Gale Woods Farm

We had the honor of having our wedding at Gale Woods Farm. We had our wedding in the only rainy/cold Friday in October, the staff were so accommodating of our hope to have the ceremony outside and waiting until the last minute to call it and move it inside - something we will forever appreciate. We were able to book Thursday and had that time to set up, which was very helpful to have done in advance. Communication was excellent throughout the process and the day off, never waiting for the answers to all my questions. The venue offers a lot of space, both indoor and outdoor, which was huge priority for our wedding. Their caterer/vendor list covers a large range of food/prices which was a plus to see. We cannot recommend this venue enough and was one of our best and easiest choices.

Sweetest treasure on the northwest side of Lake Minnetonka. A small working farm, complete with beef cattle, sheep, chickens and vegetable gardens and orchards on the property. There's also a wooded where they grow culinary/medicinal mushrooms
Great experience for all ages to learn about agriculture and land stewardship.
While we were there today a wedding was being set up for later in the day.
It can get very windy this time if the year so dress accordingly.

Such a beautiful park and farm. Check online for their events - they're worth it

Great programming for a great price! They have been very accommodating for our service animal too since the animals here can be apprehensive. They offered suggestions on the best way to traverse the animals without frightening them.

Absolutely love this place. The programs for children are incredible. When my daughter went to them she was quite ill and hearing impaired. The staff handled it very well and gently. They were kind and understanding. As a family we love the farm as a place to celebrate birthdays and seasonal changes. Now that my kids are older they still choose this venue as the "go to" for celebrations.

Gale Woods Farm was the first venue we looked at and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot we knew it would be great. It then just got better and better as we approached the gorgeous ceremony site overlooking the pond and fields. We really wanted an outdoor ceremony that was accessible for our elderly guests and the solid brickwork and lack of stairs were a huge positive. Better yet, the team was so easy to work with and communicated really thoroughly. Things really peaked when we had free range chickens wandering and clucking around during the ceremony, which fit our vibe perfectly. Everyone was commenting on how gorgeous the view was and how fun having all the animals around was. We will cherish this place forever and look forward to coming back for walks in the woods.

My kids loved summer camp at Gale Woods Sustainable Agriculture center! They had a wonderful experience cooking, caring for the animals, spending time outdoors… highly recommend

PERFECT WEDDING!

I've been meaning the write this for a while. We had an absolute great experience having our wedding here in August. The staff was great to work with leading up to the day. The day of staff was helpful. The grounds were awesome and very pretty. The venue was spotless. We had some chance of rain (luckily didn't happen) and they made us very confident that it would be perfect inside.

A few things to consider:
- You decorate yourself. The venue only sets up the tables (w/o linens) and chairs are ceremony.
- You hire your own food and liquor (beer and wine only). Since it is a Three Rivers Park, they have allowed providers. We went with The Lookout Bar & Grill for food and beer/wine (fried chicken, roast beef au jus, veggies, mashed potatoes, salad) and we are still getting compliments on the best wedding food ever!
- Lots of parking
- Grounds are great for people to spread out and explore the grounds. Animals for the kiddos to look at.
- Not many hotels in the area (15 min to Chanhassen)
- Not many Ubers/Lyfts out there. We let people fend for themselves.
- The venue supplies speakers and microphones for the dance (inside), so if you want to do just a casual Spotify playlist to save money, you could do that easily. We hired my buddy. Speakers and mic for the ceremony (outside) site were like $150 to rent out there.
- Very handicap accessible everywhere.
- Everything is metal inside, so we used magnetic hooks to string lights and hang flowers, which was super convenient.
- We had 120 people maybe and we could have easily had 200 or more inside the reception building.
- They have a tractor ride option for after the ceremony ($100/hour I think), which we wanted to do for the bridal party post-ceremony, but with the chance of rain, we skipped that. Hopefully someone takes this comment and tries it:)

Always a thrill to pay a visit to the well-run Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista, MN. They offer educational opportunities for visitors of all ages to gain an understanding of agriculture, food production, land stewardship, programs and summer camps for aspiring farmhands, and skill-based classes including fiber arts, cooking and gardening. If that weren't enough, Gale Woods hosts many cross country races, including the annual high school Sections meet. Thanks as always. Check it out!

Attended an outdoor wedding here and it was wonderful! Beautiful grounds, well maintained and gorgeous ceremony location overlooking the lake in the shade with a nice cool breeze. The reception was in the large barn building, which was perfect! It was a hot day and there were large fans to keep the air moving and large doors opened to keep a breeze moving through so it wasn’t too hot. Everything was wonderful. There were also farm animals the guests were able to visit and take selfies with - very fun!

Wonderful farm to visit. They have so many animals to see up close and since it's a working farm you see much more than exhibits.

There are so many great photo opportunities at Gale Woods Farm for your wedding photos. The outdoor ceremony space is beautiful and you have lush greenery all around and a cute red barn as well.

We found this place through the Three River Parks district website and when we went to the open house and saw the ceremony site I knew this was the venue I wanted to get married at. I loved everything about the venue and we got so lucky with the colors on the day of our wedding! I was so happy that we were allowed to do a mock set up at an open house before the wedding and they provided a layout so I could give them to other vendors. They even had barn cats which I LOVED and the one joined the party! There were so many amazing places to take photos!

Fantastic spot to stop with kids. Part of the Dakota trail trail. Start in Mound, bike to Gale Woods, continue to Big Stone mini golf and sculpture garden and then keep going to lake Waconia. Great trip for families. Easy trail. Stop at St Boni bistro for breakfast or lunch. Also Lost Lake Creamery for ice cream. All of these places are along the trail and easy to get to. We've done it three times and it never gets old.

Love it here! Beautiful place to visit and wonderful animals.

I used to take my kids here when they were little. Great place to walk around and explore. There are farm animals out in the pasture, and you can walk down to the lake. There is a little garden/greenhouse area and a chicken coop. We have bought food from the little gift shop and it's always been good.

We went for a wedding and it was great! The ceremony was outside, and this is a beautiful part of the metro. Even the roads all around are great for sightseeing. I want to go back to see the other facilities.

Free! Sheep, cows, chickens, and dogs were seen when we went (April 2021). Trails are a great workout (very hilly) and in stellar condition.

Had the wedding of my dreams at fraction of the price. Kathryn was amazing to work with and always had a quick answer for our questions. The barn doesn't have AC, but it remained cool during our August day. The emergency weather plan wasn't the best, but we lucked out and had great weather.

Some good hiking trails and farm animals and gardens to look at. Recommended if you want something free to do and also recommended for families.