Sauk Rapids’ Municipal Park Is Very Underrated

Central Minnesota has no shortage of awesome parks and playgrounds. However, some are more well-known than others. One park that I feel deserves more recognition is Municipal Park in Sauk Rapids.

This park has everything: the Mississippi River and an access point for boats, a huge playground, massive fire pit, nice basketball court, sand volleyball court,  a pavilion for picnics and dozens of scattered tables in the open, walking trails and even a gaga ball court (which I will explain later).

For my toddler, the playground is the main attraction. Featuring two huge slides and three, connected, smaller slides, the park has something to slide on for kids of all ages. One of the huge slides has a steep drop, like a waterslide, while the other features a ton of twists and turns on the way down.

There is a lot of unique playground equipment there as well, like a merry-go-round, a train/tunnel setup for very little ones, a ridable dinosaur that bounces up and down and lots of different things to climb on.

Best of all, there always seems to be a lot of kids at the park. This allows mom and dad to relax on a bench for a bit while they chase each other around.

There is a biking/walking path along the river near the park and a lot of observation swings lining the banks of the river for folks to take a breather on.

For those looking to be active, Municipal Park features a paved basketball court with glass backboards, a sand volleyball court, softball field and even a Gaga ball court.

Gaga ball is played inside of what looks almost like a mini hockey rink surrounded by boards and is similar to dodge ball. Players hit a ball with their hands and try to strike their opponents under the knee to eliminate them in competition.

The park also has two giant log buildings that are available for rental.