Escapees March-April 2023

skp stops

Parks and Recreation Minneapolis Style Minneapolis: www.minneapolis.org or call 1-888- 676-MPLS, Minnesota: www.exploreminnesota.com or call 1-888-VISITMN, Minneapolis Parks: minneapolis parks.org 612-230-6400, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: arb.umn.edu or call 612-624-2200

Visiting Minneapolis is something I did every year growing up. My maternal grandmother and other family members lived there. So, seeing some of the parks on this trip brought back many memories and helped create new ones. Sculpture Gardens My fi rst stop is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which displays the Walker Art Center sculptures in a 19-acre urban green space. It has changed since my last visit, but I always appreciate Claes Oldenburg’s famous “Spoonbridge and Cherry.” In 2017, a total redesign of the grounds was completed. They removed the secluded, almost hedge maze design, favoring a more sprawling, open concept fi lled with green space and pollinator gardens.

Boom Island Park, Gold Medal Park, Father Hennepin Blu ff Park, First Bridge Park, Mis sissippi Gorge Regional Park and on the list goes. There is one park after another along the Mississippi River like a chain of green jewels framing its shoreline. L ike the former mayor, R.T. Rybak is quoted as saying, "Minneapolis is like a city within a park.” The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) oversees the park system spanning 6,809 acres, 180 parks and 22 lakes. This includes 55 miles of parkways, 102 miles of Grand Rounds biking and walking paths, 12 formal gardens, seven golf courses, and 49 recreation centers.

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ESCAPEES Magazine March/April 2023