Como Regional Park — Attraction in Saint Paul

This is my favorite park. Well maintained by staff and neighborhood volunteers. There are large grassy fields along Lexington Ave. that have been great for walking my dogs. McMurray Field (for sports) and Como Pool are adjacent, both are well maintained. Como Lake is absolutely gorgeous and there's plenty to do. It's about a 3 mile walk around, and in my experience most walkers/cyclers go around it more than once. Throughout the Summer there are options for water activities - there's a company that rents out paddleboats, kayaks, etc. right on the docks by the Pavilion. Inside of the Pavilion is a bar/performance space. There's a huge stage for live music in the open air theater, and a restaurant with rotating beers on tap. The bike trails have some rough patches that could use some TLC, but it's otherwise a beautiful ride. There are large fire pits along Como Ave. and each one has a charcoal grill nearby. Great for picnics/bonfires. Up the hill is a large playground that was renovated a few years ago, and a large building for restrooms. Along Midway Pkwy is the Conservatory, Japanese Gardens, a historical merry-go-round, an amusement park, a zoo with seals, monkeys, large cats, penguins, etc. an 18-hole golf course and a mini golf course. Unless it's a crazy busy summer weekend or during the State Fair, there's plenty of parking throughout. It's genuinely a privilege to have lived within walking distance of this wonderful park.

And just for the record, the mini golf course used to be a pony ride! 3rd pic was from...

I was in town for a fall engagement photoshoot and my client recommended this spot. Initially, we had considered the conservatory but at $200/hr to photograph at this location, we decided to just photograph in the vast outdoor area of Como Regional Park.

The morning of the shoot, I discovered that for $5/person, the conservatory was allowing photographers and artist to work in the building prior to opening time. My clients and I were elated!

The conservatory is just stunning. I found out that both the zoo and conservatory are FREE with preferred donation. There was plenty of parking when I arrived (before opening time) but 30minutes after it opened, upon my departure, the parking lot was full. There were many people enjoying the trails with their partners or pets. The whole park is scenic and beautiful, especially for fall.

I will be planning a trip to the area in the near future and I will definitely be revisiting. Seemingly enjoyable for all ages, I look forward to bringing my kiddos (ages 2-11) to experience the beauty and awe!

Again, as there is no cost for entry, I highly recommend donating to support the organization and...

Took my grandson here. He is 22 months old. He had a pretty good time. He got to do some walking and he was pushed around in the stroller. It's a small zoo very compact you walk in a circle and you were pretty much done. I think we saw everything within 3 hours. There is no charge for the zoo it is donation only. It is suggested for adults to donate $4 and for children to donate $2. We were three adults and one child and we donated $20. We had lunch here. It's a little spendy for lunch. It was $15 For a cheeseburger fries and a pickle. I would suggest packing a picnic lunch since they do have a picnic area. It's a beautiful place, the grounds are very well kept. I guess there's a couple of places that we missed like the Place that houses the birds. I can't think of what it is. I will definitely be going here again once my grandson gets a little older. He had a great time in the underwater exhibit with the seals and the otters. Other than that the animals were kind of warm it was a 70 something degrees and the polar bear was just lying around huge polar bear, the lions were lying around but it was nice to go it's...