101 Things To Do in Minnesota
New to the area? Have you been here for five years and feel like you haven't really experienced Minnesota yet? Well we have compiled a list of 101 Things to Do Minnesota - all recommendations from fellow alumni like yourself! There should be a little bit of something here for everyone. There are also some additional websites that have their own "to do" lists - feel free to check those out as well! (All links should open in a new browser window.
If you find that any of the links are not correction or you have comments or suggestions, please contact us at webmaster@psumn.com.
- Eats-N-Treats
- Matt's Bar - A small, but great burger joint at 35th and Cedar in Minneapolis - home to the original Jucy Lucy
- 5-8 Club - Equally delicious burger
- Mickey's Diner in St. Paul - classic Art Deco diner car
- Have a coffee and read the paper outside your local Caribou Coffee
- Kincaids in Bloomington or St. Paul
- Lord Fletcher's on Lake Minnetonka
- Brunch at the Nicollet Island Inn
- The Old Spaghetti Factory
- Cossetta's Italian Market & Pizzeria
- Kafe 421
- Manny's Steakhouse
- Gluek's Bar & Restaurant
- Wuollet Bakery
- History, Arts, & Culture
- Sign up for a library card for the museum pass!!!! Access to a dozen cultural favorites
- "Human on a Stick" - Magical History Segway Tour
- Great theatre at Minnesota Association of Community Theatres
- See "Cherry on the Spoon" at the Sculpture Gardens in Minneapolis
- Guthrie Theater - Minneapolis
- Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater
- Orpheum Theatre - Minneapolis
- State Theatre - Minneapolis
- Pantages Theatre - Minneapolis
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts - St. Paul
- Weisman Art Museum - University of Minnesota
- Walk around downtown Duluth
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove
- Science Musuem - Saint Paul
- Minnesota Children's Museum - Saint Paul
- Fort Snelling
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Orchestra Hall - Minneapolis
- Walker Art Center - Minneapolis (Look for Target Free Thursday Nights!)
- Mill City Musuem - Minneapolis
- Chanhassan Dinner Theatre - Chanhassen
- Old Log Theater - Excelsior
- Murphy's Landing Historic Village - Shakopee
- Stillwater on a sunny afternoon - the birthplace of Minnesota in the St. Croix Valley
- Alexis Bailey Vineyard - Known for their ice-wine (Hastings)
- Drive-bys
- Minnesota State Highway 61 Scenic Drive - Duluth region
- Drive, ride a bike, rollerblade, jog or just take a nice stroll along the 8.9 mile W River Pkwy from U to Ford Pkwy, especially in Fall color season.
- Drive along Summit Avenue in Saint Paul. This five-mile long Avenue is the longest remaining stretch of residential Victorian architecture in the U.S.
- Outdoor Activities/Sporting Events
- Fishing/Biking - County Parks
- Go Ice Fishing
- Visit Lutsen Mountains - great activities in the Winter and Summer
- Go to a Saint Paul Saints baseball game
- Take in a local high school ice hockey game
- Hundreds of Golf Courses
- Walk around a few of the 15,000 Lakes (We highly recommend Lake Calhoun and Lake Harrriet. You can walk, rollerblade, ride a bicycle or even rent kayaks and canoes to go out on the lakes!)
- Skiing:
- Afton Alps
- Welch Village
- Hyland Ski & Snowboard Area
- Buck Hill
- Cross Country Skiing (i.e. O'Brien's State Park, Three Rivers Park District, etc. - many, many locations)
- Canoe/tubing:
- Welch Mill Canoeing & Tubing - Cannon River
- Apple River
- West Medicine Lake - in Plymouth
- St. Croix River
- Chanhasson Area Ice Fishing
- J Paddleford Paddle boat trip down the Mississippi thru the locks
- Luce Line Trail
- Camping and canoeing in the Boundary Waters
- Attend a professional sporting event such as:
- Grandmas Marathon
- Twin Cities Marathon
- Family Friendly Fun
- See reference to the museum pass above
- MN Transportation Museum
- Take a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka
- Visit Lake Itasca and walk across the Mississippi River
- Spend a weekend at a cabin "up north" on a lake
- Build a 7' tall snowman in your front yard
- Children's Theatre Company - Minneapolis
- Visit Minnehaha Falls
- Take a view of the city from Macy's (Minneapolis) - Also be sure to get your picture taken with the Mary Tyler Moore statue outside the 7th street entrance.
- Macy's 8th Floor Christmas Display - Minneapolis
- Valley Fair
- Al & Alma's Dinner Boat Tour of Lake Minnetonka - the lake and homes around it are quite the sight to see!
- Walk along river at Boom Island Park or the area around the Stone Arch Bridge
- Ride TAK ATTACK and AVATAR AIRBENDER at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America
- People watch from a restaurant's outdoor seating area on Nicollet Mall
- Ride the Light Rail
- Go Cart racing - Dayton, Maple Grove and Chanhassan areas
- Ellingson Car Museum - Rogers
- Minnesota Zephyr - elegant dining train offering a chance to experience a journey back in time and the opportunity to reminisce and relive the era of the late 1940's [Currently closed due to funding.]
- Hot Air Balloon Ride
- Minnesota Zoo - Apple Valley
- Como Zoo - St. Paul
- Annual Events
- St. Paul Winter Carnival - January
- Minneapolis Convention Center
- Home and Garden Show - (February)
- Boat Show - (March)
- Antique Show - (April)
- Back to the 50s Car Show - State Fair Grounds (11,000 pre 1964 cars) - June 22-24
- Aquatenial Festival - (July)
- Hennepin County Fair - June (Corcoran, MN)
- Uptown Arts Fair (July)
- Renaissance Festival (August)
- World of Wings Air Show (August/September) - Flying Cloud Airport
- Demolition Derby - Corcoran (September)
- The Great State Fair - late August through Labor Day weekend
- Holidazzle Parade in December
- Local Town Festivals:
- Hopkins Mainstreet Days - May
- Anoka River Festival (June)
- Buffalo Days - June
- Chanhassen July Celebration - July
- Plymouth in the Park - July
- Hopkins Raspberry Festival - July
- Maple Grove Days - July
- Rockin' Rogers - July
- Wayzata Crazy Days - July
- Lions Club Parade-Osseo Sept
- Excelsior Apple Days - September
- Wayzata James Hill Day Celebration - September
- Otsego Days - September
- Hamel Rodeo - July (Corcoran, MN)
- Anoka Cruise Night - Watch hundreds of cars every Saturday evening in summer cruise through Anoka
- Entertainment
- Shopping:
- Albertville Premium Outlets
- Mall of America
- Mall of America Visitor's Guide
- Ridgedale Mall
- Brookdale Mall
- Rosedale Mall
- Southdale Mall - the first fully-enclosed and completely climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States
- Minneapolis Farmer's Market
- Saint Paul Farmer's Market
- Concerts:
- Medina Entertainment Center - Bowling, Dance Club, Bingo, Poker, Restaurant & Bar - this place has it all for complete family entertainment
- Cantebury Downs - Horse Racetrack & Card Club
- Mystic Lake Casino
