On a recent visit, my wife and I arrived at Como Park, located in St. Paul, MN, in time to eat the picnic lunch we had brought with us. We drove around looking for a picnic table, and spotted one near a small waterfalls near Como Park’s Pavilion. Instead of sitting at a table, we opted for sitting on a rock wall near the waterfalls. The thing that struck me was how quiet it was with the faint sounds of heavy traffic in the background and the soothing sounds of the water falling behind us.
For me, this is the essence of Como Park: a peace-filled place in the heart of the big city. With 384 acres, there is plenty of room to move around and enjoy all the activities of the park and Lake Como, even with an estimated 2.5 million visitors a year.
Lake Como is adjacent to the Como Park. According to Wikipedia, the lake was originally known as Sandy Lake, but was renamed by Charles Perry, a local potato farmer, as Lake Como after his birthplace, Como, Italy. The lake is often referred to as Como Lake. Either way, local residents will know what you mean. People who want to walk around the lake-as my wife and I did-will find a l.6 mile walkway around it-or a walk of 3200 steps, as a sign by the lake proclaims.
Wikipedia also notes that a bit of local lore says that a member of the James-Younger gang, Charlie Pitt, was killed in 1876, after a raid in Northfield, MN, and his body was temporarily submerged in Lake Como by Dr. Henry Hoyt, a physician who wanted the skeleton for his office. No one knows where the skeleton is now, though a museum in Savage, MN claims to have it. According to local legend, the ghost of Charlie Pitts haunts the area of the lake where his body was submerged.
After our walk, we had many activities from which to choose. We began with the zoo. Although it does not rival the large zoos, like those in San Diego and Chicago, for example, the Como Park Zoo is a great place to take small children and old people like me. It is easy to see and enjoy the whole thing in a relatively short amount of time. For a small zoo, there is an amazing variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish. In general, all the species are well displayed in environments that match each particular species. Among my favorites were the pink and orange flamingos. Children will enjoy the monkeys and the giraffes. For those aged 1-12, there is an amusement park near the zoo, Como Town, with rides and attractions just for them.
The more sedate visitors will enjoy the beautiful plants and flowers of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory which has a variety of indoor gardens from tropical to a colorful Sunken Garden, and an outdoor Japanese Garden. The Conservatory presents a number of flower shows during the year. Among the highlighted flowers are roses, geraniums, lilies, petunias, and many more. Although it was closed during our most recent visit, we have enjoyed the Bonsai Garden in the past. An Orchid House seems like icing on the cake.
Perhaps just as impressive as the floral and plant displays inside and around it is the conservatory building itself. The building, opened in 1915, covers an area of half an acre, and is a popular setting for weddings and other special events. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. There is no easy way to describe the architecture. The building must be seen.
Here are a few more attractions at Como Park: the Pavilion which contains a café and, on top, an open air space where band concerts are presented; a carousel located inside a building for rides in any kind of weather, and which is open at various times from May through October; picnic shelters that can be rented by interested groups; and a variety of classes that are offered during the year.
Como Park is located just off Lexington Avenue at 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Once you get to the park, you can’t miss the lake.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Como_(Minnesota)
www.comozooconservatory.org/cons/index.shtml
The Como Zoo and Conservatory webside above has great information about the zoo and the conservatory.
