Winter Winners
Ideas for Cold Weather Fun Nearby
By Robin Sauerwein
For many Minnesotans, when the temperature drops so does both the activity level and mood. The less we do, the less we want to do. And that can lead to a vicious circle. It’s important to stay active.
You don’t need to escape to a southern climate or hibernate the months away until the first crocus sprouts in spring. There is a lot to enjoy in Minnesota and if it is true what they say that there are only two seasons in Minnesota: winter and road construction, then you can still find old fashioned fun in winter but the latter may be a bit more challenging.
Here are some ideas for both indoor and outdoor fun:
Winter Events & Festivals
36th Annual Birkebeiner
February 19-21, 2009
www.birkie.com
A citizen’s cross country ski race where 9000 skiers maneuver their way through trails in Hayward, Wisconsin with many family friendly events offered.
Bemidji Winter Fun
800-458-2223
www.bemidji.org
Polar Daze
January 16-18, 2009
Build your own sled derby, enjoy a candlelight ski and lots more.
Taste of Northern Minnesota
January 22, 2009
This Food Festival features all different restaurants, plus entertainment, drawings and fun.
Grumpy Old Men Festival
February 27-28, 2009
Mississippi Parkside Marina, Wabasha
800-565-4158
www.wabashamn.org
Fishing contest, softball in the snow, pet pageant, bingo, cribbage tournament, stretch raffle, ice shack contest, frisbee games, Raghetti’s Spaghetti and the oh-so-icy, Grumpy Plunge!
Ely Winter Festival (formerly known as Voyageur Winter Festival)
February 6-16, 2009
800-777-6123
www.elywinterfestival.com
A ten day winter celebration featuring a historic voyagers encampment, snow carving workshops, cross country ski events, an arts & crafts fair and much more. Check the website for a calendar of events.
MN Winter Through the Ages
Victorian Holidays at the LeDuc
1629 Vermillion St., Hastings
Sat. & Sun., Dec.6-7 & 13 & 14, 2008
Take your family back in time this holiday season touring a beautiful Gothic Revival home decorated for the holidays. Listen to a reading from Charles Dickens. Food & entertainment. For reservations and information call, 651-437-7055 or visit www.dakotahistory.org
Weather Permitting Exhibit
Minnesota History Center
345 W. Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul
651-296-6126
www.mnhs.org
Note: Exhibit reopens January 31, 2009
Learn why Minnesotans are so obsessed with the weather.
Winter on the Farm
Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Elk River
Nov. 30, 2008, 1-3 pm
What was winter like on the farms in days of old? A costumed interpreter leads a 75-minute tour of the Kelley Farm, highlighting the winter preparations made just as they would have been 150 years ago. Dress for outdoor weather. Warm refreshments served after the tour.
A Logging Camp Christmas
Forest History Center, Grand Rapids
Dec. 6, 2008, 10 am-3 pm.
Step back to the winter of 1900 and experience life as it might have been for north woods lumberjacks. See draft horses pulling sleighs, lumberjacks sawing wood and visit the cook shack where Christmas preparations are underway. Wear warm clothing.
Candlelight Tours
North West Company Fur Post, Pine City
Dec. 6, 2008, 5:30-7:30 pm.
Enjoy a winter’s evening at the recreated 1804 Snake River post where you will travel back in time to witness the voyageurs. Listen to the freeman’s song and hear the lilt of the courting flute. Refreshments will be served. For information or reservations, call 320-629-6356.
Winter Solstice Concert
Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, Onamia
Dec. 21, 2008, 6-8 pm
Celebrate winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. American Indian performers will share song, dance and prayer. Free for children age 5 and under.
Indoor Retreats
WATER PARKS
Water parks are there when you need that warm vacation escape without actually leaving the state. Soak in the Jacuzzi and pretend you’re somewhere warm while your kids hit the water slides. Spend a weekend in a hotel and it might stop cabin fever from setting in. It doesn’t matter how cold it is outside, the water inside is always perfect.
The Depot
225 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis
612-375-1700
www.thedepotminneapolis.com
Renovated train station contains both a waterpark and a skate rink so when you are tired of the water, lace up your skates and enjoy the enclosed year round figure skating rink. For skating hours call 612-339-2253. Note – given the Depot’s proximity to the Mill City Museum, you may wish to take advantage of the Mill City Museum and water park packages that are available to visitors.
Water Park of America
Adjacent to Mall of America, Bloomington
952-698-8888
www.waterparkofamerica.com
Make a day of it in the water park’s Lake Superior Wave Pool and giant tube slide; challenge yourself on the ten story raft ride – the longest in the country or try out the state’s only indoor surf simulator and more!
The Tropics Indoor Waterpark,
Shoreview Community Center
651-490-4700
www.ci.shoreview.mn.us/Tropics
Splashing coconut trees, shallow play area and the “Shark Attack” waterslide offer fun for all.
OTHER INDOOR DESTINATIONS
Nickelodeon Universe®
Mall of America, Bloomington
www.mallofamerica.com
More than 30 rides and attractions from the nation’s largest indoor theme park including a rollercoaster, the Sponge Bob Square Pants Rock Bottom Plunge and more. Plus enjoy no-cost fun at the adjacent Legoland or plan to make it a full day by visiting Underwater Adventures and take a walk through the aquarium to view fish, sharks, and turtles. Remember Tuesdays, 10 am-noon, are Toddler Tuesdays throughout the mall with events, free entertainment and discounts especially for toddlers.
Marjorie McNeely Conservatory
1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul
www.comozooconservatory.org
Whenever I get the winter blues, I go to the tropics. And it’s not too far away if you visit the Tropical Encounters exhibit at Como Park in St. Paul. Be sure to visit the sleeping sloth in the tree. Spend a little time wandering through the flower and plant exhibits with the giant palms, orchids and ferns. The Holiday Flower Show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory runs from Dec 6, 2008-January 19, 2009 and features over 1000 poinsettias. Enjoy all that warmth and humidity. It is a real mood booster.
Winter Birding
Think all of the cool birds flew south for the winter? Here are three birds who stayed behind and where to find them.
Eagles – The National Eagle Center is only 75 miles southeast of St. Paul and a perfect destination for viewing bald eagles. Bald eagles can be seen in Wabasha year-round, both in the wild and at the National Eagle Center, a new facility at the river’s edge in downtown Wabasha. The Center houses three resident eagles. and offers exhibits and programs. Visitors can view the eagles from the observation deck. Binoculars are available. Visit the Center March 7-9 for their “Soar with the Eagles” weekend for speakers, kids’ activities and motor coach tours to other eagle viewing sites. For more information go to www.nationaleaglecenter.org or call 877-332-4537.
Swans – Did you know that hundreds of trumpeter swans winter along the Mississippi River? Trumpeter swans, the largest waterfowl in north America, are white with a black bill. They are over three feet tall with a wingspan of almost seven feet. Although these birds generally migrate, hundreds winter at Monticello where the warm water from a power plant keeps this part of the Mississippi River unfrozen.
You can view the swans from a small park along the river. The best time is mid-November through February. For more information about the swans and places to visit in town, go to www.monticellochamber.com or call 763-295-2700.
Owls – Learn more about owls during the annual International Festival of Owls weekend held March 6 -8, 2009 at the Houston Nature Center in southeast Minnesota, just 25 miles south of Winona. Live owl programs, owl nest-box building, hands on displays, a kids’ owl hooting contest and other kids’ activities and an “owl prowl”. For more information go to www.festivalofowls.com or call 507-896-4668.
International Falls – The Icebox of the Nation
Why visit a place that has an annual average temperature of only 36 degrees Fahrenheit?
1. Gateway to Voyageurs National Park. A 200 acre national park full of pristine winter beauty. Snowmobile, ski or snowshoe the trails. Look for animal tracks in the snow, listen for wolves at night or discover otter slides in the snow. Naturalist programs are offered February and March weekends. Check the park website for details. Stay at one of the resorts around the perimeter of the park or check in at a hotel in the International Falls area. For more information call 218-286-5258 or go to www.stateparks.com/voyageurs.html.
2. Blast on the Border! Winter Festival (formerly known as Icebox Days), January 15-18, 2009. Go someplace where the residents know how to have fun in the cold. Events include: Freeze Your Gizzard Blizzard Run, Frozen Turkey Bowling, and Ode to Cold Poetry Contest. For more information call 218-283-9400.
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