Things to do in the Twin Cities Southwest Metro this weekend – with kids & family!
This Weekend Family Guide includes events and activities near the Twin Cities, Minnesota, communities of Bloomington, Chanhassen, Chaska, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Prior Lake, Richfield, Shakopee, St Louis Park, Victoria, Waconia & Wayzata.
This guide covers the weekend of April 18-19, 2026. Not locating the city you’re looking for? We also cover tons of fun family events in the areas of:
Twin Cities Southwest Metro events for families
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
⚈ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm: Tuesday Turf Tots - Hopkins Pavilion, Hopkins⚈ 9:00 am - 11:00 am: Braemar Field Tot Time - Braemar Field, Edina
⚈ 9:00 am - 11:00 am: Savage Sports Center Tot Time - Savage Sports Center, Savage
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:30 am: Tuesday Little Tot Playtime - St Louis Park Rec Center & ROC, St Louis Park
⚈ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Mall of America Toddler Tuesday (FREE) - Mall of America, Bloomington
⚈ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Royal Canadian International Circus - Mall of America, Bloomington
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
⚈ 8:00 am - 11:30 am: Chanhassen Wednesday Tot Time Open Gym - Chanhassen Recreation Center, Chanhassen⚈ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm: Wednesday Turf Tots - Hopkins Pavilion, Hopkins
⚈ 9:00 am - 10:30 am: BIG Open Skate Wednesday - Bloomington Ice Garden, Bloomington
⚈ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Toddler Open Gym - Substance Church, Bloomington
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:00 am: Shakopee Wednesday Kids Playtime - Shakopee Community Center, Shakopee
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:30 am: Wednesday Little Tot Playtime - St Louis Park Rec Center & ROC, St Louis Park
⚈ 10:00 am - 10:30 am: Kiddywampus Storytime St Louis Park (FREE) - Kiddywampus St Louis Park, St Louis Park
⚈ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm: MN Valley Wildlife Refuge Story Stroll (FREE) - Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington
⚈ 11:15 am - 11:45 am: Kiddywampus Storytime Hopkins (FREE) - Kiddywampus Hopkins, Hopkins
⚈ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Gardner School Spring Bingo (FREE) - Gardner School of Minnetonka-Eden Prairie, Minnetonka
⚈ 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm: IKEA Leka's Kids Club Crafts: Earth Month (FREE) - IKEA Twin Cities, Bloomington
⚈ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm: Richfield Family Puzzle Challenge - Richfield Community Center, Richfield
Thursday, April 16, 2026
⚈ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm: Thursday Turf Tots - Hopkins Pavilion, Hopkins⚈ 9:00 am - 11:00 am: Braemar Field Tot Time - Braemar Field, Edina
⚈ 9:00 am - 11:45 am: Eden Prairie Open Tot Swim - Eden Prairie Community Center, Eden Prairie
⚈ 9:00 am - 11:00 am: Savage Sports Center Tot Time - Savage Sports Center, Savage
⚈ 9:00 am - 10:30 am: Shakopee CC Playtime - Pool - Shakopee Community Center, Shakopee
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:30 am: Thursday Little Tot Playtime - St Louis Park Rec Center & ROC, St Louis Park
⚈ 10:30 am - 11:00 am: Andersen Horticultural Library StoryTime - Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska
⚈ 10:30 am - 11:00 am: Kiddywampus Storytime Chanhassen (FREE) - Kiddywampus Chanhassen, Chanhassen
Friday, April 17, 2026
⚈ 8:00 am - 11:30 am: Chanhassen Friday Tot Time Open Gym - Chanhassen Recreation Center, Chanhassen⚈ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm: Friday Turf Tots - Hopkins Pavilion, Hopkins
⚈ 9:00 am - 11:45 am: Eden Prairie Open Tot Swim - Eden Prairie Community Center, Eden Prairie
⚈ 9:00 am - 10:30 am: Shakopee CC Playtime - Pool - Shakopee Community Center, Shakopee
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:30 am: Friday Little Tot Playtime - St Louis Park Rec Center & ROC, St Louis Park
⚈ 10:00 am - 10:30 am: Barnes & Noble Storytime (FREE) - Barnes & Noble Galleria, Edina
⚈ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Braemar Field Family Time - Braemar Field, Edina
⚈ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Gaming with Nature - Game Night (FREE) - Richfield Community Center, Richfield
⚈ 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm: Edinborough Park Friday Night: Party Crashers RC Racing (FREE) - Edinborough Park, Edina
Saturday, April 18, 2026
⚈ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Fleet Farm Kids Crafts: Build a Birdhouse (FREE) - Twin Cities Fleet Farm locations, Twin Cities Metro Area⚈ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Lowry Bird Banding (FREE) - Lowry Nature Center, Victoria
⚈ 9:30 am - 12:00 pm: Saturday Morning on the Farm - Gale Woods Farm, Minnetrista
⚈ 9:30 am - 11:00 am: Shakopee CC Playtime - Pool - Shakopee Community Center, Shakopee
⚈ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: DIY Fairy Gardens - Little Roos Children’s Boutique, Chaska
⚈ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm: Eden Prairie Eco Expo (FREE) - Eden Prairie Center, Eden Prairie
⚈ 10:00 am - 11:45 am: Eden Prairie Open Tot Swim - Eden Prairie Community Center, Eden Prairie
⚈ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: Edina Earth Day Clothing Swap (FREE) - Edina Senior Center, Edina
⚈ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: Lowe's Kids Workshop: Terrarium (FREE) - Lowe’s – Twin Cities Locations, Twin Cities
⚈ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm: Lowry's Earth Day Celebration (FREE) - Lowry Nature Center, Victoria
⚈ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: Minnetonka Sensory Friendly Fire Dept Open House (FREE) - Minnetonka’s Fire Station #1, Minnetonka
⚈ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: Nature Rocks! Outdoor Center Open House (FREE) - Eden Prairie Outdoor Center, Eden Prairie
⚈ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm: Become at World Explorer at International Day 2026 (FREE) - International School of Minnesota, Eden Prairie
⚈ 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Many Hands Many Meals Mini-Packathon - Mount Calvary Lutheran Church – Excelsior, Excelsior
⚈ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Pollinator P'arty Edina Art Center (FREE) - Edina Art Center, Edina
Welcome to April in the Twin Cities!
For more ideas on spending spring family time together this weekend, hippity hop over to these handy planning tools:
Fun outdoor activities in the Twin Cities Southwest Metro parks this weekend
We’ve got the details on dozens of outdoor activities presented by local, county and regional park systems across the greater Twin Cities. The following are a few of our best suggestions for activities near your neighborhood this weekend. You can get more ideas on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR or peruse the links below to seek out local outdoor things to do with kids this weekend in the parks. Some fun family ideas for you here:
Twin Cities Southwest Metro Earth Day Events
BLOOMINGTON Nature Discovery Day: Earth In a Jar
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 3815 American Blvd E , Bloomington, MN 55425
Drop in for a “nature break” this morning and collect outdoor materials for a terrarium in a jar. You’ll like poking around the indoor exhibits, too, and if it’s nice out, the outdoor refuge trails. April 19, 2026, 10am-12pm. FREE.
EDEN PRAIRIE Eco Expo
The Eden Prairie Eco Expo’s Family Fun Zone has featured baby goats, pollinator information games and coloring. April 18, 2026, 10am-5pm. FREE.
VICTORIA Lowry’s Earth Day Celebration
Lowry Nature Center, 7025 Victoria Drive, Victoria, MN 55386
Safely band songbirds and learn about them, take the “enchanted trail” to discover five nature kingdoms and the challenge trail to solve a riddle. A naturalist will lead a walk to listen for frogs and other signs of spring, watch a raptor presentation and plant a seed to take home. April 18, 2026; 10am-2pm. FREE.
More spring park events this weekend in the Twin Cities Southwest Metro
VISIT A WORKING FARM! We always get excited when it’s time to promote the early spring farm babies events because it feels like a promise that winter has come to an end in Minnesota. (Of course, we deal with our fair share of April blizzards, but baby animals don’t listen to the weather forecast.) FIND MORE MINNESOTA FARM BABIES EVENTS and plan ahead!
MINNETRISTA Saturday Morning on the Farm
Gale Woods Farm, 7210 County Rd 110 W, Minnetrista, MN 55364
This wonderful working farm is a great place for kids to get close and in barns (that’s my delighted daughter pictured). Read about a spring visit to the farm here. Spots will fill quickly. If you can’t make it to one of the farm tours, stop over for a self-guided walk around the grounds; Gale Woods is a public park and welcomes visitors. April 18, 2026, drop in between 9:30am-12pm. $6/pp.
EDEN PRAIRIE Nature Rocks! Outdoor Center Open House
Eden Prairie Outdoor Center, 13765 Staring Lake Parkway, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347
Drop in to meet the resident animals, learn about programs and events. April 18, 2026, 10am-12pm. FREE.
EDINA Pollinator P’arty
4701 West 64th St, Edina, MN 55435
Hosted by Edina Art Center, the free event explores garden pollinators through hands-on exhibits, art-making, live beekeepers and more. Please register at the link. April 18, 2026, 1-3pm. FREE.
More things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities with kids – Southwest Metro
BLOOMINGTON The Works Build It Expo
9740 Grand Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55402
Families can explore STEM careers in construction. Sometimes these events sell out quickly, so we recommend buying tickets in advance. Tickets $15-$17/pp.
Storytime at Twin Cities family-friendly taprooms
SHAKOPEE Saturday Morning Story Telling
2805 Winners Cir Dr, Shakopee, MN, 55379
Badger Hill Brewing in Shakopee hosts a special story telling event for kids the second Saturday of the month. Presented in partnership with Minnesota Story Arts. April 11, 2026, 10-11am. FREE.
VICTORIA OMNI Coffee & Cocoa Storytime
1495 Stieger Lake Ln, Victoria, MN 55386
Ticket includes admission to the reading, a cup of cocoa for kids and all the supplies to make the week’s craft: this week you’ll create with Princess Tiana. April 12, 2026, 11am. $15/child.
FIND MORE FAMILY-FRIENDLY TWIN CITIES TAPROOMS!
EDEN PRAIRIE Pre-K Creative Play: Sea Critters
7650 Equitable Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Preschoolers ages 3-6 can experiment with ways to be creative at this parent-child art class. Space is limited so pre-registration is encouraged. April 11, 2026, 10-11:30am. $12/pair.
ST LOUIS PARK Ocean Discovery at Lakeshore Learning
5699 W 16th St, St Louis Park, MN 55416
Hands-on fun this weekend includes the chance to craft a dotted fish windsock and explore store products. No registration, just walk in and explore the store. April 11, 2026, 11am-3pm. FREE.
Free things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities - Southwest Metro
BLOOMINGTON Living History Open House at Pond Dakota Mission Park
401 E 104th St, Bloomington, MN 55420
Each Saturday explore living history – often the programs are held outside so dress for the weather. Enjoy hands-on activities and walk on the trails. This weekend learn how to make a tumbling toy acrobat. April 11, 2026. Drop in from 1-4pm, FREE or suggested donation of $2/pp.
BLOOMINGTON IKEA Little Whisk Takers Cooking Club
8000 Ikea Way, Bloomington, MN 55425
Kids ages 4–7 get hands-on in the kitchen, whipping up their own tasty and healthy treats. Reserve your space quickly as space is limited for this FREE class. This month’s snack: rainbow veggie wraps. April 11, 2026, 10:30-11:15am.
WACONIA Community Expo & Touch-a-Truck
1650 Community Dr, Waconia, MN 55387
Your kids won’t want to miss the touch-a-truck event, plus snuggle some goats, sit for storytime, watch some cool demonstrations and more for free. April 11, 2026, 9am-1pm.
