Mary

Planning a trip to St. Paul next month. Family memeber is attending a reunion and I would like to explore St. Paul and Minneapolis while she is doing her thing. Will have vehicle. Can anyone suggest itinerary for several days? Any walking trips around city? Restaurants, sites etc. Thanks in advance.

loangalsal

I can help you but have a few questions... Are you looking for family activities? What are the ages of the group you need tips for? Are you on a budget? Then I can give you ideas!

Mary

Thanks, yes I may have my teenage daughter with me. Do have relatives in the area but don't know them all that well. Will make a quick visit and then sightsee.
Have some deceased family members buried in Danvers so will be taking a trip there.
What are some good walking tours around St. Paul/ Mnpls? And different sites that would be interesting?

loangalsal

There are many places to walk around. Any of the Minneapolis lakes have walking paths around them (Lake Calhoun, Lake Nokomis, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles). Walk around Lake Calhoun to work up an appetite, and then eat at Dixie's Calhoun - excellent coconut shrimp and the best coconut banana pie ever. St. Paul has the Como Zoo and there is a Conservatory attached that is very nice also. Pizza Luce in the warehouse district of DT Mpls is wonderful and funky, great pizza. A weird and fun place to go is Bryant Lake Bowl in S. Mpls, old vintage style bowling alley with wonderful food and very cheap. My favorite restaurant in town is Lucia's in Uptown. Not cheap, but fabulous food (check out their website for a menu - www.lucias.com) and you should walk around the area before or after for some great shopping. Skip the mall of america, just a huge mall, not much that is unique except the amusement park which your daughter is probably too old to appreciate anyways. Other excellent restaurants are Campiellos, Bar Abilene, Pickled Parrot. Another great area to walk/shop/eat is 50th & France area in Edina with 2 great restaurants - Arrezzo (sp?) or Tejas. All of the restaurants I mentioned are a little on the expensive side except Pizza Luce, Bryant Lake Bowl, and Bar Abilene is medium priced.

can't

Don't do Mall of America. I know it has already been said, but it is just a mall, but really big.

Walk your butt off. The twin cities are a great area to walk. The Lakes near Uptown are among the best, but there is also a great walk up and down the Missippi River (about 7 miles) just south of downtown.

For more reasonably priced fare, don't miss our local chain, D'Amico and Sons. Several Italian eateries around the area, and the prices are reasonable for what you get.

loangalsal

Yep, D'Amico & Sons is REALLY good for the money! I agree. They even offer wine. I forgot earlier to mention our museums, the Walker and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts are my favorites. Maybe you can fit in a play...check out what is on at the Guthrie. Oh, lastly, on Sundays one of my favorite things to do is to go see Stevie Ray's comedy troupe doing improv comedy at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden (outdoors). It is every Sunday at 4pm and 7pm and it is done "free" with a pass the hat donation at the end. Always good CLEAN comedy.

Jane

Mary-
Loangalsal has some great suggestions. Bryant Lake Bowl is fun and I think your daughter would like it. I would also add-

Walker Art Museum Sculpture Garden- near downtown Msp with beautiful sculptures dotting the garden. There is also a small greenhouse.

Summit Avenue- (St Paul) beautiful historical homes and I believe they do tours. While you're in the area, check out Grand Ave which is a street of cute shops and restaurants (Cafe Latte would be a great place for a lunch and save room for dessert!)

While you are around Lake Calhoun, you can rent bikes and roller blades in nearby Uptown. Uptown is great for people watching and eating. Chino Latino is a trendy restaurant that your daughter might enjoy. Gets crowded during the weekends but could be fun to pop into for lunch or a weeknight meal.

Another fun restaurant- Joe's Garage in Loring Park near dowtown Msp. They have a great rooftop dining section with great views of downtown. Reasonably priced with good burgers and other more eclectic menu items.

Have fun!

Marie

You’ve received a lot of good suggestions, but the Twin Cities is a big area, so here are a few more options for you:

Stillwater, Excelsior, or Wayzata – these are all “touristy” suburbs. (Although some might argue that Stillwater isn’t a suburb.) Excelsior and Wayzata are both about 20 miles west of downtown Minneapolis and are both on the shore of Lake Minnetonka (a very BIG lake). Wayzata’s main street is lined with galleries, upscale boutiques and clothing stores. My personal favorite store in Blanc de Blanc (everything in the store is white). If you go to Wayzata – grab a table outside at Sunsets and relax and watch the sailboats.

Excelsior is more laid back than Wayzata – but still has plenty of shops to explore. One of the cool things to do in Excelsior is take a ride on the Lake of the Lake - a 1 and 1/2 hour tour around Lake Minnetonka – a great way to see some of the $,$$$,$$$ homes that ring the shores of the lake (www.ladyofthelakecruises.com).

Stillwater is the opposite direction on the St. Croix River (Wisconsin is on the other side of the river). Stillwater is the most popular of these 3 towns, and can get a little crowded on the weekends. If you like antiques or old books – Stillwater is definitely a place to go. In Stillwater, eat at the Freight House, or the Dock Café or Estebans.

There are walking tours available of the downtown Minneapolis river area – call 612-627-5433 for information. Another tour I’ve heard is good is the St. Paul Gangster tour (when being hunted by the police and FBI, many of Chicago’s gangsters escaped to St. Paul during the 30’s). For information about that and many more tours, go to www.exploreminnesota.com.

FYI – if you go to St. Paul, be sure to check out the Lucy statues – they’re all over the town! (2 years ago it was Snoopy statues, last year Charlie Brown statues – this year Lucy).

Cheryl

These are great ideas. Another great place to walk is down Grand Avenue in St. Paul - lots of little shops and places to eat. Lexington and Grand a great place to start - go East. Also agree with Loring Park and the sculpture park across the street. Stillwater is great if you like antique shops but go during the week - too many people on weekends. Another nice little town is Hudson which is just across the river. You can ice scate in the old train depot in Mpls and watch people walking by. Walk or rollerblade the Mpls chain of lakes. Where are you staying?

loangalsal

How could I have forgotten Summit Avenue? Start at the University of St. Thomas campus and drive east on Summit. For several miles you will see some of the most beautiful well kept mansions in the state. One after another, block after block. Absolutely beautiful drive in the summer, or walk.

Marie

Mary,

Sounds like you've received enough suggestions to fill several weeks in the Twin Cities!

PLEASE post a quick trip report on this site when you get back from your St. Paul visit. I did a quick search on this site and found that noone has ever posted a trip report for the Twin Cities and I would love to get the visitors' opinion of our fair cities.

J. Carson

If I were you, I'd skip the st. paul. Minnesota nice, my a$$. Most people there are very, very rude, cold, and surly. Plus, most midwesterners are very bad drivers. It gets extremely hot and muggy up there and the ladscape is dull and boring as most of the people are up there. I'd rather get my toenails pulled off and dipped in acid, than spend one day up there. But, hey that's just me.

Mary

Thank you EVERY ONE including Scrooge at the end...just kidding Carson as I'm sure you were

You have given me so many great places to exlore. Have read about the Cathedral and Summit Ave so that's a must. Grand Ave sounds perfect as well as downtown and the lake tour to dream and see the beautiful homes sounds wonderful! All the lakes, biking, skating,theatre,restaurants,galleries have given us a weeks worth of sightseeing to fill our time.
I will download all the suggestions and thank you everyone.....you have been most generous with your time and great thoughts. I will update you on our return trip. Can't wait. Mary

loangalsal

I don't mind answering these, it makes me remember why we put up with our icky winter weather to live here!

Jane

Mary-
Have a great trip. Please let us know about your visit when you get back!