besides mall of america-what else to do nearby?
 

i was thinking of visiting the mall of america, but wanted to know what else there is to see and do within reasonable vicinity. (say no more than 20 mile radius). recommedations for lodging? dining? etc. i hate cold weather, so whens the best for me to visit?

There is a light rail service between Mall Of America and downtown Minneapolis. DH, DD and I took that when we explored the area. Minneapolis has some great museums, lots of hiking/biking trails and more. If you hate the cold, summer or early fall are your best bets.

There's a great world-class art museum (free!!) in Minneapolis, the lake parks are beautiful to walk around if the weather is good, and ther's a large casino a short drive away.

What do you like to see and do? What do you consider "cold" weather? It's about 65 here today - a bit chilly at night but much better weather than a week ago when it was over 90 and somewhat humid.

im in dallas, so anything below about 50F is considered cold. we hardly ever see ice, save for about 5 days out of the whole winter season. 60f-80f is ideal weather to me. thanks for the tip about the light rail service, that will come as resourceful for planning my trip, dining, lodging, etc.

Sorry to hijack, but if I may....I'm planning to visit my niece at Macalester College at the end of October. She'll be busy studying, of course, so I know I'll have some time to myself. I don't have a hotel yet, but is there a good halfway point between Macalester and the Mall of America? can I get away with not having a car? I will only be there 3 full days. I arrive on the evening of 10/23 and leave 10/27 in the morning. I'm debating on driving since I will be traveling alone and am directionally challenged!

Are you planning on going up to Minneapolis mainly to see the Mall of America? We did this a few years ago because we found a cheap flight from St. Louis and I was curious but I found the whole thing quite disappointing. The mall itself is interesting because its so big but honestly 3/4 of the stores there were stores you can find in just about any mall and the others were tacky souvenir shops. And the mall is huge but there are several stores that are in numerous locations. The aquarium was nice but expensive for what it is. I liked Minneapolis just fine, although it was beyond freezing when we were there (February), but I definitely wouldn't make a special trip back there just for the mall. Our trip is actually something of a running joke between DH and myself!

Just my .02.

Tracy

"I'm debating on driving since I will be traveling alone and am directionally challenged!"

Melissa, that is because the roads go around in a circle in Hawaii and Lahaina noon when the sun is in the north rather than the south in the summer.

My favorite places in the area:

Mall of America

Mystic Lake Casino

Minnehaha Falls

Summit Avenue mansions - This is close to Macalester College

Stillwater/Taylors Falls area about 15 miles east then north of St. Paul

Capital building in St. Paul

Cherokee Park - overlooks St. Paul

Nice sites:

www.minnesotaexplorer.com

www.minnesota-visitor.com

LOL dusty...here in cyberspace you <i>sound</i> like you're kidding, but that's EXACTLY why!!

Mireaux - If below 50 is cold, then I'd say mid-June to late August is your best bet. You run the risk of hitting a brief cold spell if you come much earlier or later than that.

Melissa - Macalester is about 15 minutes from MOA so I don't know that you need a halfway point. If you're OK with taking cabs everywhere you'll be fine, but I'd guess that a rental car would wind up being cheaper. The metro really isn't that big so it would be tough to get totally lost. If you do take rely on taxis, I think the airport is the only place where you can actually find them waiting for a fare. Everywhere else you have to call for one and wait 'til it shows up.

Can I just take the metro everywhere?

There's one light rail line that runs from Bloomington (MOA and airport) to downtown Minneapolis. Anything else and you either take a cab or bus.

We spent 5 days there in July and were on the run every day. St. Paul has the Science Museum, Como Park, the Padelford Packet boat ride, the Cathedral, State Capitol, History Museum, and Stillwater is a great short day trip away. In Minneapolis the Nicollet Mall is worth the trip, the Sculpture Museum (outside), the view from the Guthrie theater is great, Lake Calhoun is a wonderful picnic place, the Mill City Museum is interesting, and there are several good restaurants in the area. Of course I researched the trip for two months on the internet before we left.

Melissa

Rent a car. They are not very expensive at MSP and I don't know of any hotels/motels in the area that charge for parking.

It is not difficult finding your way around Twin Cities.