Day One

Morning: Red Balloon Bookshop & Punch Pizza

There’s nothing quite like a bookstore that appeals to the entire family, and Red Balloon Bookshop fits the bill. Located off of historic Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Red Balloon prides itself on its large collection of children’s and YA titles, though they also have a generous general collection as well. My mom had been trying to get my sister into summer reading, so with the help of a fantastic bookseller, they picked out a small stack of reads to keep this teenager reading all summer long. 

After thirty minutes of perusing, my sister started to ask where we could find the best pizza nearby, so we walked a block down to Punch Pizza to split the Napoli, Borgata and marinara pizzas, along with a chocolate hazelnut panini for dessert.

Afternoon: Como Park Conservatory & Science Museum of Minnesota

Full of pizza and energy, we drove over to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory to soak up a bit of botanical beauty. My dad studied botany in college and was enthralled by the conservatory's many diverse greenhouses. He stayed in the fern room for a good thirty minutes just to identify all the types of flora! After an enchanting stop to view the bonsai collection, we ended our loop at the Sunken Garden—a domed greenhouse with fountains and bright, blooming seasonal flowers (we enjoyed a variety of roses, geraniums and hibiscus for the summertime). As we were leaving, a couple announced their engagement—a lovely and common occurrence in these gardens.

From Como, it’s a short drive to the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul. With tons of interactive displays, it’s really a fun museum to visit at any age. My dad is an avid fisherman, so we headed straight for The Mississippi River Gallery. He was thrilled by the various displays on the river’s history, the plants and animals that thrive around it, and ongoing preservation efforts. We also visited “The Bias Inside Us,” a thought-provoking exhibit about countering our implicit biases around race and culture.

Day Two

Morning: Mini Golf at Can Can Wonderland

After an incredible, Ecuadorian breakfast at Chimborazo in northeast Minneapolis, we headed over to Can Can Wonderland to kick off the day with some high energy fun and games. The attraction is known for its artist-designed mini golf and the Gramma's Living Room hole is a case in point; it looks just the way it sounds and was the family favorite. After a rowdy 18 holes (my family is very competitive) we headed to the retro arcade, which features a wide variety of games from the 80s and 90s. My dad is a self-proclaimed ping-pong pro, so everyone took a turn at trying to beat him but had little success.

Evening: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Despite my dad’s complaints that he “didn’t get modern art,” I insisted on taking them all to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden located outside of the Walker Art Center. The gorgeous view overlooking the Minneapolis skyline put my dad in a better mood and soon we were exploring with gusto.

Highlights included the interactive sculptures Two-way Mirror Punched Steel Hedge Labyrinth and Arikidea. If you’re trying to appreciate art with younger people (or people with a low tolerance for modern art), the interactive sculptures are a must. To end the excursion, we headed to the center of the park as the sun set and asked a friendly visitor to snap another family photo in front of the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry.