Preserve. Play. Prosper.

Enhancing Cottage Grove’s Parks, Recreation, and Outdoor Spaces

The City of Cottage Grove is a great place to live and a destination where recreation takes center stage. The city is committed to delivering high-quality public services and amenities that benefit all residents, businesses, and property owners. 

In 2022, we embarked on a journey to reimagine recreation and our connections to the great outdoors. During this time, we listened as residents shared their desires for a wider array of recreational opportunities and family-oriented activities, preservation of natural habitat, and enhanced connections to parks and nature.

Based on this feedback, research, and planning, the City of Cottage Grove developed a plan to invest $36 million to elevate the quality of parks, recreation, and outdoor spaces for people of all ages and abilities. This plan – Preserve. Play. Prosper. - includes investments and upgrades to three recreation destinations in our city: Hamlet Park, Mississippi Dunes Park, and River Oaks Golf Course and Event Center. The goal is to encourage play and support active living in Cottage Grove while boosting community pride and the local economy. 

This November, residents will consider whether to approve a half-percent local sales tax to finance the Preserve. Play. Prosper. plan. Our residents helped inform the plan’s vision, and their feedback will continue to shape what these community gathering spaces become if the referendum is approved by voters.