Twin Cities Weekend with Young Kids

Back in October, the kids and I tagged along to Minneapolis on my husband’s work conference trip. Several things were rough about the trip (baby refusing to sleep, horrible parking ramps, hotel pool closures, etc) but the outings I planned during the day were awesome! If you find yourself in the Twin Cities with young kids you might want to check them out.

Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

We live by a wonderful, free zoo that we visit all the time but I have to say the Como Park Zoo is even better! I was very impressed.

We visited on a very cold day in late October but that did not stop us from having a wonderful time.

I arrived with my four children right at opening time and it was easy to find a place to park in the lot. We grabbed a map and made our way through the animal exhibits. The kids (and I) loved seeing the sloths, zebras, wild cats, giraffes, polar bears, and many more animals.

Then we sat at the outdoor amphitheater for The Sparky Show. By this time in the day, my baby was over being confined to her stroller and starting to lose it so I was busy trying to keep her entertained but my older kids were able to pay attention and enjoyed the sea lion show immensely.

Next, we headed inside to the Conservatory to warm up and walk through the beautiful areas full of plants, flowers, and water features.

I happily left a donation on our way out and would recommend Como Park Zoo to anyone headed to the Twin Cities. I would be interested to go back in summer when all the attractions are open. Even with some areas closed for the season, there was plenty to do and explore.

Minnesota Children’s Museum

My family always enjoys a children’s museum and the Minnesota Children’s Museum did not disappoint. The most loved feature of the museum by my kids was the four-story climber and giant spiral slide (ha!).

Other cool exhibits my children enjoyed included the car wash, the fire truck, and the shipwreck adventures. There were so many different areas covering three floors. I wish we had had more time.

Having four children ranging in ages from 1 to 6 years old can sometimes prove to be a little challenging at a children’s museum when solo parenting. This children’s museum was harder for me to keep track of multiple kids because of its size.

I was grateful for the cafe in the museum for having yummy food options for the kids and Starbucks (caffeine) for myself!

Mall of America

My husband was able to spend some time with the family one day and I thought that would be the perfect time to go to Mall of America. I did not want to attempt that outing by myself. That was the right choice because it allowed us to split up and take kids on different rides.

At the Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park, our littles headed to the Paw Patrol Adventure Bay play area while I was able to go on the Backyardigans Swing-Along (swings) and Orange Streak roller coaster (twice!) with our oldest. Then the kids rode the train, the merry-go-round, and the big rigs.

After lunch, we headed to The LEGO Store where the kids got to build with some LEGOS, check out the awesome displays, and point to every single kit they wanted. The employees even handed out a free small unicorn kit to each of my children.

Then we finished the outing to the Mall of America with ice cream and a great toy store.

If we had more time I would have liked to have checked out the aquarium. I didn’t feel a huge urge to take the kids to the Crayola Experience but maybe when our youngest gets a bit older.

Although the weekend itself was stressful for the adults and a lot went wrong that was out of our control, these outings were wonderful and our kids only remember the positives from the trip. They have already asked to go back to Minneapolis again.

Bonus Tip – Midtown Global Market

For dinner one night we headed to Midtown Global Market. The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes for the trick-or-treating event and we got to enjoy many different food options. Of course, the kids were boring and picked pizza and cheeseburgers for dinner. But I tried Venezuelan food and had a horchata shake. If we had stayed closer I would have gone back to the Global Market for every single meal. There are many different restaurants featuring foods from across the globe. I wanted to try everything!