rice recreation center

We'd had no luck that day: We visited two parks and were disappointed with each one. We were sticky from good ol' Minnesota humidity--but we still had a lot of play left in us ("us" as in my kids; I was beat).

My kids begged me to try one more park. They didn't want to end on a bad note.

I took a last-second turn and pulled up in front of Rice Recreation Center (1021 Marion Street, Saint Paul). My kids were so excited because we'd tried visiting this playground earlier this summer but ended up going to a different park because of the metal slides.

That day was an overcast day, however, which meant they could go crazy over any and all of those slides. And--you guessed it--they totally did.


Here's what you need to know:
Parking: Off-street
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to play area, rec center, and school
Seating: Limited benches
Bathrooms: None
Picnic tables: None
Grills: None
Sports field: Baseball and open fields; tennis courts

My kids are still at that age where they think bigger is always better. That being said, they were stoked for the Rice Rec Center playground because it. is. huge.


The sand-laden play area has three sections: a swing set, a big kid playground, and a little kid playground.

We checked out the swing set first (Zoey, 16 months, always insists we do). It has a low-hanging high-back swing with a buckle, a baby swing, and several regular swings.


The little kid playground is far off to one side. It's extremely easy for young tots to navigate so long as they can walk (they might even be able to get around with crawling).

It has a tiny tunnel slide, single-step levels, a steering wheel, and a pair of double slides. In this area there's also a [really] crooked spring rider. And plenty of sand.


The big kid playground comprises the majority of the play area. It's exhaustive. There are a variety of slides, monkey bars, and climbing challenges (rock walls and ladders), to name just a few of the experiences awaiting visitors. Attached to this playground is a glider and nearby is an old school jungle gym, complete with a geodesic dome.


Madeline (4.5) and Titus (3) had a blast on the big kid playground. Madi also enjoyed the challenge of the jungle gym. Titus ended up collecting "dinosaur eggs" (rocks) in the little kid play area.


Zoey enjoyed scaling the little kid playground and navigating the half of the big kid playground she could. I went down most of the slides with her (they're super steep!).

We had to cut our visit short (to started raining), but all enjoyed our visit to the Rice Rec Center playground. The best part about this playground? It's across the street from our absolute favorite ice cream shop: Dar's Double Scoop (kiddos 5 and under get a free kiddie cone--what's not to love?!).


As I mentioned earlier, if you want to visit this playground, plan your visit for an overcast day or the slides will skin you and your kiddos alive. Also, don't forget to shake everyone and everything off before getting back into your car. Sand is a sneaky intrusive species.