Midtown Greenway Trail

“Half mile from home. Part of the city park system. Frisbee golf course, playground, picnic area, outdoor pool. Groomed trails for skiing and sledding hills in the winter”

“Named one of the prettiest neighborhoods in America by Forbes, Grand Avenue stretches more than 30 tree-lined blocks from the Mississippi River to downtown St. Paul and is dotted with good eats, cozy coffee houses, and unique boutiques and shops. Author, humorist and radio personality Garrison Keillor was so enamored with the area that he opened up his own place there, Common Good Books, just a short distance from his home. Find books for children at Red Balloon Bookshop, or wildly imaginative toys, games and puzzles for them at Creative Kidstuff. Adults will enjoy culinary products from Cooks of Crocus Hill, bath and body products and fragrances from Garden of Eden, or the art-filled The Grand Hand Gallery, which sells functional pieces including hand blown glass, jewelry, wearable fiber art and paintings. For something to wear not display, women can look to Evereve, which sells contemporary apparel made by and for women, or Bombshell, a boutique for plus-size shoppers. And if you need something more comfortable to wear while strolling the avenue, pop into lululemon athletica, The North Face or Patagonia for active and outdoor wear.”

“With one of the smallest auditoriums in town, located in a community center in south Minneapolis, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Pillsbury House is a small-stakes operation. But its artistic leadership has crafted a theater that consistently makes year-end best-of lists in local papers and it’s because it selects sharp, incisive contemporary plays about the burning issues of today and stages them with some of the best talent in the cities. You’ll find yourself sitting close enough to the action to see every facial expression and movement of the talented actors in front of you, an experience more than worth the price of admission.”

“Beautiful facility, expansive grounds and top notch events. Buy tickets for a Friday night sunset jazz concert 5-9pm or after check out head over to Sunday’s at Sovereign for live music 1-5pm. Rain or shine in the Marquette Pavillion, a gorgeous venue with views of the vineyard and Lake Waconia. Check out their website for dates, details and to purchase tickets. ”