1. Backyard Indoor Playground
Bring the family to the Backyard in Golden Valley! Kids ages 2-12 can get their wiggles out at this indoor playground filled with super slides, twisty tubes, cargo climbs, bumper balls, log rollers, and cave crawls. When it’s time to grab a bite, the whole family will enjoy the Three One Six Bar + Grill, with its classic American menu of burgers, salads, sandwiches, and flatbreads, complete with a selection of kid’s favorites.
2. Game Show Battle Rooms
Do you love game shows? Create ridiculously fun memories with your friends and family at Game Show Battle Rooms in St. Louis Park. Your host will guide you through your favorite TV game shows. Choose the classics: Survey Battles, Spin & Solve, What’s That Cost? or primetime favorites: Survey Battles, MatchUp Wars, and Time Rush Games. Perfect for ages 10+.
3. Park Tavern Bowling & Entertainment Center
A local favorite for over 60 years, the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park is the perfect family hangout, with twenty lanes of bowling, arcade games and dart boards. Hungry bowlers can take advantage of the full-service restaurant, which offers a comprehensive menu complete with freshly-made pizza, killer tater tots, and vegan and gluten-free options. There are also two bar areas with large screen TVs to catch the latest game and, when the weather is nice, an outdoor patio with lawn games and seating for 150+.
4. Pavek Museum
The Pavek in St. Louis Park is home to one of the world’s most significant collections of vintage radio and television equipment. A favorite of schoolchildren, visitors can learn about the history of electronic communication and the science of electromagnetism and sound. Their unique collection includes items such as a Philco Mystery Control Radio, Theremin, Magnetaphon, and a Spark Gap Generator. The museum is also home to the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
5. Schaper Park Challenge Course
Schaper Park in Golden Valley is home to the state’s first outdoor fitness challenge course. Loosely based on Ninja Warrior, the course allows kids and adults to race against time – and each other – through a 40-yard dash and an obstacle area. There’s also an all-inclusive play structure designed for younger children and their families of all ability levels.
Photo: GameTime
6. Marcus West End Cinema
Located in the heart of St. Louis Park’s West End, the West End Cinema is the perfect place to watch the latest movie releases. Enjoy stadium seating and the ability to select your seats in advance. Plus, there’s ample free parking in the attached ramp. Pro tip: Become a Magical Movie Rewards member (it’s free) and save on food and drink specials. So get a bucket of popcorn, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
7. Westwood Hills Nature Center
Get back to nature at Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, home to 160 acres of marsh, woods and restored prairie. Try geocaching and enjoy birdwatching and wildlife spotting, including deer, turtles, fox, mink and owls, on over 3 miles of accessible trails. The eco-friendly Interpretive Center offers fun, hands-on educational programs, exhibits and live animals, including a resident red-tailed hawk, American kestrel and a barred owl. In winter, you can rent kicksleds or snowshoes.
8. Canvas Convergence
Don’t be fooled! Come interact with all the 3D illusion murals at Canvas Convergence at The Shops at West End in St. Louis Park. The art in this gallery changes with the seasons. Sit in a nest filled with dinosaur eggs – but watch out for their parents. Dine at a table for two in the streets of an Italian village. Or maybe dangle on the edge of an ice ravine! The artwork is wheelchair accessible and some of the pieces will incorporate audio for those with visual impairments. A dedicated classroom space offers fun, creative classes and there is a gift shop filled with amazing art and products. Admission is free.
9. Aquatic Park
The St. Louis Park Aquatic Park features over 20,000 sq. ft. of fun! Families with young children will delight in the zero-depth entry area, water geysers, spray arches, tot whale slide and water playground. A large sand-and-water play area, complete with shovels and buckets, will keep little ones entertained for hours. Older tweens and teens will enjoy the drop slides, diving boards, aqua obstacle course (Wibit) and, of course, the two four-story water slides. There are ample sun decks with loungers and adults (18+) can take advantage of daily lap swim times. A full-service concession stand offers summertime favorites and a grassy picnic area is perfect for families who want to bring in their own food. Open June through August.
10. Splash Pad
Oak Hill Splash Pad in St. Louis Park features 2,350 sq. ft. of bubbling hoses, water nozzles and sprinkler arches. Wave your hand over the sensor and get ready to get wet! It’s like running through the sprinkler at home, but on a grander scale. Perfect for families with younger children. Open June through August, weather depending.
11. Lawn Bowling
Older kids, teens and adults can try their hand at lawn bowling. Brookview in Golden Valley is home to one of the largest lawn bowling rinks in Minnesota! Similar to bocce ball, players use bowls (weighted ball-like objects with flattened sides) and a jack (a small white ball). The object of the game is simple: roll your bowl as close to the jack as possible. Perfect for all ages!
12. Pub Curling
In the winter, Brookview in Golden Valley is home to the first outdoor pub curling rink in the state. Designed for all ages and skill levels, pub curling, which is similar to shuffleboard, is perfect for beginners and casual curlers alike. Brookview offers four sheets of synthetic ice. Can you get your rock closest to the center? The surface is not as slippery as you think, so send your rock off with a little extra oomph. And be sure to dress warmly for the outdoor weather!
13. Snow Tubing
The Tubing Hill at Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Golden Valley offers fun for the entire family. Located just behind The Trailhead, this riding hill features a tow rope to bring tubers back up to the top of the hill. You bring the warm clothes, and they will provide the rest! The rope-tow typically runs on Friday evenings and weekends, but tubing is allowed during other designated times – just be prepared to climb back up to the top!
14. Ice Skating
Lace up your skates! There are over 20 places to go ice skating in St. Louis Park and Golden Valley. The St. Louis Park Rec Center offers indoor skating all year long and skate rentals are available. In winter, the ROC, St. Louis Park’s covered outdoor ice rink, offers skating on Friday evenings and weekend afternoons. For a true outdoor adventure, go skating on one of our many outdoor park skating rinks. St. Louis Park offers nine rinks and Golden Valley has ten. A number of the rinks also have warming houses.
For all the latest happenings, be sure to follow or like us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. And don’t forget to tag your photos with #Westopolis – we’d love to see them!
