In 1883, the city purchased 35 acres of land and turned it into the first city-owned park, a gorgeous commons known as Central Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York City's Central Park. In 1890, the park's name was changed to honor Charles Loring, the first president of the Minneapolis Park Board and the initial force behind preserving much of the land that eventually evolved into one of the nation's most magnificent city park systems.An active and much-used inner city recreation area, Loring Park has a basketball court, paved walking and bike paths, numerous tennis courts, horseshoe pits and shuffleboard courts. In winter, the lake is packed with skaters. On the west side Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge connects the park to the Walker Art Center. Loring Greenway, a well-traveled pedestrian thoroughfare, connects the park to downtown's Nicollet Mall. At the end of the Greenway is the Berger Fountain, shaped like a giant dandelion. Free concerts are held in the summer and picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. The recreation building houses restrooms, an information center and ping-pong tables.
Website: loringpark.org
Phone: (612) 370-4929
Cross Streets: Between 14th St W and Grant St W
Closed now
- Fri 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
1382 Willow St, July 30-31, 2016 Minneapolis, MN 55403 ·863.38 mi
Is this your business? Verify your listing
Amenities
- Accessible
- Family friendly
Reviews
tripadvisor
Didn’t feel safe there as a female alone, this was in the daytime. I saw two homeless guys fighting, one pulled a knife so the other one backed off and fortunately they just yelled profanities at each other. The residents of the beautiful condos near the park must love that. They all looked unfriendly and glum, perhaps because their high-dollar condos have lost value. I will never visit Minneapolis again.
MoreOne of the best urban parks I have seen. The adjacent sculpture garden is cool too. Right next to Hyatt Regency which was real convenient.
MoreLoring Park is a wonderful urban park near downtown Minneapolis. It sits right between the Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. With large trees and a small lake, the park is a real treasure!
MoreWe were here on Friday, August 1, 2025, brought visiting family from Arizona to see the best things in Minnesota. I have been a very long time fan of Loring Park, it is a beautiful park. I attended the very first Earth Day Celebration in the nation here in 1970. Yes the 1st Earth Day was right here. It is a very pretty park, large shade trees, picnic areas, waterfowl and other wildlife live here. Flowers and native plants abound. along walking and biking paths. Also, one can take the blue and yellow pedestrian bridge above busy Hennepin/Lyndale to visit the sculpture gardens or the Walker Art Center.
MoreWHAT HAPPENED TO THE 'DANDELION' FOUNTAIN?As tourists, we came in search of the Berger Fountain (the one that looks like a dandelion that we'd seen in many photos of Minneapolis). After trekking through the park, we came across the derelict, non-functioning fountain which clearly hadn't been in operation for a while. How disappointing!The rest of the park was decent and obviously a haven for dog walkers from the surrounding apartments. As far as wildlife, we saw a few geese and squirrels. If you're a tourist, I wouldn't go out of your way to visit Loring Park.
More