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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 25, 2020 19:42:08 GMT
There seem to be a lot of travel threads (which other than food threads I think are my favorite) - I am headed to Minneapolis with my 17yo over Presidents weekend. I think we will be there 4 nights unless we squeeze in another city. I do think I have the hotel figured out. I've been there once for less than one day with my older kid in the fall and absolutely loved it. I realize that Winter will be a different story...
Any general advice on things to do so we can get to know the city and area? We are particularly interested in outdoor activities that are in or close to the city. Can we hike/walk along the river or am I kidding myself in winter? Good place to snowshoe or cross country ski for beginners? I'm thinking about doing a day trip and driving down Lake Pepin on the Wisconsin side and then crossing over and driving back up through Red Wing, maybe even staying a night in Red Wing, which I did last time with my older kid. Any input on good restaurants or activities or neighborhoods to walk around?
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 25, 2020 19:53:29 GMT
As for the snowshoeing, the top five places listed here are on the St. Paul side of the river: dirooutdoors.com/blogs/news/15-best-places-to-go-snowshoeing-in-the-twin-citiesIt’s been a number of years since I’ve been down to Lake City (there is a crafting retreat place there) and it’s a cute little town that had some nice restaurants and shops. It’s a good hour and a half drive from the Cities metro with good weather and no traffic. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jan 25, 2020 20:42:23 GMT
Groveland Tap in St Paul has great Juicy Lucy’s. It’s in a neighborhood bar and is very good. Our son did his undergrad at St Thomas and we ate there a lot over the years. Summit Avenue is just north of there and has some old, gorgeous homes to gawk at.
There are lots of parks and trails around Minneapolis. I know this week is supposed to be rather mild, especially for January, but Minnesota is pretty bleak and cold this time of year. There’s a trail out in along Lake and Wayzata on an old railroad track. If you can find a place to rent snowshoes, they can probably tell you about some good trails.
If you are fans of the theatre, the Guthrie is very well respected. Prince’s house, Paisley Park, is out west of Minneapolis in Chanhassen and offers tours.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jan 25, 2020 21:14:17 GMT
I'm in northern MN, but our dd lives in the Twin cites. Minnehaha Falls is usually the most popular area around there. www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/winter_activities/There are sooo many good places to eat in the TCs. what do you guys like? I could list pages of places to eat honestly. There is always the MOA if the weather gets bad. It's nice this wk, but who knows the next few wks what it will be like. Where will you be staying? and why are you here? |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 25, 2020 23:20:26 GMT
I'm in northern MN, but our dd lives in the Twin cites. Minnehaha Falls is usually the most popular area around there. www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/winter_activities/There are sooo many good places to eat in the TCs. what do you guys like? I could list pages of places to eat honestly. There is always the MOA if the weather gets bad. It's nice this wk, but who knows the next few wks what it will be like. Where will you be staying? and why are you here? We are staying at The Graduate and will be looking at the university. In terms of food, we have no restrictions and love high quality interesting food. Probably not a super fan of things like pizza and we don't eat a lot of pasta and Chinese. We do love ramen, Japanese in general, middle eastern, 'American' (whatever that is), he loves ribs, I love salmon, beets, things like that haha. Would fun to try some regional food (Nordic?) - we are ethnically Norwegian so that would be fun  |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jan 25, 2020 23:52:48 GMT
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Post by scrapbookwriter on Jan 26, 2020 0:17:48 GMT
I'm in northern MN, but our dd lives in the Twin cites. Minnehaha Falls is usually the most popular area around there. www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/winter_activities/There are sooo many good places to eat in the TCs. what do you guys like? I could list pages of places to eat honestly. There is always the MOA if the weather gets bad. It's nice this wk, but who knows the next few wks what it will be like. Where will you be staying? and why are you here? We are staying at The Graduate and will be looking at the university. In terms of food, we have no restrictions and love high quality interesting food. Probably not a super fan of things like pizza and we don't eat a lot of pasta and Chinese. We do love ramen, Japanese in general, middle eastern, 'American' (whatever that is), he loves ribs, I love salmon, beets, things like that haha. Would fun to try some regional food (Nordic?) - we are ethnically Norwegian so that would be fun I love the Plymouth Playhouse. Until I attended a performance there, I had no idea there was such a thing as Scandinavian humor. They have a series of plays about the Church Basement Ladies. I really enjoyed it and would love to go back! |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 26, 2020 0:51:03 GMT
Thank you some of those look awesome! Right now I have reservation at the Graduate but also looking at the Hewing Hotel (more expensive) or The Grand Hotel Minneapolis. We like hotels with some character and in a fun neighborhood. I've stayed at Graduates at other universities and I always really like them but I am tempted by the Hewing. It looks similar to Hotel Vermont in Burlington which we loved. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Jan 26, 2020 0:54:33 GMT
We are definitely going to hit up Psycho Suzi's we love Tiki bars and sounds fabulous on the river. I tried to make a reservation at Young Joni's but it is all booked up...I was just going to ask about a place with an outdoor rooftop restaurant so we can have a good view of the city and river and realized it is kind of the wrong season lol.
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Post by zztop11 on Jan 26, 2020 1:39:42 GMT
-You need to go to the Mill City Museum. It is hands on fun and fabulous. Their website explains it all. www.mnhs.org/millcity. (And they have a wonderful view of the Mississippi River) -Also if you sew, quilt or anything like that, the Textile Museum is also fabulous. Their website is: textilecentermn.org. (They have a wonderful shop too so bring your $$$ - There may be an outdoor activity on one of the lakes. Google, festivals on frozen lakes. That would be a lot of fun. |
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Post by tiffanyr on Jan 26, 2020 1:54:44 GMT
I am a huge fan of St. Paul! Love that city!!
You have to try Tavern on Grand for walleye, which is the state fish! It is a bit of a dive but the food is delicious and it is on Grand Avenue which is a fun walkable street with lots to see and do. The state capital and the cathedral are very close by as well.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jan 26, 2020 2:25:07 GMT
I love the Plymouth Playhouse. Until I attended a performance there, I had no idea there was such a thing as Scandinavian humor. They have a series of plays about the Church Basement Ladies. I really enjoyed it and would love to go back! Plymouth playhouse has been closed for quite a few years I think. |
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jan 26, 2020 2:26:11 GMT
Right now I have reservation at the Graduate but also looking at the Hewing Hotel (more expensive) or The Grand Hotel Minneapolis. We like hotels with some character and in a fun neighborhood. I've stayed at Graduates at other universities and I always really like them but I am tempted by the Hewing. It looks similar to Hotel Vermont in Burlington which we loved. I have heard really good things about the Hewing hotel. The Grand hotel is in St Paul though. We've stayed there, it's very nice too, has character. |
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Post by scrapbookwriter on Jan 26, 2020 3:00:05 GMT
I love the Plymouth Playhouse. Until I attended a performance there, I had no idea there was such a thing as Scandinavian humor. They have a series of plays about the Church Basement Ladies. I really enjoyed it and would love to go back! Plymouth playhouse has been closed for quite a few years I think. Oh my goodness, I had no idea. Initial Google searches just showed the address for Plymouth Playhouse. I looked further and found a news article saying after 30 years in business, their final performance was December 2018. I've only been once but I absolutely loved it. The article said they planned to continue touring with Church Basement Ladies. I guess I'll have to see if I can find them on the road. |
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Post by jemali on Jan 26, 2020 6:03:46 GMT
You could go to New Brighton, a suburb in the northern Twin Cities and see the Ice Castle.
Minnehaha Falls is pretty fun to see when it’s frozen.
There are a few places that rent ice skates.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jan 26, 2020 9:48:01 GMT
Tucking this list away for the future...  |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jan 26, 2020 9:49:11 GMT
-You need to go to the Mill City Museum. It is hands on fun and fabulous. Their website explains it all. www.mnhs.org/millcity. (And they have a wonderful view of the Mississippi River) -Also if you sew, quilt or anything like that, the Textile Museum is also fabulous. Their website is: textilecentermn.org. (They have a wonderful shop too so bring your $$$  - There may be an outdoor activity on one of the lakes. Google, festivals on frozen lakes. That would be a lot of fun. You know, I’ve looked at the Mill City Museum a few times and thought it looked interesting! And the textile museum looks good, too! |
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 26, 2020 12:09:58 GMT
If you do the drive, which I love, plan for an hour at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. You will see bald eagles along the river, plus get up close to injured birds used for education.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jan 26, 2020 12:51:13 GMT
If you do the drive, which I love, plan for an hour at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN. You will see bald eagles along the river, plus get up close to injured birds used for education. That sounds really interesting! |
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