hamline and hague park

We'd just picked up a shelf for the kids' play room and were looking for a playground pit-stop when we [finally] pulled up to Hamline and Hague Park (1328 Hague Avenue, Saint Paul).

It'd taken us at least two wrong turns and u-turns before we arrived. If anything, this park is accessible but not necessarily easy to find. I suppose you could argue that it's secluded and quiet for that reason.

Or, if you're like me, you'd wonder who in the world makes a park so darn hard to find.


Here's what you need to know:
Parking:  Off-street
Age range (playground): 1+
Sidewalks: Paved to and around play area
Seating: Benches around play area
Bathrooms: None
Picnic tables: None
Grills: None
Sports field: None


As great as Google Maps is (and it really is great!), it's only as helpful as its users are. We drove to Hamline and Hague Park with high hopes it would be loads of fun. It was, after all, a "tot lot," according to its Google description.


Unfortunately for me, there were very few pictures of it available, so I was mainly banking on my past experiences with other tot lots. It would be well-suited for my kiddos' developmental abilities.

Or, as I found out, not.


We parked off-street on the shady side of the park. There's fancy fencing that surrounds most of the street-side play area and regular chain-link fencing on the far end of the park. I appreciated this aspect, as Zo (17 months) is a pro escapist and I'm slower by the day as baby grows.

There are several parts to Hamline and Hague: a sand pit, little kid playground, big kid playground, and swing set.


The sand pit is every parent's dream: it has sand play equipment and sand toys! As in someone left a myriad of trucks, shovels, and other sand toys for park guests to use.

Whoever that was: Thank you! You kept my kiddos entertained, and I am so grateful for that.


The little kid playground is the perfect size for walkers looking for a challenge. Zoey could navigate almost every way up the playground (she needed help on the curved ladder) and did that over and over and over (and over).

This playground also has a couple slides to go down, a raised bridge to traverse, and bells to ring.


The big kid playground is just that: for big kids. Madeline (4.5), our ever clever and able kiddo, had trouble crossing a lot of this play area. Titus (3) didn't even try. It's sized for kids who are at least 5 years or older, as it's pretty much exclusively climbing-oriented.

Features of this playground are netting, raised steps, climbing hoops, and monkey bars.


As is the rest of the park (turf floors included), the swing set is in well-used condition. It features a high back swing, baby swing, and some regular swings. Most of the equipment is worn (except for those tricky climbing obstacles on the big kid playground!).


My kiddos spent most of their time in the sand pit (again: Why do kids love sand so much?!). For that reason, I wouldn't be interested in coming back to Hamline and Hague, since I can find a sand box much closer to home (and much more easily!).

Tot lot doesn't describe this park well, but it's a great stop if you've got experienced spider monkeys.