Twin Cities Guide to Family Activities this Weekend: August 1-2, 2026
Things to do in Minneapolis & St Paul this weekend!
This Twin Cities Family Weekend Guide covers events in Minneapolis & St Paul the weekend of August 1-2, 2026. Want to discover family fun this weekend across the Twin Cities Metro Area? Browse our guides for the Northwest, Northeast, Southwest & Southeast communities. Happy exploring, wherever your weekend may take you!
Welcome to August in the Twin Cities!
As always, you can check our AUGUST FAMILY GUIDE, our 2026 ULTIMATE TWIN CITIES SUMMER FUN GUIDE or our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR for more fun ideas on what to do this weekend in the Twin Cities with your kids!
More weekend events around the Twin Cities Metro Area
Minneapolis & St Paul festivals this weekend for the family
MINNEAPOLISÂ Powderhorn Art FairÂ
3400 15th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Art & food at Powderhorn Park in generous amounts. Look for the Family Zone for activities for kids, including face painting, storytimes and entertainment. August 1-2, 2026.
MORE FESTIVALS THIS WEEKEND IN THE TWIN CITIES
- HANOVER Harvest Festival
- LITTLE CANADA Canadian Days
- ST ANTHONY VILLAGE Villagefest
- ST LOUIS PARK Slavic Experience
Plan ahead for the last of the Minnesota summer festivals, including the great MINNESOTA STATE FAIR, in our TWIN CITIES AUGUST FESTIVAL GUIDE.
Cool off this weekend in the Twin Cities
We’ve spent plenty of time this summer exploring new splash spots – go ahead and browse the finds in our complete TWIN CITIES ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE BEST BEACHES, POOLS, WATERPARKS & SPLASH PADS or continue for more ideas:
Many outdoor pools in the Twin Cities offer special tot swim hours so littler ones can get some splash time in before the big kids arrive. You can find these tot swims at the following pools this weekend:
ST PAULÂ Como Pool Tot Time
1151 Wynne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108
Only the shallower splash pool with zero-depth entry is open during this time and only kids ages 6 and under with supervising adult are permitted. There’s plenty to enjoy during this quieter time including the junior slides, water play table, fountains and spray cannons. Ongoing Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9-10:30am. $6 per person, adult and child.
ST PAULÂ Highland Park Aquatic Center Tot Time
1840 Edgcumbe Rd, St Paul, MN, 55116
Tot Time takes place at the children’s activity pool every Saturday and Sunday between 9-10:30am. $6 per person, adult and child.
More Tot Time swims across the Twin Cities Metro Area
- CASCADE BAY: Little Mates Tot Swim – select areas of the waterpark open from 9:30-10:30am. $6/child, one adult free.
- RICHFIELD OUTDOOR POOL:Â Kids ages 7 & under get the zero-depth-entr
y wading pool and water play equipment to themselves. 10-11am, $12/pp.
Find our complete list of Tot Swims, including many that offer cheaper rates for this limited swim time.
Featured Minneapolis wading pool
Lake Hiawatha Park
2701 E 44th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
MINNEAPOLIS WADING POOLS are fun, free and some are splashy and elaborate. We try to highlight a new location each week. Try the pool & playground at Lake Hiawatha Park, the perfect hybrid of splash pad and wading pool. Or, find our complete list at the link.
Featured outdoor swimming pool
Highland Park Aquatic Center
1840 Edgcumbe Rd, St Paul, MN 55116.
Swimming pools are always a hit for their slides and fun features. Have you tried Highland Park Aquatic Center in St Paul yet? Bigger kids will enjoy its two-story water slide and climbing wall, while small kids can play in the splash pad. There is also a lap pool and diving boards.Â
Fun activities in the parks this weekend in Minneapolis & St Paul
Featured here is just a taste of all that’s going on across the incredible Twin Cities park systems this weekend. You can get more ideas on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR or browse the links below to search for local fun events & things to do with kids this weekend in parks across the Minneapolis-St Paul metro. Featured Twin Cities park events this weekend include:
Need more sculpture in your life?
So could we all. It’s a trip to the art museum plus a (hopefully) calming green space rolled into one. Try our list of 12 MINNESOTA SCULPTURE PARKS TO VISIT WITH KIDS to get started or see a couple of our favorites here: MINNEAPOLIS SCULPTURE GARDEN is located on the campus of Walker Art Center and is free to visit. You’ll find the iconic giant Spoonbridge & Cherry along with a giant blue rooster and other sculpture art. Print the Walker’s fun self-guided Minneapolis Sculpture Garden tour sheet and bring some colored pencils for immersive stops along the visit.
DAY TRIP IDEA: A stop at Franconia Sculpture Park is included on our super family-friendly list of the BEST THINGS TO DO NEAR TAYLORS FALLS, MINNESOTA. Plus, first Sunday of the month (August 2) is the Arts & Farmers Market at the funky sculpture park.
Celebrate National Disc Golf (or frisbee golf) day at the park
Try out one of these TWIN CITIES DISC GOLF COURSES. This is a great outing for those active but hard-to-please teens and tweens.
Visit a Minnesota State Park with your family
Last weekend, our family visited NERSTRAND BIG WOODS STATE PARK for the first time in 12 (!) years. The park, with its sweet little “hidden” waterfall, is one of 9 MINNESOTA STATE PARKS one hour or less from our home in St Paul. Love waterfalls? We’ve included these falls on our list of 8 METRO-AREA WATERFALLS TO VISIT WITH KIDS.
Would you prefer a park outing closer to home? Check out the links on our big list of Twin Cities nature & interpretive centers for all the details. Did you know that several of these nature centers have natural playgrounds nestled within them? You can build with natural materials, climb, balance, even wade and garden at some of the more elaborate spaces. Find our list of the best Twin Cities Nature Playgrounds.
More ideas for things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities with kids – Minneapolis & St Paul
Family-friendly museum visits this weekend
MINNEAPOLIS First Free Saturday at Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
This month, join In The Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre for a day of puppet art at Walker. Your family is also free to explore the indoor galleries and make hands-on art. Grab your free tickets online or at the desk the day of. August 1, 2026, activities from 10am-3pm. FREE.
ST PAUL First Free Sunday at Minnesota Children’s Museum
Explore four floors of play-based exhibits, including the rotating exhibit Monsters on Summer Vacation. Admission-free the first Sunday of each month thanks to Securian Financial. Reserve your tickets now! August 2, 2026.
ST PAUL Circus Juventas: Whimsy
1270 Montreal Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116
Circus Juventas’s summer shows are simply magnificent, filled with dazzling acrobatics and thrilling stunts performed by circus students who take classes under the big top throughout the year. If you go, know that the shows are long, dark, loud and occasionally intense. Save this one for your older kids. August 1 & 2, 2026, shows at 12 & 6pm. Tickets start at $25.
More free or low cost things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities - with kids!
MINNEAPOLISÂ Institute of Art: Art Play!Â
2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Free, drop-in art projects for all ages the first and third Saturday of the month. In August, the medium is pastels! What can you make? A self portrait? Then take a scavenger hunt through the galleries – I’ve done this with tweens and teens and it’s lots of fun! August 1, 2026, 10am-2pm. FREE.
MINNEAPOLIS Home Depot Kids Workshop: Rocket Game
1520 New Brighton Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55413
The first Saturday of each month is workshop day at Home Depot. Kids get a kit to build, apron and pin while supplies last; adults must accompany their kids. Please pre-register. August 1, 2026, 9am-12pm.
MORE TWIN CITIES HOME DEPOT LOCATIONS: You’ll also find the Kids Workshops at more than 15 Home Depot locations in the Twin Cities Metro.Â
MINNEAPOLISÂ Garden Storytime at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
Storytime and activities for kids are hosted at the visitor center. Print out and bring along this scavenger hunt! August 2, 2026, 10am. FREE.Â
MINNEAPOLIS Puppet Storytime at Heart of the Beast Theatre
1500 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Chelly Beaver, puppet librarian, hosts a special puppet storytime. August 1, 2026, 10:30-11:30am. FREE.
ST PAULÂ First Chapter Storytime at Next Chapter Bookseller
38 Snelling Ave S, Saint Paul, MN 55105
A picture book read-aloud plus related activity just for kids. August 1, 2026, 10:45-11:15am. FREE.
Plan ahead! Family events this week in the Twin Cities: August 3-7, 2026
