Highland Park - Family Fun Twin Cities

Address: 1200 Montreal Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55116
Upcoming Events: Jump to Highland Park Events

Here’s a crash course in “Highland Park” from a longtime St Paul resident (as it can be somewhat confusing for most anyone living outside of the city):

Highland Park is the name of a large neighborhood community within the City of St Paul. It is mostly residential but also encompasses a shopping area, restaurants, smaller parks and attractions we’ll cover.
Highland Park is also the name of the largest city park within the Highland Park neighborhood. I’m admittedly a little fuzzy on the official geographic boundaries of the city park, but by map, car or foot it appears to encompass city-operated hotspots such as the Highland Park Aquatic Center, Charles M Schulz-Highland Arena, historic Highland Park Water Tower, Highland National Golf Course, scattered picnic shelters and a playground. We’ll get to most of those attractions if you stick with us.
Highland Park Community Center is not located within Highland Park THE CITY PARK. But it is located in Highland Park THE NEIGHBORHOOD…within the much smaller Hillcrest Park.
Are you ready for your quiz?

Highland Park – the city park

The park proper offers year round family fun, from decently-sloped sledding hills in winter, swimming and other sports in summer and leaf-peeping from the historic water tower in the fall. For a casual park playdate you’ll find a playground and ample picnic space with grills.

Girl playing on playground at Highland Park in St. Paul, Minnesota — One of the two playgrounds at Highland Park

Birthday parties & events in Highland Park

Celebrating something special? Highland Park has a shelter and a large pavilion that are available to rent in blocks of time (note these structures are not adjacent; they are separated by a major city street, though there is a walking bridge between locations). The aquatic center can also be rented for private events. There is a free public fire ring in the picnic area south of Montreal Avenue and can be used on a first-come, first-served basis. Older kids may enjoy a dusk party with a campfire and s’mores. Learn more about renting park event space in St Paul here.

Picnic area at Highland Park in St. Paul. — Highland Park picnic pavilion

Disc golf in Highland Park

The Highland Park disc golf course is free and open from sunrise to sunset. According to reviews, this is somewhat of a beginner’s course, but is well maintained. For families with small children, the beginner course would be a plus as you won’t need to worry that you are holding up more serious players. Find more places to disc golf in the Twin Cities here.

Five children playing disc golf at Highland Park in St. Paul — Disc golf at Highland Park, St Paul

Swimming at the Highland Park Aquatic Center

Highland Park Aquatic Center’s season runs from early June – Labor Day, with Open Swim times and special tot swim times all summer. Its two-story water slide and climbing wall will excite your big kids while younger ones can enjoy the splash pad. There is also a lap pool and diving boards for more serious swim practice. We dive deeper into details about the water park here.

Father playing with toddler son at Highland Park Aquatic Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota — Highland Park Aquatic Center

Sledding at Highland Park

The hill behind the water towers is recommended as a medium-grade slope for sledding. The City of St. Paul offers tips for sledding safety on its website.

Charles M Schulz-Highland Arena

The arena is a year-round destination for indoor ice time with rinks, a synthetic ice training area, weight room and multi-purpose room that can be rented for parties. We cover details such as open skate times on our Highland Arena page.

Historic Highland Park Water Tower

The tower is only open to the public twice a year so it’s a little elusive to scale. On these two weekends, it is open from 9am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday:

A weekend in mid-July (formerly the weekend of St Paul’s now-defunct Highland Fest)
The second weekend in October, for the viewing of the fall colors

Highland Park Community Center

The Highland Park Community Center shares space with Hillcrest Park within the Highland Park neighborhood in St Paul. It is home to the Highland Park branch of the St Paul Public Library, a gym, community theater space, playground and ballfield. We cover more information about the community center here.

Upcoming Family-Friendly Events

Events TBA

Fun Past Events We Hope to See Again