Como Lakeside Pavilion, St. Paul, MN

The Como Lakeside Pavilion is located at 1360 Lexington Pkwy N, St. Paul, MN 55102. The Pavilion has a full service restaurant, meeting rooms and banquet facilities. The facility is managed by Black Bear Crossings. The summer time is when there are musicals, plays, concerts and other events offered. There is a possibility that guests of Como Lakeside Pavilion can rent canoes or paddleboats when the weather is warm. There is a gourmet caf, at the Pavilion that is open throughout the year.

The community meeting rooms at Como Lakeside Pavilion are available free of charge. Black Bear Crossings is also a place for weddings to be held either inside or outdoors. There is a private banquet room on the third floor of the Como Lakeside Pavilion that is perfect for weddings. They also have an open air promenade that can accommodate wedding receptions with twinkling lights underneath the canopy roof. These areas have beautiful views of Lake Como.

Como Park became a public park in 1873 thanks to the landscape artist Horace WS Cleveland. It was his idea to save land in the St. Paul area for parks and he chose the land around Sandy Lake to become the first park. The Como Zoo began with three deer that were donated in 1897. Many other donations brought the number of animals to over 100 in the 1930's. Como Lake brought people to the park so that they could boat in the summer and take a turn around the lake on ice skates in the winter. They had paths along the lake for carriages and strollers.

The original pavilion had a bandstand that was built in 1905. The bandstand extended out onto the lake. This pavilion stood for 87 years when it was rebuilt using the original blueprints.

Paddle boats and canoes cost $15.00 an hour and they only accept cash. They are available on weekends beginning with Memorial Day from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm. During the summer they are open Monday through Friday from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm. The rentals are closed after Labor Day weekend.

A concession stand is available to provide food for the visitors to Como Lakeside Pavilion. They serve nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, ice cream and beverages. There is no lifeguard at the lake; however, life jackets are provided with all rentals. A driver's license is required to rent a boat and it is held until the boat and life jackets are returned. Boaters that are under 16 have to have an adult with them and no animals are allowed in the boats or canoes. Paddleboats seat four people and canoes hold a maximum of three people. The last boats are rented an hour before closing and there are no refunds.

There are summer concerts that begin in May. The performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and they are free. They are held on the Promenade Deck of the Como Lakeside Pavilion at the open air band shell. There are benches that seat up to six hundred people for the concerts and other events.