Address: 19955 Forest Road North, Forest Lake, MN, 55025
Upcoming Events: Jump to Hardwood Creek Library Events
Website: Hardwood Creek Library
Phone: 651-275-7300
Your Washington County Library (“WCL”) card gets you books and so much more – video games, family events & activities, story times, Wi-Fi hotspots and Chromebook loans and more. Hardwood Creek Library is 1 of 7 branches spanning the east metro area of the Twin Cities.
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Storytimes at Hardwood Creek Library
Story hours range from baby to family to specially themed story times. The best way to find a story hour is to check the Washington County Library Storytime Page.
How to Get A Library Card
Residents of Washington County just need to pop into any WCL branch and show proof of residency or fill out an online form.
Non-residents who have a library cards issued by any Regional Library System in Minnesota, you can register your card to borrow from WCL. This is important because they do have different offerings than other libraries — for instance video games. You can also purchase an annual card if you don’t qualify to register a card. Washington County Library has these non-book offerings for check out with a library card:
- Video games for the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, WiiU, and other consoles.
- DVDs of popular movies, television shows, and documentaries.
- Magazines.
- Book Club Kits that include 10 copies of a single title. Start a family book club or invite your kids friends to join.
- Memory Minder Kits to help older adults with all stages of memory loss.
- WiFi Hotspots and Chromebooks for accessing internet outside the library.
- Xcel Energy Power and Draft Checks – This can be a fun STEM activity to do with kids. Measure electrical energy consumed by electrical appliances. Then make a family plan to reduce energy use at home.
- Food Pantries at Park Grove Library and Oakdale Library.
Get FREE tickets to shows and museums with smARTpass
This library system is part of the MELSA library system, so it offers the smARTpass program, where library cardholders can checkout tickets to shows and museums. You can read a more detailed review of the program at the link above.
Borrow Video Games from Washington County Library
WCL has recently added a video game collection, which includes more than 100 games for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Wii U and Nintendo Switch games. Games, like books, can be requested online and picked up at any branch. They are also on the shelf for browsing at Hardwood Creek, Oakdale, Park Grove, and R.H. Stafford libraries.
Useful Links:
- Find hours for individual branches.
- Library Event Calendar
- Browse the video game catalog here.
- Find Online Storytimes on WCL’s Facebook Page and archived on the Library’s website.
Share Your Experience/Tips:
We would love to hear your thoughts and parental tips. Share your experiences and any information you think other parents would find useful. Leave us a comment below.Upcoming Family-Friendly Events
- Hardwood Teen Hang Out (FREE) - 05/26/2026 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- Hardwood Creek Library Storytime (FREE) - 06/02/2026 - 10:00 am - 10:30 am
Fun Past Events We Hope to See Again
- Drop-In Dropcloth Painting - 01/24/2026 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Please Note: FamilyFunTwinCities.com is an independent website run by Twin Cities families for Twin Cities families. We attempt to include the information we find most essential as parents. We make every effort to keep up with changes. However, we are not employed by or connected to this venue, and information sometimes changes without our knowledge. We recommend calling or checking the venue’s website for up-to-date information.
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