Boom Island Park offers families a playground, both biking and walking trails, a view of the Boom Island lighthouse and plenty of green space to spread out and picnic and play games. It is part of the larger Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park. It offers a beautiful view of both the river and downtown Minneapolis. Families will find plenty of ways to explore the Mississippi riverfront. Other family-friendly amenities include a picnic area and grill, drinking fountain and restroom facilities. Boom Island will soon connect to a new Minneapolis park — Graco Park, which MPRB expects to complete during the fall of 2024. We have included Boom Island Park on our list of the best picnic spots in Minneapolis. Anne likes it for picnics because there is room to spread out and to play lawn games. The park does have a public grill if you want to make it a BBQ picnic. Read more about picnicking at Boom Island and our ideas for the best food to pack here. This park has three reservable picnic shelters for birthdays and other events between April 15 the and October 15. Permits are available in half day (9-3 or 4-10) and full day blocks. Reservations can be obtained by calling 612-230-6400 during business hours, online or in person. If you happen to be following the Brightly Beaming Letter of the Week Program with your preschooler, you will want to know that Boom Island Park has a miniature lighthouse (one of the L-week theme words). You can’t go in it, but you can see it from the shore. This is a nice quick outing for a preschool aged child. Even if you are not following the program, lighthouses can be fascinating for kids of any age. The Minneapolis Parks Foundation has created a one-mile walking tour that begins at Boom Island and explores the habitat and natural environment along the Mississippi and some of the engineering dilemma’s required to build an island on the Mississippi River. Find the self-guided Hall’s Island Restoration walking tour and others here. There is a Mississippi River Paddle Share station located in the park where you can rent single or two-person kayaks for 3 hours. Return the kayak at any stations along the route.
Picnic at Boom Island
Birthday Party Reservations
The Boom Island Lighthouse
Self-Guided Tour of the Halls Island Restoration
Kayak the Mississippi
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