Best Twin Cities Splash Pad & Summer Entertainment at Nicollet Commons Park

Quite possibly the best “splash pad” in the Twin Cities award goes to Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville, a water feature so pretty I’m reluctant to give it the splash pad label. It was, however, built with the hope that the community would do just that — jump right in and splash away the hot summer months.

Splash Pad at Nicollet Commons

It was crowded enough the day we visited; however this might have been thanks to their “Thursday Rockin’ Lunch Hour”, an ongoing weekly event throughout the summer. We arrived about halfway through Wendy’s Wiggle, Jiggle & Jam set, ate our picnic lunch on the grassy amphitheater-style seating, and then the kids and I spent the next couple hours cooling off.

The draw to this unique park is the stream that tumbles, flows and occasionally splashes through the town-squarelike urban space — bound by businesses, residences, and the Ames Center for performing arts. I can personally attest that it’s a lot of fun to start at one end and pick your way through the shallow rock pools and waterfalls, skirt the spraying frogs and fish, and track the kids all the way to the lagoon at the end.

Splash Pad at Nicollet Commons

For our master list of splash pads and wading pools across the Twin Cities Metro, click here. Or, go big with our complete guide to Twin Cities Beaches, Pools, Waterparks & Splash Pads.

Nicollet Commons Park
12550 Nicollet Ave, Burnsville 55337

Admission is free, parking is free on side streets.
Get the lineup for Thursday Rockin’ Lunch Hour concerts here. Thursday Rockin’ Readers begin at 11:15am, concert to follow.

Find more summer fun:

Ultimate Guide to Summer in the Twin Cities

Top Twin Cities Beaches & Playgrounds to Try This Summer

Twin Cities Summer Family Festivals & Parades

Free Summer Community Entertainment

Find hundreds more things to do in Minneapolis & St Paul with kids!

Need a break from this hot weather? Find tons of fun indoor games for kids you can play right at home.