I was in a similar situation last year. We took a drive north of Duluth, along Lake Superior. It was stunning, but only do it if you have a couple days.

We found St. Paul to be a nice city. Great Science Museum for kids.

I would suggest hitting the lakes. Minneapolis has a chain-of-lakes that makes for a fun walk. There is a weekly free paper in Minneapolis that tells about all the shows. Find a theater and see a play or musical.

When the weather is nice and things have 'greened up' (usually about late May) MPLS is one of the best cities in the US to weekend in.
Best short car trips are to the north shore of Lake Superior and along the Mississippi river to Red Wing (just southeast of the metro area).
In town, go walk around Lake Calhoun west of the downtown area. Very vibrant and fun on weekends.
Quite a number of theater and museum options.
People in MPLS tend to be extremely friendly and after being cooped up most of the winter, Minnesotans make the most of their warmer days by being outside.

ttt

Ron:
For a short trip that is perfect in May, go to Stillwater - birthplace of Minnesota, right along the St Croix river. Historic town, antique shops, great restaurants, beautiful parks and a lift bridge. What more do you need? And - it's only about 45 minutes east of St Paul. I know they have a web page. Do a search for Stillwater, MN. Good luck and have a nice time!

First, skip the Mall of America unless you have VERY bad weather. It is just a great big mall but it does have an indoor amusement park (again, a good choice if you have bad weather). I agree with checking out the local lakes (Harriet, Calhoun, etc) and they have nice walking/biking paths around the lakes. I also agree with Stillwater (a great day trip!), but Duluth and the North Shore only if you have a few days and can stay overnight up north or it will be too far away. Check out the Children's Museum & Science Museum and see if the Children's Theater in Minneapolis or the Stages Theater in Hopkins have any plays your 5 year old would be interested in. If you can get a babysitter, there are very good dining spots in Minneapolis including Lucias (my favorite!), Campiellos, Auriga, D'Amico Cucina (very expensive) and excellent choices for live theater such as the Guthrie, Jungle Theater, plus lots of great live music and comedy shows (Stevie Ray's improv is the best if you can find where his group is playing while you are here!). Check out Famous Dave's BBQ in Uptown for the Sunday Brunch with live blues music. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a great Museum. Lots of great art and theater here. Oh, responding to this post makes me remember why I live here in this miserable cold!!

What about your favorite kid friendly/ senior friendly restaurants in the Twin Cities ? We go there often to visit my parents and are getting tired of Old Country Buffet! Thanks!

Como Zoo(free) St.Paul,MN Zoo Apple Valley,Minnehaha Falls,Valley Fair Amusement Park(weekends May)Shakopee,If the weather is bad Camp Snoopy Mall of America

One of my favorite restaurants for kids is the Rainforest Cafe in the Mall of America. I know it's one of a chain - but still fun!

I also endorse the previous recommendations of the Children's Theater and the Chilren's Science Museum in St. Paul. And if you want a Broadway show - there are 3 beautiful theaters in town (The State Theater and The Orpheum in Minneapolis and the Ordway in St. Paul). For something more "cultured" go to the renowned Guthrie Theater.

If you go to Stillwater (and it is a cool town) be sure to go early (stores open at 10:00, I believe). There is limited convenient public parking. Also be warned that there is a very popular art show in Stillwater one of the weekends in May - although I don't know which weekend.

Lastly, Fort Snelling is one of my favorites. Fort Snelling was the original fort in Minneapolis and is a "living history" museum - it's set in the early 1800's.

Mary-what part of town do you visit your parents in? Are you in a suburb or in the city? Then maybe I can give you some tips on kid & senior friendly restaurants.

I'd agree with Stillwater. Como park is more than just the zoo, there's also a conservatory that my kids like to explore, and paddle boats on the lake (depending on when in May whether they will be out)

The Science Museum in St. Paul is good. A 5 year old would also like the Children's Museum in St. Paul. The Minnesota Historical Society (also in St. Paul) is interesting to a variety of ages.

I'd skip the drive to Duluth. It's good for us locals, but if you haven't been to Minneapolis why get in a car and drive that far to get away from it?

The Children's Theater is excellent. They are performing Alice in Wonderland in May. Call now for tickets, though, they book up fast!

As for kid friendly restaurants, it's a chain, but we like Joe's Crabshack. Adult type food (seafood) and a playground. Also have to agree with Rainforest - my kids love it!

Hi again
Budging in again for tips on kid/senior friendly restaurants. My parents live in St. Paul near Como Park and Roseville. They like low fat food and lots of vegetables. We go to Old Country Buffet because of the variety. Something for everyone.Thanks loangasal if you can help with other suggestions.
Also to Ron, my kids love the Children's Museum in downtown St. Paul and prefer it over the Science Museum and the Children's Theater. The Como Zoo is free and it is easy to park so I like to do that in the warm months with the kids.

Mary, I see your problem! To find a place with good healthy entrees that has things for kids also is hard. Plus I am guessing that if your in-laws like OCB, they are probably like more of a suburban atmosphere. If you want reliable chain restaurants that offer good childrens menus along with good healthy salads or fish items for your parents, I would suggest Champps, Chilis, or Fridays, then everyone will be happy. One suggestion that sounds a little strange but we find it very reliable is that most of the Byerlys grocery stores have restaurants in them with a great salad bar and good food. If your in-laws are open minded and adventurous, go to Pizza Luce in the warehouse district downtown (Mpls). Great pizza, and we all love the place but the folks might get freaked out by the piercings and hair dye on the staff and clientelle. If you want a really fun couple of hours with some interesting food, (again, ONLY if the folks are "hip") go to the Bryant Lake Bowl in south Mpls. An old bowling alley with retro lanes (hand scoring only!) old beat up balls and shoes, and food that is incredibly good. We like to go Sat or Sun for a late brunch and then bowl a few lanes. They even have ramps for the little kids to bowl with. In St. Paul you could try Dixies on Grand Avenue. The Sydney's restaurants are great and offer a variety of wonderful salads and even have a peanut butter and jelly pizza that my 9 year old loves. Another place for great food is a deli style place called D'Amico & Sons (Not to be confused with it's upscale sister D'Amico Cucina!). There are several locations, but in your area there is one in the Highland Park area of St. Paul and they have wonderful food with a great inexpensive kids menu and even serve a limited selection of wine. They even have a location in the Minneapolis Instutute of Arts, and since the Children's Theater is in the same building we always eat at D'Amico & Sons when we go there. Have fun!

As for restaurants, I have the same qaundry. Minneapolis has tons of chain restaurants, which I used to hate but I go to more now because I have kids. Famous Dave's is a great one. I also endorse the Rainforest Cafe. D'Amico is probably the best all-around mid-priced deli in Minneapolis.

As for non-chain restaurants, I love the Newsroom and Zelo, both downtown. But not places to bring kids. Also, Blue Point in Wayzata has great seafood and great ambience.

As the parent of a 5-year-old, I'd steer you away from the Children's Museum in St. Paul. It is a small, noisy, terribly overcrowded for-profit museum space that leaves a lot of parents and children frazzled and unhappy.

A FAR superior place to visit in St. Paul is the amazing Minnesota History Center, which is VERY big, VERY airy and has endless hands-on things for a 5-year-old to do. Plus, the restaurant is superb and cheap--they serve made-to-order gourmet entrees for about $6.

A note about D'Amico and sons: the Grand Avenue location has a GREAT deal on house wine. Buy one glass at $3.25 and they'll keep it refilled! For me, that translates to three or four glasses over the course of a meal and dessert/conversation. An amazing deal--and their house wine is unusually good.

We may also be making a trip to Minneapolis in late May or early June to visit our daughter who moved there this winter. She lives in Brooklyn Park. My husband and I will have our 14 year old daughter with us. Where should we stay, preferably a suite type hotel? I would imagine we'd take two or three days and drive to Lake Superior, where would we stay there? With the 14 year old we will HAVE to do the Mall of America. Anything else that may interest her?

If you stay in Duluth, I highly recommend Hawthone Suites. It's a remodeled warehouse with HUGE suites, a great indoor pool, and the perfect lakeside location. Check out their web site for low rates, especially if you come in the off-season.

As far as the Twin Cities go, I would recommend staying downtown. The hotels around the Mall of America are mediocre. For the same money, you can stay downtown and have a world of activities right outside the door.

A couple of years ago, we stayed in the lighthouse at Two Harbors, on Lake Superior about 40 miles north of Duluth. Go to www.lighthousebb.org .

A superb experience! They have three rooms. Cost is/was about $125. They also have, on the grounds, the bridge from a Great Lakes freighter, with pictures, the ship's wheel, etc.

It's operated by the Lake County Historical Society. The lady who does the breakfast does not stay on site: The only folks there are those who are staying.

I've got pictures of my wife and son taking down the flag in the evening, and my wife raising it again the next morning.

Reservations strongly suggested. The night we stayed, there was a squall-ine of thunderstorms going through Wisconsin, probably 40-50 miles away. And from our bedroom window, we could see the lightening flashes, intermittently, all across the horizon.

I've often thought I'd love to stay there during a storm, and ride it out on the bridge...

This is for Paige: The Northland Inn on 694 is near Brooklyn Park. I have never stayed there, but often have meetings or lunch there, it's a great meeting place for those of us on the north side. Several other Duluth hotel choices, Fitgers, formally a brewery, now a hotel. Their suites are fantastic, many with exposed brick of the brewery. It's an easy walk to Canal Park from there along the lakewalk. Superior Shores in Two Harbors is nice. I'd make sure you have a lakeview room. They also have condos which are very nice and spacious.

Go to the Mall of America at your own risk. We Minnesotans have a love/hate relationship with it. We like that people come from other parts of the country and spend money there, but we hate the fact that we are known for a huge, indoor shopping center. Be sure to do some of the "original" Minnesota activities, such as walk "the lakes" and catch a play or musical in downtown Minneapolis.

I know I should get my atlas and look it up, but how far is Duluth from Brooklyn Park? How long does it take to drive to Lake Superior? I guess the Chain of Lakes is located in the metro Minneapolis area? Where is Stillwater?

It would take about 2.5+ hours to drive from Brooklyn Park to Duluth. Duluth is on the southernmost tip of Lake Superior, so the "North Shore" drive starts at Duluth and you drive north from there. Stillwater is east of St. Paul, maybe a 45 minute drive so good for a day trip. "The Lakes" that everyone refers to in the Twin Cities are in south Minneapolis, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis and Lake of the Isles, but there are many other small lakes all over the place.

Thanks for your restaurant suggestions. We are heading down to the Cities next week for a "spring break" (just had 8 in. of snow last night with more on the way tonight) and will try out some of your ideas. My parents used to be sort of hip but now they 78 years old and not so daring.

Living just west of the cities I can only hope that by May we will be sufficiently thawed out and if so I recommend heading to Lake Minnetonka and wander around one of the lake towns (try Excelsior- my favorite). You could roam the shops or hang out at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating. I'm not a native Minnesotan but from what I've experienced, May can be iffy- it might be nice or it might be freezing!

Mary,
Joe's Crab Shack is in Roseville. They have seafood and a kid's menu. The atmosphere is pretty loud, though - my parents liked it OK, but some seniors might not like the noise. The outside playground is great for a 5 year old. (My kids ages 2 and 9 have been going out there all winter!) Put your name on the list on the way to their house - there is always a wait and they don't take reservations.

Byerly's in Roseville has recently redone their restaurant.

Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's have variety and are OK with kids, but are chains.

My son (the 9 year old) loves Cafe Latte on Grand in St. Paul. Great deserts and pizza for the kids, lots of salads and soups for healthy eaters.

If you are into buffets, Panda Garden on Lexington in Roseville has a Chinese buffet, but also has things like Chicken nuggets, potato rounds, and a salad bar on the buffet. Saturday nights are always crab legs and often shrimp on the all you can eat buffet.

Khan's Mongolian Barbecue let's you pick the raw ingredients off a buffet and then stir fries them for you. My kids thought that was interesting, but they aren't picky eaters, either. (This would not appeal to all kids)

Hope some of these are interesting.

Thanks Maureen for the suggestions. We will try them out in future trips. We have gone to Cafe Latte a couple of times and there does seem to be something for everyone there too. Wonderful food and if you time it right you can sail through the line and get your food quickly. Getting food quickly is the main appeal of OCB for my kids. Also the ice cream machine!

Panda Garden has an ice cream machine, too!

Panda Garden?! What a sh*thole. I can't believe anybody would recommend a place like that to a visitor. If your idea of a good meal is perhaps the worst Chinese buffet EVER, then by all means, go for it. But if you want really good Asian food, try Leeann Chin. You'll still get more than you could ever eat, but you won't end up gagging on a hunk of gristle or, heaven forbid, something else.

If you read Mary's original question, you would see that the woman wants to eat in Roseville, not downtown. She doesn't want carry out, and they apparently like buffets since they frequent Old Country Buffet. Personally I think Panda Garden is way better than OCB.

Apparently YOUR criteria aren't the same as hers Sister Jean. Apparently you don't have small children.

If you want good restaurants anywhere in the twin cities, I'd have a different list - How about Goodfellows? How about Zelo? I'd never take my kids there and they aren't in Roseville, but those don't seem to be YOUR criteria.

I would agree that Panda Garden is not a great place to eat, about the same as OCB, maybe a little worse. Champps, TGIF or something like that would be a far superior choice and not a whole lot more expensive. Leann Chin is for sure WAY better than Panda Garden if you want Asian food, but again it is more expensive. Try the D'Amico & Sons delis, everyone will love that and the price of the kids meals can't be beat for the quality of food you get.

Wow. I can't believe all of the recommendations for national chain restaurants! Mary - if you eat in Mpls, please try some of the local places. D'Amico is tops, Cossetta in St. Paul is good an not far from where you'll be, and Pepito's is a great Mexican place. All that plus you know you are supporting the locally based businesses.

Oh, How could I have forgotten Cosetta? That is a great place! Wonderful italian food, good suggestion! I also love the Vine Street Brewery which is right by Cosettas, but the OCB fans might not like the innovative menu. Ronny, I am also not a fan of "chain" restaurants, but when you have part of your group that loves Old Country Buffet, a chain restaurant can be a good "middle ground" to try to please everyone.

Tavern on Grand (a tavern on Grand in St. Paul!) is a "hole-in-the-wall" famous for their fantastic walleye. They also have a kiddie menu and some fishtanks that keep my kids happy.

And your five-year-old should definitely get to the MN Children's Museum. I disagree with the post that calls it small -- it is quite large -- and it is tons of fun for kids. It does get crowded on weekends and during the summer, but a weekday in May will be a great time to visit (especially on a Tuesday).

Your daughter will also love Camp Snoopy, Cereal Adventure and everything about the Mall of America. Also, take her to a Twins game -- it may be their last season and the games are quite fun for kids.

Skip Stillwater -- it's a wonderful place but not a kiddie favorite (antique shops just aren't that exciting for 5-year-olds). She might enjoy a Mississippi River paddleboat ride, though (can board in either Mpls or St. Paul).

And if your daughter likes books, take her to the the Wild Rumpus in Mpls -- she'll love it!

May should be a lovely time to visit. Have fun!

You'll love Minneapolis/St. Paul in June.All ages seem to enjoy Nora's on West Lake Street. Their turkey dinner is great (stuffing like Mom's)and you can get a good drink for a small price. Also I recommend doing the lake thing. You might want to check in to a tour of the city/cities by trolley or motorcoach (check the yellow pages) which would give you a great overview of everything. I like whatever production is on at Hey City Theater. Drive down Summit Avenue in St. Paul and see the glorious homes. Neighborhood walking tours of this area are fun since you learn about the history of the area which is fascinating and also see inside these posh places. The zoo in Apple Valley is wonderful and they have an IMAX there that usually has an interesting show.
Welcome to our friendly cities and please come again soon.