Jun 13 2008
Mineral Springs Park in Owatonna, MN
After learning about Princess Owatonna at the “Jewel Box” bank, the kids added Mineral Springs Park to our list of things to see in Owatonna, so they could taste the good water that helped to heal the Indian princess from her sickness.
I was glad to have the GPS to guide us to the park since I didn’t have a map navigator along and there were a few turns on the way. The drive took us in a loop around the park, so we were able to see the bridge and trail along the creek, the statue of Princess Owatonna, the disc golf course, picnic shelter, and playground before parking.
The kids, it turns out, were mostly interested in the playground, so we took a cursory drink of water at one of the fountains, and then headed to the play area. This was a pleasant surprise, as there were lots of things for kids of all ages to do, but all were safe for a 2-year-old. I’ve been to too many newer playgrounds where the “2-5″ area is connected to the “5-12″ area, and the 2-year-olds prefer to climb the stairs to the top of the structure and hang out over the 10-foot high fire-pole opening. It was nice that the slide area was appropriately-sized for smaller children, and the areas for the big kids were designed for exercise and climbing in ways that little ones couldn’t get to them.
It was quiet and peaceful by the water and a nice little break for the kids to play after seeing several other sites that day.
[...] us into the bank president’s office, where she showed us the mural and told us the legend of Princess Owatonna and Mineral Springs Park before telling us about highlights of the rest of the building and showing us how to get a better [...]