Apple Valley's Redwood Park Playground Is Almost Open. Here's When.
Apple Valley's Redwood Park Playground Is Almost Open. Here's When.
TLDR
- Redwood Park's inclusive playground, Apple Valley's first, should open to the public in early-to-mid October 2026.
- The city is just finishing a fence that keeps kids safely inside the play area.
- A formal grand opening and ribbon cutting are planned for spring 2027.
- Kelley Park's grand opening festival was set for Saturday, Sept. 26.
If you've driven past Redwood Park and wondered why it's still fenced off, here's your answer. At the Sept. 24 Apple Valley City Council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Eric Carlson gave an update. Short version: it's almost ready.
What's Holding Up Redwood Park
Redwood Park looks finished. And it mostly has been for a while.
The holdup is a fence around the playground. "Not to keep people out, but to actually keep people in," Carlson said. That's because it's an inclusive playground, built so kids of all abilities can play together. It's Apple Valley's first one, and it's hard to miss: a giant red octopus, a lighthouse tower and slides, all on colorful play surfacing.
The fence just arrived. Crews think it'll take about two weeks to put up. After that, the construction fence comes down and people can start using the park.
The city is calling it a soft opening (the park opens quietly, without a big event). Expect it in early-to-mid October. The city will post on social media and its website when it's ready. The big grand opening and ribbon cutting will wait until next spring.
And no, it's not open yet. Council Member John Bergman walked through it Thursday. When the mayor asked if that meant it was open to the public, the answer was no. Bergman, came the joke, was "flashing his badge" to the construction crew.
Kelley Park's Big Day
Kelley Park got its own party first. The grand opening was set for Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon to about 7:30 p.m.
Here's the lineup Carlson shared:
- Noon–1:30 p.m.: Kids dance DJ
- 1:30–3 p.m.: Continuing Education Band (current and former Apple Valley High students)
- Around 3 p.m.: Twins game on the big screen
- 5:30 p.m.: Ribbon cutting
- 6–7:30 p.m.: Urban Classic plays the music of Earth, Wind & Fire
The city expected a big crowd, so MVTA ran free shuttle buses from the Municipal Center every 15 minutes. We had the full rundown in our Kelley Park grand opening guide, and the city has more on its festival page.
Bergman toured Kelley Park the day of the council meeting. "You cannot get enough adjectives that are good adjectives to express what that park looks like now," he said. He climbed the steep hill up to the bear and even heard the water feature on the new stage.
Neighborhood Parks Are Getting Love Too
Council Member Lisa Hiebert said Delaney Park, near her home, has new playground equipment. Her 3-year-old niece "had an absolute blast," she said. There's gear for kids of all ages.
Not every park is done yet. But lots of them are getting upgrades. We covered the full list of 15 Apple Valley park upgrades earlier this year.
Why All the Park Projects?
This is all part of Apple Valley's parks referendum. That's when voters said yes to paying for big park upgrades back in 2023. The whole Redwood Park project costs $16.1 million, and $6.5 million of that comes from the referendum, according to Sun ThisWeek. Besides the playground, the 12-acre park gets a new community pool, a new community building, courts and trails. The Redwood inclusive playground also got a $500,000 federal boost. You can see how it all fits in our look at Apple Valley's 2026 public projects.
The Bottom Line
If your kids have been eyeing Redwood Park, hang tight a couple more weeks. Watch the city's social pages for the "it's open" post in October.
In the meantime, go check out Kelley Park and your neighborhood park. A lot of this stuff is brand new.
