Arts, Culture & Recreation

Looking for something fun to do? The northeast metro area offers plenty of opportunities, all within an hour’s drive.

Art Centers

White Bear Center for the Arts: 4971 Long Avenue, White Bear Lake. 651-407-0597 or whitebeararts.org

ArtReach St. Croix: Historic Courthouse, 224 N 4th Str, Stillwater 651-439-1465 or artreachstcroix.org

Gallery 96 Arts Center: 651-484-8710 or gallery96.org. Work on display at the Shoreview Community Center, 4580 N. Victoria St., Shoreview

The Phipps Center for the Arts: 109 Locust St., Hudson, WI. 715386-2305 or thephipps.org.

Art Markets (seasonal)

Marketfest: Downtown White Bear Lake. Thursdays, June - July. Marketfestwbl.com

Arts in the Park: Lakeside Park, downtown Forest Lake. Tuesdays, June -Aug. ci.forest-lake.mn.us/192/arts-inthe-park

Summer Tuesdays: Lowell Park, Downtown Stillwater. Tuesdays, July-Aug. summertuesdays.com.

Swimming Beaches

(see parks for other local beaches)

Bellaire Beach: 2499 South Shore Boulevard, White Bear Township

Big Marine Park: 17495 Manning Trail N., Marine on St. Croix. Some 400 linear feet of sandy beach, rest rooms, changing rooms, vending machines, picnic area, nearby playground.

Rice Creek Chain of Lakes: 7555 Main St., Lino Lakes. Swimming beach, playground, trails

Chautauqua Park: 75 ½ Quail St, Mahtomedi. Unsupervised sand beach.

Lake Elmo Park Reserve:

1515 Keats Avenue N., Lake Elmo. Swimming beach, restrooms, picnic area, playground.

Mahtomedi Beach:

1045 Park Avenue, Mahtomedi.

Memorial Beach: 5000 Lakeview Ave, White Bear Lake Swimming beach, playground

Square Lake Park: 15450 Square Lake Trail N., Stillwater. Swimming beach, boat launch, fishing pier; clear water for scuba diving.

Turtle Lake County Park: 4979 Hodgson Road, Shoreview. 200 ft. unguarded swimming beach, playground

Vadnais-Snail Lake Regional Park: 4191 Snail Lake Blvd., Shoreview. Swimming, volleyball, playground, concession stand, more than five miles of paved trails.

White Bear County Park/Ramsey County Beach:

5050 Lake Avenue, White Bear Lake. Beach, play area, picnic tables, boat launch.

Golden Lake Park: 53 West Golden Lake Rd, Circle Pines. Beach, Boat Launch, playground, sports courts

Bicycle Rentals

Wahoo Adventures: Bicycle rentals and tours. 651280-7299 or mywahooadventures. com presspubs.com