The city of Edina, Minnesota is widely regarded as one of the most upscale and premier cities within the entire state. Whether it be the rich history, lush parkland, jaw-dropping homes, or dynamic, engaging community, Edina embodies the finest living that Minnesota has to offer. There are numerous factors that contribute to this distinguished community. The following article provides a brief overview of some of the amenities found within Edina’s over 40 unique neighborhoods.
Edina can be split up into four separate quadrants. In the Northeast quadrant, Edina is well-known for its bustling France Avenue and the Edina Country Club:
There are several notable eateries found within the 50th & France neighborhood. The Edina Outpost is the classiest of the Blue Plate Company’s eateries, featuring both an abundance of attractive sidewalk seating and a full liquor selection. While they showcase many of the Blue Plate lunch and dinner standards, like the tempura green beans and the meatloaf sandwich, The Edina Outpost often innovates. A prime example would be their “Killer Banana Waffles”, a popular breakfast option created for the local menu. Another restaurant within the neighborhood is Raku. Raku brings sushi to a neighborhood that’s been waiting for it for many years. However, there’s much more than raw fish, udon noodles, and gyoza at this outstanding restaurant. Raku also serves several Western and combination entrees, such as grilled lamb chops with goat cheese and a crab-topped salmon dressed with a wasabi/sake/soy sauce blend and a side of Latin guacamole. With menu items like these, why would you go anywhere else to get sushi? The D’Amico family has been dominating the restaurant scene in this neighborhood for years and years with their outstanding food and service. The D’Amico & Sons restaurant’s menu items have amazing flavor and authenticity, offering visitors a delicious Italian menu. Items like the three-salad combo plates, the soups, the sandwiches, the fancy desserts, and, the bottomless glass of house wine are all popular
Edina Country Club: Country Club neighborhood was named after its inclusion of the Edina Country Club. The Edina Country Club is one of the Twin Cities’ premier country clubs. A private club offering a world-class, 18-hole golf course, tennis facilities with four clay courts and two hard courts, two paddle tennis courts, an olympic sized swimming pool with a cabana and snack bar, and a 65,000 square foot clubhouse. Within the clubhouse, members are treated to a golf shop, locker room facilities, a fitness room, two premium dining establishments, a pub, and a plethora of meeting spaces for events of all sizes.
In Edina’s Northwest quadrant, residents enjoy the library and the Interlachen Country Club:
The Edina Library, located within Grandview, was first established in Linden Hills School beginning in 1921. In the following decades, the library operated out of many locations in the area. Its first long-lasting location opened in 1968 on West 50th Street. In 2002, Edina Library moved to its current location, which it shares with the Edina Senior Center. It is a member of the Hennepin County Library System. A library system that is consistently ranked in the top 10 libraries nationwide, residents have access to all of the books and resources that are a part of this network through an interlibrary loan program.
Interlachen Country Club, host to one of the best golf courses in Minnesota, was created in 1910 by a group of Minneapolis golfers who were looking to construct a new course. They had ran out of space for their nine-hole course in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis and were searching for the ideal location for their next project. They found it on eastern shore of Mirror Lake in Edina, in what is known today as Interlachen Park. They purchased the land for $55,000 and attained 146 acres of farmland. The course opened for the 1911 season. The Interlachen Country Club is well-renowned for its 50,000 square foot clubhouse located on the highest hilltop on the course. The clubhouse overlooks the course’s rolling hills as well as the city of Minneapolis’ skyline. Members enjoy two different dining options, one casual and one formal, both of which offer fantastic views.
In addition to the luxurious clubhouse, members have access to the golf course, wellness center, tennis facility, pool, and wintertime activities. The golf course is an 18-hole, historic course that has hosted numerous tournaments over the years since its inception in 1909. Consistently ranked in the top courses around the country, the golf course is a great amenity for members. The golf shop is also available and offers members an extensive array of golf equipment, apparel, merchandise, and more as well as professional instructors for private lessons. The Wellness Center is another amenity that is thoroughly enjoyed. With state-of-the-art exercise machines, barber services, and spa services, members can not only look their best, but feel their best. The tennis facility is another popular amenity for members. With 7 clay courts that are maintained on a daily basis as well as 2 hard courts for tennis instruction, members enjoy some of the best tennis within the state. The pool is a popular amenity among families. With 6 lanes, a diving well, a kiddie pool, a slide, and more, the pool is a great location for an afternoon in the sun. Additionally, the Club Cafe offers dining and refreshments and is located adjacent to the pool. During the winter, the club opens up a cross-country skiing course as well as hockey and skating areas.
Edina’s Southeast quadrant is the host of the famous Centennial Lakes and Edinborough Parks, the aquatic and arts centers, the Pentagon Park industrial neighborhood, and the city’s two main shopping areas, Southdale Center and the Galleria:
Edinborough Park: Edinborough Park is one of the most unique parks found within the city of Edina. Located entirely indoors, this public park is full of activity. While not free, visitors can enjoy the junior-sized Olympic swimming pool, running track, fitness facilities, and massive playground. The playground is perhaps the most notable feature of the park. Known as Adventure Peak, the playground features a 3 story climbing structure with slides, climbing walls, crawling areas and more. It is one of the largest indoor play structures in the country.
Centennial Lakes Park: The local 24 acre park, Centennial Lakes Park, contains more than 1.5 miles total of elegant paved walking paths circling the lake and its gardens. With its amphitheater, mini golf, boat rental, lawn bowling field, labyrinth, swinging benches, fountain, warming house, pavilion and ice skating during the winter months, Centennial Lakes is one of the most romantic and scenic parks in the city as well as the state. Visitors love the peaceful ambiance that the park exudes as well as its distinct, upscale beauty. With activities for all ages, guests can play a round of mini golf, feed the ducks in the pond, or simply sit on one of the swinging benches and enjoy the fresh air.
Edina Aquatic Center: The Edina Aquatic Center is located on the east side of Rosland Park. A pirate-themed water park with amenities for all ages, the Edina Aquatic Center is highly regarded as one of the best family destinations in the area. The main attraction is the olympic-sized swimming pool with swimming lanes and diving boards. In addition to the main pool, guests can enjoy the surfing simulator, zipline, obstacle courses, water slide tower, dry play area, and more. While not free, the Edina Aquatic Center is the go to destination for all day entertainment.
Edina Art Center: The Edina Art Center offers the neighborhood and surrounding areas a location to appreciate art and an opportunity to learn how to make it. Located on the western side of Rosland Park, visitors can discover the gallery exhibition schedule of solo and group exhibitions, purchase original artwork from the gift shop created by local artists, participate in all kinds of art classes, and enjoy the benefits of membership including discounts on classes and supplies. A great destination for creativity, music, and masterpieces, the Edina Art Center is a special location within the Lake Cornelia neighborhood.
Pentagon Park was one of the first suburban office parks in the state. It was a well known commercial and industrial project that led to many other commercial developments in the area between Highway 100 and France Avenue on Edina’s southern border. Pentagon Park may not sound like an affluent neighborhood, but it does add important significance to a city of luxury homes and gracious living.
The area includes an LA Fitness, where many Edina residents go to exercise, a few restaurants, including a Chili’s and two pizza restaurants, educational institutions of DeVry University Edina, Minnesota and Minnesota State Mankato, as well as office buildings that host companies such as Seagate Technology, the American Heart Association, and Barker-Hammer Assoc, Inc. In addition to offering commercial and employment options for Edina’s residents, Pentagon Park puts Edina on the map as one of the suburban employment cities of the western metro area.
Southdale Center is the largest shopping center in Edina and one of the largest in Minnesota. It was actually the first indoor regional shopping mall to open the United States, and since its origin in 1956 it has seen lots of growth. The mall is home to over 120 specialty stores. Some of the most notable include The Apple Store, Coach, Sephora, Aveda, Macy’s, Herberger’s, and JCPenney. Additionally, visitors can enjoy great dining including P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory, Qdoba Mexican Grill, and more. The mall is also home to an AMC movie theater, which adds lots of entertainment value for visitors. With its great stores, delicious dining options, and immersive entertainment, Southdale Center is a central location for the city of Edina and the surrounding suburbs.
The Galleria is Edina’s and one of Minnesota’s most well-renowned, upscale shopping centers. Encompassing the finest in luxury dining and shopping, visitors travel from all around to experience the unique atmosphere that the Galleria provides. Dining at the Galleria includes top-notch establishments such as Crave, Good Earth, Big Bowl, People’s Organic Coffee & Wine Cafe, Pittsburgh Blue, and more. Representing a range of the finest sights and smells from around the world, dining at the Galleria is always a treat. Perhaps the largest draw of the Galleria, however, are the national and international brands that choose to make the Galleria the home of their only locations in Minnesota. Brands include Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade New York, Crate & Barrel, and much more. In addition to the nationally recognized names, the Galleria has several one-of-a-kind stores not found anywhere else.
Finally, the Southwest quadrant hosts the Braemar Golf Course and much of the area’s lakeshore living:
Braemar Golf Course: The Braemar Golf Course encompasses the majority of the Braemar Hills neighborhood. At 500 acres, Braemar features 27 regulation holes, two 9-hole executive courses, a pro shop, driving range, practice putting green, indoor golf dome, banquet and meeting rooms and much more. Braemar also offers golf lessons, rules and etiquette clinics and leagues for visitors to learn the sport of golf or to hone in on their skills. Having been rated in the top 75 public golf courses in the nation by Golf Digest, the Braemar Golf Course is a staple of the local community.
The Indian Hills neighborhood is home to several small lakes, each of which offer highly desirable residential living. Residents are not only able to enjoy the prestige that comes with living within the city of Edina, but they also enjoy some of the most sought after properties. Arrowhead Lake, which isn’t at all shaped like an arrowhead, is the bigger of the two lakes at about 21 acres. Indianhead Lake, once named Lillian Lake, is about 14 acres. Both lakes have a top depth of 7 feet. Arrowhead Lake is considered a “winterkill” lake due to its shallowness, but is continually stocked with fish. Both lakes are an amenity appreciated by only the property owners that own lakeshore. They have also helped to launch Indian Hills as the location for some of the most luxurious homes in the Twin Cities.
While by no means a comprehensive analysis of all that the city has to offer in regards to its amenities, this article has given a brief overview of some of Edina’s highlights. To learn more about the amenities found in Edina and the specific neighborhoods within the community, please refer to our supporting articles.
