Canterbury Park

Canterbury Park staff went over and beyond to be sure we were well taken care of! We saw Three Dog Night on 8/8/25. This was the BEST concert experience I have EVER had! Great parking, helpful staff, accessible bathrooms, accessible food and drink, FANTASTIC seats! Thanks to @KQRS, we even had a wonderful meet and greet experience! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Had a great time celebrating my mom's 60th birthday. My dad got two tables for 8 people, and it was around $45 to do so. My niece (11 year old) loved seeing the horses up close when we did go down by the track. She also enjoyed the mac and cheese along with ice cream. The flowers are gorgeous as well!

What a wonderful & fun track. Bustling but not overcrowded, but more importantly it’s thoroughly staffed with helpful people. It’s a beautiful place to watch horses. Great amenities from clubhouse menu to numerous food stands. Bourbon chicken sandwich was very good. Had a basic turkey sandwich night before from Bo Diddley’s; hit the spot! A place where anyone from serious horseplayers to families with kids can have a fun afternoon/evening.

Place is very clean and packed during the 4th of July. I hat coming out of the building and parking is a disaster. Tons of drinking and gambling but that’s the people. Love seeing horses racing and the fireworks are amazing! The playlist is great and I’ve gone for 10 years in a row probably. It’s a tradition every year. We know people to get into an outdoor VIP section and it has a bar, seating (a lot) and bathrooms with a changing station. It’s always busy though for events like this which is a bummer.

Had an enjoyable poker experience and a good tournament/ cash play. 95% of the dealers are professional and great at their jobs, not the friendliest place for travelers, they all assume you know, but they're happy to answer questions and help you when you explain that you're not a regular. Got my first penalty in a poker tournament ever. Awesome! Totally on me. Great tournament manager Thursday night

Canterbury Park truly outdid itself hosting Theory of a Deadman. I recently caught their show there, and what an experience it was. The venue really felt alive, creating the perfect backdrop for a band that knows how to command a stage. From the moment the music started, the energy was just electric. The sound quality was spot-on, letting every riff and vocal hit just right, which isn't always a given at outdoor shows. The band, of course, was incredible – they sounded fantastic and really engaged the crowd. It was clear everyone there, myself included, was having a genuinely great time. Beyond the music, Canterbury Park itself handled the event smoothly. Getting in and finding our spot was easy, and the overall atmosphere was just really welcoming. It’s always a good sign when a venue can manage a big crowd without a hitch, making the whole evening feel relaxed and enjoyable. This show was a perfect example of Canterbury Park stepping up as a great spot for live music. If they keep bringing in acts like Theory of a Deadman and maintaining this level of experience, I’ll definitely be back for more. It was a fantastic night all around.#theoryofadeadman

Great facilities! The dealers here are great, there are plenty of tables, and the grounds are incredible! I played blackjack with a few people, and we were treated well throughout the session. I would love to check out one of their races in the future! Their parking is quite good for a casino, and the security makes everyone feel safer. I actually prefer this casino to Mystic Lake, but if you want to play slots, this isn't your casino.

Junk bonanza was great. Canterbury was a good place to go junkin. Staff both from the bonanza and Canterbury were helpful and polite and fun. Also had a full bar and some food.

Had a great time. We took our kids and grands here for a race recently. We had lunch, then found seating outside. It was hot and sunny that day so we soon found some inside seating. The grands liked seeing the horses. We know little about betting on the ponies. The grands fared better with their picks than we did! Thanks Canterbury Park for a fun afternoon.

I've come to Canterbury Park a handful of times over the years and always have a great time with friends or family. Most recently we came in with my parents and they had the Budweiser Clydesdales there for a meet and greet. Those horses are beautiful! Even more so up close! I'm not much of a gambler or even understand basic betting so you have to come with the right crowd if you're gonna win! My partner grew up around horse racing so he had all of the tips and even helped my mom and some other folks win money based on bets placed, just knowing how to read the stats and based on his personal knowledge of the trainers. This makes all the difference! When you're betting and winning it's such a thrill, and the atmosphere of people winning at the same time is so electric! They have concessions and even a buffet on the top floor. They even have a full casino next to where you place the bets on the first floor. The drinks are affordable, can get a large beer for $9 which is a steal in my book. 10/10 would recommend!

Nice poker and table game room with poker tournaments as well. I did not like the fact that they did not have any no-limit games but this seemed to be a state law. The action was good and the drinks were decently priced.

Canterbury is a gem in the southern Metro. Purely on the horse racing side (not a casino fan myself), it can really only be compared to other horse tracks. Here, it's above average, as the others in this strata (Prairie Meadows, Remington, Laurel) that I have visited are decidedly less fan-friendly and less concerned about maintaining the property. (Don't even get me started on my visit to Pimlico.) Canterbury has steadily improved, with new furnishings, better food and more promotions year on year. It is never going to be Del Mar or Gulfstream, simply because Canterbury will not have the handle or the annual stakes races that attract big-time horse owners to venture to Shakopee. But Canterbury knows what it is and stays the course - family Sundays, Corgi races, a place to bring the family. Watching live racing is tremendous. I would love to see them step up the races, with more cards with more horses, bigger stakes, and a longer legislatively-approved live racing schedule would be great. If sports wagering ever becomes legal in MN, this place would be well-situated to take advantage. Meanwhile, it's always a fun day out. Go with someone experienced who can read a racing form, do not spend anything you would miss, and you might get lucky. I do wish they served better coffee, the bourbon offerings are woeful, and I miss the days when valet parking was offered. Regardless, it's always a good time. Finally, let me add, track announcer, Paul Allen, is among the best in the country. Calling live horse races is a singular skill and PA is truly a master.

Had a great time with some good people. Wish I could come back in play one day. It's a must visit !

I went here a couple times when I was a kid and didn't think too much of it. BUT, I went again this week and feel compelled to leave a review! This place has something for everyone! The main attraction is the horse racing, which is run to watch even if you aren't betting on the races. But, there's a ton more going on than I previously realized! There are multiple seating area options: inside, outside, stadium style, picnic tables, bar seating, cafeteria, and more formal dining. This makes it a great space to have any sort of event, large or small! There's a variety of food/drink options too: stadium food, beers/cocktails at at least 3 different bar areas, a couple specialty food booths, and a meal with service upstairs. Nothing mind blowing, but not bad either. In addition to betting on horse racing, which Canterbury makes super accessible by providing detailed "how to" in your race pamphlet, there are a variety of other activities: blackjack and poker tables, live music some nights, and a big playground for kids. Watching horse races is fun to begin with, but Canterbury really blows it out of the water but providing a wide range of entertainment and dining options!

I have come to Canterbury Park a few times now to go to the horse races. They have a large area for parking, which they need because some days it can get very very busy! The workers have always been pleasant and very friendly. They have a few different ways you can bet on the horses which is nice. You can go to the teller, use the machines, or deposit money in your account and bet off of your phone (my personal favorite). It is very nice. I have had a few issues with the machines before so I don't like that, but the workers are always helpful. In order to bet however, you need to have a account. It is very easy to set one up at guest service and when you do, they will usually give you one free admission ticket for next time! They have a few different food options here. They have a famous daves, a normal food concessions, and a more fancy and expensive food concessions. They have a free other places like a Mexican place and a ice cream place. You will usually find whatever you are craving somewhere! The actual track and seats are very nice. They did a very nice job with this place. Fun place to come and bet on the horses! Keep in mind, this is a fun day event! And your money can last a very long time!

I've been here a few times now for some of the non-traditional races (i.e. ostrich, zebra, corgis) and it's been so fun! The tickets are inexpensive and there are opportunities to do a little gambling on the horses as well as in the casino. They have concessions in case you need a snack and vending machines if you don't like waiting in lines. The seating is nice as there is outdoor seating on benches and indoor seating upstairs in the air conditioned space. There are usually vendors on-site that sell things - leashes and bandanas on corgi race day! There are lots of parking spots in the large lot and workers/security that direct you to where you need to go.

We went here to watch this year's Corgi races and had a blast! I know I'm a little dog obsessed so that skews my opinion slightly, but this was probably one of the more fun things I've done this summer. Parking was a little bit of a zoo, but it was nice out so we were ok with walking and just found a spot at the back of the lot. We got our tickets online in advance - I recommend this going forward. It was super slick getting in, and there was no wait in line to purchase. Once we got in, it was a little bit chaotic and we totally should have grabbed cash for betting before we got there. We found a grand total of TWO ATMs in the place - yikes. So we waited in line, got some cash and all was well. At this particular event, they had fun dessert vendors stationed throughout the upstairs area - I'd go back if they had more things like this. Seating indoors was hard to come by, and we really didn't want to bake in the sun. We ended up camping out in front of the betting booths, which was ok if you don't mind standing. Still a good time and we had a great view. Best part of the day? I left almost $20 up from what I started with. I know they can't control that but I just wanted to brag.

Concessions are ATROCIOUS!!! "Hot" pretzel wasn't, plus was rock hard, brat was soft and not in a good way. All the food was like it had been cooked hours earlier and sat.

Been coming to Canterbury for years. Great poker room. Great food. Great dealers. All around great experience!

Decently cheap entertainment and normally not too busy. The horse races are fun to watch and the drive down to Shakopee from the cities isn't bad either! We'll be back this summer, if not for a horse race, definitely for the corgi race in August. Last note: What isn't cheap is the food and drinks. The food is also mediocre at best. I would recommend eating before getting to the park and nursing one drink to get as much bang for your buck.

Canterbury Eats: blank stares and malfunctions galore.  Signing up, using the 'Join' text to their phone number did not work.  They insisted this must be my fault until I showed them it did not work then they immediately lost interest in the issue, result from them = blank stare.  I found the web site to place and order and 35 minutes go by and I do not receive an alert that my food is done.  I go to the food people and ask about this, and they are befuddled.  Another 15 minutes go by, I ask again and one of them wanders to the back (, the food orders are supposed to be sitting in the pickup area,) gets it and when I ask how this happened, result from them = blank stare. Also, the steak I ordered was way over cooked.

Great place to hang out on a race day. Don't like gambling much, so couldn't relate much to the place. Did end up playing black jack in the casino anyways. Luckily for me I won $20, and that was that. The casino area is not as grand as other casinos I have been to, but the service is good. Liquor is not free, not even if you are playing on a table. But drinks are not that expensive specially if you can make the happy hour timings which is 7-9 pm. The horse racing experience was fun. I had never seen one before and so didn't understand the bets. Thanks to a friend who does this often, I could understand and learn a bit. Ended up losing $10 bucks but that wasn't bad to learn something new. They do serve liquor at the stands near racing tracks as well, so that you don't have to keep going in towards the bar always. Food options are awesome but it's only certain days, like today, when they had their Truck Festival. Rusty Tacos was the best amongst all. Great place for a good weekend fun. Try out if you like betting.

Staff are beyond rude. If you're okay with that then it's a fine place to go. Don't ask for military discount as they'll just roll their eyes at you.

This is my favorite horse racing track because it is vibrant and there are lots of people enjoying the sport. Many of the track I've been to have very low attendance and it's not nearly as much fun. Canterbury Park has events beyond horse racing to help draw more people and it works. Don't know how to bet? There is a free class in the off season to help you understand handicapping and make you more comfortable with the process. Don't want to bet? No problem, you can have fun watching the horses. There are plenty of food options available and some additional food truck events during live racing. There is a card club on site if that is more your style. Give it a try, you'll like it!

Great racing venue (duh) with very reasonably priced food and drinks. Ain't gonna find a Cordon Bleu menu - but if you want simple bar type quick food, it's fine. Risk around losing funding from Shakopee Tribe in 2023 jeopardizes race quality longer term.

Worst odds casino in America by far the shufflers are not random just so you know they lease them and have shuffle master put in the percentage that they wanted to win you have been warned.

Dealers and Pit Bosses make it a point to get to know and learn their regulars. Super friendly staff. However, I came into a baccarat shoe where the screen was missing about 20 hands, would have been nice to know the screen was not accurate. Also three days in a row Canterbury staff took hits to the banker side that they were not supposed too. This results in a ghost hand in which they run a hand where no one can bet. Unfortunately, this resulted in a jump with a panda. I think the staff that do this are pretty high or just really tired...some of the staff have even admitted to being high at work...I trusted Canterbury with my money for the longest time but now I do not. Running Aces has a more strict table policy, but on the flip side they have a better and more professional dealing policy. Unhappy with Canterbury baccarat. Will not be spending money here. Will only be collecting free play from Canterbury from now on.

Here for the autumn festival for arts and crafts. I had no idea it was going to be such a big deal and so well attended! The parking lot was practically full by late morning when we arrived. A lot of illegally parked and horribly parked cars probably contributed to the parking lot chaos but nonetheless, it was a great turnout. The event itself was monstrous. I've never seen an arts and crafts fair this size - it weaved from room to room, hallway to hallway, even upstairs to the general area. Every kind of unique craft was probably represented, some terrific meat/cheese/dip vendors, even Amish bakers & furniture, etc. If you're looking for endless ideas for gifts with a homemade touch, hit up this fair. The browsing alone is worth the trip and experience.

After my past experiences here, it KILLS me to leave this review, but I need to be honest about anywhere I have recommended if the experience changes... My wife and kids wanted to go to the buffet, races and fireworks at Canterbury on the third floor for the 4th of July. We purchased our table, tickets and programs (premium priced because it was a holiday) online and as always it was great and easy. When we arrived we went to out table and paid for the buffets with our server. What we didn't know - what wasn't advertised anywhere - and what totally blindsided us was that there wasn't a prime rib buffet (it being Thursday and the website saying specifically that there was a prime rib buffet), but instead it was the "red white and blue" buffet. This buffet was TERRIBLE ... no salad bar, scarce desserts, steam pan burgers, dry brats and bbq chicken - all cold and literally not much of anything else. We tried to give it the "well we won't get uptight about it" approach and each took a burger and a brat. The brat was cold and dry but I had already paid so we ate them. The (cold) burger I took a bite of and literally spit right out into a napkin. It was bad. Really really bad. Honestly this was the single worst buffet I have ever had - not just here, but ANYWHERE. I am not typically a complainer and I have always actually given Canterbury park what I think were awesome reviews online. (Check out a prior 5 star review of Canterbury Park by Jeremy D. https://www.yelp.com/biz/canterbury-park-shakopee?hrid=Q93nCbUQZ2i_kZ2l0q44Qg&utm_source=ishare&utm_content=review). I didn't want to have to go back and change them to reflect this horrific food experience, so I thought I would reach out to them through all sorts of channels - social media, email, comment card and telling our server directly. It has been a couple of hours and I still haven't heard back though they have been active on social media so I know they received my outreach for assistance. We are - needless to say - EXTREMELY disappointed. We would have never gone for this buffet if we had a way of knowing what it would be (I mean, there is a steakhouse we could have eaten at there). And steam pan burgers for 15.00 when you can get a fresh one elsewhere here at the same place for less money? This has seriously cast a dark shadow on our entire trip to the track and we feel kind of cheated out of our money as well as let down. The next two tables in our section had the same experience down to spitting out the food. We finally just left after dropping money on a table, buffets, 64.00 in the gift shop, tickets, programs... I am totally floored by this entire experience and can only assume that Canterbury has gone completely downhill since I did my last review on them and since my last visit last year. With so many options in the area for your dining, gambling and entertainment dollars, I can only sadly say that they are better spent elsewhere.

Honestly, if you have a condition that does not allow you to wear your mask, don't go here. My girlfriend told the staff multiple times that she has severe asthma and because of that she couldn't properly wear her mask the majority of the time (She had her mask and wore it over her mouth the whole night). she kept getting harassed for not having her mask over her nose, and even told multiple people she cannot due to a condition, she still was escorted out my security. Let it be known that we spent well over $1000 between food, drinks, and gambling. Is this how you treat your customers? I'd like someone to reach out to right this wrong, but not anticipating it considering I'm currently not wearing a mask in my own home.

About 30 minutes outside of Minneapolis .... a local friend took me here and I had a blast. Bet on some horses with weird names, played some poker, cheap beer and cheap food .... great place to unwind and have fun!

Have been going to Canterbury for about 12 years now. Over that time there have been some positive changes and some not so positive changes. The purses have increased significantly due to their partnership with Mystic Lake so the quality of horses has gone up over the years. Of course that makes your handicapping more difficult as there are a higher number of good horses in any particular race. The bad part is that in order to compete for the entertainment dollar they have to kowtow to a younger demographic and people with small children. So unlike other tracks that I've been to you have live music, a petting zoo, and other inducements to keep the attendance high. It works great for their bottom line as they are able to use all these avenues to bring in more revenue. Thats not so great for those of use that have developed a lifelong enjoyment of the horseracing experience. Admission is $7 usually (goes up to $9 on a premium day, such as 4th of July). That gets reduced if you have taken the time to acquire a VIP card that gets you some discounts and the random free admission pass from time to time. Kids 17 and under are free. There are beer stands sprinkled thru the property offering old standards like Budweiser but also local brews like Summit. You can expect to find something foodwise to satisfy you as well be it pizza, Famous Daves, or whatever food truck may be on that days schedule. There is also a card room if that is the way that you want to go. I honestly like the older days better when the crowd as smaller, but I understand why they had to make the changes they made. I will gladly accept having to deal with the families with small children and the chaos that radiates from that in order to keep my local track open. Its gets excessively noisy and crowded some days but if you love racing its the best option that relatively close so party on. Like I said before kids are free so its a low cost entertainment option for the whole family as long as you don't go crazy with your wagering. Its a fun place and I'd go more often if the boss would let me. So go throw some cash down on my behalf. I'll agree to a 50/50 split.

I won! But that's not why I loved this place... it's such a family friendly place and just had a good vibe. The staff was remarkably friendly and helpful. When I visited the casino, the dealers we smiling, engaging, and friendly - which always makes for a better visit. If you're hungry, there are several food options and all reasonably priced. A nice break from my business trip for an evening of fun and relaxation.

One star is generous. A dump and an example of what race tracks should not be. Reserved a table. Dirty tables. Dirty chairs covered in cheese sauce. Dust and bugs on window sills and everywhere else you looked. Pigeon dropping's covering windows. TV didn't work until a 3Rd person was called, and he got it working by jiggling wires. Worst of all, we saw our wait person once in the 4 hours, six races, we were there. Possibly the least classy, worst run service, race track we have ever been to. Wasn't this bad years ago but now, they seem to know nothing about quality and customer service. Normally I leave a $50 minimum tip regardless of how little we order. Not today.

Canterbury Eats: blank stares and malfunctions galore. Signing up, using the 'Join' text to their phone number did not work. They insisted this must be my fault until I showed them it did not work then they immediately lost interest in the issue, result from them = blank stare. I found the web site to place and order and 35 minutes go by and I do not receive an alert that my food is done. I go to the food people and ask about this, and they are befuddled. Another 15 minutes go by, I ask again and one of them wanders to the back (, the food orders are supposed to be sitting in the pickup area,) gets it and when I ask how this happened, result from them = blank stare. Also, the steak I ordered was way over cooked.

If you have self control this can be a form of low-cost entertainment. If you don't like crowds or parents who use this place as a babysitter, or smoking, then perhaps this isn't the place for you. Fortunately you can bring in your own lawn chair, we learned this the hard way once. We like to strategically place ourselves next to young teens (who are hopefully around responsible parents - which means they won't be betting, smoking, or drinking.) On a holiday weekend, it's insane. My husband has been gone since race 7 to place a bet and get food. He's yet to come back! He ought to be in a lovely mood by the time he returns. We generally like to bid a couple races and hopefully win our money back before we spend money on adult beverages or food. Sometimes the odds aren't in our favor. But we still have a good time. The competing music and Paul Allen's announcing can be obnoxious at times. The fireworks are very well done here, on the 4th. The downside is getting out of the parking lot.

There are some great things happening at Canterbury Park that will forgive some of the uncleanliness and dilapidated condition we saw on our visit. The dealers and staff are very nice and helpful. They are probably the soul of this place that keeps the players coming back. Obviously, when it comes to players, you get all types, and the dealers keep those off-personalities in check as best as they can. Food is okay. We picked up some grub at the cafe and weren't that impressed. It was also pretty expensive. The restaurant might be a different story, but we haven't tried it yet. Probably the biggest detraction from the gaming floor was the quality of the chairs and tables. The chairs are well beyond their service life. They're cracked, squeaky, and relatively uncomfortable. Our dealer's chair broke in two when we were there, and nearly every dealer thereafter complained that the replacement chair was just as bad. The table we were at also had a greasy feel to it. I'm sure the food from other players at the table didn't help. We played $2/4 limit Hold'Em for about five hours and received the $50 new player bonus, which was pretty cool considering it was straight up cash and not some convoluted match bet antics some other casinos employ. Action at the table was pretty tight with quite a few regulars, despite being a weekend. We were told that better action is to be had at $4/8 and better, so we'll have to give that a try next time.

Fun place to come for a Thursday night! They have "Buck Night" which includes $1 hot dogs, tickets and programs. While my hubby and I didn't win anything that night, it was still a fun way to get out of the house on a nice summer night. Parking can be a little challenging depending on the day, but all in all, it's a great place to come for a date night or even with kids!

Now what do you do on the weekend with kids. Being the responsible parent type the simple answer is "go to the horse track" of course! Well this is a good family place and you can do it all for not a whole lot of money to boot, who would have thought! I will say they need to do a little bit of an overhaul inside and maybe that's just smell related. Years of smoke (of course you can't smoke inside anymore) and just general smelliness give it that old urinal smell (women might not, and really shouldn't get that reference), I think that can be corrected. That said the place was fun. Bet on some horses, OK food selection and prices were pretty decent! We'll go again on a Friday night and really make the most of it! Great time and my daughter is excited to go back! KT

We went for the food truck event. The food we ended up with was ok. My issue is with the event not being well signed at the venue. We walked through and saw nothing, then asked a staff person where were the food trucks located. Once finally going in the right direction, it was fun to walk through to see what tickled our fancy. I got tots, which were ok. The burrito was much better than the bacon-wrapped tots. My hubby got an Asian bowl of some sort (cannot recall the name), which he liked. I was interested in it until I saw that there was an over easy egg on it. Never going to eat one of those. So, if you come here for a food truck event, walk straight through to the track and hang a right. You'll have some fun making choices on what's available.

MN has a great horse race following. Paddock reminds me of Del Mar, nice and spacious. Great prices on cocktails...Margaritas $4.50. A variety of craft beers for the aquired-taste beer lovers. Great food choices...Ribs and coleslaw from Famous Dave's, Fry Bread Taco, pizza by the slice. Last night's festivities included Indian Horse Relay...no saddles, un-jockey sized riders. Nice to find out about an old tradition. Placed a few bets and left a winner. We will definitely be visiting again.

Came here with the bf for Cars and Coffee. If you're into the whole car scene, you will definitely enjoy cars and coffee and this place is stated to be one of the better places for this event because of the huge lot that they have. They had every car you could probably think of or at least it seemed like it (I dont know the names of all the cool cars). There were also a few food trucks there too so you can go to Cars and Coffee, grab some coffee and food and walk around to glance at various types of cars. I thought it was an interesting event and I would definitely return for another Cars and Coffee event.

Other players are discourteous, and the staff handles it poorly. They act unprofessionally.

This place has really good food. I love coming here to watch the horse races with my family. It's nice that you can sit inside or go outside.

Went to a concert Friday July 23rd getting into concert felt like a rat in a maze. Getting out of the parking lot was worse. Beware

Pretty neat! I came here for the junk bonanza and had a blast with my friend. The food options are limited to some pretty greasy stuff, but at the races and casinos that's to be expected. The bathrooms were pretty well maintained (not awesome but not filthy) and there was plenty of parking for the hundreds of people in attendance. The space was comprised of two levels and was large enough to host literally thousands of people and hundreds of vendor booths. Would love to come again next year!

A few things that peeked my insterest last summer about this race track: - Thursday nights in the summer include: $1 Admission $1 Regular Programs $1 Hormel Hot Dogs $1 Pepsi $1 Nachos & Cheese $2.50 Regular Tap Beer Specials $3 Premium Tap Beer Specials 60¢ Boneless Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings - 10,000 parking spaces in their lot. - Going at night is nice because the sun sets behind the building so there's a no sun to squint into while watching the races. - Priceless people watching

"That's What She Said" There are many reasons why people love to watch Horse racing. One is the magnificent horses that compete. The main reason; however, in my opinion, is the horses' creative and interesting names. This place was fun, being it was my first time here I decided to try my luck and go with the shortest jockey and the slowest horse. We'll how'd I do? I WON! I made $55 US Dollars!! Who said a $2 bet isn't fun? All in all the park is a fun place to kill a couple of hours and watch a sport often forgotten about unless it's the Kentucky Derby. Note: My only bone to pick with this joint is that they allow children. Why would you bring your 6 year old to a gambling institution. Don't even get me started. Just plain stupid.

This place is the bee's knees. Or the horse's knees. Sometimes even the ostrich's knees. Whoever's knees it is aside, Canterbury Park is awesome. The only problem is that, us being in Minnesota, we can't enjoy the track year-round. No worries, though! You'll have all winter to study those horse racing records in order to win the big pot of gold at the end of the racetrack rainbow. My favorite time to go, of course, is on a Thursday night. For $1 to enter, $1 to buy a hot dog or nachos and $2.50 for a tall glass of cold beer, this place can't be beat. I usually try to see if I can break a hot dog eating record, but I usually stop at three.

Canterbury Park is not like an East Coast Race Track or even one from Illinois. It is a family oriented place. Even if betting on horses is not your idea of a good time there are family activities on the weekends or you can just sit and watch the races. The purses have supposedly increased lately but I only gained back $2.10 per increment on my bet for a horse that Placed. Minnesota will never a be a big time racing state but that helps to keep out the sleaze that we see on East Coast and in Illinois. There are enough vendors to give some variety in food and alcohol purchases. The prices are reasonable although some of the food items are beyond bland. Watch for the special days and family fun events throughout the fairly short Mn racing season. Indoor or Outdoor grandstand seating and ample parking, (because the lot is only about 20% occupied) makes for a pleasant stress relief. My most memorable moment: Doing small time betting I finally decided to have fun and bet a mere $6.00 on a long shot and she won! My take? $88.00.

Even though I only played here once for about 3.5 hours, I have to proclaim Canterbury Park one of the better card rooms in the United States. It is rare that you walk into a card room, and you feel as though you could become a regular here. Maybe it's a good thing - who wants to be a regular at a card room. Not often do you find a card room that's so customer oriented. First of all, you get 3 parking options: valet parking for a few bucks, self-parking by the entrance for a couple of bucks or free parking across the street. Now that's catering to your customers. The room itself is large and bright, so the space wasn't an issue. The host was friendly, answered all my questions and put me on the list for my game ($8/$16 limit). Even though I only had to wait about 10 minutes, I managed to play a lower limit game to pass the time. The $8/$16 game is very live with lots of action. People don't come here to call, they come here to raise. There's a lot of dumb chasing going on here (poker players know what I am talking about). Lots of regulars, but not to the point where they take over the game. My favorite thing about Canterbury Park was, without a doubt, the dealers who work there. When I go to a poker room, I don't get all "Rebecca Black." I know exactly which seat I should take - seat #1, just to the left of the dealer. It's my favorite seat because it allows me to see the cards better and talk to the dealers. The dealers at this room are incredibly friendly and customer service oriented. Some of them were even funny and entertaining. I know dealers work for tips, and it would behoove them to be nice to customers, but sadly it's not the case at most card rooms. At Canterbury Park, one of the dealers (Nikki?) not only convinced me to sign up for a card, but also gave me a line I'll be using for years to come: "You don't need patience to get lucky." True statement, whether it refers to playing in a tournament or picking up women. The downside of Canterbury Park Card Club? Glad you asked. First, the rake is ridiculous. $5 + $1 jackpot collection! Crazy! Hard to win with a rake like that. Also, and I know it sounds silly, but the poker chips at this card room are very shiny and slippery. They are hard to stack and hard to shuffle. I know, I know, you are calling me a chip snob. I don't care. I guess I should be happy I had enough chips to shuffle and stack. Still, Canterbury Park will be my must-stop spot on my next trip to Minnesota.

I re-located to the area aboutt a month ago, and I am already starting to fall in love with the poker room here. I have a good amount of live poker room experience (mostly Atlantic City, but also Las Vegas and charity poker rooms in Michigan), and as far as atmosphere here, Canterbury Park is probably my #2 poker room after The Borgata in Atlantic City (the only reason that the Borgata gets the edge is because of the number of gorgeous 20- and 30-somethng women playing poker there....the poker players at Canterbury Park are probably 95% men). The room is spacious, and well laid out. The registration/poker desk is well run, and the poker dealers at Canterbury Park are the friendliest I have ever come across. I have been steadily increasing the limits, starting wtih 2/4 limit and now up to 6/12 limit. The play is only marginally better, and the rake starts having much less impact on your winnings startinga t 6/12, so I recommend moving up to at least there as soon as your bankroll permits. Play at these limits is typically your standard loos passive style, with most pots having 5-6 people limped pre-flop, and 2-3 going down to the river. Throw in your crazy laggy folks and tight nights, and you have a diverse, and beatable, lineup. I am told that at the higher limits, there is some pretty good play (that is, players that win at the higher stakes games could win at much higher limits elsewhere), and I have heard the Omaha games get lots of action junkies. I don't really go during the business day, but at nights and the weekends it is always busy, but never *too* busy. The VIP card gets you $1/hr comps, no matter the stakes you play (I believe).

You don't have to be a gangster to bet on horses, you can be a regular Joe and place your two dollar bet in hopes of striking it rich! In celebration of their 35th Anniversary, all horse races are free this year...otherwise 5 bucks normally...and the entertainment value for the buck is hard to beat. Betting on a horse is easy, and there are many tellers ready to take your money. They have Pronto Pups, yes, that is right...they have something I thought I could only get at the State Fair...they have a Pronto Pup booth. Get there early to enjoy the freshest Pups...the ones I saw under the heat lamp, when I discovered the booth toward the end of the races, looked rather wilted. I will be buying one the next time we visit. Otherwise, they have Famous Daves barbeque, and a generic food stand to wet your whistle and fill your belly. Prices for everything were very reasonable, and the horse racing is something to be experienced. Seating is plentiful, and you have essentially an all-access pass to view the horses prior to the race (to pin-point the horse to bet on), and then head down by the track if you want or sit up in the grandstand. File this one under "great cheap date", or great "first date" place, a fun time for kids if you have them...or a great place to meet up friends such as we did. There is plenty of space to roam about, ample room to talk, beer is handy to calm the nerves on a first date...and there is plenty to spur conversation. I'm not horsing around...go check it out!

Canterbury Park established 1985 has a family friendly atmosphere..food choices such as Famous Daves, Mexican and good old fashioned hot dogs. Place a bet but don't wager your life savings. Thursday is the cheapest day to go, I've also been here for the wiener dog races and the exotics featuring ostriches and camels! Don't forget to buy Lil Orbit donuts and a beer!

I can expand. Very kid friendly. Son loves the chance to pet a lead horse now and again. Very large playground out back that attracts most kids for at least a short time. While my son did not tire out after an hour, I did trying to keep up with him. Easy to get in, easy to play, easy to watch and enjoy. The only challenge is the drive from the city. Not hard to find, but a little long to get there. Find a nice evening or afternoon and you can't miss.

Hadn't been to Canterbury in a couple years but decided on a whim to head over this weekend because of the food truck event. I forgot how much fun it is there! I didn't even get any food from the trucks because I got too excited about betting on the races and but the time I wanted to grab a bite they were all out of food. Oh well, I guess I will have to try the Smack Shack some other time. Canterbury is super family friendly and is a rather inexpensive and fun way to spend a few hours. Betting is really easy and the stakes are so low anyone could afford to partake. I only bet $2 on each race and ended the day being up by $12! Not bad if I do say so myself. There are also great deals and events all the time in the summer so give it a shot!

Dang!! This place has too much to offer!! We always reserve a table on the glass right away when the season opens, for a Saturday in mid July so we can enjoy the races in the air conditioning near the finish line. We're also close to the betting area so we're able to work our way up there easily. It's a nice day spent with the parents. A little competitiveness never hurt anyone!! Hahaha!!! BTW- the food is generally OK....nothing special. The food would get 2 1/2 stars. I rated on the track experience. ;)