Linli F.
Yelp
I grew up spending time at this lake with my family so coming back here always brings me back to my childhood. Centennial Lakes is located in central Edina in the middle of anything you could possibly want including well-rated restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, Chuck E. Cheese (used to be Circus Pizza when I was a kid!), etc.
The lake itself never ceases to amaze me, especially for everything that it offers for such a tiny man-made lake. To begin, it's gorgeous and the park itself includes various sights to see including bridges, beautifully trimmed flowers, shrubs, and trees, swings alongside the lake, wonderful for families and other scenic views. It is very well-maintained and Edina does a good job of making sure it stays this way. I've been coming here for years and things still look just as good as they did over a decade ago. This beautiful place is a wonderful place for photo shoots and it's not uncommon to see wedding, bridal, or school pictures being taken here. They also have spouting water fountains that you can often see children playing in.
Now, you probably think this is it, but the list does not end here. They have tons of activities to do. Miniature golf, paddle boating, croquet, lawn bowling, ice skating, fishing- you name it, they got it! Even a farmer's market available on Thursday's from 3-7 PM. They even have an amphitheater alongside the lake that seats 1,000 people and you can often find various concerts or movies hosted in this area, all for free! The amphitheater and building can also be rented out, great for large events. The ice skating is available during winter and is a beautiful and also, wonderful place to be able to truly experience winter ice skating outside (much cheaper than other nice ice skating places in Minnesota, such as The Depot). They also have fireplaces inside where you can sit and warm up with some hot chocolate you can buy at the concession stand.
This is definitely a truly beautiful place to be on a sunny day and also to mention, it is never extremely crowded. There may be areas of the park that attract more people such as the lawn games area, but in general, you will always be able to find some seats along the lake or path that are secluded if you so choose. You will also never have trouble finding parking either.
The only downside in my opinion is that there is no "beach" feel to this lake as every single part of it is man-made and the water is very, very dirty so you will never see anyone swimming in it besides ducks and fishes. Also, the hedge maze hasn't been up for awhile. Instead, they keep the grass neat and trimmed now so you can only see the remnants of what it used to be.