Saint Paul Off The Beaten Path

Como Park is one of my favorite places to relax in St. Paul. There's a free zoo and conservatory and lots of beautiful green space to explore. There's even a public golf course, pictured here. Check out the website for more details.

1225 Estabrook Drive
Saint Paul, MN 55103

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Historic Fort Snelling is an 1820's military outpost around which the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have developed. When the fort was built it was a lonely outpost in the wilderness, on the far northwestern edge of United States Territory. Today it is bordered by freeways full of rushing traffic in the center of of a bustling urban area.

In this restored stone fortress the history of frontier life is celebrated. A full living history program is presented by costumed guides, daily during the summer, and on weekends in May, September and October. The first European settlers to this area came up the Mississippi River by steamboat. Today the fort is reached by modern highways and is approximately half way between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Outside of the walls of the fort there are other interesting things to see, including a museum, a chapel, monuments and beautiful views of the river, with the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.

Fort Snelling is at the junction of Highways 5 and 55, near the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.

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The Fort Snelling Veterans Memorial Chapel, was built in 1927 after Sunday School children requested a post chapel. Permission to build was granted by the War Department.

The chapel is primarily a house of worship. It is also designed to be a monument to the patriotism, the moral earnestness and the convictions of the people of Minnesota. It provides a shrine where the "family of those who have died for America may come, as on a holy pilgrimage, and offer up their thanks to Almighty God for the precious gift of friends who have been so fondly loved, and are now lost awhile."

Fort Snelling was deactivated as a military post in 1947. AFter sitting unused until the mid 1960's, it is once again alive and well. It is open for tourists to Fort Snelling on weekends. Weekly Sunday non-denominational services are conducted by the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel Foundation. It is also used for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.

The Chapel houses more than 80 memorials such as: a stained glass window that bears the coat of arms of the Third Infantry Regiment, oldest in the U.S. Army, which was once stationed at Fort Snelling.

Regional artist Georgette Sosin created this piece which stands in the middle of the Kellogg Mall in downtown St. Paul. The plaque was missing when I took this photo, but I did a little internet search and discovered that it originally read

And grant our prayers for lasting
peace, for every nation everywhere.

Created by New York arstist R. M. Fischer in 2000 as part of the "New Millenium" project in St. Paul. Corner of Fifth and Wasbasha.

Incidentally, there was a arts scandal about Skygate - it started to rust dramatically immediately after unveiling. Only in 2004 was the piece given the necessary treatment to enable it to survive in the outdoor environment it was intended for.

This is part of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. They have a number of old train cars and engines, and best of all, if you have a child, they have 3 train tables set up with Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Our 3-year-old loved that the best.
It is near the State Capitol, so you could do that too if you are in the area.

St. Anthony Park is another quiet place to get away. This is a picture of the park's library, which was one of the many libraries across the country funded by Andrew Carnegie.

2245 Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108

If you're into flowers, you gotta check out the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Comor Park. Since 1974, it's been on the National Register of Historic Places. Best of all, it's free to visit and is open all year round.

Summer hours (April 1st - September 30th) are 10am-6pm

Winter hours (October 1st - March 31st) are 10am-4pm

You can take all the pictures you want, but no tripods are allowed.