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The whole family will enjoy a day at Jim Lupient Water Park in Minneapolis. Across Johnson Street from Quarry Shopping Center, it is both conveniently located near several fast food restaurants and affordable. Admission is only $3 to $5 per person in 2023. One of the best waterpark bargains in the Twin Cities, the pool has a capacity of 400 people, and reaches capacity on hot days and holidays — like the 4th of July. Come early if you want to swim during peak days or maybe plan a trip for a Monday rather than a Sunday.

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Photos of Jim Lupient Water Park

Waterpark Amenities

Owned and managed by Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (“MPRB”), the park’s regular season runs from mid-June through late August. However, there are usually pre- and post-season ours between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The pool offers a variety of fun amenities:

• Two open water slides and one tube slide. The park provides inner tubes that can be used for sliding down orange the slides. (Otherwise, no floaties of any kind are allowed at the pool.) This is the most popular of the three sides. Visitors who like sliding without inner tubes rarely have to wait long in line. The yellow tube slide is the fastest and favorite of my bigger kids. The red slide is the slowest of the three sides.
• Log water walk. The “logs” look more like rocks, but either way it is a fun challenge to walk across.
• A separate splash pad/pool for younger kids in addition to a zero depth (not “zero gravity”, although that would be super cool) entry and children’s area in the large pool.
• Lap swimming lanes. Note that the lap swim area is not a separate lap pool. The lanes are part of the bigger pool area and, while they are marked, they are open to general water play during open swim times. In 2023, a lap swimming hour is not offered.
• Shade umbrellas. These fill up fast and can be reserved
• Both Outside & Inside showers.
• Indoor restrooms and changing stations.
• Lockers. Bring your own lock! We made the mistake of bringing quarters the first time. However, swimmers get a wristband and can go in and out of the park, so you can also lock your valuables in your car trunk.
• Grassy sun-bathing area. This area is a bit dry and dirty during drought years. Be ready to wipe down your feet before hopping back in the pool. You might want to bring a large blanket in place of beach towels.

Birthday Parties

The park has a covered shelter available for birthday parties for a low daily rate in addition to admission for each guest.

Dress Code at Jim Lupient Water Park:

In order to keep the pools clean and keep swimmers safe, Minneapolis enforces a dress code at its water parks and pools. Allowed swimwear includes swimsuits, legsuits, tankinis, dresses or skirts, bikinis, burquinis, swim tops, briefs, jammers and trunks. These need to be made from man-made materials such as polyester, lycra, nylon,  silicone, latex, and spandex. Only white cotton is allowed in the pool (i.e. It is allowable to wear a white t-shirt over your swim suit or trunks, but not one with any color). Swim diapers (not regular diapers) are required for anyone not potty trained.

The area for small kids offers zero depth entry — not “zero gravity”, although that would be super cool!

What Happened to the Mini Golf Course?

The Grand Rounds Miniature Golf Course at Northeast Athletic Field was removed in 2017, prior to building the new recreation center.  However, the park now has a fun and free bike course on the opposite side from the water park and the playground has been completely overhauled in 2022! Bring your bikes for a little extra fun at the park.

Useful Links:

• Verify open locations of Minneapolis pools and waterparks before visiting to avoid disappointment.
• Find water park rules and dress code information here.