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Cavell Park (a/k/a Cavell Playground) is a quiet neighborhood park in NE Minneapolis. While, it can be overshadowed by nearby Waite Park and Columbia Park, this little park has a lot to love.

11 Ideas for Family Fun at Cavell Playground

Pack a few things to make this playground more fun: 1) A playground ball, 2) chess or checker pieces, and 3) a picnic (of course).

1. Run around on the playgrounds. The park has both a  playground and a tot lot. Both are designed to keep kids moving.
2. Plan to get sandy. The tot lot includes a structure we call the “sand factory”. Kids can haul sand up with a pulley system and dump it down tubes to the ground. This is surprisingly engaging for bigger kids as well as the little ones.
3. Bring your rackets and play a game of tennis. The courts are well-maintained at this park.
4. Play a game of HORSE on the single court basketball court.
5. Bring a playground ball for kickball on the baseball field.
6. Play four square and/or hopscotch. One of my favorite features of this park is that they took the time to paint four-square and hopscotch courts on the sidewalk.
7. Pack a Picnic. Picnic tables at this park are not reservable, but it is usually a very quiet park.
8. Play Checkers and/or Chess. There is a picnic area with built in chess boards on the tables — bring your own pieces. The table top is a little loose, enabling sore losers to knock over the men after they lose. However, the chess board is metal, so if your checkers or chess pieces are magnetic, the loser will have to work harder to disrupt the board.
9. Sled in the Winter.
10. Try urban birdwatching One winter, MPRB posted identification information for several birds that are known to frequent the Cavell Park neighborhood. Birding Checklist: What to Pack for Birdwatching.
11. Play carpet ball. I’m not sure how long this will last, but there is a carpetball table (complete with pool balls) under the eaves of the restroom building. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Sledding at Cavell Park

With the popular Columbia Golf Course sledding hill only a few blocks away, this park can be a forgotten gem for sledding with smaller children. Unlike many parks, the downhill slopes go into the park instead of toward a street or sidewalk. There is plenty of open space. Find more sledding hills here.

Useful Links:

• Four Square Rules
• Instructions for hopscotch.
• How to play carpet ball.