Six ways to play: Free family fun in the fresh air

Enough with the eggnog and Auld Lang Syne. It’s time to get out of the house, so grab your coats, your kids, and your friends, and head to Coldwater Spring for Winter Fun Day.

This Saturday, January 3, from 10 AM to noon, the park is the place to be. We’ll have all kinds of fun, family-friendly activities. What is there to do, you say? Here are six ways to play:

* Check out animal tracks — deer, fox, coyote, and wild turkey are some of the animals whose tracks you might spot

* Make a few tracks of your own using our National Park Service snowshoes

* Warm up with a cup of free cocoa, courtesy of the Mississippi River Fund

* Chat with a ranger. Coldwater is part of our urban national park, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

* Take a walk to the spring house and watch the ducks. The ground water spring never freezes, so Coldwater is often a great place to see winter waterfowl

* Start the New Year off on the right foot with free fun recreation for all. Come frolic in the fresh air!