From family-friendly festivities to romantic fall foliage drives, Minnesota has you covered. Get out and celebrate the season before winter arrives! Below you’ll find a few of our top picks, but you can also visit ExploreMinnesota.com for a comprehensive guide to seasonal and year-round fun in the region.
Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular
@ Minnesota Zoo Now through Nov 3rd
Pack up the fam and head to the Minnesota Zoo, where you’ll stroll the grounds taking in over 5000 carved, illuminated pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, from ground to tree top. Also explore the zoo’s straw maze and on the weekends, enjoy special entertainment such as live music, costumed characters, carousel rides, and more.
Tickets must be purchased ahead of time via the MN Zoo website HERE.
Scenic Fall Colors Drive
Take a leisurely drive to see the fall colors changing before it’s too late. Up North the color rate has accelerated due to early frost, but we’ve still got plenty of colors popping in the middle and southern regions of the state. Check Explore MN for their weekly Fall Color Update — a guide to where to see the best fall colors by area. A nice romantic day trip with your partner or a treat for the kids, a fall foliage drive is a seasonal must-do.
While not an “official” tour expedition, Autumn is the perfect time to hit up local and regional breweries to sample their hand-crafted wares. Keep it local within the city limits (Northeast Minneapolis is a mecca for craft breweries) or take a jaunt in just about any direction in the state of Minnesota to discover new brews. In fact, the Growler Magazine has a “Land of 10,000 Drinks” map to help you figure out your destination — from breweries to distilleries.
Whether you’re moving in or moving out, organization is key when the big day comes. There are a variety of things you can do to pre-plan and keep yourself on task. Below we’ve laid out tips and tricks for a smooth, hassle-free move:
– Start a running list of tasks a month before the big move, and slowly check things off your list such as downsizing your closet, donating items you don’t want to bring along, and making plans such as securing a moving company, enlisting friends, reserving a van, having a place for the kids and pets to go for the day, and more.
– Instead o buying expensive moving boxes, head to your local grocery or liquor store and ask for any empty boxes they may have — odds are they’ll have plenty. Also a great tip for moving books and other stackable objects: open-top cardboard totes available at bigger grocery stores make carrying and sorting easy.
– Don’t be stuck the first night in a new home without your toothbrush! Figuring out what goes where can be overwhelming after a hard day of manual labor, so pre-packing an essentials bag will ensure you have everything you need the first night. Pack medications, a fresh change of clothes, hygiene products, device chargers, and more — you can unpack the rest tomorrow.
– Power up on moving day with healthy snacks while you work — your body and mind will thank you for it. Pack a small cooler full of high-protein snacks, fruit, veggies, and beverages to help keep you going and save time. Save the pizza and beer for AFTER you’re done!
– Ensure you leave your old home spic and span, and alternately, have a few supplies immediately on hand at your new place by putting together a caddy of basic cleaning supplies. Paper towels, spray cleaner, garbage bags, and more will come in handy as you do a final pass prior to turning in your keys.
Summer in Minnesota is a beautiful thing. Make the most of it before hibernation season returns by exploring what the Twin Cities has to offer — from neighborhood-wide art experiences to quirky hometown festivals. Here are a few of our top picks for epic summer fun this July:
Hopkins Raspberry Festival
July 13-21st (Main events 19-21st) / Hopkins, MN
Apparently Hopkins used to be a Raspberry growing mecca, and to this day the metro area suburb still celebrates its history with gusto. From parades, street fairs, and fireworks to fishing competitions, “Raspberry Royalty” coronations, a classic car show and oh-so much more, this quirky hometown festival is definitely worth experiencing. Learn more HERE.
Open Streets Minneapolis
July 21st / Lake St. & Minnehaha Ave.
Open Streets pops up in various neighborhoods all summer, with the most timely edition landing in South Minneapolis’ Lake & Minnehaha area. In an event that allows the community to take back the streets, literally, you’ll be free to traverse a mapped-out expanse of city streets closed down to automotive traffic. Ride bikes, walk, rollerblade, enjoy food vendors, community activities, fun, and games throughout the neighborhood. Learn more HERE.
FLOW Northside Arts Crawl
July 27th / Various Locations
Head over North for this vibrant community-wide art crawl, with artists, galleries, theaters, and businesses opening their doors to showcase the colorful work of creatives living and working in North Minneapolis. Enjoy performances, food vendors, and original art by over 300 artists of various backgrounds, ages, and mediums. Learn more HERE.
Loring Park Art Festival
July 27-28th / Loring Park
Take a stroll through Minneapolis’ Loring Park to discover over 140 artists showcasing their wares over the course of two days. Peruse original works in a wide variety of mediums and price points. A fun experience for the whole family, the Loring Park Art Festival also offers tasty food and drink options from local faves such as Anchor Fish & Chips, Sarah’s Tipsy Pies, and more. Learn more HERE.
Summer in Minnesota is full of unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences. From music festivals to small town novelty events, there’s always something fun (and often, weird) to discover in the land of 10,000 lakes. Take an affordable, close-to-home weekend adventure to check out something new. Road trip, anyone? Below you’ll find a few suggestions on cool and quirky events happening during the month of June:
40th Annual Woodtick Races
June 8th / The Woodtick Inn / Deerwood, MN
Only in Minnesota could you expect to find an event based on a woodland parasite. At the Woodtick Inn in beautiful Deerwood, MN, these bloodsuckers definitely get their moment in the sun. For 40 years, people have been showing up to “race” ticks on the Inn’s custom-made tick course. Human “jockeys” compete for cash and prizes, and also enjoy food, beer, entertainment, vendors, crafters, and more. Click HERE to visit the Woodtick Race’s Facebook event page
Nisswa-Stamman Scandinavian Folk Music Festival
June 7th-8th / Nisswa, MN
Experience Scandinavian cultural music and traditions at this annual festival, which features over 150 folk musicians performing on five stages. Enjoy two all-day dance floors, a children’s activity tent, and traditional Scandinavian food (hello, Smörgåsbord) set to the backdrop of beautiful Nisswa Pioneer Village. Learn more about the Nisswa-Stamman festival by clicking here
Turtle Fest
June 12-16th / Pelham, MN
Leave it up to Minnesotans to come up with a festival revolving around…turtles. Yes, Turtle Fest in Pelham, MN is an annual tradition that’s as cute as it sounds. A five day extravaganza, Turtle Fest features live music, food, kids activities, a street fair, a parade, a classic car show and of course, the town’s famous turtle races. Visit the Turtle Fest website by clicking here
Paul Bunyan Days
June 28-29th / Akeley, MN
The town of Akeley aka “The Birthplace of Paul Bunyan” is well-known for its annual festival honoring this iconic figure of American folklore. For the 71st year in a row, you can partake in Akeley’s celebration, with food, music, a tractor pull, Paul Bunyan look-a-like contest, parades, minnow and turtle races, a flea market, art show, and much, much more. Click here to learn more about Paul Bunyan Days
When you don’t have access to your own garden, but still want to bring the outside in, look into creating your very own container garden indoors. There are a wide variety of houseplants that can survive happily year round in your apartment. Not only do they bring a bit of vibrancy to your home, but they also purify the air — a great benefit for small spaces. In this post, we’ll fill you in on the hardiest houseplants and some fun ideas for indoor summer gardening to inspire your green thumb.
Easiest Herbs to Grow Indoors
Head to your local nursery or Home Depot store to peruse their wide selection of starter plants — they’re already well on their way to healthy growth and are easy to transplant into pretty terracotta or plastic planters. In a sunny window, try your hand at growing hearty herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, chives, and chervil. Learn some handy tips on indoor herb growing HERE.
Flowering Houseplants
Houseplants don’t need to be all leafy green varieties (though we love those too!). You can add a pop of color with low-light flowering plants such as Bromeliads, which have a tropical look and brightly hued, waxy flowers (Ikea carries these, and a great selection of other low-light thriving house plants, at affordable prices). We also love delicate African Violets, whose thick, fuzzy leaves and tiny purple blooms are both cheerful and charming. Click HERE for more flowering houseplant ideas.
Bonsai Trees
The beautiful Bonsai tree has long been connected to ancient customs and mind-balancing, zen practices. They thrive in warm environments, so in Minnesota, growing them indoors is ideal. Place in a sunny spot and enjoy incredibly low maintenance care and infrequent watering responsibilities. If you really want to get into the bonsai spirit, regularly trim and prune your tree to influence its shape. Find Bonsai online or head to Ikea’s garden department.
Hardy Leafy Varietals
Your local garden center is rife with good, hardy houseplants at affordable prices. Add some lush greenery to your apartment without worrying about needing full sunlight or dealing with finicky plants that need a lot of attention to survive. Fiddle Leaf Fig plants offer dark, waxy green leaves and grow high, not wide, saving you floor space. Pothos plants can be hung in a basket or potted normally, with tie-dye looking leafy vines that are known for their air purification properties. Learn more about many other wonderfully hardy houseplants HERE.
Spring is the perfect time to add some color and life to your space. Play with floral prints, tropical hues, plants, and more to bring energy and good vibes inside, and reflect the colors of the season. Here are a few suggestions:
Ikea Plants & Decor
Redecorate without breaking the bank by raiding Ikea for cute home decor, accent pieces, and yes….plants! We particularly love Ikea’s seasonal selections, from hardy house plants and succulents to delicate orchids and more. Their artificial flower and plant selection is nice as well, if you don’t have a green thumb. Pick up cute pots, baskets, and accessories to bring the outside in this Spring.
Artist-Designed Decor
www.society6.com
A one-stop-shop for artist-designed art and decor, Society 6 allows you to select from thousands of creative options in the realm of art prints, pillow cases, shower curtains, furniture, and more. If you fancy yourself an artist, you can also upload your own designs and personalize your interior in more ways than one.
Mirror, Mirror
The easiest way to open up your space, create a brighter mood, and reflect color and light is by decorating with mirrors. Create a salon-style wall hanging installation with small vintage mirrors, or go big with an over-sized piece that you can lean against the wall. Mirrors make any space feel bigger, so if you’re feeling a bit claustrophobic in any room, try this stylish, functional, and easy solution.
Embrace the deep freeze and celebrate the Minnesota way — by bundling up and exploring the great outdoors. Get together with family and friends to explore the Ice Castles attraction in Excelsior, MN, a winter wonderland that’s fun for all ages. Wander among hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by ice artists and marvel at LED-lit sculptures throughout. Wind your way through the ice caves, climb a tower, and take the fun way down on a solid ice slide. A unique winter adventure, close to home!
You’ll warm up with fire dancers and hula hoopers from Insphyre Performance, who beautifully contrast the icy backdrop with their fiery talents from 6-9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. For the kids, come on Saturday or Sunday afternoons between 12-5pm to take a photo with the enchanted Frozen sisters.
For more info, hours of operation, and to purchase tickets in advance (recommended) click HERE.
The holidays are officially upon us, and gift-giving abounds! For those last-minute shoppers who looking for something unique, there are multiple local pop-up markets still happening this week in the Twin Cities. Buy one-of-a-kind gifts from a wide variety of local artisans and makers to delight the loved ones on your list. Not, to mention, you’ll also be supporting independent artists — a win-win!
#ShopJXTA Pop-up Shop @ Juxtaposition Arts
Now through Thursday, Dec 20th (10am-4pm daily)
Snap up handmade art, ceramics, screen-printed textiles and much more at Juxtaposition Arts, made by JXTA’s young adult apprentices.
Through Dec 23rd (Wed 11-5, Thurs-Fri 11-7, Sat-Sun 11-4)
A long-standing tradition at Minneapolis contemporary art space, SooVAC, the annual Artists’ Holiday Shop is an excellent chance to get your mittens on art from some of the city’s favorite creatives — at accessible price points.
Host to a fantastic selection of craftspeople, artisan food producers, and ready-to-eat food makers, the Linden Hills Holiday Market is an eclectic shopping experience with over 60 vendors.
For the serious last-minute shopper, this evening pop-up combines cocktails and Christmas shopping. Enjoy holiday-themed sips while perusing a curated selection of local makers and artisans.
Apple orchard season is drawing to a close, and this weekend is likely one of the last you’ll have to partake in the joys of apple pickin’. Luckily, there are quite a few orchards close to home — many located less than an hour from the Twin Cities. A great place for a cute day-date or a fun activity for the kids, a trip to the apple orchard is a quintessential Minnesota past-time — and extremely affordable as well. Check out our “picks” for the best orchards in the area, and enjoy!
Aamodt’s Apple Farm
Located near charming Stillwater, MN, you can make a day of your visit to this cute apple farm by following it up with dinner or drinks in town. Aamodt’s offers plenty of things to do, such as wine-tasting, hanging out with goats, strolling the picturesque grounds, and more. Kids will love it too, with such activities as a tractor-pulled kiddie train and treasure hunts. Stop by the store and bakery to take home your own bushel of fresh apples and a variety of baked goods, jams, and much more.
Open daily, 10am – 6pm / Free Admission (some individual activities may be additional)
Just a hop, skip and a jump from the Twin Cities, this White Bear Lake-based orchard is fun for the whole fam. Solve Pine Tree Orchard’s intricate corn maze, explore the grounds, take a scenic wagon ride, pony ride for kids, or hang out in the yard for live music on the weekends. Pick your own, or stop by the store and bakery to buy fresh apples (over 20 varieties!) and related treats, including their famous apple pies.
Open Daily, 9am – 6pm / Free Admission (some individual activities may be additional)
450 Apple Orchard Road, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
(651) 429-7202
This adorable orchard features a number of entertaining activities, such as a 15 acre corn maze, petting zoo, tractor rides, live music, a huge playground for kids, and shopping in their on-site store, where you can scoop up all manners of seasonal treats to take home. Visit Afton’s expansive pumpkin patch — just in time for Halloween!
Open daily, 10am – 6pm / Free Admission (some individual activities may be additional)
14421 90th St S, Hastings, MN 55033
(651) 436-8385
They don’t call Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes for nothing! The Twin Cities are home to many great parks, lakes, and yes, picnic areas. This summer, get out of your apartment and enjoy the fresh air with
friends and family. Below, we’ve listed a handful of the best spots to enjoy a meal in the great outdoors, without straying too far from home.
Minnehaha Park & Falls
A quintessential Minnesota experience, Minnehaha Falls is the perfect picnicking destination. Not only do they have ample picnic table and grilling stations throughout the upper park area, but you can stroll the trail at the base of the falls all the way to the Mississippi River if you’re so inclined. For those who’d rather dine than picnic, the seasonal Sea Salt Eatery just adjacent to the Falls offers a delicious variety of fresh fish options.
Located along the mighty Mississippi off River Road in St. Paul, this tucked away gem offers multiple covered and open picnic areas. Stroll along the river’s edge and the boat launch, or explore a number of scenic trails that lead to, you guessed it, a beautiful hidden water fall. Stop off in nearby Highland Park afterwards, for frozen yogurt or to browse a variety of cute shops and boutiques.
A popular spot with sweeping views of the downtown Minneapolis skyline and the Mississippi River, Boom Island Park offers both covered and exposed picnic areas. Grill out, then take a serene stroll along the waterfront path and watch the boats drift by. Just a hop, skip, and a jump to the Stone Arch Bridge, and Northeast Minneapolis, there is plenty to do and see in the area.
One of the most active outdoor spots in the Twin Cities, Bde Make Ska (formerly known as Lake Calhoun) is a fun, scenic destination with plenty of great places to picnic. Bring your suit and hit the beach, walk or bike the perimeter of the lake, or rent a number of different watercrafts for the complete experience.
As an apartment dweller, you may not have your own private backyard, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate the season in style! In today’s post, we offer a few fun, easy and affordable ways you can bring a little summer fun to apartment living.
Grow a Mason Jar Garden
Just because you live in a small space, doesn’t mean you can’t exercise your green thumb. A sunny window or patio is all you need to grow your own mini herb or flower garden! In this helpful YouTube tutorial, learn how to make your own DIY garden using mason jars and crates. A alternative to mason jars would be to paint small terra cotta pots in fun colors and designs.
Create a Floral Canvas
Summer is all about color, and while you’re apartment may seem small, there’s no reason not to go big with blooms! In this super easy tutorial from Michael’s craft store, you’ll learn how to make a faux flower canvas that will light up the room (and show off your creativity). Consider doing a number of mini canvases that just feature flowers, to create a pretty grid installation on your wall. Floral canvases also make great gifts!
Jazz It Up With Washi Tape
Totally removable and totally awesome, washi tape is a great way to change up your apartment each season without fear of damaging walls. This Japanese rice paper tape is similar to masking tape, and come with fun colors and patterns galore. Create an abstract, freestyle mural or pattern treatment on your wall; place colorful accents around the house and more. Check out some fun ideas in this video, but also google or Pinterest “Washi tape projects” to see the many ways people use it for interior design.
While convenient and comfortable, apartment living can sometimes have us dreaming of spacious entryways, chef-worthy kitchens and sprawling floor plans. However, just because you don’t have the square footage, doesn’t mean you can’t open up your space and make it feel beautiful, bright and airy. Today, we’ll run down a few tips and tricks we’ve picked up over the years — enjoy!
Mirror, Mirror
Do not underestimate the optical illusion power of mirrors when it comes to making your space feel twice as big. Add a large mirror above your couch or mantle, or create a mirror wall with smaller, decorative mirrors hung in a creative way. A large, framed mirror leaned up against a wall is a casually tasteful way to open up the room too. It’s easy to find affordable mirrors on Craigslist, at garage sales or at discount retailers around town. Click HERE for more tips on decorating with mirrors.
Clean Color Schemes
Using light, luminous color tones to decorate your space creates an effortless brightening effect. Textiles and furniture in shades of white, soft greys, fun pastels and lighter wood selections will give you that spacious feeling without a heavy focal point in any room. Love color? No problem. Balance those light tones with vibrant potted plants, a few colorful throw pillows and of course, works of art.
Making the Most of Windows
Ok, so your apartment’s window game may not be 100%, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of what you have. Avoid heavy curtains or blinds that can’t easily be retracted or hidden. Choose lighter colors when it comes to your window treatments, and look for textiles that allow light to penetrate without sacrificing privacy. Keep the areas near windows clear of clutter or furniture — instead opting for a window-sill height platform, slim bench or console table for potted plants or decorative items.
Declutter Your Life
It’s easy for small spaces to become overwhelming when it comes to staying organized. Keep on top of it all by creating a system that works for you. Whether it’s throwing out or donating things you don’t need on a weekly, monthly or seasonal basis, or developing clever storage solutions, your apartment will feel that much more open and clean with a few adjustments. Click HERE for some tips on decluttering.
We were incredibly proud to be honored, with our General Manager Amy Gonyea, at the Hopkins VFW on Monday for our work with homeless veterans. The great men and women of our Armed Services deserve to be treated with the honor and respect that they have earned in protecting all of us and our great country.
We are happy to do our part in ensuring that homeless veterans find homes and do our best to help within our communities.
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