A stay in Plymouth can be shaped around different interests: a wooded nature preserve, a designed garden, an outdoor stage, and a historic municipal building sit alongside public ice skating and an event series for families with elementary-school-age children. Consider which of these experiences you want to shape your trip, rather than treating all the places as similar stops.
Forest, Garden and Stage
The Northwest Greenway is a wooded nature preserve covering nearly 315 acres. This gives it a different character from the landscaped gardens and event venues. If you want to prioritize natural spaces, you can make the Greenway a distinct focus of your trip.
Millennium Garden brings together flower gardens, paths, walkways, fountains, a maze, and open spaces. This sets it apart from the wooded preserve: here, several designed features sit side by side. When choosing, consider whether you would rather focus on a garden with fountains and a maze or a large, wooded landscape.
The Hilde Performance Center is a 45-foot-high outdoor venue, with views of Plymouth’s wetlands from behind the stage. The stage hosts a variety of community events and concerts. The sculptures from the public art installation “Animal Parade” were recently placed at the Center entrance at 3500 Plymouth Blvd. The landscape, venue, and art installation offer different reasons to explore the site.
History and Events
Plymouth Old Town Hall was built in 1885 as a municipal building and features new exhibits. The building’s original civic purpose meets its present-day role as an exhibition venue. If you want to include local history in your trip, the building offers a tangible historical connection, while the exhibits provide another way to experience the place.
The Plymouth History Center’s Story-Time series is also held at Old Town Hall. It is intended for families with elementary-school-age children, and each event pairs a historical theme with a hands-on activity based on that week’s topic. This combination distinguishes the series from a conventional exhibition: history is linked to an activity. Check the series schedule when planning your visit.
Ice Skating, Dog Park and Trails
Plymouth Ice Center has three regulation-size ice rinks and offers public skating year-round. Public skating times may change, so check the current schedule before your visit. You can plan it as a distinct recreational activity without assuming a set time.
Plymouth Dog Park has trails and a new fenced area for small dogs. This place has a different focus from the garden or nature preserve: the fenced area is specifically for small dogs. If you’re traveling with a small dog, you can take this feature into account when choosing activities.
Plymouth’s trails also help with getting around: they make it easier to travel from residential neighborhoods to areas such as Medicine Lake and Parkers Lake. This adds a connecting perspective between residential areas and larger destinations to the individual facilities. When planning, you can consider these trails alongside specific places such as the garden, stage, or Ice Center.
Discover more destinations: Excelsior, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Rogers, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Golden Valley, Long Lake.
For the broader travel overview: Hennepin.
