Highland Park?

Hi and thanks in advance for help.

I%26#39;m a former Minnesota resident who never spent any time in St Paul except to go to the Science Museum and the Capitol. We%26#39;re visiting some friends and have a chance to stay with them - they live in Highland Park, but I am completely clueless as to whether it is a nice area or not.

I%26#39;ll be traveling with 2 small kids and need to get them outside in May...is Highland Park a safe area? Nice? Sorry for the stupid questions but I have absolutely no clue. I know the south suburbs but not St Paul.

Highland Park?

Highland Park is a beautiful area...nearby many smaller parks intermingled in the blocks. There are a couple campuses closeby, and a golf course. Adjacent to the golf course is Highland Park, a large play area. I highly recommend Cecil%26#39;s Deli for lunch...yummy. Very close (across the bridge) is Minnehaha Park %26amp; Falls and Ft. Snelling is close, too.

Checkout maps.google.com and put in Highland Park St. Paul MN - and you can see for yourself.

Highland Park?

I lived in Highland Park for my college years and it is very safe. Macalester, St. Thomas, and St. Kate%26#39;s are all located in this area. There are many parks and trails which are kid, dog, and bike friendly. Grand Ave. and Summit Ave. are nice. The governors mansion is on Summit and Grand Ave has many resturants, bars and nice shops like J. Crew. The only bad part I can remember about the neighborhood is that the nearest Target and Cub Foods is kind of in a sucky neighborhood (the one in frog town off of 94 and Snelling/Lexington).

It%26#39;s a great area to visit with kids. I looked there when first house-hunting but it was out of my price range. It%26#39;s very comfortable,safe and green with lots of local flavor and college neighborhoods. Some interesting areas include Grand and Summit Avenues, Ford Parkway and W River Road. Go explore, take long walks or bike rides, play at the parks. I even saw eagles right over head by the river, I%26#39;ve never seen them that close to such a busy area before!

I echo everything said above. It%26#39;s my favorite part of St. Paul and among the safest. Very local feel about it -- good places to eat and nice homes gawk at and places to relax. The actual park on Montreal is a nice place to have a picnic. I drive through there every day under the high bridge on Montreal.

Have a walk along the River Road and gaze at those beautiful houses.

I live the other side of the Ford Parkway/46th Street bridge (in Mpls) and visit all the time.

First off the area near the Cub and Rainbow is not bad, I%26#39;ve lived in the midway for nearly 20 years and it%26#39;s one of the best kept secrets in the twin cities. :)

Highland is very safe, there is ample public transportation if needed, and the area is full of young families. There is a pool in Highland Park but I%26#39;m not sure when it will open for the season.

Here is the St. Paul Parks website - lots of good info: http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/index.asp?nid=243

One can take the bike path along River Road all the way from Highland, past the Ford plant, to Shepherd Road to downtown and beyond - if you wanted a great bike ride. As mentioned, you can also cross the river at Ford Parkway and it%26#39;s an easy ride to the falls. My kids like to ride along River Road, cross at Ford Parkway and head north along West River Parkway in Minneapolis to the Marshall Street (or Lake) Bridge and ride south along the River back to where we parked. You could also check the University of Minnesota baseball or softball schedule, it%26#39;s an easy ride from Highland to campus to watch an outdoor ballgame.

I would also suggest checking out Como Park and the Como zoo. You would probably want to either drive or take the bus there - there is no safe bike route in my opinion. The zoo is free and Como Park is wonderful! If you walk around the lake stop into Black Bear Crossings in the pavillion for some ice cream or a sandwich, it%26#39;s very good.

Grand Old Day is traditionally the first Sunday in May, if you%26#39;re in town at this time. It%26#39;s one of the Midwest%26#39;s great street festivals and I would highly recommend it. Grand is one block south of Summit and home to some great restaurants %26amp; shops, the street is closed to traffic from near Dale on the east to at least Fairview on the west and there is a parade around 10AM that morning.

Have a fun trip!

Wow! Now I%26#39;m really looking forward to the trip! Thank you so much for the great ideas of things to do.

Amy

Wow the post mentioning Como Zoo brought back memories - I remember making plastic animals with vending machines at the zoo - and some sort of centrifuge-type spinning ride at the park you would stand up in. Funny, I don%26#39;t remember any of the animal exhibits, but I remember a lot of the paths around them.

It%26#39;s been a long time for me! It will be fun to take the kids to the zoo.

Amy