Afton Alps
6600 Peller Ave S., Hastings, MN
Afton is HUGE. I go hiking there every summer and I’ve barely explored a portion. So there are a lot of skiing/snowboarding areas.
Fun fact: this place is owned by Vail Resorts.
Great Wolf Resort
1700 American Blvd E, Bloomington
Feeling cold? Take your kids to this enormous indoor water park. They have the time of their lives on the water slides and you get a chance to raise your core temperature.
It’s across the street from the Mall of America.
The 19 Bar
19 W. 15th street, minneapolis
This is a great dive bar just across the street from Lakes and Legends. It is known for being the oldest gay bar in Minneapolis. It has cheap drinks, pool tables, darts, and one of the most satisfying juke boxes in town.
Up Down
3012 Lyndale Ave S Minneapolis
Imagine a place where you can drink craft beers while playing Mortal Kombat for a quarter a game. Dreams really do come true. FINISH HIM.
Flannel Jax Axe Throwing
It’s this weather. It makes us feel hearty. It makes us feel badass. It makes us feel like freaking Paul Bunyan. Sooooo, do you wanna throw an axe? You can! There’s another place in Minneapolis, Bad Axe, that you can also look into. Flannel Jax is right next to Can-Can Wonderland.
Burch Steak
1933 Colfax Ave S Minneapolis
Steakhouse upstairs. Wood fire pizza oven downstairs. This place used to be a rad pharmacy when I lived behind it. If you’re fortunate enough to catch them for brunch (sundays only) they have a tomatillo Bloody Mary that I think about ALL THE TIME. On colder days I like to go downstairs and sit at the bar and watch them spin pizzas. It’s like a fireplace with food inside.
Spyhouse Coffee
If you need a cup of coffee, swing by a Caribou Coffee shop or a Dunn Brothers. If you need AN AMAZING CUP OF COFFEE TO MAKE YOUR DAY AND YOUR LIFE BETTER, try to swing by a Spyhouse. There is one on Hennepin Ave that will make you feel like F. Scott Fitzgerald. That reminds me, F. Scott Fitzgerald is from St. Paul. Let me know if you want to see where he grew up, I live about a mile from his childhood home on Grand Ave.
Mall of America
Lindau Lane & Ikea Way, Bloomington, MN 55425, USA
Bigass mall.
For family fun:
Nickelodeon Universe (indoor amusement park)
Underwater World (indoor aquarium)
LEGO Land
Crayola Experience (fun with crayons)
Minneapolis Institute Of Art
2400 3rd ave s. Minneapolis
I bring my students here once a month. It’s very museumy and very free. I love this place.
Dangerous Man Brewing
Have you ever gotten drunk off beer that tastes like a Reese’s peanut butter cup? I have. Just order a pint of half the peanut butter porter and half chocolate stout. It’s really quite something.
Buck Hill Ski And Snowboard Area
15400 buck hill road, Burnsville MN
It’s Minnesota...so you’re going to be using the ski lifts frequently, but the runs are satisfying!
Paisley Park
7801 Audubon Road, Chanhassen
Prince Museum and recording studio. It’s in a suburb, but it’s worth the drive (25 minutes). Buy your tickets ahead of time.
Can-Can Wonderland
755 Prior Ave N. St. Paul
Artistic indoor mini-golf with wild cocktails. Also 384727292 pinball machines. There is a rad stage in the bar area. Maybe there’s a band playing? Maybe it’s a bunch of jugglers? A burlesque show? It could be anything. I’ve had to abandon my car here more than once because I got too rowdy; but, I’ve also had some G-rated fun with my foster kids and they’ve LOVED it.
There is also a cool brewery upstairs, Black Stack.
Matt's Bar and Grill
3500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407, USA
Home of the original Juicy Lucy (supposedly)
Sociable Cider Werks
1500 Fillmore St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA
Ciders SO GOOD it will ruin cider for you FOREVER.
The food truck here is awful, though. Unless you LOVE goat cheese...which I don’t.
Bad Weather Brewing Company
414 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102, USA
I hold the 6th highest score on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade game.
Mickey's Diner
36 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102, USA
Total St. Paul icon. Feel like you recognize it? Because it’s where Charlie’s mom worked in the movie Mighty Ducks.
Quarter of an inch, Charlie. Quarter. Of. An. Inch.
Bryant-Lake Bowl & Theater
810 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USA
I love this bar. They have my second favorite bloody Mary in the twin cities. And you get to keep score of your bowling game by hand, which is a totally underrated skill.
Dumpling
4004 Minnehaha Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406, USA
Asian fusion comfort food. Don’t forget to take a selfie in front of the bathroom wallpaper. It’s kind of a thing.
Surly Brewing Co.
520 Malcolm Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
One of the most popular local craft breweries. Great beers. Good pizza. Gets kind of crowded on weekends.
