Wednesday, March 28, 2018

mapleview park

Dare I say it: Spring is here! Considering we live in Minnesota, what I really mean is: Spring is here--today. We took full advantage of our sunny, 50° day and hit up a park we've been eyeing all winter long: Mapleview Park in Roseville (2917 Matilda Street).

Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Off-street
Age range: 3+
Sidewalks: Only one on the street side of the playground
Seating: Benches on two sides; a pavilion on another
Bathrooms: None
Picnic tables: Yes (3)
Grills: None
Sports field: One softball field


Getting to Mapleview is as easy as it gets: We can spot it from the road (which is how we found it!) and it's a short walk up a small hill to the park. While Mapleview is located right off the road, it sits in a residential neighborhood mainly composed of older adults. Thus, the park doesn't appear to have much foot or vehicle traffic.

Perhaps the two most unfortunate aspects we ran into was the off-street parking and having to cross the road, which wasn't ideal with two playground-deprived toddlers. We also had to walk through mud and slush before hitting the mulch-laid playground, as there was no sidewalk for us to use. The only stretch of sidewalk is at the front of the park from the right (far end) of the park to the pavilion.


The playground itself is beautiful and in great condition (according to Roseville's website, it was recently remodeled). The build of the playground requires that kids know how to climb, as accessing the slides and moving from one part to another hinges on navigating netting and climbing walls.

Thankfully, my husband recently taught both our older kids how to climb a net. They had a lot of fun without my help--which meant I had a lot of fun, too!

There are two sets of swings with a variety of types: the traditional "big kid" swings; the baby swings; and a high-back swing seat. Ample supply of swings + different swing types = three happy, swinging kids and their happy, swinging mama.


While on our visit today we didn't spot a bathroom, I'm guessing Roseville will bring out a portable one once nice weather settles in.

Because of the toddler-friendliness and cleanness of this park, we will most definitely be back spring-fall for plenty of visits.