Pearl Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

 park, playground, swimming pool, ice rink, football - soccer field, baseball field, american football field

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Pearl is a popular sports park offering a variety of options for youth and adults. The youth track team, now in its sixth season, draws 75 participants. Outdoor amenities include baseball, football, softball and soccer fields, hockey and ice skating rinks, wading pool, totlot/playground, walking paths and picnic areas.

Popular programs at the park and rec center include pre-school gymnastics, art and music; the YouthLine mentorship program; and the Minneapolis’ Institute of Art’s summer program, Art in the Park.

Rec center staff collaborate with the Hale-Page-Diamond Lake Neighborhood Association for special events, including Frost Fest, Earth Day and Picnic in the Park.

The 29-acre park is named for Pearl Lake which once occupied the site. It dates back to 1925 when the land, valued at $1,500, was donated to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). In the 1930s the lake had been filled in and crews built a skating rink, baseball, softball and football fields, two tennis courts, a volleyball court and horseshoe pits. A children’s playground was also installed. Skating proved very popular and by the mid-1950s, Pearl Park was the second-most heavily used skating rink in the park system, behind only Folwell Park in north Minneapolis.