Summer vacation in Minneapolis

Thinkin%26#39; about spending two weeks in Minneapolis next summer - with my wife and two kids...

Is it a good idea? What%26#39;s fun to do?

Summer vacation in Minneapolis

Wow, how cool of you to consider us for your trek! Summer is a great time in the cities, tons to do. What are your preference and travel style?

Also, I%26#39;d plan to explore more than the cities, if that%26#39;s available to you. There are lots of other places I%26#39;d recommend adding to your visit with that much time.

Summer vacation in Minneapolis

With that much time I would defnitely suggest getting out from Minneapolis proper for at least part of the time. If renting a car is possible there are a lot of places where Norwegian emmigrants ended up...especially north of Duluth in the Arrowhead region and down in Iowa. Admittedly more Swedes ended up in Minnesota than Norwegians (who prefered coastal areas like Washington state) but MN still has twice as many persons of Norwegian ancestery than any other state. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian-American

Also a relatively short drive south of the Twin Cities to Decorah, Iowa is the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum ( http://vesterheim.org/index.php ). The Southeast corner of Minnesota is very pretty with lots to see. Perhaps a couple day loop including going over to House on the Rock (not so much for the house as the fantastic collections ot things) in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

In the Twin Cities (never just Minneapolis) there are the usual places...Mall of America, MN Zoo in Apple Valley, Como Park and Zoo in St. Paul, downtown Minneapolis (catch a Twins baseball game?), Walker Art Center, Valley Fare ammusment park in Shakopee, and lots more. Still though probably not enough to fill two weeks so getting out of town opens up a lot of great additions.

What sorts of things do you find ';fun';? What are the ages of the kids? These will help a lot with additional suggestions.

We just had our 150th anniversary of statehood - here%26#39;s ';Top 150'; things to do in Minneapolis.

That might help -

www.minneapolis.org/page/150-things-to-do.jsp

If I were bringing guests from out of town -

I%26#39;d check out:

ValleyFair amusement park

http://www.valleyfair.com/

check out the Mississippi paddleboat rides

http://www.twincitiescruises.com/about1.html

it%26#39;s near the Minneapolis Mississippi riverfront area

http://www.minneapolis-riverfront.com/

see if you can time it with the summer fest

http://www.aquatennial.com/

HUGE fireworks the last sat (2008 was July 26th)

then head up to the NorthShore of Lake Superior between Duluth %26amp; Canadian Border

(about 3 hrs drive to Duluth)

lots of state parks, hiking trails, waterfalls, lake views, and peace/quiet

http://www.northshorevisitor.com/

http://www.northshorestateparks.com/

http://www.americasnorthcoast.org/

My suggestion:

2 nights near Mall of America: One day at the mall shopping and the next at Valleyfair Amusement Park. Don%26#39;t have the kids do the amusement park rides at the mall. They%26#39;re quite overpriced %26amp; Valleyfair is much better. The kids will be thrilled for days. Next, drive south to the Wabasha/Lake Pepin area for two nights. There is a lot to explore %26amp; do in this beautiful, historic river town area. Return to the cities, spending two nights downtown Minneapolis. Take in a (free) walk around the Guthrie, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts %26amp; the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. Window shop along Nicollet Mall. Have breakfast at Hell%26#39;s Kitchen. Take in a Twins or St. Paul Saints ball game. Drive through the University of Minnesota campus %26amp; stop %26amp; look around. Hop in the car and head north to Duluth. Spend a night in Canal Park at one of the hotels there. See the ships, lake front, enjoy the arts, shops %26amp; Duluth-area attractions. Take a trolley tour. This can be pretty readily accomplished in one night, two days. Next drive up the north shore, (take ';old hwy. 61';, which is the scenic drive) stopping at Gooseberry Falls along the way, to the Tofte area. Stay in a lake front cabin with kitchen facilities for 3 nights. You will find many options for a peaceful %26amp; relaxing place right on the water when planning so far ahead. Chill out here with day trips to various parks %26amp; hiking areas. With a cabin, you can cook/grill %26amp; you%26#39;ll probably be tired of eating out at this point %26amp; ready for some real life food. The Northshore Store offers whatever you need. Let the kids spend an afternoon at Lutsen Resort riding the tram %26amp; the alpine slide (buy the day pass for the slide, they%26#39;ll want to go endless times). The area offers many activities. Try kayaking or horseback riding at Lutsen Resort. Head up to Grand Marais for an evening of looking around, dinner %26amp; skipping rocks into the lake. Next, head west for 2 nights/3 days to a northern MN resort with fishing, boating %26amp; swimming. The Brainerd area lakes have numerous offerings, as do places in McGregor, etc. This will be quite different from the northshore experience %26amp; a lot of fun. End up with a return trip to Minneapolis, staying just north of the city in Brooklyn Park at the Grand Rios Water Park Hotel, if your kids like the water park action or else just return to a hotel near the airport/Mall of America and spend a day enjoying Minneapolis%26#39; lakes, tour Fort Snelling (great for kids!), see Minnehaha Falls and have a really nice meal at one of several south Minneapolis eateries. Then, head home knowing you%26#39;ve seen most of what Minnesota has to offer! Enjoy~

I agree to get out of the metro for part of your stay. There%26#39;s so much beautiful countryside to see.

Visit the website of the Minnesota Department of Tourism www.exploreminnesota.com . It%26#39;s a very helpful site.

Duluth is awesome, as is the trek up the north shore of Lake Superior. Rochester is home to world renown Mayo Clinic. The river road that follows the Mississippi River south of the Twin Cities is a beautiful drive. You can meet living eagles at the Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

Enjoy your trip . . . and the planning!