Things to do in Minneapolis & St Paul this weekend!
This Twin Cities Family Weekend Guide covers events in Minneapolis & St Paul the weekend of Memorial Day — May 23-24, 2026. Want to discover family fun this weekend across the Twin Cities Metro Area? Browse our guides for the Northwest, Northeast, Southwest & Southeast communities. Happy exploring, wherever your weekend may take you!
It’s Memorial Day Weekend in the Twin Cities!
For more inspiration on spending family time together this Memorial Day weekend, check our MAY FAMILY EVENTS GUIDE or our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR. We also encourage you to enjoy some fun-in-the-sun planning with our TWIN CITIES SUMMER FUN GUIDE.
More fun around the Twin Cities Metro Area
Fun activities in the parks this weekend in Minneapolis & St Paul
Featured here for the Memorial Day Weekend is just a taste of all that’s going on across the incredible Twin Cities park systems. You can get more ideas on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR or browse the links below to search for local fun events & things to do with kids this weekend in parks across the Minneapolis-St Paul metro. Featured Twin Cities park events this weekend include:
Memorial Day Weekend in the parks
MINNEAPOLIS Music in the Parks
Another great summer season of outdoor tunes at the LAKE HARRIET BANDSHELL starts Memorial Day! Pick a food truck for dinner or pack a picnic. Kids will enjoy the playground only steps from the bandshell. See the link for the entire summer lineup of movies & music in the parks. May 25, 2026, shows at 5:30 & 7pm. FREE.
SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER! Find our full listing of TWIN CITIES FREE SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE PARK.
MINNEAPOLIS & ST PAUL Wheel Fun Rentals
Explore parks in Minneapolis and St Paul by surrey, chopper, canoe, kayak, paddleboard and more. This could be a particularly good family activity for those who have tweens and/or teens ready to pedal and paddle. Rentals are open at the following locations Memorial Day Weekend (please visit the website for individual hours by location):
- BDE MAKA SKA – 3000 Calhoun Parkway Minneapolis
- COMO LAKESIDE PAVILION – 1360 Lexington Pkwy N, St Paul
- LAKE HARRIET – 4135 W Lake Harriet Pkwy, Minneapolis
- LAKE NOKOMIS – 5022 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, Minneapolis
- MINNEHAHA FALLS – 4801 S Minnehaha Park Dr, Minneapolis
More ideas for things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities with kids – Minneapolis & St Paul
Swimming season: Beaches, pools, waterparks & splash pads opening Memorial Day Weekend 2026
Spend the holiday weekend at the beach! Several in Minneapolis & St Paul are open for the business of swimming, splashing and FUN starting Memorial Day Weekend. You’ll find our complete listing in SPLASH HAPPY: A GUIDE TO WATER FUN IN THE TWIN CITIES.
MINNEAPOLIS BEACHES & POOLS
- MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC BEACHES – 12 locations within 6 parks for FREE swimming!
- MINNEAPOLIS WADING POOLS – with the exception of pools adjacent to public school sites. See our fantastic list of free Minneapolis wading pools, the perfect spot to take tots for a swim this summer! Open daily, 10am-9pm.
ST PAUL POOLS
Highland Park Aquatic Center Pre-Season Opening Day
1840 Edgcumbe Rd, St Paul, MN 55116
Bigger kids will enjoy its two-story water slide and climbing wall, while small kids can play it the splash pad. There is also a lap pool and diving boards for more serious swim practice. Open for pre-season swimming May 23, 2026. Admission is $6-$8/pp ($6/pp in a group of 5+)
More greater Twin Cities splash & swim spots opening Memorial Day Weekend
You don’t have to pack up your beach bag and travel too far outside of Minneapolis & St Paul to find a free sandy swimming beach. Again, you can find a complete listing of them on our WATER FUN PAGE; here’s our quicklist organized by region of the Twin Cities Metro:
NORTHWEST METRO BEACHES
- Three Rivers Park District manages swimming at BAKER PARK RESERVE in Maple Plain and the ELM CREEK SWIM POND and FISH LAKE REGIONAL PARK BEACH in Maple Grove. In Plymouth, the park system maintains a beach at FRENCH LAKE REGIONAL PARK and in Rockford you’ll find a beach to swim at in LAKE REBECCA PARK RESERVE
- City of Plymouth offers swimming at EAST & WEST MEDICINE LAKE BEACHES and at PARKERS LAKE BEACH.
NORTHEAST METRO BEACHES
- Ramsey County maintains several lovely (and completely free) swimming beaches: LAKE JOHANNA BEACH (Arden Hills), LAKE JOSEPHINE & LAKE MCCARRONS BEACH (both in Roseville), LONG LAKE REGIONAL PARK BEACH (New Brighton) and WHITE BEAR LAKE BEACH. All are scheduled to open Memorial Day Weekend.
- Washington County offers beaches at BIG MARINE LAKE (Marine on St Croix) and SQUARE LAKE in Stillwater. These beaches require a $7 vehicle permit (except for the first Tuesday of the month).
SOUTHWEST METRO BEACHES & WATER PLAY
- City of Burnsville offers swimming at CRYSTAL BEACH.
- The beautiful water feature at NICOLLET COMMONS PARK in Burnsville is not a wading pool, but your kids will probably not be able to resist splashing in it.
- City of Eden Prairie opens two beaches this weekend, one at RILEY LAKE PARK, the other at ROUND LAKE PARK.
- Three Rivers Parks manages several free swimming beaches: BRYANT LAKE REGIONAL PARK BEACH (Eden Prairie), the LAKE MINNETONKA SWIM POND, CEDAR LAKE FARM REGIONAL PARK BEACH (New Prague), CLEARY LAKE REGIONAL PARK BEACH (Prior Lake) and CARVER PARK RESERVE BEACH (Victoria).
SOUTHEAST METRO BEACHES
- Dakota County manages SCHULZE LAKE BEACH within Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan and LAKE BYLLESBY BEACH if you drive a little further south to Cannon Falls.
- Washington County manages POINT DOUGLAS BEACH and ST CROIX BLUFFS BEACH, both in Hastings.
Find more Twin Cities outdoor swimming pools & waterparks to splash the summer away!
Kickoff to Summer at the Minnesota State Fair
1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108
This could be a warm-up for the great get-together later this summer OR it’s a perfectly scaled-down size for the family that would prefer less and call it more. Lots of your favorite fair food vendors will be there, plenty of live music, lawn games, shopping, rides on the Giant Slide and more. Save on admission when you purchase your tickets online. May 21-24, 2026, weekend hours run 11am-7pm. $14/online, $17/door.
Memorial Day weekend living history programs
ST PAUL Gibbs Farm Opening Day
2097 Larpenteur Ave W, St Paul, MN 55113
Tours of the Gibbs Farmhouse, one-room schoolhouse, Dakota Bark Lodge and Tipi will be offered. Plus, enjoy an ice cream social and see the sweet spring farm animals. May 23, 2026, 10am-2pm. $5-$10/pp.
Memorial Day events at Historic Fort Snelling
Historic Fort Snelling, 200 Tower Ave, St Paul, MN 55111
SUMMER PROGRAM PREVIEW: Get a taste of what a day spent at the historic fort might be like with these demos, an old-fashioned fort baseball game and a mini-tour. May 23, 2026, 10am-4pm.
MEMORIAL DAY AT THE FORT Interact with costumed actors dressed in 1890s military clothing. Watch speeches that reflected on past conflicts, especially the American Civil War, commonly heard during the late 1800s. May 26, 2025; 10am-4pm. $8-$12/pp. Learn more about Historic Fort Snelling.
MINNEAPOLIS Memorial Day at Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
2330 W 42nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55410
If it isn’t enough of a thrill for you or your kids to ride a historic streetcar, this one you can ride all the way to Lakewood Cemetery for the Memorial Day event. Plus, living historians will display uniforms of soldiers, sailors and Marines from the Civil War thru WWII. May 25, 2026, 9:30am-8:30pm. $3/pp.
More Memorial Day Weekend living history activities in the Twin Cities:
- BLOOMINGTON: Living History at the Pond House
- MENDOTA: Sibley Historic Site Tours
- WAYZATA: Historic Wayzata Train Depot Museum
Visit a Minneapolis-St Paul farmers market
We list over 40 farm-direct markets in our FAMILY-FRIENDLY TWIN CITIES FARMERS MARKET GUIDE — there’s bound to be one in your corner of the metro. This weekend we feature an extra kid-friendly location:
MINNEAPOLIS Mill City Farmers Market & More
750 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Kids can participate in the yummy Power of Produce (POP) program — just for sampling a fresh vegetable they earn a $2 market token to spend on produce of their choice. This is our favorite farmers market to hit up in the Minneapolis area because of the easy walk to many family attractions. Shopping done, you’re only steps from the super kid-friendly Mill City Museum. Or, if you’d rather stay outdoors, my kids enjoy crossing the Mississippi River at the Stone Arch Bridge and exploring Mill Ruins Park. May 23, 2026, 8am-1pm.
Minneapolis & St Paul Memorial Day programs
MINNEAPOLIS Memorial Day with Lakewood Cemetery
3600 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Enjoy cookies and coffee, create custom postcards for veterans. There will be guided trolley tours of the cemetery offered. May 25, 2026, 10:30am-3pm, FREE.
More ideas for Memorial Day Weekend
- Stroll through a cemetery.
- Give thanks for those who have gone before.
- Pick up some take out and have a special picnic.
- Take a boat ride or a drive along the shore of a lake.
- Go Fishing – see our list of the best fishing holes for families at the link.
- Visit a Twin Cities Park with a Dedicated Memorial
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Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for sharing, Angy.
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Memorial Day Observance
Monday, May 27, 2019 10:30 AM
CHESTER BIRD POST 523 AMERICAN LEGION
200 LILAC DRIVE NORTH
GOLDEN VALLEY, MN 55422
All are welcome to attend this day of remembrance for
those who died serving our country so that we could
enjoy our lives in the land of the free.
This is an outdoor event, so please dress appropriately.
Our ceremony will include a Bagpiper, Bugler, and
Honor Guard with 3 Rifle Volley. A reception will follow
the observance in the Legion.
More information at chesterbird.org
Thanks, Mark. I received your email, too. I was just coming in to add this to our list.