Visited the Renaissance Festival on September 1, and as always, it was an absolute blast! Huge…read morethanks to Yelp for the free tickets -- what an awesome surprise! This was my 7th Renaissance Festival, and I still love everything about it -- the energy, the costumes, the music, the laughter, and of course, that legendary turkey leg! It's smoky, juicy, and hands-down my favorite tradition every year. Parking is definitely a hike -- you park and then walk about a mile to the entrance -- but honestly, that's part of the fun and charm. It's the perfect way to burn a few calories before adding them right back with all the food and drinks inside! The whole experience is just magical -- fun for all ages, full of character, and always worth the trip. Can't wait for next year already -- it never gets old!

It has gone down hill ever year and is getting worse. long lines to get in, long lines for food…read morethat runs out constantly, vendors are now junk products than actual Ren fest items, buildings run down and of course the constant increase in prices due to renting the grounds. Shows never change except the actors kids are taking over, my wife and I quit going after attending for 30+yrs. Just not worth it. Bristol, WI has it beat and is worth the trip, but the best we have been to so far is TX, no lines, no hassles, lots of actual ren fest vendors as they refuse to let in non renfest items. If you go to TX, plan for at least 2 weekends, MN ren fest could fit in TX middle section and be lost.

Dropped in last night for their free Thursday evening admission. All I had to do was check-in at…read morethe front desk and receive a small medallion to wear. They even had a fun free craft going on in the basement, all supplies included and snacks! Yay! I just took an explore at my own pace through a couple of exhibits. The docents are a little creepy... I know they're just doing their job by standing there staring at you or following you around (probably because guests are bad at respecting the rules), but yeah, I found them a little distracting/detracting from the experience. Oh well. I just tried to ignore it and focus on the art as best I could. Moving from room to room and spiralling up gradual stairways will kind of get you lost inside the building. It's large and has multiple floors. The space will shift from cozy to grandiose at a moment's notice. If you don't like being lost, grab a map before you go in. If getting lost is a fun part of the experience for you, then by all means, just enjoy following your nose like I did, haha! I happened to be there on opening night for the new kid's exhibit they added, where you are encouraged to touch as part of exploration. It's not terribly large, but I like things that encourage imaginative play. Shame I saw one lady just staring at her cell phone like a drone while her kid played beside her. There are all-gender bathrooms on the ground floor by the lobby, and additional restrooms scattered throughout the center (when you stumble across them, lol). There are also coat closets for you to hang your coat if you don't need it; they keep the center nice and warm inside! There is an occasional water fountain as well, which is a godsend since they do not allow you to carry ANY drinks (even recloseable water bottles like Hydroflasks) into the exhibit spaces. There are also a couple of gift shops. The one in the lobby has affordable things, the one deeper in on the second floor is like modern art for your home + a wall of books. There are a couple of theatres inside, along with a full restaurant (y'know, if you have money for fancy-schmancy things like eating, oops). For parking you have a couple options: you can utilize the surface lot for $5 and it'll last you until midnight, or you can use the underground lot for $8. Depending on the weather conditions, that extra $3 might make it worth it to you to choose the underground space. On a chilly Thursday November evening, I still chose the outdoor lot and there were plenty of parking spaces available. There is also the option of squeezing into parallel parking along Vineland and using the meters. Obviously, the sculpture garden is also right next door to explore at any time of day for free. I highly recommend it, if only to take a quick selfie with the Cherry & Spoon or blue Cock.

I had the pleasure of attending the performance of Shamel Pitts - Tribe: Marks of Red on Saturday…read moreand it was interesting. I was very entertained as the performers were absolutely AMAZING. I enjoyed the space and I will be back another show and all of the other art parts that offer because I really love the arts. Go and be inspired.

Located right by the MIA...this is a very unique and interesting museum...that I didn't even know…read moreabout until I came here for an art workshop. Came here actually for an interesting art workshop called "Create 'Unexpected Art' with Becka Rahn" which involved creating images and computers and the final product would be a swatch of material from an image that I created!Which is to be mailed to the participant via mail.. which I haven't yet received...I took this workshop with a past participant who was raving about it ... I really did enjoy my experience and I am so looking forward to my finished product! $5 gets you in and also a tour of the museum/mansion.. oh what a deal.. and like Rhonda G. says below... it's really like having a Downtown Abbey right here in Minneapolis! FREE Parking that's connected to the museum, too! Look forward to attending more interesting events here in the future!

If you are a native Minneapolite - or even just a transplant / convert - check this place out. It's…read morekitty-corner from the MIA so you can make a day of museum hopping followed by a meal at one of the many restaurants along nearby Eat Street (Nicollet Ave). For a minimal fee, you'll be able to check out the fantastically-curated exhibits that explore different topics relevant to Hennepin County's history through photographs, textiles, paintings, videos, audio-recordings, sculptures, artifacts, and more. It is a full-sensory experience in a historic mansion that cannot and should not be missed. In addition to traditional exhibitions, they have unique and fun programming - which sounds like it will be more frequent according to an article I read recently about the new director! Plus, the mansion is available as a venue rental. I even considered it for my upcoming wedding! The biggest downsides (and biggest complaints I had while working there) are 1) the fact that the building is not handicap accessible and 2) the lack of air conditioning in the summertime. It's an unfortunate reality about many historic buildings but even more so for HHM...as a non-profit and lesser-known museum, lots of funding is needed to facilitate the appropriate and allowed retrofitting while still protecting the historic integrity. Admittedly, I am a bit biased in my love of this place. When I graduated with my B.A. in cultural studies and comparative literature, I began scouring the Twin Cities for non-profit gigs, especially those in the Arts. I landed my first post-college job as a museum administrator at the Hennepin History Museum despite having never stepped foot in the mansion or even knowing of its existence. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot, but the most valuable thing I learned was what an exceptional gem HHM is. Please do not miss out on the opportunity to explore!

This is a really fun event. Cocktails at the castle is one of ASI's big events that both races…read moreFunds for the organization, but also introduces people to the museum. It is a really well done event. The setting itself is gorgeous. If you haven't visited the museum/Turnblad do it now. But there's so much going on at this event that everyone can have fun. The bands were incredible. There were a variety of different art activities that you could participate in both inside and out. I liked that several of them related to the Main exhibit that is taking place there right now. They worked with Du Nord spirits to come up with four signature cocktails. We tried two of the four they were both excellent and the rest looked fantastic. They also had four signature mock tails. The food curated for the event also looked great but we made the mistake of eating before we went. The mood was festive and there were people of all ages from 21 on up there. I went with just one friend. I think it could've been even more fun if we brought a crew but either way I think it is an extraordinary sFriday night out with just a special someone or friends. Big thank you to @mspyelp and the American Swedish Institute for providing me the tickets.

A fun night of wine, cocktails, music and mansion exploration…read more Wine from Chile. Cocktails made with Du Nord spirits and small bites from FIKA were all good. We had shrimp piri piri, preserved mango couscous salad, and the coconut cardamom Basbousa cake. The music was from Obi Original & the Black Atlantics. Nigerian Music. Was great.

I volunteered and attended Art in the Hollow this year. Love that they are community driven vs…read more profit. Booth space is very affordable. Also very nice open nature space at the park. I will say there's not a ton of seating options, more so you'd have to sit in the grass or there were some rocks on the hill that people would sit on. Free parking at the larger Saint Paul Brewery lot and they had free golf cart shuttles to and from the lot all the way down to the park. Definitely don't let distance/parking stop you from attending. Everyone was so welcoming

Great little community event at Island Lake Park. It was super hot out yesterday, but still…read morebearable. Plenty of parking at Deluxe Check or the surrounding lots. Attractions: Smallish carnival- most of the rides are for younger kids which is nice for us. Fun Slide, mini cars, spinning dragons etc. Lake Johannah Fire Station open house with lots of freebies, fire tucks, water hoses, education etc. Nice little open house. Parade Vendors Food Vendors Jump Station for the kids- $5 Some of the prices are ridiculous for things. $7 for a lemonade and $3 for a refill. Good turn out. Nice community event.

Fun free event for the whole family...I was there yesterday and they had an AMAZING band playing…read morecalled THE POWER OF 10. I had so much fun dancing! Loses one star from me because of the expensive food truck items and lemonade...also everything is cash only...so bring cash! There is an ATM on the ground but there's a $3 fee!

Nice little free museum on UMN campus! I walked past this museum so many times during grad school…read moreand working here, but never went in until now. It has such an iconic exterior I'm glad I finally went in! This is a pretty small collection, easily doable in under an hour. They have some nice collections: my favorites were the Turkish rugs/rug exhibition and the Korean cabinets and dressers. It's all on one floor so very accessible and easy to get around. Bathrooms on the second floor with a deck view too. We loved their gift shop - so many unique and awesome things there that would be perfect for gifting!

In town visiting relatives and looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Despite the…read moreGopher football game that afternoon we ventured onto campus and easily found parking in the art museum's parking lot. The museum's exterior is typical Frank Gehry and very interesting. The museum itself is free and actually rather small. Given its size I am guessing much of their collection cannot be displayed. What they did have displayed was mildly interesting. I think we spent maybe 30 minutes or so exploring. Bottom line I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this unless you are a big fan of Frank Gehry's architecture.

You had me at giant blue rooster…read more But this sculpture garden has more to offer. Currently a gaggle of geese are loitering near the spoon cherry. The interplay of space and monolithic sculptures is impressive. There were also many people out just enjoying the lawns, playing games, and enjoying froyo from a cart. The mix of serious and playful sculptures makes for an experience of art at once fun and whimsical and heavy, thoughtful, striking. I have never seen anything like this in California, or any other place that I've visited, to my recollection. It's worth a stop! The lot has a 5.00 flat rate, and there are also street parking meters too. There is a bridge over the freeway to/from Loring park, I think it's called. We did not go over there. Highly recommend!

Appreciated my friend and her husband spontaneously taking me here on our way home from dinner…read moretonight. Just outside the Walker Art Center, this Sculpture Garden is both a greenspace and a celebration of artistry. Some of the pieces are newer but a couple have been since the beginning like the Spoonbridge Cherry and the blue rooster. You scarcely notice the highway close by as you walk amongst rabbits and geese and robins and people walking their dogs. It's peaceful, and fun, and free (except for parking, which was $1). Well worth a visit!