Maybe it is the age of my kids, but whatever it is I am into finding cool parks. Not only in big cities, but especially in smaller towns. A few weeks ago we went to the Minnesota Children’s Museum to celebrate my nephew’s birthday. When we were done playing at the museum we wanted a fun park to have a picnic. We found Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater, MN.
I had no idea what to expect. We drove the half hour it took to get from the Twin Cities to Stillwater, took a left up a road I wasn’t sure was going to get us to the right place and there on the left hand side of the road was Teddy Bear Park. We found a spot to park in the parking lot close by, strapped Timmy in his stroller, put our lunch in the basket of the stroller and made our way to the park.
The first thing I noticed was how brightly colored everything was making it a welcoming experience right off the bat. A rock wall was the backdrop of the park with a huge sandbox the length of it. I think my big kids played in the sandbox and jumped off of the rock almost the whole time we were there.
We found a shady place to sit down and enjoy our lunch. There was two spots for shade a man made pavilion with benches and a spot near the rock wall. I don’t remember seeing a tree in the park, which at first felt weird and made the park hot. If you are visiting on a hot summer day, you will want to make sure the play equipment is not to hot for your child to sit on.
After checking the park equipment, Timmy had a blast climbing, sliding, running and enjoying freedom from the stroller. To his excitement one of the play elements was a train. It was an instant hit the moment he laid eyes on it.
Instead of rocks or wood chips, the ground under the equipment was a colorful, soft, foam like feel. It was a fun park to experience and it was not far from downtown Stillwater. Ice cream shops, candy shops and other fun stores are close enough for a fun walk. It was a fun day and I have added Stillwater, Minnesota to our list of must visit for a longer period of time places.
Have you been to Stillwater, MN? What is your favorite things to do in the area? What restaurants do you look forward to enjoying?