Hello and welcome back to Nomad Dad Life!
Forgive the delay of this post, but the wifi is a bit spotty traveling through the Canadian wilderness to Alaska where we currently are. That journey will be told later, though! This post will finish Minnesota before we head out to our next blog destination. We will be focusing on the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and the surrounding Metro area. If you haven’t read previous posts, please do so here. Let’s dive into our last chapter in Minnesota!
Target Field and US Bank Stadium
Growing up a sports fan in Minnesota is a uniquely miserable experience. Every year they give you just enough hope to think this might be the year. They might finally put everything together and do something in the playoffs. Almost every year is the same story, though. For every Minneapolis Miracle there is a Gary Anderson or Blair Walsh moment just waiting for you. Do I still have high hopes for the Vikings this year? Damn right. Am I ready for the disappointment? Damn right. The only question really is will it be after week one of the playoffs or week two? I know the Vikings lost today, but I’ll just leave this here for next year. At least we have the Timberwolves and know better than to get any excitement for them. . .
Built in 2010, Target Field is home to the Minnesota Twins in the warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. It was built as primarily a baseball stadium, but it has also hosted football, soccer, and hockey games as well as concerts. There really isn’t a bad seat to watch the game from in this stadium. The Budweiser roof deck features the only bonfire in a Major League Baseball stadium.
US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, was opened in 2016. The stadium has hosted a Super Bowl, the X Games, an NCAA Final Four, as well as concerts and many other events. It is consistently rated in the top 5 of best stadiums in the NFL. This is because every seat is great to watch the game. It’s enclosed so you don’t have to worry about the weather, and it has some of the best food options in the NFL.
The teams might let you down, but the stadiums sure won’t!
Parks
Como Park is a park, zoo, and conservatory in St. Paul. It is very popular and attracts almost 2 million visitors a year. The park also has an amusement park, carousel, golf course, swimming pool, and Como Lake. The lake is surrounded by walking trails and has a fishing pier on the south end. The park hosts many events throughout the year and has cafes, food carts, and gift shops.
Minnehaha Park is one of the most popular parks in Minneapolis. It is known for the 53-foot waterfall cascading down its limestone bluffs. There are many gardens located within the park, as well as 3 historical sites– the Longfellow House, Princess Depot, and John H. Stevens House.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the United States. It is 11 acres and features 40 permanent art pieces in addition to several rotating pieces. This garden is where many people go to relax or walk the paths.
Located in Shakopee, Minnesota, Valleyfair is a 125 acre amusement park that features over 75 rides and attractions. Soak City is a waterpark located in Valleyfair and is included with the price of admission. Also at no additional charges are many different types of live entertainment. There are musical acts, battle of the bands, acrobatics, dog shows, magic shows, and comedy acts.
Mall of America
The Mall of America is the largest mall in the United States and attracts about 42 million people annually. There are more than 500 stores across the 3 levels of the mall. Despite Minnesota’s cold winters, only the mall’s entrances and some below ground areas are heated. Heat comes in through skylights above the central amusement park area. Most of the heat is produced by lighting fixtures, other electric devices, and people in the mall.
Attractions at Mall of America
Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor theme park located in the center of the mall. It is the largest indoor theme park in the United States. The rides include the roller coasters SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Fairly Odd Coaster, Back at the Barnyard Hayride, Avatar Airbender, and a thrill ride called BrainSurge. It also has a miniature golfing section called Moose Mountain. This miniature golf course features 18 holes and a relatively fast astroturf surface.
Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium is a 1.3-million-gallon aquarium located at the Mall of America. It contains thousands of species of animals including sea turtles, sharks, sawfish, stingrays, jellyfish, and seahorses. It features a 300-foot clear acrylic tunnel which has 4 different areas featuring fresh and saltwater fish. The aquarium also has special events such as sleepovers, scuba diving, snorkeling, and birthday parties.
Food and Drink
There is no shortage of restaurants and breweries in the Twin City area. Too many to go into detail about so I’ll just list some of our favorites:
Surley Brewing
Fulton Beer
Summit Brewing Company
Fair State Brewing Cooperative (That’s right; it’s a co-op and only the 3rd brewery in the nation to be a co-op at the time it was founded!)
Spoon and Stable
Manny’s Steakhouse
Matt’s Bar
Places we won’t be going back to in Minnesota
The Crayola Experience is located in the Mall of America and features over 25 hands-on attractions. In our experience these were mostly quick things that didn’t hold our kids’ attention for very long. The only part they stayed at longer than 5 minutes was the indoor playground. For the price of admission, we could go to other indoor play areas multiple times and the kids would have just as much fun, if not more.
Upcoming and Links
That will wrap up our Minnesota segment. Up next we head out on the Oregon Trail! Remember to follow our journey on social media as well. Click one of the icons below!
Target Field https://www.mlb.com/twins/ballpark
US Bank Stadium https://www.usbankstadium.com/
Como Park https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/como-regional-park
Minnehaha Park https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks-destinations/parks-lakes/minnehaha_regional_park/
Mall of America https://www.mallofamerica.com/
Comments by christopherrylander
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