Lyndale Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Last summer my family and I visited Minneapolis, Minnesota, a lovely vibrant city; However, after a few days, the fast pace of the big city was starting to get tiring. Then one day my family and I discovered Lyndale Park, a hidden gem located within Minneapolis where one can go to escape the hustle and bustle of the city without having to leave the city.

Lyndale Park is located on the northeast side of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is part of an enormous greenspace circling through Minneapolis called the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway. This quiet and lovely park covers 61 acres (250,000 m²) and contains four gardens; the Peace Garden, the Rose Garden, the Perennial Garden, and the Perennial Trial Garden.

The Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in the United States and was designed by the Park Superintendent Theodore Wirth. It is 1-acre (4,000 m²) in size and at peak season the garden can contain as many as 60,000 blooms. Construction of the garden occurred during 1907-08. An official AARS (All America Rose Selections) test rose garden was added in 1946. The garden features more than 4000 plants and 250 species.

Two fountains border the Rose Garden. The bronze-and-marble Heffelfinger Fountain is from the Villa Montalto near Florence, Italy and donated to the Park Board by Frank Heffelfinger in 1944. At the top of the fountain there is a cherub surfing on a dolphin surrounded by satyrs. Human faces on the pedestal base show the progress of age.