Family Sports and Fitness are a great way to spend time together. A 2018 study has found that fathers who exercise raise healthier children – even into adulthood. Why not find fun ways to set that good example. We keep a running list (haha punny) of events that have been submitted to us here.
If you have a sporting event you would like to share, please keep in mind our parameters and mission. Events must be something that can be participated in as a family and it must be a stand-alone event with no long-term commitment. Please feel free to email Joy with your submissions
Now through The End of October (weather permitting): Edina Silly Walks | Arden Park, Centennial Lakes Park, Pamela Park, Rosland Park | FREE | Take your family walk on the silly side. Edina will be adding Silly Walk Zones to 4 parks to encourage walkers to do a different type of movement as they pass through each area (no Ministry approval necessary). Zones featured include crazy leg, sideways, backwards walk, monster walk, disco, ballerina, leaping and skipping. Drop in to any of these parks to try it out.
Extended through 9/28: St. Paul Fitness in the Parks | Participating St. Paul Parks | FREE | No registration is required and classes are open to all fitness levels. View the schedule to see when you can fit in a few more outdoor workouts this month.
Extended through 10/3: Eden Prairie Fitness in the Parks | Staring Lake Amphitheater | FREE | No registration is required and classes are open to all fitness levels. View the schedule to see when you can fit in a few more outdoor workouts this month.
Now-10/30/20: Indoor Public Skating | Minnetonka Ice Arena | $3.00-$4.00/pp | Sessions are limited to 25 skaters. Skate rental is unavailable until further notice. Preregistration is required, and walk-ins are NOT accepted, regardless of preregistration numbers.
Now-12/27/20: Indoor Public Skating | St. Louis Park Rec Center | $3.50-$4.00/pp | Open skating sessions indoors. Call 952-924-2567, Option 7 to confirm. Skate rental and sharpening available for a small fee.
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12 pm to 1:30 pm.
- Saturday: 10:15 am to 11:45 am.
- Sunday: 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm.
9/26/20: Virtual Spud Run | Anywhere | $12 | 8am-5pm | Use a favorite route and tag the City of Brooklyn Park #Spudrun on Facebook or send the city an email with the distance and location of your route. Register by September 8th to receive the t-shirt.
9/22/20-10/27/20: Family Zumba in the Park | Tuesdays 5-6pm | Smith Park, 8155 Park Ave S, Bloomington | FREE | Instructor led family Zumba classes, all ages and abilities welcome. Weather permitting.
October Family Sports & Fitness Opportunities
10/1/20-10/11/20: The Washburn Games At-home Edition | FREE | A family friendly online event for all ages featuring virtual sports events including soccer, baseball and karate plus mindfulness activities and fun family games! Jump in anytime from Thursday, October 1 to Sunday, October 11. Registered participants will receive a prize pack in the mail! www.washburngames.org.
10/1/20-10/18/20: Autumn Woods Classic Run/Walk | $25/Adult; $20 Youth | Run or walk any distance in any Three Rivers Park. Once you’ve completed your walk/run, snap a photo with the park entrance sign in the background and share your experience Three Rivers social media. Each participant receives a kit to make s’mores at home and a high-performance long-sleeve t-shirt, as well as a chance to win prizes. Sign up as a multi-generation family for a chance to win even more awards.
10/3/20: Twin Cities Marathon Family Events | Virtual | $7+ | The Twin Cities Marathon has gone virtual, but that doesn’t mean your family is out of luck. From the tiniest tots to serious runners, there’s something for everyone at the Twin Cities Marathon. Family event distances include:
- Half Mile
- Family Mile
- Toddler Trot
- Diaper Dash
10K 5K Kids Races – Image courtesy of Twin Cities in Motion
10/3/20-3/7/21: Outdoor Public Skating | St. Louis Park ROC | $3.50-$4.00/pp | Outdoor open skating sessions. Skate rental and sharpening available for a small fee. No skating 10/24, 10/25, 11/6, 11/7, 11/8, 11/14, 12/25, 1/1, 2/13 or 2/14. Call 952-924-2567, Option 7 to confirm.
- Friday: 5:45 pm to 7:15 pm.
- Saturday: 10:15 am to 11:45 am.
- Sunday: 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm.
10/10/20: St. Louis Park Walk the Park | Creekside Park, 1341 Oxford St. | FREE | 9:30-10:30am | Join the community to meet and walk 1-2 miles each month. In Case of Bad Weather: If it is raining, snowing or temps are below 40 degrees, meet at the front entrance of SLP High School to walk inside.
10/10/20-10/17/20: Fall Color Trail Run/Hike | Minnesota Landscape Arboretum | $45/pp | Pick your own date, time & arboretum trail | Runners, hikers and walkers can choose their own outdoor adventure, picking the day, time and Arboretum trail length (1k, 5k or 10k) that’s right for them. In addition to enjoying beautiful fall colors, participants will get an Arb water bottle and seamless moisture-wicking bandana. The race format is designed to encourage physical distancing.
November Family Sports & Fitness Opportunities
11/14/20: St. Louis Park Walk the Park | Aquila Park | FREE | 9:30-10:30am | Join the community to meet and walk 1-2 miles each month. In Case of Bad Weather: If it is raining, snowing or temps are below 40 degrees, meet at the front entrance of SLP High School to walk inside.
December Family Sports & Fitness Opportunities
12/6/20: U.G.L.Y. Sweater Dash | Louisiana Oaks Park | $30-$45| 5:30pm | 5K through the lighted trees of the park in your own interpretation of an ugly sweater. Warm up at Park Tavern after the race.
12/12/20: St. Louis Park Walk the Park | Westwood Hills Nature Center | FREE | 9:30-10:30am | Join the community to meet and walk 1-2 miles each month. In Case of Bad Weather: If it is raining, snowing or temps are below 40 degrees, meet at the front entrance of SLP High School to walk inside.
Plan Ahead For 2021
7/10/21: Twin Cities Color Run | Minnesota State Fair Grounds | More Information. Read more about Gianna’s experience with the Color Run.
… and you end the color run like this.
ONLINE OFFERINGS:
- The YMCA offers streaming videos for all ages. Most of this is adult-oriented, but they have a series of youth soccer videos.
- Core Power Yoga has on demand classes.
- Our Kids’ Schools all recommend and use Go Noodle for helping kids stay active in small places.
- Three Rivers Parks recommends the 12Bursts Program for staying active at home: “Our partners at Cycle Health launched a fun new initiative the whole family can do at home! The 12Bursts program encourages physical activity through 12 activity “bursts” of five minutes each. Complete each day’s free Daily Dozen challenge in whatever way best fits your schedule. No special skills or equipment required. Learn more and get started today!”
MORE FAMILY SPORTS & FITNESS IDEAS
- Explore Local Parks. Most of them are open. Just try to choose activities that include social distancing. Hiking and biking are ideal activities. We have over 400 park reviews in our directory!.
- Explore Outdoors Saint Paul
- Washington County Parks offers a variety of downloads to help explore their parks.
- Drills: Since Little League has been cancelled in Minneapolis, we plan to incorporate these baseball drills into our day. Leave us a note if you have drills you like.
- Play Ball! Minnesota Virtual Academy Webinars – Free webinars from Twins staff and Play Ball! Minnesota partners
- At Home Activities: 45+ Fun Physical Activities for Kids of All Ages, Categorized.
- Backyard Activities: 60 Fun Outdoor Games for Kids
- Bike: The Best Minneapolis Bike Trails for FamiliesSUMMER 2020 EVENTS