If you are looking for something a little different to do with your kids this week, if you are in the mood to learn about energy and the environment and science, or if you just need an outing idea, what about visiting nearby Minnesota dams?
Usually there isn’t a cost to visit and some of them you can see up close or even walk across.
Minnesota Dams Near the Twin Cities
Coon Rapids Dam
9750 Egret Boulevard, Coon Rapids
- The dam was completed in 1914 .
- There is an old power house on the east shore. It contains a pump, a live-in space for the superintendent, and a garage.
Lock and Dam 1
5000 West River Parkway, Minneapolis
- This Lock and Dam was completed in 1917, reconstructed and rehabilitated several times.
- You may see pelicans, bald eagles and peregrine falcons during your visit.
St. Anthony Falls Lower Dam
1875 West River Parkway Minneapolis
- Constructed in 1956
- Enjoy the Stone Arch Bridge and Gold Medal Park to the west of the river.
St. Anthony Falls Upper Dam
1 Portland Avenue Minneapolis
- FREE! Admission and Tours ( at 11 am and 2 pm and limited to 10 people)
- The flour milling industry exploded along the Mississippi River (both figuratively and literally — with a big explosion in the Washburn A Mill Explosion on May 2, 1878)
St. Croix Falls Dam
401 North Hamilton Street St. Croix Falls, WI
- The ONLY dam on the St. Croix River was completed in 1909 and is also know as Nevers Dam.
- The dam stretches from Minnesota to Wisconsin and you can’t go wrong with beautiful scenery on either bank of the river.
Did we miss any?
Leave us a message and we’ll share your favorite local dam with the community.