
- Afton Apple (Hastings)
- Emma Krumbee’s Apple Orchard (Belle Plaine)
- MN Harvest Apple Orchard (Jordan)
- Pine Tree Apple Orchard (White Bear Lake)
- Pleasant Valley Orchard (Shafer)
- Severs Corn Maze and Fall Festival (Shakopee)
Mini Golf
- Malt Tee’s Mini Golf (Richfield)
- Can Can Wonderland (St. Paul)
- The Drive Inn (Taylors Falls)
Caves
- Crystal Cave (Spring Valley, WI)
- Wabasha Street Cave (St. Paul)
Pizza Farms
- Borner Farm Project (Prescott)
- Red Barn (Northfield)
And there you have it!
We hope you’ll find this list of outdoor fun helpful when planning some summer memories with your family!
Love,
Pin the blog!
