It was finally warm enough for me to join the Luminary Loppet! Loved the romantic candlelit walk…read morearound Lake of the Isles (not ON the lake per previous years). S'mores and hot cocoas are included, so don't miss out. Also, don't miss the fire dancers and the many bonfires. I really loved the headliner band too. They played some of my fav songs from 90s - 2000s. The only part that sucked was the parking. Not sure how to fix that problem though. Consider getting an Uber to avoid issues with parking.

I was able to go to and help with the Loppet this year. It was a blast. Lots of positive energy…read morefrom the people that came to walk and from all of the people helping pull it off. It was a beautiful cold night with starts in the sky and candles guiding the trail. So much positivity is what we need right now. I will be back again in 2022.

Very popular to see! It was really busy when we went on a Sunday on Mother's Day around 1-2pm. Lots…read moreof pictures being taken so remember to smile :) Went at the end of the season but the flowers were still blooming May 10th! I would recommend seeing it once when in full bloom! You can drive by, park on the other side of the street- there are typically a lot of people walking and looking so give them space. But if you need to get close that's an option Variety of colors! Drive around the neighborhood- the houses are nice and there are a lot of flowers!

This brought pure joy to my soul! Nothing like tulips in the sunshine. We took both of our mom's…read morehere Mother's Day weekend, and it made us all smile. Thank you for sharing your beautiful tulips with the world!

I was out for a run while in town for a conference....I was looking for a Yelp entry for the…read moreMinneapolis Diagonal Trail (which I was running on) but couldn't find one so I searched "park" and the Lookout came up. Since it was on my way back to my hotel from the running trail, I figured I'd take a look. I will say if you're running up from New Brighton Blvd and you're a husky guy like me, the hill upon which the Lookout sits seems pretty impressive. If you drive up, you might not even notice it. But once you huff and puff your way there, you're rewarded with a lovely skyline view. In this instance, the view is worth the climb. This is right across the street from a cemetery and there's a nice path along this road - Ridgeway Pkwy -as well as St. Anthony's Blvd. Those two road form the two legs of an approximate right triangle with the Minneapolis Diagonal Trail making up the hypotenuse. It's a nice, level, asphalt path almost all the way around (a little section is concrete) and you do get a little elevation change in so if you want a nice run, about three miles, do that loop and reward yourself with the beautiful view at the end.

This is honestly the most spiritually guided place I have ever been to in this city. Never before…read morehas a view made me think of our accomplishments as man both large, and small at the very same time. From this hill where you can park your vehicle (be aware that you should never actually leave it there), you can look out and see the entire valley containing downtown Minneapolis, North East, and North. It is truly an experience that warrants mentioning, especially on a site like this! There is a walking trail through here that gets a decent amount of traffic, and there are three benches lining the hill side so you can also sit and have a good look. One of my favorite memories from here... The night my ex and I first professed our love for one another, I had parked my car at the very far right spot so as to see the entire downtown skyline lit up. We watched as a thunderstorm rolled across South Minneapolis that never quite reached the northern edge. With my moon-roof open we could smell the rain, and hear the thunder, and the lightning show against the buildings was spectacular!!! It is also a great place to come and watch 4th of July fireworks!!! But get here early... as the years have gone by, more and more people seem to be discovering this place!

It might look like a simple house at first, but once you realize what it is, it hits differently…read more Knowing this is the actual house from Purple Rain made it feel so special and almost surreal to be there. I had fun just standing there, taking pictures, and really taking in the moment. It honestly felt like I was stepping into something iconic. If you're a Prince fan, you'll understand. It's not just a house, it's a piece of history. Being there gave me that nostalgic feeling, like I was connected to the music and the movie in a real way. The area is quiet, so it's more of a quick stop, but I'm so glad I went. Sometimes it's the simple places that leave the biggest impression, and this was definitely one of those moments for me. Overall, I loved it. It was fun, meaningful, and something I'll always remember. If you're in Minneapolis, I definitely recommend stopping by especially if you love Prince

This is probably not the house that you are thinking about. This is the house from the movie Purple…read moreRain that Prince lived in. Don't mistake it for Paisley Park, the actually place that prince lived in and recorded. It is just a little old house, that is not very well maintained and looks vacant. It is locate in a event neighborhood, located just outside of downtown. You can easily find street parking available near or in front of the house. As a Prince fan, and a huge lover of the movie, I just had to check it out. I will probably have to review the movie though and compare the house now to when it was in the film. The rumor is that Prince had secretly purchased the house before his death. It do not know if it is true or not. What is true is that there are no special markings placed in front of the house letting you know its significance. It is just plain. For me I would have normally given it two stars, but out of respect for the Purple On, I bumped it up to three. I will be honest, I would not have known this was the house from the movie other than a Google search and would have passed it by many times without even knowing. If you do make it here, this is definitely not a long stop. I would say about 5 minutes tops. Also, remember to be respectfully of. The neighborhood's residents, as the house is not on a movie set, but in an actual neighborhood.

I like quirky things. It was like a match made in heaven when I moved to Minnesota years ago…read more There's a lot to discover in this state that I once called home. I remember seeing Spoonridge and Cherry, a sculptural fountain in Minneapolis that featured a gigantic silver spoon with the most cheerful cherry with a full stem. I loved it so much. I ended up getting a set of notecards featuring this fun piece of art and sharing my delight with others. I haven't changed over the years. I still like seeing cool, quirky items. Last month, I found out about the world's largest raspberry in Hopkins. I deliberately paid it a visit after work, before heading to a Minnesota Wild game several Thursdays ago. This massive raspberry wasn't difficult to find. It's on a fairly quiet street. I thought that I'd be parking on a side street, but it's right in front of a small parking lot. I backed into a spot and took my time admiring this sculpture. Hopkins takes its gigantic raspberry sculpture seriously. I crossed the street to get a good photo of this raspberry and noticed that the sewer cover had a raspberry on it. Wow! This raspberry is 22 feet tall. It's on a steel green vine. The whole sculpture weights a thousand pounds. I hope that no one decides to steal it on e dark even because it's awesome and heavy! This sculpture made its grand appearance at the Hopkins Raspberry Festival back in July 2017. There is a plaque in front of it. I love learning about the history behind sculptures. Hopkins is the raspberry capital of the USA. This massive raspberry honours John Feltl Jr, the father of the Hopkins raspberry industry. As an added bonus, there's a peace sign with lettering next to it steps away from the large raspberry. I loved seeing them. It was my first time in Hopkins. I need to return to support the raspberry industry and say hi to this fun raspberry sculpture again. (160)

I was without words when I saw this. It is indeed a large raspberry and I don't know…read more It hangs from a 22-foot-tall stylized steel vine and weighs 1000 pounds. It's 10 feet wide and12 feet tall. It was unveiled as part of the kickoff of the 83rd annual Hopkins Raspberry Festival. The nearby plaque reads, "The World's Largest Raspberry was officially unveiled on July 8th, 2017. It was made possible by the combined efforts of the businesses, community services organizations and citizens of the city of Hopkins, Minnesota. It is a symbol of the rich history of the raspberry industry in Hopkins that made it the Raspberry Capital of the United States of America. The sculpture is also in honor of John Felti Jr, the father of the raspberry industry in Hopkins." There is street parking nearby. [Review 20740 overall - 151 in Minnesota - 1722 of 2023.]

Even with Covid they've done a great job. The live music is great! Good to see all the local…read morevendors and farmers there as well. Tollefsons for dinner and Shortie's sweets n treats for dessert! Great time and when the weather is warm it's nice to get some fresh air and walk around. Big park for kids to play on as well.

I finally stopped by the Eagan Market Fest after two years of living here. I love it! Previously,…read moreI would just go to the St. Paul or Minneapolis Farmer's Markets to get my share of locally grown vegetables. Now I won't have to. The Eagan Market Fest offers a good variety of vegetables stands, local art, and other food stands. It's also apparent that they want this to be a family affair, so there are tables set up so people can buy food and enjoy it on the grounds. Additionally, there's usually live music - a nice touch. Note that this market fest is only held on Wednesdays from 4pm - 8pm from late June to early September.

I was so glad that I was forced to find a different place to park the last time I was at a…read moreMinnesota Wild game. I ended up discovering the Herb Brooks statue. This statue is located in front of the official RiverCentre. It's also in front of Herbie's on the Park, which is a popular restaurant named after Brooks. As a hockey fan, I knew who Herb Brooks was. He was both a hockey player and coach. He was best known for coaching the US hockey team that upset Team Russia during the 1980 Winter Olympic games in Lake Placid, NY. Team US ultimately won the goal medal. The Miracle on Ice is what this American triumph has been called ever since. What I didn't know was that Herb Brooks hailed from Saint Paul. He went to the University of Minnesota. He died in 2003 in Forest Lake, Minnesota. This statue came to fruition in 2017. It was designed by Nick Christensen, a local artist. This bronze statue is eleven feet tall and sits on top of a five-foot base. The pose captures Brooks celebrating Team USA's gold medal victory at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY. There are also six lights around the statue. It's a lovely tribute to Brooks. I'm so glad that I stumbled across it going to the game. (106)

Do you believe in miracles? Herb Brooks, a St Paul native, was the coach of the US hockey team…read moreduring their upset of Team Russia during the 1980 Olympics, on their way to winning the gold medal. You may have heard of it, "the Miracle on Ice". The current statue is a replacement of a much smaller one of the same design. The old one was dedicated in 2004, and the new one was dedicated in 2017. It sits prominently in front of the Saint Paul RiverCentre (next to Herbie's on the Park, a restaurant inspired by Brooks), is the work of local artist Nick Christensen and is made of bronze. It stands 11 feet tall and sits on top of a 5 foot base. There are some bronze plaques around the base that talks about Brooks and his accomplishments. Making it roughly twice the size of the original. Additionally, the statue is illuminated by six lights around the statue. The sculpture depicts Brooks' famous pose of him celebrating Team USA's improbable victory at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY, where they beat Finland 4-2 for the gold medal. It is well detailed and a realistic depiction. I find it ironic that the bronze statue is representing such an iconic gold medal moment. It is nice tribute to a man that coached his team to arguably one of the greatest moments in American sports history. There is metered street parking available nearby and I recommend making this part of a larger itinerary to make best utilize your time and make the most of the trip. You can start with Rice Park and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Since it's prince week celebration in the city - it's fitting to post…read more I remember when this mural first was revealed- epic right in the heart of downtown I do like it but as a forever Prince fan since the 80s a couple of his images don't actually look like him!! Sorry

Such a great tribute to Prince in the city! Downtown has a many murals but this one is one of my…read morefavorites. Showcases some of the different phases of legacy. We love & miss Prince!