Family Staycation – Twin Cities Minnesota

Just over a month ago, we had ourselves a family stay-cation. I completely forgot about sharing this! Thanks for the reminder, E!

A stay-cation is where one ‘vacations’ near their home, opting to check out the attractions and sites in their own backyard while enjoying the comforts of home, less travel time and lower costs. This being our inaugural stay-cation and having two young children, we chose simple, more flexible sites and activities. Even though we just barely scratched the surface of things to do in the Twin Cities, we still had fun. Here’s the details:

Our first stop was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Conservatory and it was a gorgeous morning to be there. The cherry and the spoon is kind of an iconic Twin Cities item and I felt rather sheepish that, after living here for eight years, I hadn’t seen it yet. But now it’s checked off the list.

Bug liked observing and guessing what some of the sculptures were. I liked this piece below, not sure of the name now. The glass made for some ghostly images.

Sweet J was pretty bummed that he couldn’t get to the big spoon and cherry. He did enjoy walking the pedestrian bridge that spans six lanes of traffic. Lots of cars and noise. So fun.

It was nice to be able to look at and enjoy some sculpture work while not worrying that little fingers could break something. The wide open spaces were lovely for our little people.

We spent some time at a wooden ‘castle’ park in Burnsville. I have always loved wooden parks and I guessed correctly that Bug and J would too. However, the last time I played on one, I was apparently much shorter. Nothing like tiny little walkways to give me a body complex.

One morning we went to a  favorite nearby beach.

I found one I like, we like, that includes a splash pad, a playground and clean, very accessible bathrooms. We will be patrons for a long time. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes so I was bound to find at least one. :)

Another stop was the Chain of Lakes park system in Minneapolis. For any and all active individuals or people who just want to be outside, this area is perfect for all sorts of outdoor activities. We enjoyed another splendid day of weather. We parked around Lake Calhoun, packed up the stroller and walked to Lake Harriet (“Like my horse!” Bug said.) We ate a little picnic, played on the nearby playground a short while and then walked around Lake Harriet together. I hope we can go back there soon. I just love that area.

Because we were in the general vicinity, we shopped at IKEA twice during our stay-cation. We were gearing up for our house switcharoo and I had my list. Plus, I just like looking. Too bad none of the rest of the people in my family enjoyed looking. They were mostly there for the ice cream.

And the final Twin Cities gem we checked out was Cupcake, because, well the name gives it away (and sadly there are no pictures). Cupcake is a cupcake shop in Minneapolis. I learned about them after watching the owner win Cupcake Wars on the Food Network twice(!), once in regular competition and then once in the champion vs champion round. I was intrigued. It is a cute shop with lots of cupcake with fun names like ‘Claire Huxtable’ (a chocolate cupcake dipped in ganache with sprinkles), ‘Paris Hilton (a vanilla cupcake with sweet frosting and deliciously fun sprinkles) and “Michelle Obama” (a chocolate cupcake with rich chocolate frosting) and fun flavors like S’mores, Lemon Sunshine, Mint Chocolate Chip and Dulce de Leche. On top of that, they had divine French macarons. MJ and I shared a red velvet and a salted caramel. Yummo. A whole shop of sweetness. If you are in the area, check it out. I promise you will find something you will like.

We made pancakes one morning and I made a few letter ones, just like my great-grandma Bertha did for us when I was young. I liked passing on the treat to my children.

We had a great week. As a homebody, I loved ‘vacationing’ near home and I liked seeing more of the places around where we live. Having MJ home really got me wishing he could work from home so he could be around all the time. He does bother me as husbands do but I love his company and his face. And the children like having him around too. I look forward to the next one.

Take care.

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