The Great Big Wonder

There is something to be said about Minnesota, the people are nice and the twin cities are gorgeous. A while back, at the beginning of my four-month tour, my teammate and I stayed just outside of Minneapolis in Apple Valley. It was a suburban town, and everyone was kind, friendly and helpful.

Our Airbnb hosts were sublime, the house was gorgeous and everything we needed was near us. It felt like being at home, but still far enough away. We were staying in a two-story home that backed up to a pond, the neighborhood was quiet and a perfect escape all while being only 30 minutes till the city.

The twin cities area has an incredible number of things to do, so I figured I would put together a list of things I believe you should hit if ever in the area.
Near Minneapolis:

The Mall of America:

The first thing to see is the Mall of America. The Mall of America is the largest mall in the United States, and if you’re looking for a good indoor activity or a fun day of shopping I suggest stopping by. The MOA is massive, budget a large amount of time for shopping, dining and visiting Nickelodeon Universe. The mall is packed with great stores, including duplicates of stores so you don’t have to change levels as many times. I recommend checking out Ragstock, it’s a funky thrift/new items store that sells an eclectic array of clothing. Ragstock had everything from old 80’s sweaters, to Boy Scout uniforms, to brand new funky clothes. I may have picked up a weird cat shirt from here that I’m obsessed with.

Now my favorite part of the mall is Nickelodeon Universe, a seven-acre theme park that sits smack dab in the center of the mall. The rides may seem little and childish but one of them may or may not have scared the life out of me. We went on a few of the coasters and rode Ghost Blasters (an interactive laser tag ride), the Avatar Airbender ride is awesome. You’re strapped into spinning seats on a U-shaped track and then shot up the 70-foot track into the air. The track stops about 10 feet from the ceiling and I fully believed that we were going to Willy Wonka glass elevator our way out of the mall. If you have kids or you’re a kid at heart I suggest getting a few points (it’s how you buy your way onto the rides) and having a bit of fun during your mall trip. We went on an off day, and an employee ended up giving us about $40 of free rides, it was a wonderful surprise.  Entry to the mall and Nick Universe is free (the rides cost) and parking was ample.

The Minnesota Zoo:

The Minnesota Zoo is a fun way to spend a sunny day in Minnesota, we had the day off and it was a perfect way to get outdoors and enjoy ourselves. The zoo is designed in a loop which makes walking a breeze as you follow one trail and you see almost all the exhibits (except for the farm animals). My personal favorite enclosures were the buffalo, moose, and wolves that call Minnesota home. Along the Zoo’s Minnesota trail you can see animals native to the state and collect a little stamp page with facts. You stamp the paper at each enclosure, with an image of the animal and some facts about it, although it’s aimed at children my teammate and I ran around joyfully trying to fill our pages. At the tiger exhibit, you can move a radar around that detects a chip in the Tiger’s collar, this allows you to look for and find the tiger even when it’s not visible. I’m not a massive proponent of zoos for my own personal reasons however, I did have a good time at the zoo and was glad we visited.

Minneapolis:

Hell’s Kitchen

If you’re in downtown Minneapolis a great place to grab lunch is Hell’s Kitchen. Hell’s Kitchen is close to public parking and in the heart of downtown. It’s located in a building with a few other restaurants and requires you walking down a flight of red and black stairs making you really feel like you’re descending into a classy version hell. When my teammate and I visited the restaurant, it was crowded and the tables were full even on a weekday which is a testament to the food. The menu is not the cheapest but it wasn’t overly expensive either, burgers were about 15 bucks a pop including French fries. Hell’s Kitchen locally sources ingredients, meaning everything was fresh you could tell the menu was carefully crafted. For my lunch, I opted to splurge a little and got the bison burger and fries. The burger was cooked to perfection the fries were crispy, and the house-made ketchup was delicious. The food was totally worth the price.

Glam Doll Donuts:

When you’re ready for dessert or breakfast head over to Glam Doll Donuts. As of this posting, they have two locations, both home to delectable fresh donuts. If there is one thing I love in life it’s a good donut. The store is decorated like a great 50’s throwback and the one on Eat Street features art made by locals. The donuts are as delicious as they are pretty. I grabbed two donuts, Pucker Up and Starlet. Pucker is a cake donut topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting and a vanilla lemon drizzle. The lemon and cream cheese balanced each other out perfectly creating a tangy and refreshing donut. The starlet was a raised donut with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, it too was delicious yet Pucker Up really gets my vote. Each donut was between 1-3 dollars. The newer location offers meals, but only the eat street location offers vegan donuts. (P.S. If you like donuts check out my post all about donuts here.) 

The Minneapolis Institute of Art:

The Minneapolis Institute of Art is within walking distance of Glam Doll Donuts on Eat Street. My teammate and I enjoyed our stroll to ‘walk-off our donuts’ before heading to the museum. General Admission to the Minneapolis Institute of Art or Mia, is free which was a huge selling point for me. The MIA has a beautiful view of Downtown Minneapolis and a few interesting collections particularly their modern art and photography sections.

Saint Paul:

Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota, and architecturally stunning. I honestly wish that we had spent more time exploring this area, it will always be something I regret (it’s also a good excuse to go back). We did, however, see a few cool things.

 Endless Bridge:

Connected to the bright blue Guthrie Theater, you can take an escalator up to the endless bridge. The bridge stretches 178 feet from the theater offering a sweeping view of the Mississippi River. Many of the windows are forced perspective windows which highlight historical buildings that surround the theater. Step outside (if the weather is nice enough) to get the prettiest view of the river you’ll probably ever get. If you ask you may even get a chance to head up to the ninth floor to the Amber Box for another wicked view, it’s a bit high and the amber glass gives the room a trippy feel. It’s free to visit the Endless Bridge; you do not need a theater ticket to visit. Ticket prices for the shows weren’t all that expensive so if you have the time, check one out and give back to the arts.

The Mississippi River from the Endless Bridge in Siant Paul MN.

Cathedral of Saint Paul:

The Cathedral of Saint Paul is architecturally stunning. The Cathedral build began in 1907 and was completed in 1958. Located a few blocks from the History Center and the Minnesota Capitol building, it’s certainly not out of the way for a good day of exploring history, religion and politics. According to the Cathedral website, it was established in 2012 as a “bond of spiritual ” between the Basilica of Saint Paul outside of Rome and the Cathedral. This means you reap the same spiritual benefits making a pilgrimage to MN as you do going to Rome. Even if you’re not Catholic, the Cathedral will certainly make your jaw drop. The striking architecture, stained glass, and the impressively adorned rotunda are worth the visit. My particular favorite is The Shrine of the Nations. A series of patron saints from the European ethnic groups that first settled into the area. The Cathedral offers docent-led tours and so I suggest you check out what times they are available.

Scott’s Fitzgerald House:

A mile or so away from the Cathedral is the F. Scott Fitzgerald House, a Registered National Historic Landmark. 599 Summit Ave is the house where Fitzgerald wrote the famous, “This Side of Paradise”. The row house was up for sale when we were visiting, and included the price and room numbers which were totally interesting. Its located in a gorgeous and historical part of Saint Paul and the neighborhood includes homes of several other famous writers. Minnesota’s Historical Society offers 75-minute walking tours of the area including the Summit Ave. house, Fitzgerald’s birthplace, and other important houses. If you can’t get on a tour, park on the street and take a stroll yourself to marvel at the historical architecture the entire neighborhood offers.

Food Chains:

So I must admit, there are two shining stars of the Chain food world in Minnesota; Dunn Brother’s Coffee and Pizza Ranch.

Dunn Brother’s offers delicious fresh roasted coffee, as well as teas. They roast their coffee in 7-pound batches, several times a day, to ensure that the coffee you receive is the freshest and delicious money can buy. Their teas are all loose leaf and smell delicious. I ordered a fresh Ghirardelli brownie at the location I visited and it was one of the heaviest brownies I have ever had. Essentially only located in the Midwest, I urge you to check out Dunn Brothers and become obsessed yourself.

Pizza Ranch is a pizza buffet, and my teammate and I fell in love with it. I’m not a huge fan of Pizza or buffets but this was a fun and inexpensive place to eat. Nothing is particularly amazing, however, at lunchtime for about 10 bucks you get access to everything; 9 pizzas, a fried chicken buffet including veggies, potatoes, and comfort foods, a salad bar and a dessert bar. The best part is if you don’t see your preferred pizza let the employees know and they will make the pizza fresh and bring you the first slice. The dessert pizzas are delicious especially the Cactus Bread.

Thanks for reading all about Minnesota, let me know what you think. 

Ashlee Polarek

-Over and Out