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Minnesota may be land-locked, but that won't hold you back from literally thousands of opportunities for swimming on sandy beaches -- not to mention boating, fishing, and enjoying the shoreline at hot spots throughout the Land o' Lakes.

Even in the bigger metro areas you'll find beautiful family-friendly lake beaches beckoning, like the one at Phalen Park (St. Paul's prime summer hotspot) or Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) right in the heart of Minneapolis.

Elsewhere around the state, often making the list of top Minnesota beaches are Shady Oak Beach in Minnetonka, Riley Lake Park in Eden Prairie, and Square Lake in Stillwater.

Check 'em all out just up ahead...

Bde-Maka-Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) in the heart of Minneapolis provides splashy fun all summer
long at a dozen area beaches including 32nd Street Beach, North Beach and Thomas Beach.

What's the weather like today? Minnesota webcams

Lake Minnetonka

Park Point Beach, Duluth

Crane Lake

DID YOU KNOW? Minnesota lake beach fun facts:

• Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline. That's more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.

• There are actually more than 15,000 lakes located within Minnesota. They probably just rounded off the number because the state's moniker "Land of 10,000 Lakes" probably just sounds better.

• Every summer, the "Beach Bash" on Thomas Beach at Lake Calhoun holds a sand castle competition and a milk carton boat race during the annual Minneapolis Aquatennial. Other classic events during the week-long party include a torchlight parade -- one of the biggest nighttime parades in the nation.


More about Minnesota lake beaches around the Web:

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board - Beaches - The official site with locations, contact details, amenities, photos, and related resources for beaches along Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis and more.

Three Rivers Park District - Swimming - This is a great guide to Twin Cities suburban recreation including beaches and swimming ponds, with opening and closing dates, hours, lifeguard availability, rules and regulations, water quality reports.

Also check out the state's Department of Natural Resources with info on top swimming areas at Fort Snelling State Park, McCarthy Beach State Park, Zippel Bay State Park, and Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.

MN Beaches - Find helpful advisories for Lake Superior beaches and elsewhere throughout the state with an extensive MN beach directory. and related beach safety tips.