Short December leisure trip. What's open? (restaurants, military, shop)

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by demtion35

Just want to experience a few days of exploring. Hiking, nothing better.

Any great public places to see? Tons of places, all open, and it involves hiking.

Where would you suggest hiking in the Twin Cities?

[demtion35]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Where would you suggest hiking in the Twin Cities?

Maybe around Minnehaha Falls down by the river or up to or the trails out by Calhoun Parkway, there are lot of them.

Mill Ruins Park? I know, right? And agree, where is there good hiking in the Twin Cities? But there must be a lot of great trails. Have to be, but where?

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by demtion35

Maybe around Minnehaha Falls down by the river or up to or the trails out by Calhoun Parkway, there are lot of them.

Mill Ruins Park? I know, right? And agree, where is there good hiking in the Twin Cities? But there must be a lot of great trails. Have to be, but where?

You can walk along any of the lakes or creeks and I often do, but I’m not sure I’d advise a lady interested in shopping to make an entire day of it in December.

[slamont61]

No telling what mother nature will bring but I'm pretty sure the 'gov' will extend what measures are in place.

Plenty to do and see outside as stated above. Take-out food now easier than ever, no issues there.

Go for it.

[military spouse]

Thanks for the suggestions! I didn't realize that one can't eat within a restaurant. Hiking sounds great, and I appreciate the suggestions of different areas. I hate malls, but was hoping there might be some unique "downtown" type shops open. Really, MSP remains high on our list of possible relocation cities and I want to see it during the winter. I took two trips in one week a year or two ago, and just loved walking on Summit Ave in the rain, Como Park, and all the walking trails. I think we may just spend a night or two, since there isn't too much open right now. Hubby works for an airline, so he's used to Uber Eats and Grubhub

[Velo Rider]

If the weather holds like its supposed to, it should be good for hiking, assuming that hiking when is sunny and 40 degrees isn't too harsh of conditions for you.

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by military spouse

Thanks for the suggestions! I didn't realize that one can't eat within a restaurant. Hiking sounds great, and I appreciate the suggestions of different areas. I hate malls, but was hoping there might be some unique "downtown" type shops open. Really, MSP remains high on our list of possible relocation cities and I want to see it during the winter. I took two trips in one week a year or two ago, and just loved walking on Summit Ave in the rain, Como Park, and all the walking trails. I think we may just spend a night or two, since there isn't too much open right now. Hubby works for an airline, so he's used to Uber Eats and Grubhub

That’s great!! Here are some of my suggestions for you:

Take a walk around the capital grounds(lots of monuments and memorials) and Cathedral Hill.

FYI, I used to live downtown and moved before the COVID lockdown in March. I moved because of crime and the amount of shots fired I could hear outside my abode. Since the lockdown, crime has increased exponentially in St Paul. There is a homeless encampment downtown in Kellogg Park where the tents are wall to wall. I am not sure what is happening around the capitol. Just be aware of your surroundings.

You could also walk around the Walker Arts Center sculpture garden and the Stone Arch Bridge.

For shopping, a unique store to check out is The General Store of Minnetonka.

https://generalstoreofminnetonka.com/

Another quirky idea is to look up roadside attractions. We haven’t really driven around town to check them out but we occasionally will look to see what’s out there when we travel out and about. They’re generally not much to look at, but it’s just a way to see the city.

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/mn


I hope you enjoy your time here and do come back to let us know how your visit went....good, bad, or otherwise.

[windchill]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Where would you suggest hiking in the Twin Cities?

Crosby Farm Regional Park

https://www.stpaul.gov/facilities/cr...-regional-park

Fort Snelling Regional Park

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_pa...ml?id=spk00154

Hike through these areas and you would never know you’re in the middle of a major metropolitan area.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by windchill

Crosby Farm Regional Park

https://www.stpaul.gov/facilities/cr...-regional-park

Fort Snelling Regional Park

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_pa...ml?id=spk00154

Hike through these areas and you would never know you’re in the middle of a major metropolitan area.

Actually, the planes over Ft Snelling kind of give it away.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

We discovered a decent regional park the other day called Lebanon Hills in Eagan. There were alot of different trails there for walking and it looked like it would be a good place to do some cross country skiing as well.