Located on 43 acres in the idyllic St. Croix River Valley, Franconia Sculpture Park is a popular day trip from the Twin Cities. Open from dawn to dusk 365 days a year, it’s completely free to explore—which may be why it sees more than 60,000 visitors a year. Unlike at most art museums, guests here are encouraged to touch and climb the more than 120 sculptures on-site, making for a fun, interactive way to spend the day with family. If it’s too cold to play outdoors, consider dropping by for community arts programming like kids’ sculpture classes, live music, and artists’ talks. The park also runs an active artist residency, which helps to continually supply the grounds with new, large-scale sculptures.
