Kid-Friendly Travel

One of our preschool moms, Edie, has generously given us some GREAT advice for watching the Holidazzle Parade in downtown Minneapolis. It's a little short notice for this year... it only last another week or s0, but the tips are good for next year, too.

The Holidazzle Parade is every Thursday-Sunday evening, from Thanksgiving to just before Christmas, at 6:30 p.m.

-I suggest going early, head for downtown around 4-4:30 p.m. Find a parking ramp with a green 'Do The Town' sign and park for just $4 for the entire night by entering after 4pm. If you spend $20 or more at a variety of stores or restaurants, they will validate your parking ticket for free parking. Check online for a list of participating locations.

-Go to Macys 8th floor Holiday display before, rather than after the parade to avoid some of the crowds. (remember it's free!) Catch dinner at a number of family friendly places near Nicollet or Hennepin before the parade or pack a 'picnic'. Lots of open spaces in the first floor of the IDS building on Nicollet.

-Head to save a spot along Nicollet by 6pm, earlier if you want a warm skyway spot. Take a blanket with you if watching outside, to either sit on or cover up with.

-Just before the parade starts, volunteers will walk the route with shopping carts to collect donations for local food shelves. There will also be vendors selling glow and light up souvenirs. I wasn't going to splurge for the $5 light-up wands, but 2 years later they still work and my kids are still playing with them. We reuse them each year!

-If you want to see the very beginning of the parade, go down to 12th Avenue & Nicollet. They'll have the parade floats sitting there before parade time. You can see the 'actors' get their lights turned on and load the floats. It's not for everyone, but I thought it was neat.

-I suggest Sunday or Thursday nights for the smallest crowds. Tickets can be purchased in advance for warm seats in heated tents along the parade route. These go fast and you need to plan well in advance. If you don't mind the Minnesota cold just go for free!
Hope these help. Have a great time!

Thanks again, Edie!!!

And here's a video from YouTube to show you what all the fuss is about!!


Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Heading to the Twin Cities? Any time of year is a great time to visit Minnesota, but the summer is when we really come out to play! As a local, it's hard to boil it down to just a few highlights, but I'll try.

Some of our favorite places to play:

Mall of America: 3 floors of shopping and eating, a LegoLand, indoor theme park, aquarium... you could easily make a weekend of just this mall.

Underwater Adventures: In the Mall of America, an amazing walk-through aquarium with more sharks than I ever hope to see outside a controlled environment.

Nickelodeon Universe: The indoor theme park in Mall of America. Rides all feature favorite Nickelodeon characters. Year-round crazy fun!

Water Park of America: Near Mall of America. Indoor water park connected to the Radisson hotel, this could round out your visit to the Mall.

Minnesota Children's Museum: Hands-on crazy fun for ages 0-10. Fair warning, kid's don't want to leave this place.

Science Museum of Minnesota: Across from the Excel Center in St. Paul. Dinosaur skeletons, hands-on science projects, and Imax theater are fun for all ages.

Como Zoo: Very kid-friendly FREE zoo. My personal childhood favorite. Did I mention it's free? Of course, donations are highly appreciated.

Minnesota Zoo: Dolphin show, petting farm, indoor rainforest, and now bears make this a great zoo rain or shine. You'll get some exercise, but the food is good and the exhibits are great.

Valleyfair: Summer-only theme park with wild rollercoasters and big fun!

Add your favorites to the comment section! Check back as we add more of our favorites.

More resources:

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

The Mall of America in Bloomington, MN is such a major attraction here, it actually made it as the icon for our state in the Great States Jr. board game!

Bloomington is a suburb of Minneapolis. It's so easy to get to both downtown St. Paul and downtown Mpls from here, that it's an ideal location to stay.

A new popular hotel is the Radisson adjacent to the Water Park of America, located just across the highway from the Mall of America.

• Inside the MegaMall (as the natives call it) shopping is great for you (no sales tax on clothes), but the Mall is all about kid-friendly things to do! Being all indoors makes this a year-round destination.
• Toddler Tuesdays offer special events in the morning, and discounts on lunches at most sit-down restaurants.
• In the center of the mall is Nickelodeon Universe theme park. Rides for all ages feature favorite Nickelodeon characters: Spongebob, Dora & Diego, the Backyardigans, Jimmy Neutron and more!
• Underwater Adventures Aquarium is an amazing walk-thru aquarium underneath the Mall located by the East Parking Entrance. Read more about it and watch a little video here...
• Weekends are busy, so use the valet service located on the west parking (by Nordstrom's) on the 4th level parking if you don't want the hassle. It's only $5, (it's customary to tip when you receive your car.)
• Lego Imagination Center is very popular with many age groups. You can find that near the South entrance.
• There are 3 food courts. 2 located on the 3rd floor (north side and south side) and 1 inside the Nickelodeon Universe park. Throughout the mall are restaurants ranging from pretzel stands to fine dining and everything in between. There is even a convenience store.
• Toy stores are abundant, if you like Nickelodeon characters.
• There's a family restroom near every entrance, and baby-changing stations have their own area in the regular bathrooms.

Overall, you can easily make a weekend of the Mall of America with small kids in tow, rain or shine! What do you like to do when you're here?

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Here's a little video I took on some visits to the Mall of America at the Underwater Adventure aquarium under the East Entrance. You can read my full review here.




Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Aquariums just seem to be getting better and better all over the country. Our favorite one in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area is by far the Underwater Adventures Aquarium.

We live in this area and have purchased memberships. We end up going almost every week!! At bedtime my son wants me to "talk about the aquarium", which means for me to basically walk us through... "first we get our wristbands, then we go past the guy who doesn't take our picture, then we see the tortoises..." Because my husband's a chef, we talk about which fish we eat, and which ones we don't. Some of the kids behind us get a little freaked out, "Mom! they're going to eat it!" Oh well. Such is life.

The aquarium is really cool and worth every penny. I see many people want to rush to the underwater tunnel, but if you skip the beginning, you miss a lot of stuff. There are several animal statues (taxidermy-type) in life-like positions hidden all around. We've been there probably a hundred times and just today noticed a bobcat by the snapping turtle. If you take your time, it can be very educational.

Of course, the highlight is the underwater tunnel. You walk through lake and river fish (look up to see Spongebob in a fishing boat), the Amazon river, Shark Cove, and a coral reef. Shark Cove is the main attraction for sure. There's a great variety of sharks to see: sand tiger, black tip reef, white tip reef, nurse, and brown sandbar. There are other varieties of fish that you don't see often; guitar fish, sawfish, and wobegong, to name a few. Kids love the sea turtles and the stingrays, too. After you see the exhibits and make it through the gift shop, there's a play area. Come on a Tuesday morning, and there are extra things for toddlers to do. There's a shipwreck to play Pirates on, touch a real baby shark or ray, a new-and-improved sandbox to play in... it's really fun!

To see a little video I made, click here...

Afterwards, hit the food court for lunch and the kid's will be napping in the car in no time! Or, ready for the amusement park in the center of the mall... you decide. Here's a direct link to their site: Underwater Adventures Aquarium

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

This free zoo, founded in 1897, has been a childhood favorite of Minnesotans for generations.
It's compact size makes it easy for small kids and seniors to navigate. Kids love that the animals are so easy to see.

They also love the Sparky the Sea Lion Show so much, that I'd recommend finding your seats at least 15-20 minutes before the show starts. We use that time to eat our snack from home and have been able to get great seats. Afterward, you can get lunch at the concession stands, or inside the visitor center at Zobota Cafe.

The Zobota Cafe is not only air-conditioned, but has more healthful dining options such as fruit cups, pasta salads, gourmet sandwiches, as well as bottled juices and coffee drinks. An offer of fair warning: the outdoor concession stands attract a fair share of bees in late-summer, whereas the indoor cafe does not.

Watching the polar bears swim underwater is another big hit. The bear typically pushes off the glass with his foot, so the kids like to put their hands on the glass where they think he'll land.

Getting there is pretty easy: I-94 to Lexington Ave North, then follow the signs. If you get there near 10 a.m. when they open, you'll have better luck finding a parking spot near the entrance in the lot or on the street. Afternoons get busy with school kids, especially late in the school year on Thursdays and Fridays... a popular field trip destination.

You can easily make a day of it here. Besides the zoo, there is Como Town Amusement Park, featuring carnival-type rides for ages 1-12. The Marjorie McNeally Conservatory offers Tropical Encounters; an indoor rainforest featuring over 250 animals, including turtles, frogs, birds, an anaconda and 'Chloe' the sloth. If you still need more, there's the historic Cafejian's Carousel, Putt'er There Mini-Golf, and plenty of park grounds to just rest or picnic in the shade.

Consistenly rated 4 and 5 stars by visitor polls all over the web, I highly recommend this as one of my favorite kid-friendly destinations.

Here's a little giraffe video I shot on our last visit... enjoy!

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogger.com