Urban sanctuaries

If you're looking to unwind and get in touch with nature, there's no need to head north. As alluring as lake country can be, there are plenty of places around the Twin Cities that can serve as your oasis.

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul are found frequently atop lists of the nation's best park systems, and each offers a variety of green spaces to suit any nature lover.

Want an urban setting? Gold Medal Park in downtown Minneapolis nestles against the Mississippi River amid more than 200 mature trees and a spiral walkway with sweeping city views.

The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, part of Theodore Wirth Regional Park, feels more remote, even though it's located between two major roadways. Explore the trails that boast more than 500 plant species on your own or catch a guided tour with park naturalists. You should be just in time for showy lady's slipper and native irises.

Across the river, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul maintains an eclectic group of gardens — indoor and outdoor. Find your inner peace in the bonsai and Japanese gardens, or get a Minnesota horticulture lesson among the 5,000 native cultivars in the Minnesota and Circle Gardens.

In the western suburb of Chaska, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has been named the country's best botanical garden, once again. Spring is particularly picturesque at the arb, with its flowering crabapple collection in spectacular bloom and the largest tulip display in the metro area — 38,000 of them.

While we visited these sanctuaries in spring, the season really doesn't matter. Finding your own slice of heaven is something to be enjoyed year-round.