Daily Adventures August 22 - 26

This is the end, my friends.  I go back to work on Monday and blogging just isn't in the cards anymore.  I hope you've found this useful, or at least enjoyable reading.

For the final blog I decided to revisit some of our top adventures of the summer.  These are high-quality destinations, so visit without reservation.  You won't need reservations, either.  

Monday, August 22  Go to your local library and get a Museum Adventure Pass to use this week.  These passes offer two free admissions to a wide variety of museums around the Cities.  Destinations include the Foshay Tower Museum, the Minnesota Zoo, and my kids' favorite museum, The Bakken.

 Tuesday, August 23  Your little buddies (5 and up) can earn their Junior Refuge Manager Badge at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.  Meet at the Bloomington Visitor Center at 9:30 am for the two-hour program.  This is a first-rate facility that I didn't know existed until my friend, Janine, shared the secret this summer.  You won't be disappointed. 
My boys also highly recommend the family programming at 10 am at Caponi Art Park.

 Wednesday, August 24  The first time I tried this one Minnesota was closed for business, so let's try again!  There are 25 state parks in Minnesota that will loan you a GPS unit for free so that you can try geocaching!  The closest one is at Fort Snelling State Park.  Geocaching is a fun way to hike through state parks while using a GPS unit to find a cache of hidden treasures.  Bring a knick-knack with you to leave behind.

Thursday, August 25  If you saw the Yogi Bear movie this spring you might remember the water skiing exhibition that Yogi put on.  It was pretty good, but you ain't seen nothing 'til you've seen the Twin Cities River Rats do their stuff on the Mighty Mississippi.  It was 60 degrees and raining the last time this was on the schedule, so nobody went.  If you go this time, you'll see pyramids, barefooting, flips, jumps and, if you're lucky, some crazy boat acrobatics.  The show is at 7 pm and free.  Directions are here.

 Friday, August 26  You're probably familiar with "Spoonbridge and Cherry" at the Walker's Sculpture Garden.  But this ain't the same old cherry anymore.  You can now download an app called "SCVNGR" that will take you on a digital scavenger hunt through the garden.  On this adventure, you'll be directed to snap some photos and answer questions about what you're seeing.  You can earn rewards by completing these challenges.  What kind of rewards?  I still have no idea . . . I had to work the last time I scheduled this.  If, like me, your phone isn't smart, you can borrow one from the Walker.  They put the "art" in "smart" . . . That "joke" was so nice, I used it twice.

Saturday, August 27  Take the "Garden Highlights Nature Hike" from 11:00 to noon at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary.  This is a free tour of the wildflowers led by a garden naturalist.  You'll need to register for this at www.minneapolisparks.org or call 612-370-4903.  Tours begin at the Martha Crone Visitor's Shelter. 

Daily Adventures August 15 - 19

Tuesday, August 16  Today we're headed to Wood Lake Nature Center.  It's tucked right into "downtown Richfield" but you'd never know it.  There are trail loops for every sized leg out there - from the 0.1 mile long Woodland Loop to the 1.8 mile Perimeter Trail.  My favorite is the 0.8 mile Boardwalk Trail which takes you across the Wood Lake marsh.  You'll also find a play area (everything is natural here) and an interpretive building with interactive displays.  If you like what you find, you can become a F.O.W.L. (Friend Of Wood Lake) and enjoy free cross-country ski rental and a New Year's Eve party, complete with trail luminaries, for the next year.

Wednesday, August 17  "Come and ride the train, c'mon and ride it, Woo-woo!"  Years ago the Twin Cities were criss-crossed with miles and miles of streetcar tracks.  It would have made Jesse "the Body" Ventura proud.  A little piece of those tracks remain in operation connecting Lakes Harriet and Calhoun.  On Wednesdays in the summer the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line runs from 1-4 pm.  You can also catch it in the evening and on weekends, if you'd rather.  For $2 per person, you can ride the trolley from Lake Harriet to Lake Calhoun and back again.  The ride is definitely spiced up if you wear a hoop skirt or engineer's hat, but it's kinda neat anyway.

Thursday, August 18  Back when those streetcars were still running, there were also gangsters running around St. Paul.  As long as they checked in with the police chief upon arrival, and put their "business" on hold while in the city, they were left alone.  They were even tipped off by the police if the FBI were on the way to their hideout.  One of the nightclubs at which the gangsters liked to hang out was called Castle Royal.  It was located in the Wabasha Street Caves and you can tour the caves today!  It'll cost $6 per person, cash only.  Tours start at 5 pm with tickets going on sale 10 minutes earlier.  Again, you can spice it up by wearing a pinstripe suit or flapper dress, but this is not required.

Friday, August 19  We're going on an urban hike in downtown Minneapolis.  Start at the Minneapolis Central Library and check out the children's section.  Cross Nicollet and head southwest to Gavidae Common.  Go up to the skyway level and check out the multi-floor fountain.  Continue in the skyway to the Crystal Court of the IDS building, the tallest building in Minnesota.  The fountain here drops from the ceiling.  Follow the skyway to the Young-Quinlan building and check out the displays about this buildings past.  Hit the street again and stop on the patio at the Local for a snack.  Then continue to Peavey Plaza, where you might catch some music around lunch time in the summer.  Cross Nicollet again and look for the Loring Greenway on the near side of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  Follow the greenway to the final destination, Loring Park.

Next week will be my last post for the summer.  I'm planning on doing a top-5 recap.  If you visited any of these places over the summer and want to nominate one of them for top-5 consideration, leave a comment here.

Have a great week! 

Daily Adventures August 8 - 13

Monday, August 8  We could all use a little more Wild Rumpus in our lives, right?  Right.  This book store claims to "stop at nothing to grab children's attention" including animals with scales, fur, and feathers that roam freely throughout the premises.  On Mondays at 10:30 am the Rumpus, as I've cleverly and affectionately nicknamed it, hosts Tail Time.  This read-aloud is aimed at preschoolers, but that won't keep me or my kids away from free-range chicken.  While we're in the neighborhood, we'll stop by Clancey's Meats and Fish for one of the best deli sandwiches in the Twin Cities.  Nearby Linden Hills Park makes for a great dessert.

Tuesday, August 9  There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't.  If you're in the Neil Diamond camp, you can end your day at the Lake Harriet Bandshell taking in Karl Commers' "Neil Diamond Tribute" at 7:30 pm.  It's part of Minneapolis' Parks outdoor concert series.  Whet your appetite for "Sweet Caroline" by spending the afternoon at the Lyndale Park Gardens.  Here you'll find four distinct gardens, including the famous rose garden, and Roberts Bird Sanctuary.  It's a great place to while away a beautiful summer day.

Wednesday, August 10  You're probably familiar with "Spoonbridge and Cherry" at the Walker's Sculpture Garden.  But this ain't the same old cherry anymore.  You can now download an app called "SCVNGR" that will take you on a digital scavenger hunt through the garden.  On this adventure, you'll be directed to snap some photos and answer questions about what you're seeing.  You can earn rewards by completing these challenges.  What kind of rewards?  I have no idea . . . yet.  If, like me, your phone isn't smart, you can borrow one from the Walker.  They put the "art" in "smart" . . . Sorry about that one.

Thursday, August 11  "What creatures have a tough outer shell-like covering, three body parts, and six legs, and have been found on earth for 350 million years?"  If you're anything like me, you probably answered, "The one on the bottom of my shoe."  But I know my kids find insects fascinating.  Fortunately for us, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Reserve is hosting a free Insect Investigation today from 10-11:30 am.  I just have to remember to not scream "Eeeew! A bug!" when we find one.

Friday, August 12  I mentioned before that the Three Rivers Park District is a jewel in our cities' crown.  Today we're going to check out another of their awesome facilities - French Regional Park.  French Park has webbed climbing structures that remind me of Mr. Savre and elementary Phy. Ed.  And if we get tired of that, there are GPS units to check out for some geocaching, and a swimming beach.  All of this activity would make Mr. Savre proud.