In the wake of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis I have been writing about my favorite Twin Cities attractions. I realize the bridge tragedy is causing many to amend their travel plans and find alternate routes in the Minneapolis area, but hopefully the incident won’t deter you from visiting. The Twin Cities is a vibrant space that has so much to offer.
Here now are a few more of my favorite places to visit in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area:
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and whenever I visit the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum I get a flashback of my alma mater. The Arboretum is a horticultural research site owned and operated by the University of Minnesota, but it attracts more tourists than students. Simply put the place is gorgeous. It is home to breathtakingly vibrant gardens, robust orchards, and vast stretches of green (the perfect area for your kids to run… and run… and run). The Arboretum also has an onsite restaurant, gift shop and gallery. When the weather cooperates, it really is an ideal place to spend the day with your family.
The Bakken Library and Museum
If your children are fans of Mr. Wizard or you consider yourself a science geek, then you’ll feel right at home at the Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity. The facility is housed in a Tudor mansion on the picturesque shores of Lake Calhoun, located three miles south of downtown Minneapolis. The museum is incredibly family friendly—and children are encouraged to browse galleries, participate in interactive exhibits that demonstrate electrical and magnetic properties, and get up close and personal with a collection of antique and questionable medical devices, such as fat-burning machines. Outside you and your family can tour a garden filled with medicinal plants. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (it’s open until 8 p.m. on Thursday). Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors; children 3 and under are free.
Peapods
Okay, it may not offer the cultural benefits of a museum, but I couldn’t help myself. This one-of-a-kind store is filled with every beeping, chirping, walking, crawling, rolling plastic toy you can imagine. The store is newly expanded and carries a variety of handmade, European, wooden, environmentally friendly and soft toys that are guaranteed to last a lifetime. The store also stocks unique organic kids’ clothes, cloth diapers, books, and educational toys. Peapods is located in St. Paul and is worth making time to visit.
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