Address

4900 Mississippi Court
Minneapolis, MN 55430

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Bus, bike, drive, or walk

Contact

Phone: 612-370-4844
Emailnorthmississippi@minneapolisparks.org
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Hours

Sunday and Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday-Friday: 9am-4:30pm
Saturday: 10am-4pm

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Carl W. Kroening Nature Center

Part of: North Mississippi Regional Park

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All Ages Public Programs

Bird Watching: Join a naturalist to go bird-watching along the Mississippi River flyway.

Campfire Nights: Fireside fun for everyone with Game Nights for families , Date Nights for the grown-ups!

Family Fundays: Select Saturdays spend an afternoon filled with nature themed activities for the whole family.

Hikes and Outdoor Programs: Explore seasonal topics in the park with a naturalist.

Nature Art: Get creative with arts and crafts using nature as the subject, medium or both.

Nature Nuts - Early Childhood Programming

Come with your little one to play and have fun in nature with other children and their guardians. Each day is a different exploration of nature themes including animals, plants and seasons. For kids ages 6 and under with an adult: Enjoy the outdoors together!

Nature Playtime: Imaginative play activities curated by a naturalist

Storybook Stroll: Active literary adventures outside with activities that help bring a story to life

Tots: Naturalist-guided experiences on seasonal topics, local animals and plants

Group and Homeschool Programs

Group Programming: Bring your group for outdoor education in the park! Choose from a variety of interactive naturalist-guided experiences and curricula available for school groups, daycares, homeschool co-ops and scout troops. Call 612-370-4838 for details and booking.

Homeschool: Each month homeschool students join MPRB naturalists for an afternoon of seasonal, interactive learning in nature’s classroom.

School Release Day Programs

Full day (8:30am-4 pm) programs keep children ages 6 to 12 years active, engaged and learning during school breaks and school-release days.

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Indoor Amenities

  • Interpretive exhibits about the Mississippi River and nature in your neighborhood
  • Bird watching station
  • Hands-on fun for children
  • Adventure Hub – nature exploration resources available for free check out
  • Nature play: outdoor adventure course and fort-building area
  • Interact with live education animals
  • Nice Ride Bike Share
  • Paddle Share River Kayak Rentals
  • Drinking Fountain
  • Restroom Facility
  • No-charge Parking Lot

Outdoor Amenities

Outside: North Mississippi Regional Park

  • 67-plus acres to explore, including woodland, prairie and riverfront areas
  •  Biking and Walking Paths
  • Drinking Fountain
  • Restroom Facility (seasonal)
  • Boat Launch
  • Fishing Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Playground
  • Restroom Facility
  • Wading Pool
  • Kayak Rental

Neighborhood: Lind-Bohanon

Service AreaNorth

Commissioner District2

Large Group Programming: Bring your group for outdoor education in the park! A variety of interactive, naturalist-guided experiences and curricula are available for school groups, daycare centers, homeschool co-ops, scout troops and others. Call 612-370-4844 for details and booking.

To learn more about booking a field trip for your school or community group please complete the Field Trip Inquiry Form.

If you are interested in a room rental only for your next meeting or gathering, complete a Rental Inquiry Form to request a booking.

State Senators Carl Kroening of north Minneapolis and Bill Luther of Brooklyn Center obtained funding from the state legislature in 1985 for the development of a regional park on the banks of the Mississippi River from North Mississippi Park into Brooklyn Center on the west bank and Anoka County on the east bank. Kroening was instrumental in acquiring state funding, administered through the Metropolitan Council, for Minneapolis parks. He was later honored by having the park’s interpretive center (later nature center) named for him. The new park was to be developed jointly by the Minneapolis park board along with the Anoka County park board and Three Rivers Park District (Hennepin County).

The deal between the park board and the state led to the creation of another waterfall in Minneapolis parks. The new I-94 freeway passed over Shingle Creek between Webber Park and North Mississippi Park, so the state’s plan was to run the creek through a culvert under the freeway. The park board instead developed a plan to drop the creek in one step in an artificial waterfall west of the freeway and create paths beside the creek under the freeway. That plan enabled the uninterrupted connection of pathways along Shingle Creek to the river trails and beyond.

From 1987 to 1989 the park board acquired the last 17 acres to extend the park to the north Minneapolis city limit at 53rd Avenue North. Part of the land that had once held a housing project along the river was acquired from the Minneapolis Community Development Agency for about $2.5 million and private land was purchased for nearly $2 million more.

A trail system through the park, connecting to Shingle Creek and commuter routes downtown, was developed in 1997.

The unique legislation that created joint responsibility for the park led to a partnership in operating the park. When the Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center was opened in the park in 2002, programming was provided by the Three Rivers Park District even though the center is in Minneapolis. Regional park funding also was responsible for the construction in the park of the largest picnic shelter in Minneapolis parks, a wading pool, rock waterfall and playground at the north end of the park.

Solar panels were added to the Carl Kroening Interpretive Center in 2010. In 2016, the MPRB assumed full responsibility for programming at the “Kroening Center,” as it’s known colloquially, shifting to a focus on nature activities and environmental education. 2021 saw the center’s longtime exhibit on industrial and urban history along the North Minneapolis riverfront replaced with “Nature in the City”: an an interactive exhibit designed to entice people to explore the park outside. “Nature in the City” received significant funding from the state’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Funddedicated to projects that help maintain and enhance Minnesota’s environment and natural resources. The same year, the Park Board approved changing the building’s name to Carl W. Kroening Nature Center. 

Park history through 2008 compiled and written by David C. Smith, with updates from 2009 to present by MPRB staff.