lexington park

Do you have one (or two) of those cities you just love--but don't live in? (Maybe your perpetual visits make it seem as though you do live there--but in reality, your house is elsewhere!)

Roseville is that city for us. We love their Super Target. We love their library. We love their park system.

Honestly, that's basically it; but when you're a mom, that's all you need to fall in love, right?!

We stopped by one of our favorite parks the other day: Lexington Park (2131 Lexington Avenue North). It probably makes our short list of parks. I'll tell you why in just a bit!


Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Lot
Age range (playground): 3+
Sidewalks: Well-paved around park
Seating: A few benches
Bathrooms: Inside warming house
Picnic tables: Several
Grills: 2 by play area
Sports field: Open field and baseball field behind playground

There are so many things I like about Lexington Park: its location, its size, its abundance of picnic tables; its compact design; its warming house; its climbing rocks . . . So many things.


On errand-heavy days, we like to stop by this park for a breather before heading home (or on more errands!). It's literally 2 to 3 minutes away from the library and Target.

For a park that sits on a busy road in a busy city, Lexington is surprisingly well-facilitated with a play ground, additional play area, huge swing set, sports fields, trails, and warming house. It's not often you run into a park with all these features done well.


The play and climbing rocks areas are laid with mulch. Most of the playground is either high off the ground or climbing-dependent, making it a challenging course for little ones.

Its got an ample supply of slides, monkey bars, climbing structures, and stairs. We've been here on several occasions, often close to 2 hours, and my kids have yet to complain of boredom.


Although Zoey (15 months) was able to navigate the playground on her own, I had to keep an eye on her and offer help. She had fun, but all play areas are best suited for older tots with a better grasp on their gross motor skills.

Right next to the playground is a huge swing set. It sports a high back swing, baby swings, and regular swings.


The additional play area has several features: a triceratops to scale (dino equipment = added bonus); a car to "drive"; a spring rider; a tire swing; a rock-play structure; and a balance beam of sorts.

Right between these two play areas is a good-sized, open concrete area (perfect for chalk drawings or hopscotch) and several picnic tables. Stopping for a snack or resting here while watching your kiddos play (in whichever play area they want) is made so much easier because of this central seating area.


Behind this area are climbing rocks. There are two artificial rocks sculpted to accommodate climbers of average to excellent skills. Titus (3 years old) can scale these with minimal help.

Behind the climbing rocks is a warming house. Inside is an open space to rent (or run around in when it's cold outside) and bathrooms.

Sports fields are located to one side of the park. I've seen the fields used for both informal and formal games.


There are two things you should look out for when visiting Lexington Park. The first it that it gets busy, especially after work hours and around special events such as holidays and the State Fair.

Consequently, the small parking lot fills up really fast. Plan to visit around these times or to park off-street somewhere around the park and you'll be fine.