Shakopee, MN City Guides



1. St. Francis Regional Medical Center

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (952) 428-2540
Address: 1455 St. Francis Ave.

Description: St. Francis Regional Medical Centerspecialties including orthopedics, spine surgery, cardiology, and oncology. Hospital services include the St. Francis Cancer Center, emergency department, St. Francis Sleep Diagnostics Center, St. Francis Family Birth Place, St. Francis Breast Center, St. Francis Children’s Pediatric Unit, St. Francis Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, St. Francis Health Services, and several primary and specialty clinics. St. Francis is jointly owned and sponsored by the Benedictine Health System, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, and Park Nicollet Health Services.

2. Raceway Park

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (952) 445-2257
Address: 1 Checkered Flag Blvd.

Description: Raceway Park also offers NASCAR racing in the Whelan All-American Series. This track has had racing for more than 50 years. The most talented local drivers race at Raceway Park. There are also racing events at the track geared toward children, including such oddball events as school-bus races and figure-8 trailer races. Racing is usually on Sunday, but the track also races on select Fridays and Saturdays, and on major holidays during the summer. The track stays open late April to the end of September.

3. Canterbury Park Racetrack And Card Club

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (952) 445-7223 or (800) 340-63
Address: 1100 Canterbury Rd.

Description: Canterbury Park has been the state’s only horse track since 1985. Canterbury Park’s horse racing is also the only sport in the Metro where gambling is legal. Live racing from Thursday through Sunday (plus major holidays) begins in mid-May and runs through the beginning of September. The track is open year-round for simulcast racing with pari-mutuel betting.Admission is $5 for adults. Anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult and is admitted free of charge. Seniors (60+) can get in for $3. Besides horse racing, the track also has a card club (see the Attractions chapter for more information). Parking at the track is free.Canterbury Park is approximately 25 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and 15 minutes from the Mall of America.

4. Valleyfair Amusement Park

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (952) 445-6500
Address: 1 Valleyfair Dr.

Description: With more than 75 rides and attractions, Valleyfair is the Upper Midwest’s largest theme park. While it doesn’t have thrill rides as extreme as you’ll find at the likes of Six Flags, Valleyfair has a large variety of clean and well-maintained rides upon which you can enjoy unlimited trips once you pay the entry fee (it varies from year to year, but is likely to be around $30 in 2010). You can enjoy a relaxing inner tube ride down a gently sloping canal; bumper cars and electric car tracks; exciting water rides like the Flume, which sends passenger boats off a 50-foot drop at the end of the ride; and the Excalibur, a high-speed wooden roller coaster with a 105-foot drop and lots of quick twists and turns. The Steel Venom impulse coaster plummets at speeds up to 68 mph, corkscrewing you straight toward the ground before veering to a horizontal ride just before impact. For those with no fear of heights, the 275-foot Power Tower will take you high in the air and then, well, drop you. There are lots of rides for the really little guys, too, from bumble bee–shaped electric cars to a multilevel foam-ball factory to an antique carousel. An IMAX theater is an added attraction to the park and a great place to hide out during sudden late-summer showers. The amusement park is open mid-May through September, reopening on weekends (with limited attractions and added ghouls) for a period of “Valleyscare” in October.Valleyfair also has Whitewater Country, a three-and-a-half-acre waterpark with multiple water slides, raft rides, and such attractions as Raging Rapids, Splash Station, and Giggle Run. The waterpark is open late May through late August, and has different hours than the amusement park. Call ahead for more information.The separate Challenge Park (which has separate fees and different hours than the amusement park) will get the adrenaline and competitive juices flowing with such rides as RipCord (which lifts you up in the air 180 feet and spins you, then drops you, simulating flying and freefall), Adventure Golf, Go-Karts, and Bumper Boats.

5. Canterbury Park Racetrack And Card Club

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (952) 445-7223
Address: 1100 Canterbury Rd.

Description: Canterbury Park, located about 25 miles south of both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, hosts live horse racing with on-site pari-mutuel betting early May through the beginning of September. In addition, the Canterbury Park Race Book offers year-round on-site betting on simulcast horse races around the country. Canterbury also has a Card Club, including the Poker Room, with 34 tables featuring such games as Texas hold ’em, seven-card stud, and Omaha hi-lo, and the Casino Games Room, with games like blackjack, Caribbean stud, and Let It Ride, as well as additional poker games. The entire facility is smoke free. To reach the racetrack and card club, follow I-494 in the southwest Metro and exit at US 169 South. Follow US 169 to Canterbury Road and turn right (north).

6. Valleyfair

City: Shakopee, MN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (952) 445-6500
Address: 1 Valleyfair Dr.

Description: With more than 75 rides and attractions, Valleyfair is the Upper Midwest’s largest theme park, with something to offer the littlest kid or the bravest adult. Take an inner tube down a gently sloping canal for a relaxing, meditative ride on Ripple Rapids, or take a boat off a 50-foot drop on the Flume. The park is packed with twists, turns, flips, and freefalls, from the classic wooden High Roller to the Xtreme Swing, like your typical playground version on steroids, new in 2006. There are also many rides for the really little ones, too, from bumble bee–shaped electric cars to a multilevel foam-ball factory to an antique carousel. If it’s hot out, don’t miss Whitewater Country, a three-and-a-half-acre waterpark with multiple water slides, raft rides, and attractions with names like Raging Rapids, Splash Station, and Giggle.
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