Poor grad student in MN winter seeks fun things to do!
 

Hi all,
I am doing a 3-month internship in Rochester, MN and will have weekends free. Any tips about things to do near Rochester (including the Twin Cities)? I have a limited budget and somewhat limited time, but wanted to put some feelers out anyway. Thanks!

(I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking -- but I know it's winter, foreign/art films, theater, dance, live music, and diverse food options, especially vegetarian-friendly options like Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, etc.)

Rent a pair of snowshoes and try some trails.

Cross country skiing. Hard to believe how much you can sweat at 0 degrees. Ditto with snowshoeing. Snowshoes for deep snow, skis for hard or shallow snow.

Embrace the winter. Embrace Minnesota.

You can cross county ski or snowshoe pretty much anywhere. Theodore Wirth Park and Lake Minnewashta Regional Parks are two of my favorites. Down hill ski or snowboard at Hyland or Buck Hill.

The weekend of the 18th is the US Pond Hockey Tournament on Lake Nokomis. Always a super fun time. The 19th is Hockey Day Minnesota so catch one of the many, many games.

The next weekend is the North American Pond Hockey Tournament on Lake Minnetonka.

Hockeyed out? Visit the Walker and tour the Sculpture Garden. It is fun in the snow. Go see a play at the Guthrie. Try to get tickets to Book of Mormon which is in town in February.

See a Twolves game. Yes, Kevin Love broke his hand...again... but Rubio is playing! The Lakers are in town later this month so that should be a fun game.

The Mall of America isn't my favorite place but they have an Ice Castle that could be fun. I prefer the Ice Bar at the Chambers Hotel.

For live music, try 1st Avenue, the Dakota (if Davina and the Vagabonds are playing, go see them...great fun). See if 4 on the Floor is playing anywhere.

Sadly, the one thing that will be hard is diverse food options. There just are not a lot of restaurants that do ethnic well here. If you want to have a fabulous meal at a surprisingly reasonable price, go to Robbinsdale. Yes, in Robbinsdale in a little storefront you will find Travail Kitchen and Amusements. Probably one of the all time best restaurants ever to hit the Cities.

The St. Paul Winter Carnival is coming up.

Really, there is a ton to do.

Off to the library or book store for a copy of Mpls/St.Paul Magazine to find out what's happening in "the Cities". Each issue has a listing of Cities restaurants.
Search their web page:
http://mspmag.com/

Take the bus up to the Mall of America to see the ice castle before it melts. (41 here today!)

Plug in "Rochester" to the Explore Mn web page to find event. Lots of culture right in town there.
http://www.exploreminnesota.com/events/index.aspx

Listen to Cities 97 radio for upcoming events.

Search Ebay or StubHub for last minute tickets to sports, theater or music events on the cheap.

Look into whitewater state park- great hiking summer or winter, and if your a fishermen- good winter trout fishing.