Cabin fever? The Super Bowl’s in hibernation for another season and it’s time to wrest yourself away from the television.
Instead of heading south, fly north. Minneapolis and St. Paul offer some sublime pursuits this time of year, many of them free or budget-priced. You just have to know where to look.
Museums. Cities are rooted in the industries that brought people there in the first place. Discover what propelled St. Paul. Visit Mill City Museum, built upon the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill. It’s located on the city’s historic Mississippi Riverfront. Admission is $10 for adults. $5 for folks six to 17, and free for kids six and under.
Kids aren’t into sedate browsing of highbrow art museums. They want to move around, explore. St. Paul’s Minnesota Children’s Museum is inherently interactive. Each of its seven galleries arouses curiosity, ignites imagination, and burns off all that pent-up energy. Roving “funstigators” keep things moving. They manipulate finger puppets, blow bubbles and direct play. Admission is $8.95.
For those who love getting lost in the silence of a great art museum consider the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Among the free exhibitions right now are Beauty and Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Peter Marino Collection, and The Mourners: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy.
Malls. It’s the planet’s largest shopping mall, a place that attracts visitors from as far away as Japan. You don’t have to travel that far to browse the 400 stores that make up Mall of America in Bloomington. Buy if you must, but there’s no need. People-watch, and do it without a parka. Take the hassle out of a trip to the Mall by hopping the Hiawatha Line, the area’s light rail link. It will take you from downtown Minneapolis to Mall of America.
Outdoors. You might need a parka for this one. Explore the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, especially that portion that meanders along the downtown Minneapolis Riverfront. Head for the historic West Side Milling District, Nicollet and Boom Islands. From the Stone Arch Bridge see how the river’s lock and dam work.
Brew. See how great craft beer’s brewed. Take a free tour of St. Paul’s Summit Brewing Company. Sample a glass of Gold Sovereign Ale, or perhaps some Imperial Pumpkin Porter. Thus fortified, head take a foot tour of St. Paul’s Grand Avenue.
Mingle. The best way to get a feel or a place is to mix and mingle with the folks who live there. One of the prime places in the Twin Cities to do precisely that is St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. It’s chock-full of local character – historic, hip, and handsome. Grand Avenue spans 30 blocks, from the Mississippi River to downtown St. Paul. Amble past halls of academia. Enjoy the elegant homes. Drop in on a storefront bakery and smell the croissants. Grand Avenue revels in its decidedly un-mall-like ambiance.
Far from being banished by the winter, that ambience—like a lot of things in the Twin Cities—takes on its own soft amber hue this time of year. Head north, before spring spoils things.
Story by Jerry Chandler
Photo by Phorget the Philm Photography
