playing with light at the Children’s Museum

The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis has free admission on Saturday. In addition to exploring the science of electricity and magnetism, you can visit the freshly blooming herb garden and enjoy the beautiful architecture of this lakeside mansion.

The Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is free on Sunday. A bunch of great exhibits are running there now: an insightful exhibit about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, an exhibit about Minnesota’s role in the United States Civil War, and the new kid-oriented “Then Now Wow” have joined favorites like “Weather Permitting,” “Open House,” and “The Greatest Generation.”

The Minnesota Children’s Museum is giving free admission to Mom’s on Mother’s Day; explore the kid-sized ant hill, soak up the sun in the rooftop ArtPark, and explore water, machines, and light in the interactive displays.

“Play Days” at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Here we are a full day and a half into Spring 2013, and the temperature has yet to break the freezing mark in the Twin Cities! A far cry from last year’s St. Pat’s heat wave, isn’t it?

Winter in Minnesota certainly has a lot to offer, with sledding and skating and snowshoeing, but there comes a point where it’s been winter just a little too long. And that point is probably right about now; I know that I’m anxious to take the YakTrax off my hiking boots. If you don’t think you can take another moment of frost and cold, though, there is hope: the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park in St. Paul holds on to a luxuriously warm summer day and holds it all year round.

MPR had a nice profile of the conservatory and its keepers yesterday. In addition to preserving a summer day, the conservatory also gives Minnesotans a chance to get up close and personal with things like cinnamon trees, nutmeg plants, and kola nuts. It may offer just a brief visit to a warmer climate, but sometimes a brief visit is all you need to get through the last few weeks of winter (and the first few weeks of spring …).

Though Jack and Peter are well past the age of needing to make an annual visit to the Jolly Old Elf, I still get excited this time of year to see that he’s back in town. And though there are a good many respectable imitation Santas around, I’m pretty sure that I know three places he’ll really show up in the Twin Cities in coming days. These also happen to be great Santa stops around which to build an outing, so if you want to make a day out of visiting Santa, these are well worth investigating!

Holly Trolley, November 25, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Every year, the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line puts on a jolly ride from Lake Harriet to Lake Calhoun and back on its antique streetcars. The cars are decked out with wreaths and ribbons, there are carolers on the platform and in the trolley, and the best passenger of all is Santa Claus! After your ride, you can enjoy a peaceful (if chilly) stroll around Lake Harriet, or head up the hill to Creative Kidstuff (4313 Upton Ave. S.) and Wild Rumpus Books (2720 West 43rd Street), the wildest kids’ bookstore in town.

And if you’re feeling a bit peckish, visit the Scouts of Troop 1, who will be selling hot dogs, ‘smores, and hot apple cider to help replenish their tent fund (full disclosure: I’ll be there until 2:00 PM helping the Scouts).

Mother Earth Gardens, December 1, 10:00 AM to noon and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Mother Earth Gardens, 3738 42nd Avenue South, is a local garden shop that goes all out for Christmas. Their lot is filled with trees, wreaths, and garlands, the shop is stuffed with gifts for gardeners, and all that pine scent attracts Santa Claus to hold court every year. While you’re in the neighborhood, take in a show at the historic Riverview Theater (I’m not sure what will be showing; “Brave”, “Wimpy Kid: Dog Days”, and “Hotel Transylvania” have been on the marquee this weekend, so it’s a good bet for a kid-friendly movie), grab a treat at the Riverview Cafe, or enjoy a tasty lunch at Turtle Bread. This is also a great neighborhood for some light hiking if the weather is nice: the river road is only a few blocks away, and Minnehaha Falls is about a mile to the south.

Choo Choo Bob, December 2 and December 9, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

What could be more iconic than Santa Claus sitting among model trains? Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store, 2050 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul, is hosting Santa Claus twice this year. Your young train fans will love this place, with all its rumbling freight cars and clanging bells! Make it a night out with a visit to Trotter’s Cafe or Izzy’s Ice Cream.

Do you have a favorite place to visit Santa? What holiday outings do you make a family tradition? Share your ideas in the comments or at the Facebook page!

Winter has had a slow start around here–we’ve managed three skating trips and just one (rather disappointing) outing to the sledding hill. But there’s still just enough winter weather worth celebrating, and the Twin Cities sure know how to make the best of what snow and ice we have!

The big celebration, of course, is the St. Paul Winter Carnival, which kicked off Thursday evening with a torch light parade and continues through next week with ice sculptures, races, and lots more. A great way to get a taste of Winter Carnival is to visit Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, where the ice sculptures are being carved and the Vulcan Crew is likely to make an appearance with their antique fire truck. You can grab a hot chocolate at the St. Paul Hotel, or try out one of the food trucks the carnival has added this year.

If your tastes lean more toward the funky and homemade, be sure to visit the Powderhorn Park Art Sled Rally. The 5th annual neighborhood get-together starts at 2:00 PM today, January 28, on the hill on the west side of Powderhorn Park. You’ll see all manner of downhill contraptions–past events have featured everything from sledding beds to mosquitoes on skis–and cheer on the general zaniness of it all. If you’re a fan of the Heart of the Beast Mayday Parade or Leonardo’s Basement, this is the event for you!

And speaking of Leonardo’s Basement, the science and art education program is presenting a family Ice and Snow Festival at Griggs Park in St. Paul, 1:00 PM Saturday, February 4. Put on by the Studio Bricolage team, the festival will including skating, sledding, homemade hot air balloons, and doubtless a few Rube Goldberg contraptions to make marshmallow toasting especially complicated.

Looking for some spooky Halloween fun with a mad scientist twist? The Leonardo’s Basement Haunted House is just your thing!

From 5:30 to 7:00 tonight, October 29, the haunted house will be open to the public. It’s an art and science project that kids who take Leonardo’s Basement classes have been building, and it’s sure to be an inspiration for your own Halloween undertakings. Tonight’s haunted house is the “lights out” version, and is recommended for visitors 10 and older.

A “lights on” version is happening tomorrow, October 30, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Admission is $5 per person (free for kids 3 and under), which helps to fund the Leondardo’s Basement scholarship program. The haunted house is located at 4301 Nicollet Avenue South in Minneapolis.

I should also make a quick plug for a less elaborate, though no less enthusiastically-constructed, haunted house tomorrow, October 30, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4120 17th Avenue South in Minneapolis. The Cub Scouts of Pack 120 are putting on their community Halloween party, which includes games of skill and luck, a mad scientist lab, and the Tunnel of Terror, a cardboard maze that is the responsibility of the senior Webelos Scouts to design and build. And I may be a bit biased, since the Webelos are my guys this year, but I think this may be the scariest Tunnel of Terror yet. The party is free and open to the public, though you’re invited to buy some Boy Scout popcorn or a hot dog to fund the Lake Nokomis Lutheran youth programs.

Do you know of any other community Halloween events in the Twin Cities, especially do-it-yourself, kid-run thrills and chills? Feel free to leave a comment or drop a line for a plug!

If you’re up for a little pre-Halloween fun, check out the planned appearance of the ghost of everyone’s favorite nonsense poet, Shel Silverstein, at Boneshaker Books!

The haunting–er, reading–starts at 3:00 PM on Sunday, October 30, at the Boneshaker Books store at 2002 23rd Ave., S. Minneapolis. The event is also part of the Literary Punch Card program: get your card punched at lots of events throughout the Twin Cities, and turn it in for a $15 gift certificate to a participating bookstore. How cool is that?

Also this weekend, the Minnesota History Center is offering a presentation about Dia de Los Muertos, the Latin American celebration that coincides with Halloween. You can learn about ofrendas (small shrines constructed to commemorate departed friends and family), the traditions of the festival, and sample Mexican bread and hot chocolate. This event starts at noon on Saturday, October 29, $10 for non-MHS-member adults, $5 for non-MHS-member kids aged 6-17, and free for MHS members.

The apple-picking season is upon us, which also means the apple-pressing, pumpkin-picking, haywagon-riding, and corn-maze-wandering seasons are here, too!

Minnesota is a leading apple-producing region, due in no small part to the research efforts of the University of Minnesota. Popular varieties like the Honeycrisp and Haralson, and new varieties like Frostbite and SnowSweet, have come out of the U’s research into cold-weather hardy fruit. What this means for us is lots of apple orchards!

Many orchards in the area have pick-your-own opportunities, as well as pre-picked apples in case that’s the sort of thing you want to leave up to the experts. And many turn into harvest festivals during the apple season, with hay rides, petting zoos, and corn mazes to help you celebrate fall. You can buy pies, jams, and cider, too–there are so many ways to eat your apples!

Our favorite orchard is Afton Apple Orchard in the Hastings area: they have an incredible maze, cider pressing demonstrations, and a fun tractor pull ride. But no matter which side of the Twin Cities you live you, you’re sure to find an orchard you’ll love:

• Applewood Orchard in Lakeville
• Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake
• Apple Jack Orchards in Delano
• Minnetonka Orchards in Minnetrista

Do you have a favorite?

The State Fair is over, the streets are full of big yellow school buses, and there’s an autumnal chill in the air: summer has come to an end, and with it the long lazy days of exploring the Twin Cities without homework and early bed times to get in the way of the fun.

That doesn’t mean, though, that the adventures have to come to an end! It may take a little more planning to squeeze in the excursions, but a Minnesota fall is full of fun, both indoors and out. Dad’s Eye View is organized by season (though many of the adventures are great for any season!); here are a few places to try as the weather cools:

• Highland Park Water Tower: Mark your calendars! On October 9 and 10, the Highland Park Water Tower will be open for fall-color viewing from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. From the top of the tower, you can see the urban forest of the Twin Cities in all its autumn glory.
• Mississippi River Gorge: Cooler weather is ideal for hiking, and the dryer weather we usually get in the fall means that the trails along the Mississippi River are a lot less muddy. Some of our favorite Twin Cities hikes include Shadow Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River.
• Jackson Street Roundhouse: it’s OK to head indoors when there’s a little bit of a chill in the air, and the Jackson Street Roundhouse is a great museum to check out. There are exhibits outside too: be sure not to miss the roundtable!

The start of school is also a great time to reinforce the things kids are learning with some fun activities, like the interactive displays at the Science Museum of Minnesota and Minnesota History Center. We get great inspiration for our shoebox dioramas and science fair projects at our favorite museums. (And if you haven’t checked out the Big Back Yard at the Science Museum yet, this is your chance! It’s only open through September 18, and the museum is closed for a tune-up from September 12 to 15!)

Here are some pictures from an early trip to the State Fair, when the boys were four. We caught my friend Art Ruckle playing sax with the Red Rock Swing Band, ate more than our share of cookies, and rode the Kidway rides.

This was one of my first solo outings with them, which is why there are stickers on their shirts: I fixed their names and my phone number to them before heading out. They didn’t get separated from me on this trip (they waited until St. Patrick’s Day in St. Paul to earn “special guest” stickers from the police)–since I had the cash we needed for root beer and corn dogs, they knew to stay close at hand!

Do you have some State Fair pictures to share? Link them in the comments, or add them to the Dad’s Eye View Flickr pool!

School has already started in Minneapolis, and is about a week away for most other students; the days are still warm, but cool nights hint at the return of autumn; and the Minnesota State Fair has rolled into St. Paul, summer’s glorious dessert course that also means the summertime party is coming to a close.

Even though the State Fair announces summer’s end, it’s hard not to look forward to it. Everything fun seems to descend on the fairgrounds for the last week of August and the first week of September: midway rides, food on a stick, games of skill and chance, baby animals, Sweet Martha’s cookies, lots of music, and so much more!

Everyone has their favorite fair attractions that they have to visit every year. For me, it’s the gondola ride above the fairgrounds, the river raft ride, and a bucket of warm cookies that melt into a great lump of butter and chocolate. Kelly likes the coffee on a stick from the Farmers Union, and the boys like the dragon roller coaster at the Kidway and the foot-long corn dogs washed down with root beer. In fact, I think the boys, who are now great connoisseurs of root beer, had their first taste at the fair.

What’s your can’t-miss fair attraction?