Five days in the Twin Cities in April...good time to come? (St. Paul: renting, coop)

[kentuckydad95]

Are little family was considering going to DC at first, but that might be hell for a 2 y/o, so we are thinking of driving up to your area for five days or so. Yes, the MOA will be big on our list, as well as the zoo. We are thinking of staying in Bloomington and taking the train into the city to do some exploring. What should we explore that is family oriented? Is the weather generally good or bad in April? All help is appreciated.

PS: Was Jesse Ventura a good or bad governor? I am reading his book, is why I ask.

[StilltheSame]

There are a ton of parks in and about the lakes. The Sculpture garden might be fun even for a 2 year old. There is a Children's Museum that has hands on - there is also a children's theater company (but I dont think that will entertain a 2 year old). My kids are older but love Valleyfair if you also have older children.

[Haver]

April's kind of dicey weather-wise - snow and high 20's one day, 70 the next, and places like Valleyfair don't open until Memorial day. If you can hold off until May you'll be hitting perfect weather. Since you'll be in Bloomington hitting the mall Fort Snelling can be kind of fun (in the way that public radio listeners define "fun" but they do fire a cannon twice a day) if you hit it when the reenactors are active.

Edinburough park in Edina is a nice calming pit stop to bring a fussy 2 year old and QCumbers in the same complex is a rarity in being a high quality, low price, and reasonably healthy family buffet. The galleria nearby is very nice for high-end shopping (or window shopping) and is more manageable than the megama--er, Mall of America which can be a bit overwhelming. Don't waste any time on Southdale, its gone through too many management changes and only has generic shopping center fare nowadays even if it was the nation's first indoor mall.

The light rail can take you to Minnehaha falls which is worth a stop. If the farmer's market is ongoing on Nicollet Mall downtown (you'll have to look around to check the schedule) it would be on a Thursday and worth checking out, but unless you have a specific destination in mind downtown is pretty much just a place to work during the day or club at night. The global market on Lake Street is also very much worth a trip.

Doing the "Grand Rounds" can be a nice driving tour, and there's a giant rabbit on Minnehaha Parkway (somewhere between Nicollet and Cedar) your kids might want to watch out for. Also, walk around Linden Hills (43rd & Upton, very close to the grand rounds route) and stop at the Great Harvest bakery for some amazing breads and sweets, and browse the coop and other shops in the neighborhood. 50 France is also nice but I prefer Linden Hills.

As for Ventura - our governors in order:
Perpich - governor goofy (had a lot of wild ideas but some of them payed off spectacularly)
Carlson - governor grumpy (but one of the most honest and diligent and generally compassionate governors we've ever had)
Ventura - governor greedy (lucked out with a hot economy, passed a law which cut registration fees for his collector cars, incredibly egotistical but the other candidates self-destructed)
Pawlenty -governor smug (depending on your politics, either governor point fingers, hurt the most vulnerable and read Karl Rowe's playbook" or "governor hold the line on taxes" - he's kind of like a competent GW Bush without the religious nuttery).

[uptown_urbanist]

All of the ideas in the posts above are excellent. To build on the Linden Hills suggestion, there's a great toy store there (Creative Kidstuff) and an excellent children's bookstore with a national reputation (Wild Rumpus); it's also a very short walk to Lake Harriet. You should definitely try to see at least one of the area's lakes, and that one is particularly good for little kids. If you were to visit Lake Calhoun (another one of the "chain of lakes") there's a very nice playground at around 32nd Street right on the shore of the lake.

In addition to the Minnesota Zoo there's also the Como Zoo in St. Paul; little kids love it there.

Weather can be hit or miss. It's not the most attractive month -- sort of muddy and brown -- but it's not a bad month, either (but a great month to visit DC; that's cherry blossom time, if I remember right...), but come with layers and be prepared for a bit of everything, weather-wise.

[DaPerpKazoo]

Originally Posted by Haver

there's a giant rabbit on Minnehaha Parkway (somewhere between Nicollet and Cedar) your kids might want to watch out for.

That's at the intersection with Portland.

I'd recommend renting bikes and doing a portion of the Grand Rounds if the weather is nice enough, but in April it may very well be too cold.

I would add the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Foshay Tower's observation deck to the list.

[HKB]

In Minnesota, April probably has the most unpredictable weather out of any month. Last year it snowed on April 4 (I remember that because we moved that day). Don't let that scare you though. On the off-chance it does snow, it usually melts within 24 hours. It can also get into the 60's or 70's in April if a warm front arrives.

Unless you're planning on seeing other parts of the state beyond the Twin Cities, spending 5 days here might be a little much. I can see you running out of things to do toward the end of your trip (especially with a 2-year old). For a trip of that length, Washington DC has a lot more points of interest to pass the time.

Ventura was a horrible governor. No matter what your political leanings are, I think the vast majority of Minnesotans were glad to see him (and his giant ego) leave office.

[uptown_urbanist]

On the Ventura question: he was actually much better than I had expected at the beginning, and then veered off to worse than I had expected during the final part of his term. He had extremely thin skin for a politician, and it seemed like so much of his time was devoted to petty arguments with the media and other enemies rather than actually governing.

[kentuckydad95]

All great suggestions!!! Thank you.

You don't think I can find things to do for five days there?

[StilltheSame]

kentucky dad - as for filling up 5 days - I think if you add in a trip to Duluth you can or even a day trip to Stillwater and Red Wing. You should also consider visiting the Iron Range while you are here.

[MplsTodd]

Originally Posted by Haver

unless you have a specific destination in mind downtown is pretty much just a place to work during the day or club at night.

Haver's spot-on with the suggestions, but I have to quibble with the downtown comment. I still think its well worth a visit: I'd recommend:

get off at the downtown east Station and walk down Chicago or Park Avenue to the river. Visit Mill City Museum (they even have things a 2 year old would enjoy)
Mill City Museum |

From there, check out the Endless Skyway at The Guthrie Theater (great views of the Mississippi River). If weather is nice I'd walk along Mill Ruins park over to the Stone Arch Bridge and check out St Anthony Falls and the Lock and Dam.

I'd also walk into the downtown core--when my kids were little they were interested in seeing all the tall buildings and buses. The skyways are pretty cool for both kids and adults. There's also a wide range of restaurants downtown--from family friendly places like Panera Bread and Macy's Skyroom (on the 12th Floor) to pricier places.

Also, there's a good Children's Museum in downtown St. paul.