Somehow, I never knew this park existed, and it blew us away with its beauty, history, and unique features!

Wow...Where to begin with this park. Lyndale Farmstead Park is such a beautiful park, especially as we've discovered it in winter. There's something so peaceful, so simple about spending time with your family in a really great park in the wintertime. That's how I felt here.

Honestly, I found this park originally by searching for South Minneapolis parks with the best sledding hills, but this place is so much more. The playground, of course, was the first part of the park my kids ran to. I think this is natural for littles. One of them commented it was a 'cute little playground' but I said, well, it's not really that small. I thought it actually had quite a bit to offer for equipment for the kids. The first thing that the kids were excited by was these surprise plastic seats nestled within the roped climbing structure. While we've seen many newer playgrounds with these roped climbing apparatuses, we haven't seen any with little seats in them, so this was novel.

Then, the kids later got quite excited by a play rope and pulley which was part of the playground equipment. That's definitely a first for us, as we haven't seen this at a single park or playground, and the kids thought it was the coolest feature ever! Yes, even better than a fireman's pole! I showed them how they could place a pinecone or a leaf inside the cup attached to the pulley, and then surprise the person above with a little nature surprise in the cup. They thought this was absolutely fascinating and up and down went the pulley for quite some time! I honestly think they would have stayed here all day, just for that pulley toy!

I finally pried them away from the pulley and showed them the huge, gorgeous ice rink on the other side of the community center building, and they were immediately fascinated by this. I highly recommend bringing along ice skates in the winter, if you have them, or at least a sled for some wintertime fun. The beautiful, gentle sledding hills were actually the first thing I noticed about this park, rather than the playground.

In addition to all of this, this park is home to a very historic, very beautiful old building. It's known as the Theodore Wirth House. Theodore Wirth is a famous name here in the Twin Cities, with his most famed namesake being the gorgeous Theodore Wirth Park on the west end of Minneapolis. Born back in 1863, Wirth was a Swiss-born parks planner who left a lasting legacy of preserving nature in the Twin Cities and was inspirational in this movement spreading across the nation. He increased the areas of parks and playgrounds across Minneapolis at an explosive rate during his tenure, He believed there should be a playground within a quarter-mile of every child, and a full rec center within every half mile. He is regarded as the grandfather of the local parks movement in America, and many of the most beautiful parks and trails in Minneapolis are still enjoyed today, thanks to his efforts. The Theodore Wirth House at Lyndale Farmstead Park was built in 1910, alongside the park, as Wirth wanted to be inspired by seeing residents enjoying the park.

This park is a lovely stop for all families in any season, and we particularly enjoyed it in the winter. Unless you're looking for a busier park, I would recommend this park in the shoulder months (spring and fall) or the off-season (winter) as you can bet this urban gem probably gets packed in the summertime. After enjoying some active family time here, head over to nearby Fika Cafe in the American Swedish Insitute for an award-winning meal, or fresh bakery treat.