My family and I love to travel. Any time that we can escape Phoenix, we plan a new adventure somewhere fun and exciting. This summer, we decided to go on an adventure to Minnesota. This wasn’t a random vacation. I grew up in Minnesota, but never realized how amazing it was for families until I had my own! We booked our plane tickets and we were ready to start out on a fun and exciting trip that I knew my family and I would never forget.
Our first stop on our MN bucket list was a major tourist attraction. You can’t go to Minnesota and not visit the Mall of America. It has changed so much over the years and it keeps getting better and better! We knew this had to be our top priority for our trip since there were so many amazing attractions all in one place. We started our day off right when the mall opened. We headed to Sea Life Minnesota to have a fun underwater adventure. When we arrived, we got our tickets and walked into a green screen area. The kiddos got their pictures taken and we went into the Rainforest…the Sea Life “Brave the Rainforest” area where you start the journey. There were so many fun fish and things to look at. We even found a creepy crawly area FULL of cockroaches, yikes! Next we found a gentleman named Frank. He was holding a turtle and talking to the kids all about it! It was fun to learn about this sweet turtle and to get up close and personal. We continued on and found our way to this amazing tunnel. It was see through so we were able to see everything above us in the water. It felt like we could reach out and touch the sharks. One of my kiddos favorite things to do was to feed the stingrays. Towards the end of the aquarium, there was a little Shrimp Shack with shrimp and fish available for purchase. We got the kids some and they loved being able to play with the fish and throw them in to feed the stingrays. After they finished feeding their new friends, they went over to the area where the kids get to touch critters. This was a rare experience because we don’t often get the chance to touch sea life! We had a blast here and spent a few hours looking around and falling in love with every part of the experience. It was close to lunch time so we searched for the perfect food that everyone in the family loved…Chic-Fil-A! We grabbed food and had a quick lunch so that we could get back to our MOA adventures!
 |  |  |
Growing up the Mall of America had Camp Snoopy. It was a fun indoor amusement park with something for everyone in the family. I haven’t been to the mall in over ten years and boy has this area changed! It is now called Nickelodeon Universe and it was way more fun than it ever used to be! There are rides for everyone in the family, food, entertainment and fun! The kids all found their favorite rides and activities there. My youngest really loved the Paw Patrol Adventure Bay area. He could have stayed there all day! He got to play in little cars, he went down the slides, and got to spend time building in this area. It was great for younger kids. My daughter really enjoyed the Fairly Odd Coaster. She was just tall enough to get on it and she spent forever riding it over and over again. We tried other rides and enjoyed other experiences while we were playing in Nickelodeon Universe. If we had known what a huge hit this area would have been, we would have planned to stay the entire day and hop from ride to ride.
 |
After riding and playing most of the day at Nickelodeon Universe, we knew we would have to plan a trip out to finish our fun at the mall. We decided to go back the next day and head to the Crayola Experience. This was something that was new for me. I had never been inside one of these locations and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by how much there was to do here. We started by making our own crayon labels. We got to pick what they said and it was fun to see how creative the kids got. We continue on to a photo area that printed pictures of you with a Crayola scene. These were fun because we could select what we were doing in our photo and adjust our actions to match! We then got some molding clay and built some fun things out of it. I really noticed that there was a way to be creative in every area of this place. We colored some critters, melted crayons, and even played on their play structures for a while. Next we moved onto the Crayola Scribble Scrubbie pets. These were so fun! We were given little animals to color, then the kids could take them and wash them off and start all over again. We were able to bring them home and my kiddos are still coloring them during the day and washing them at night. I think our favorite part of this experience was the area where you get to melt crayons and turn them into something else. We made crayon cars and rings and the kids spent their most time here. This was a great experience for everyone in the family and we will be going again once we are back in Arizona!
 |  |  |
We worked up a big appetite after being out at the mall again! Both kids were a little hangry and a little tired after our second big day at the Mall of America. We had plans to meet some friends at Pinstripes in Edina later on that evening and I was so happy that the kids fell asleep in the car after leaving the Crayola Experience. When we arrived to Pinstripes, I loved that the setting was tucked back a bit near a little lake. There was great outdoor seating in addition to their large indoor venue. We had bocce reservations and as soon as we walked in the door, the kids got excited about playing (even though they had never even seen bocce before). Not only did they have a nice area for happy hour and bocce, they also had a large bowling area! We decided to stick with our new activities and the kids had a blast playing. My oldest and my nephews did a great job playing and they really seemed to understand the concept of the game…my youngest just seemed to want to take the balls and run with them lol. We grabbed a few drinks and at this point in the day I was starving! I ordered the bruschetta and an iced tea and sat with my sister and relaxed while the kiddos were playing together. Their bruschetta was so great that I didn’t want to share with anyone…it made me even more excited to get into the restaurant area and eat. I walked around the venue a big and it was so great. It was multiple levels, they had a nice dining area that was inside and outside on the water. They also do a lot of events at this location and I can see how great it would be to visit this area for a party, reception, or even a bar/bat mitzvah. After we were done playing for a bit, we went into the restaurant and ordered dinner. The food was amazing and everyone seemed to devour their meals. I ordered their boneless short ribs and they basically melted in my mouth. This was my first time ordering them before and they instantly became one of my new favorite foods. I have yet to find a place here in Arizona with short ribs that tasted this amazing. My kids also chowed down their meals! One got spaghetti and meatballs, and the other got a pizza. They both had great flavors and I decided I would totally order pizza the next time we are traveling and need to grab something on the go! I loved this place and I have heard there might be one opening up in the next few years out here in Phoenix! If you’re ever in the Edina area, I highly recommend visiting the place with friends or family.
Just a few short minutes away from Pinstripes was our hotel. We decided to stay at The Westin Edina Galleria. We picked this hotel because it had so many wonderful reviews online. When you’re traveling, it is hard to pick a place to stay and the best thing to do is to go off from reviews! I loved the pictures I saw online and how clean and modern this Westin looked. I was so happy that all of the reviews were accurate and that the place still looked as amazing as it did when all of the online photos were taken. Across the street from the hotel was the Galleria. This is a great upscale shopping area with fun restaurants and shops. Across the street a different direction was Target! I loved having it so close since we always seem to forget a thing or two when we travel. Across the street on the other side of the hotel was Southdale mall. This hotel was the prime location for people that are wanting to be in a nice area with a lot of things going on around it. It could also be wonderful for someone wanting to just lay low in their room since the rooms were wonderful. After we checked in, we went to the room and we all loved it! They had a large clean bathroom with a shower and separate tub, there were two nice lush beds in the room, and when we opened the curtains, we had an amazing view of Edina! Since we were traveling with the kiddos, the most important thing for them is always the fun and food! We were lucky to be able to stay on the club level where they had snacks and drinks pretty much all day long. From a delish breakfast in the morning to snacks and dessert later in the day, my kiddos never once had to say “I’m Hungry” while staying here. Between our visits to the club lounge, we visited their wonderful indoor heated pool and hot tub, and I loved being able to go to their fitness center to get my workouts in. This was by far one of the nicest places we have stayed at while traveling with the family and we will 100% be staying here next time we visit the Minneapolis area!
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |
Although the Westin Edina has an amazing spread of fresh fruits and breakfast foods, we had plans to meet people the next morning at the Original Pancake House. There are many locations but we visited the one minutes from our hotel in Edina. You could tell this place was popular based on how many people were there bright and early on a Saturday morning! I used to come here when I was younger and I couldn’t wait to eat breakfast. I ordered the Dutch Pancake since they are one of my favorite breakfast items. I always see the servers walk by with them and think “ohh I should have ordered those” so I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget this time! My daughter ordered the 49er Flapjacks and she couldn’t believe they were so huge! They not only looked yummy, but they tasted delicious! We loved all of our breakfast foods and even their coffee was great too. We loved our experience here and will absolutely be heading back on our next trip.
Since I started with Macaroni Kid, I have been so lucky to be able to attend so many theater events and shows. My family and I have turned into theater goers…anytime we can see a play or show, we jump on it! When I heard that Matilda was going to be at The Children’s Theatre Company, I got so excited since I love this movie. We were able to get last minute tickets to see the play. I have to say, that out of all of the plays I have seen over the last 6 years, this is one of my all-time favorites! The acting, the set, the experience…it was way beyond my expectation. They brought Matilda to life in a way I didn’t think was possible! My 4-year-old, who doesn’t love to sit through anything, sat through the entire two-and-a-half-hour play without even getting antsy. I really think that says a lot about this show and he is not one to sit still for anything. We really enjoyed everything about this play and the theatre and will be returning on our next trip.
We were going strong on this trip. We wanted to be on the go nonstop so that we could experience everything Minnesota had to offer. We had a lazy morning and had a small quick breakfast so that we could do a late lunch and a baseball game that day. We visited Rock Elm Tavern in Plymouth because we heard that had great food. We were sad to miss the state fair by a few weeks and my friend told me that Rock Elm had great mini donuts and even cheese curds so we couldn’t pass it up. We needed our taste of Minnesota to be satisfied. I am a really picky eater but I love to try new things which is tricky. I started things off with the cheese curds. You can’t go to MN and not eat them; I think it is against the rules lol. They brought me back to being a kid at the state fair and devouring one of my favorite friend fair treats. They were phenomenal and we ended up ordering another round of them because they were so treat! For my lunch, I decided to order the Mahi Tacos since they sounded great. I was a little hesitant because I don’t always love fish, and when I go out to eat, if it is at all fishy, I can’t eat it. I went out on a limb and tried theirs since the description sounded really good. I am so thrilled that I went out of my comfort zone because they were so amazing! I had to let everyone try them and the kids even loved them. Then for dessert, I ordered the mini donuts since they are not only my favorite, my friend said I had to get them. They were so good! They tasted like they just came out of the cute little stands where you can watch them being made at the fair but they also came with a lite sauce that was heavenly. I really couldn’t believe that out of three items that I ordered, I loved them all! Thankfully Rock Elm Tavern is right down the street from my sister’s place so I will be visiting them again the next time I am visiting.
After a later lunch, my sister and our oldest kiddos went to a Twins game. I haven’t been to one in years and I hadn’t been to their new outdoor, open stadium. Once we got our tickets, we ventured inside and as we were walking, it really looked like there wasn’t a bad seat in the house! We grabbed a water and some peanuts to get us started and took a seat! We had such a fun time at the game. We were close to the organist for the game which was super fun to watch. We were on the upper level behind home plate and had a great view of everything! During the game there was a DJ playing music, there were little fireworks, there was great music playing and the Twins did a great job playing! The stadium has a fun area called the Gate 34 Experience. This was an area that had different food and vendors. It really gives fans an opportunity to experience new things with every visit to a Twins game! It is also located right in front of this large area where people were playing corn hole and catch. It seemed like a big fun area for people to try new food and to hang out and play. It added a whole new thing to the baseball game adventure that made it an even better experience. The Twins won the game which added a lot of fun to the outing that day. The kids talked about the game for the next few days asking if we could go back soon. It was definitely an experience we won’t forget!
We had such an amazing time in Minnesota. I never knew how amazing it could be to visit with my family but I am so happy we decided to visit and make a fun and exciting adventure out of it. Growing up there, I thought I knew pretty much everything there was to do…until I had a family of my own, I didn’t realize how wonderful it was to be there with children. We are going to plan on a yearly trip out to the Minneapolis area so that my kids can not only be around family, but enjoy all that the Twin Cities have to offer families!
