This Charming Midwest City Near Minneapolis Offers Golf Greens, Small Lakes, And Scenic Outdoor Fun

If your perfect getaway involves days spent golfing or wandering along nature trails, look no further than Medina, Minnesota, a Midwest city that offers small town suburban charm. You're spoiled for choice when it comes to parks, hiking and cycling paths, and easy access to nature. Although slower paced, there's plenty to do in the great outdoors. The city boasts four sprawling golf courses surrounded by natural beauty, with another 52 golf courses all within a 20 mile radius. Aside from the golfing green, there are ample opportunities for an outdoorsy traveler to enjoy acres of greenspace in one of Medina's 11 lush parks and nature preserves.

If someone tells you to go jump in a lake in Medina, that's not necessarily an insult. There are four lakes to enjoy here — Lake Sarah, Holy Name Lake, Lake Independence, and Lake Medina. As an extra bonus for the outdoor explorer, the latter three lakes are adjacent and located within some of city's picturesque parks. Each lake offers visitors its own version of water recreation to enjoy as well as serene water vistas. You can also take in the views with a lakeside meal at restaurants like Birch's on the Lake. Getting there is as easy as flying into Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. It's a quick 37 minute drive from the airport. 

The public golf courses in Medina are so picturesque that the city is definitely a hidden gem golf destination. A certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary surrounded by wildlife, Baker National Golf Course in Baker Park Reserve is a sprawling 210-acre course immersed in nature. Lush, grassy elevated hills and sloping valleys make its 18-hole Championship Course challenging and scenic. Baker also boasts a driving range, separate areas to practice, and its 9-hole Evergreen Executive Course for beginners — or days when you want to spend time exploring more of Medina. You can even register for group and private golf lessons.

X-Golf Medina offers a different kind of golfing experience where the great outdoors is replaced with a state of the art indoor golf simulator using all the latest tech. Sure, you're not going to get the same experience as golfing next to wildlife, but it's a great option to get your golf fix in bad weather. Plus, kids of all ages are welcome to play, and they offer lessons as well. All X-Golf locations have restaurants on site, so you can spend a few hours swinging your club in a climate-controlled golfing experience while enjoying pub-fare and a full bar.  

Just 13 minutes from Medina, Rush Creek Golf Club is an award-winning public golf course that was designed to exude the ambience of a members-only course on a tree-lined field of green. With both national and state-wide recognition, Rush Creek was voted Best Public Golf Course in Minnesota by the 2025 Minnesota Monthly Readers' Choice awards, and has hosted several LPGA tour events. The club has a golf shop and a palatial clubhouse with indoor fireside dining and an expansive patio overlooking the green at The Highlander, an award-winning restaurant and bar with a locally-sourced, seasonally changing menu, plus craft cocktails. 

Lake Medina may only be 105 acres, but it offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and paddle-boarding. This serene spot is surrounded by forest and easily accessible by a 1.4-mile hike from the city on the asphalt Greenway Trail — or join the Buckeye Trail from Medina Public Square — there are even accessible trails around the lake. The 220-acre park offers birdwatching, biking, and picnicking, plus cross-country skiing when snow blankets the area. 

If fishing floats your boat, head to Holy Name Lake. Located in the 2-acre Holy Name Park surrounded by forest, this little lake is known for a bevy of fish species like Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. There's a public boat launch here, but as the .71 square-acre lake is only 7-feet at its deepest, non-motorized craft are best. If you want to head out on the lake with a pro, Lake-Link notes there are numerous guides and fishing charters nearby to connect with for a day out on Holy Name Lake.

Baker Park Reserve boasts three small lakes to get your water recreation fix: Independence, Half Moon, and Spurzem. In summer, you can rent canoes, kayaks, and paddle-boats, as well as racks to hold your own, and Lake Spurzem allows for motorized watercraft. You can fish year-round here, with an accessible pier at Half Moon and Independence — and ice fishing in winter at Spurzem and Half Moon. Baker offers a lot more to visitors off the water, with equestrian trails and 12 miles of mountain-bike trails, plus seasonal bike rentals available from Baker campground. In winter, there's a groomed sledding hill, trails for snowmobiling, and even dog sledding. Enjoy miles of well-maintained trails for snow shoeing and cross-country skiing too, and again, equipment rentals are available.