Free Museum Visits This Weekend!

Events, Places No Responses »
May 102013

playing with light at the Children’s Museum

The annual Minnesota Museum Month, the return of Spring, and Mother’s Day have converged on some great deals at some favorite Twin Cities venues this weekend. Take Mom to one of these spots for a fun-filled time for all!

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.

Posted by Michael at 3:20 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Activities, Events No Responses »
Nov 252012

Santa at the Holly TrolleyThough 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!

Posted by Michael at 9:33 am Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Celebrating Winter

Activities, Events No Responses »
Jan 282012

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.

Posted by Michael at 9:23 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

The start of school doesn't mean the end of adventures!

Activities, Places No Responses »
Sep 062011

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!)

Posted by Michael at 2:30 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fun at the Fair

Events, Places No Responses »
Aug 302011

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?

Posted by Michael at 6:31 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

"Craic go leor" at the Irish Fair

Events No Responses »
Aug 132011

When I started working on Dad’s Eye View, 52 adventures seemed like a daunting goal; by the end, though, I found that a lot of great adventures had to be squeezed out. One of the adventures that didn’t make it in was the Minnesota Irish Fair, going on this weekend on Harriet Island near downtown St. Paul. Here’s the essay that I wrote for that event; note that it hasn’t been treated to the great editing that MHS Press applied to the rest of the book–pick up a copy or download the app for the good stuff!

We went to the Irish Fair for the music, and ended up getting a refresher course in Gaelic at the hurling match.

Hurling is a fast-paced team sport that looks a little like lacrosse, field hockey, and hand-to-hand combat. Two teams face of with cupped sticks (called hurleys or camáin) with which they move a hard leather ball called a sliotar down the field. By move, I mean hurl with great force and deadly accuracy. Or mostly accuracy: during the match we watched, it wasn’t too uncommon for the ball to go whizzing toward the crowd, though I didn’t see any spectators actually mowed down by it. The game was called by a representative of the Gaelic Athletic Association in a hurried mix of English and Irish, so I was able to do some quick (though perhaps inaccurate) translations of the score for the boys while they watched the players rushing up and down the field.

When Jack and Peter were very little, my small collection of Irish-language children’s books sometimes made it into the mix of bedtime stories. They especially liked “Brán agus an Noillag,” a translation of the ubiquitous Spot the puppy books (this was the Christmas edition), and “Bhí faithigh ann uair” (“There Were Giants Then”), about a little girl growing up in an extended family. I would read it in Irish, translating as I went, and they would laugh at the funny sounds I had to make. The Irish, which I learned in the basement of a St. Paul bar from the late Sean T. Kelly, didn’t stick with them, but they seemed to enjoy the glimpse into a foreign language.

An interest in Irish music did stick, though, and the Irish Fair is one of the best places in the Twin Cities to take in a lot of tunes. We saw touring bands at the main stage, and more intimate concerts of fiddle, uillean pipes, harp, and accordion. The fair also features story tellers, craft demonstrations, lots of food, and all the Irish-themed bric-a-brac you could ever want. All in all, a great place for “craic” (Irish for “fun”) whatever your Irish connection.

Posted by Michael at 12:19 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Ceart Go Leor! Dad's Eye View in the Irish Gazette!

The Book No Responses »
Jul 202011

The Irish Gazette, St. Paul’s Irish monthly, mentions the book in the current issue:

Michael Hartford, Gaelic speaker, has penned a book that is making him very popular with parents of young children that live or visit the Twin Cities. “Dad’s Eye View,” which is published by The Minnesota Historical Society Press, has been a big hit with book buyers. In the book Hartford describes 52 of his family’s favorite Twin Cities spots — one for each week of the year. To secure a copy go to your favorite book store or to www.mhspress.org.

I am indeed a (passable) Gaelic speaker–I can successfully discuss the weather, order a beer, and recite poetry in Irish, which are useful skills in only a few places. (One of which is the Irish Fair on Harriet Island, coming up in a couple weeks–don’t miss it!) The book is, of course, entirely in English.

If you’re interested in the Irish (and Scots and Welsh) goings-on around the Twin Cities and Midwest, you should pick up your copy of the Gazette, available at just about anyplace with an Irish angle (Irish on Grand, local pubs, and so on). It’s packed with news from Ireland as well, essays on music and dance, and lessons in Irish.

Full disclosure: Jim Brooks, the publisher of the Irish Gazette, is an in-law of mine in some convoluted and typically St. Paul Irish manner; I long ago gave up on trying to understand how exactly I’m related by marriage to half the St. Paul Irish population, and simply accept that they’re all cousins of some sort.

Sl´inte!

Posted by Michael at 8:53 am Tagged with: , , , , , ,

I scream, you scream ...

Activities, Places No Responses »
Jul 162011

It is HOT out there!

And when it’s hot, my thoughts turn to — ICE CREAM!

We’ve got some great ice cream shops in the Twin Cities. From soft serve to hard-pack, from chocolate and vanilla to more esoteric flavors (a little cayenne pepper in your ice cream, perhaps?), there’s something for every taste. Do you have a favorite?

Here are a few of the places we like to hit on a hot summer day:

  • Conny’s Creamy Cone, located at 1197 N. Dale in St. Paul: this is the real deal–soft serve cones and sundaes, and a favorite of Tommy Mischke, which is the best endorsement I can imagine for any St. Paul spot
  • Grand Ole Creamery, located at 750 Grand in St. Paul and 4737 Cedar Ave. S. in Minneapolis: scoops of classic ice cream goodness in fresh waffle cones
  • Sebastian Joes, located at 4321 Upton and 1007 Franklin in Minneapolis: the Pavorati is our family fave
  • Izzy’s, located at 2034 Marshall in St. Paul: can’t decide between all the flavors? Pick a new one for your “izzy”, an extra mini scoop that’s perched on top of your cone!
  • Sonny’s Ice Cream, located at 3403 Lyndale Ave S. in Minneapolis: sweet corn or chocolate cabernet, anyone?
  • Franklin Freeze, located at 2328 E. Franklin in Minneapolis: lots of soft serve flavors in a great little shack (the German chocolate is my favorite for a break from a Greenway bike ride)
  • Dairy Queen: the big kahuna of ice cream stands is based in Edina, and has locations all over the Twin Cities; my local spot is at East Lake and 44th Avenue, and they turn out a great Peanut Buster Parfait every time

I’m sure I’ve overlooked more than couple of great ice cream spots; do you have a favorite place to get a creamy cone?

Posted by Michael at 10:11 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The best seats in the house!

Events, Places No Responses »
Jul 082011

Have you had a chance to catch an outdoor movie yet this summer?

Last night we went to Lyndale Farmstead Park in south Minneapolis to catch “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” It was probably the best spot to catch a movie last night: we lay on a blanket on the hill under the almost-cloudless sky, our attention split between Indy’s wild adventures and a surprisingly clear view of the Big Dipper (stargazing in the city is hard due to all the light).

This is a great use of a great hill: in the winter, it’s called “King’s Hill” and is very popular with sledders; in the summer, it gives stadium seating better than any fancy movie theater, because even the fanciest movie theaters don’t have soft grass and clover to lie in. Though the hill was far too crowded last night with moviegoers to test out my theory, I suspect this is also a great place for an exuberant roll.

At the top of the hill is the Thedore Wirth House, built in 1910 to lure Theodore Wirth to Minneapolis to expand the city park system. Jayne Miller, the current superintendent of Minneapolis parks, lives in the house today–not a bad spot to be, with all the fun going on around the house!

Didn’t catch the movie? No worry! There are plenty more movies on the schedule this summer, and parks all over. And not just in Minneapolis! St. Paul, Osseo, Rosemount, Eden Prairie, and Duluth are doing outdoor movies too: check out our roundup!

Did I miss an outdoor movie event in your neighborhood? Let me know and I’ll do an update!

Posted by Michael at 6:28 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

"Ooh!" and "Aah!"

Events No Responses »
Jul 032011

Have you made your fireworks plans for Independence Day yet?

We’ve made the Stone Arch Bridge our destination for about five years now, using light rail to get us into and out of downtown with as little hassle as can be expected. Seeing the fireworks reflected in the downtown skyscrapers, lighting up the towers of the Mill City Museum, and sparkling in the water is one of my favorite summertime activities.

But you don’t have to make the trek downtown to catch a good fireworks show: pretty much anywhere you are in the Twin Cities, you’re guaranteed a dazzling night of pyrotechnics. Here are a few that are worth catching:

Excelsior is mixing music with fireworks on Lake Minnetonka: the Minnesota Orchestra plays at 8:30 PM, with fireworks at 10:00 PM. Want to make a really special July 4 outing? Check out the Steamboat Minnehaha, a restored trolley boat that runs cruises on the lake, and the Excelsior Streetcar Line at the Minnesota Streetcar Museum.

Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis has a neighborhood fireworks show. This park is, of course, the last stop on the Heart of the Beast MayDay parade, and the site of the annual Art Sled Rally, which may give you some idea of the funky aesthetic likely at work here; musical entertainment starts at 3:00 PM.

Harriet Island in downtown St. Paul is the site of this year’s fireworks in the capitol city. The riverfront and bridges of St. Paul should make a stunning backdrop for the display!

Where are your favorite places to catch the fireworks?

Posted by Michael at 7:45 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
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