Tag Archives: travel

Travel/Food

4 places you should visit in Minnesota

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By: Jooney Freddieson & Aalovely Lor

Picture Generated by Canva Ai

Are you bored with time to waste but can’t decide where to go? Saint Paul, Minnesota, offers a variety of indoor and outdoor venues where you can enjoy fun activities, eat delicious food, and create fun memories.

Puzzle Works – Located in the Twin Cities, offering the most exciting and intense escape rooms.

They provide a variety of rooms including The Loose Sleuth, The Vault, The Dungeons, The Hospital, and The Nightmare at the Museum, difficulty levels ranging from 5-10.

The game allows you to work together with a minimum of 4, and maximum of 10, people to solve puzzles located inside the rooms. Your mission is to complete objectives within a set time and escape.

  • The Vault: Assist an exiled prince into retrieving treasures from the bank.
  • The Loose Sleuth: Investigate the mysterious disappearance of a top detective.
  • The Hospital: Return a misplaced heart before the upcoming surgery.
  • The Dungeon: Escape execution after being caught stealing from an enchanted avocado.
  • Nightmare at the Museum: Bring an end to a doll exhibit that has been terrorized by a ghost.

A minimum of four participants are required for bookings.  Tickets cost $32.99 per person Sunday through Friday and $34.99 on Saturdays.

Location: 755 Prior Avenue North, Suite 007A, Saint Paul, MN 55114

The Burrow – A multifaceted venue that offers a variety of entertainment that is suitable for different age groups.

They offer various entertainment like axe throwing, pickleball, a private karaoke room, rope courses, outdoor mini-golf, laser tag, and multiple arcade games.

Axe throwing allows you to throw axes on targets, engaging in sessions ranging from 30-60 minutes. $20 per person for 30 mins and $30 for 60.

Pickleball can be played on their indoor courts with a price of $15 per person for 2 hours. The private karaoke room rents for $55 an hour.

Rope Courses and Outdoor Mini-golf are seasonal, only being offered in specific weather conditions. Both activities are filled with their creatively designed courses and are set at a price of $15 per person.

Laser Tag is a fun elimination game where you get to shoot players with a laser gun, earning points for either yourself or your team, costing only $10 per person each round.

Not only does this place offer various entertainment options but they also offer dining areas with delicious food and an adult menu allowing people to relax and chill.

Location: 7053 10th Street North, Oakdale, MN 55128

Can Can Wonderland – An artistic entertainment venue filled with vintage arcade games, live performances, a mini-golf course, and a unique food and drink menu.

They offer over 150 vintage arcade games along with modern arcade games that are free to play.

They include regular live performances including music, themed nights, and talent shows. The venue updates its event calendar with upcoming shows and performances.

Can Can Wonderland offers a diverse food and beverage menu that complements its whimsical and wacky atmosphere while also including an adult menu, making this place suitable for various age groups.

Location: 755 Prior Avenue North, Saint Paul, MN 55104

Spirit Mountain – Located in Duluth, approximately 150 miles away from Saint Paul.

They offer outdoor activities, including snowboarding, skiing, adventure parks, and mountain biking. They also include a jumping pillow attraction for young kids, making this place suitable for all ages.

Winter Sports: Include 22 ski runs, terrain parks, and snow tubing.

Mountain Biking: A lift-accessed trail that caters to various skill level courses, offering both smooth and rugged paths.

Adventure Park: Features a 3,200 track alpine coaster, a 700-foot zip ride, scenic chairlift, jumping pillow, and mini-golf.

Winter Lift Tickets:

  • Alpine (13+): $80 (weekday), $86 (weekend)
  • Youth (6-12): $65 (weekday), $70 (weekend)
  • Senior (80+): $40 (weekday), $45 (weekend)

Adventure Park Tickets:

  • Alpine Coaster: $16 (online), $17 (ticket counter)
  • Zip Ride: $10 (online), $11 (ticket counter)
  • Scenic Chairlift: $14 (online), $15 (ticket counter)
  • Jumping Pillow (30-minute session): $10 (online), $11 (ticket counter)

Location: 9500 Spirit Mountain Place, Duluth, MN 55810

These spots offer many different activities and entertainment that are suitable for all interests. Next time you’re wondering how to spend your free time, consider one of these places for a fun experience and memories.

Getting To Know/History

History of Minnesota State Fair

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By Grace Wright

In 1854 the Minnesota Agricultural Society was founded and their goal was to help promote Minnesota agriculture. The first state fair was held in Minneapolis, 1858. For a while they didn’t have a set place; they would rotate from Red Wing, St. Paul, Rochester and a few more towns.  Between 1870-1880 they worked to have a permanent spot for the fair. They finally found a spot when Ramsey County donated a 210 acre plot of land. It has now grown into 322 acres of land.

During the early days of the fair it was mainly agricultural attractions and competitions. This followed the theme of which the state fair was started for. Now, while agriculture is still a big part of the fair, it has now changed, with more food and rides for people to enjoy.

In 1966 the Fairchild gopher became the new official mascot of the Minnesota State Fair. His name is from Henry S. Fairchild, the man who said the fair should be put on the Ramsey county plot.  His nephew, named Fairborn, later joined him in 1983.

The fair has been held almost every year since it was started but there has been a few years it hasn’t been. 1861-1862 because of the Civil War and the Dakota War, 1893 because of a conflict with an exposition show, 1945-1946 because of the U.S. restrictions with travel during World War II and also due to the polio epidemic. The most recent one was in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some popular buildings are the 4-H buildings, which is where many youth come to show animals. The cattle barn is where you can see many different kinds of cows, there are versions of these for many more animals. The DNR is a log cabin-like building which has held the DNR during the state fair since 1934. The food building is many people’s favorite building because it has many different food stalls. The most well known one is the grandstand. The grandstand has many different levels with food and shopping on the second and third floors and showing rooms on the bottom floor. It is also where many concerts are seen in the two weeks.

The state fair sees 2 million people a year and employs over 2,000 staff members during the summer. The livestock is a big part of the Minnesota Fair. It brings more than 8,000 competitors, 20,000 animals and prizes can add up to 1.6 million in total.

I have been going to the state fair for many years now and I have also worked at a booth during the two weeks that the state fair has been open. Some of my favorite parts are the food. I always get Sweet Martha’s, which are very famous chocolate chip cookies, I also always get the turkey leg and lemonade. I would recommend going to the state fair if you ever get a chance there is something for everyone there. It is open for the 2025 season, August 21-September 1. 

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Travel/Food

Best sites to see in the Twin Cities

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By: Maggie Hong

Image via Wikimedia Commons

As we get closer to summer, there’s a lot of free time in the future. One great way to fill this time is exploring our cities through museums and historical sites. The Twin Cities Area has lots to offer when it comes to art, culture, and history. Here are three of my favorites, perfect for all ages and interests.

Minneapolis Institute of Art— Mia is a must see site in the Twin Cities. It has 143 galleries, showcasing almost 5,000 years of artwork from around the world. Permanent exhibits include African, Asian, American Indian, and European galleries, as well as various eras of American art. More immersive galleries include rooms decorated in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style and period rooms themed around the Renaissance era, Ancient Japan, and the American 1950s. Be sure to check out rotating exhibits, which feature local and international artists.

Mill City Museum— The Mill City Museum might not be on the top of everyone’s sightseeing list, but it’s one of the most interesting museums in the cities. Built in the ruins of downtown Minneapolis’ Gold Medal Flour factory, this museum has interactive exhibits themed around Minnesotan milling history. Board historic train cars, bake bread, and ride a flour elevator while you learn about the people who worked in one of Minnesota’s biggest industries. A highlight of this museum for me is walking through the ruins park; a part of the building preserved as it was after the 1878 Mill City disaster, an explosion which leveled the building and damaged much of the surrounding area. You can see the old walls, outlines of rooms, and pieces of metal equipment that survived the fire.

Historic Fort Snelling— Historic Fort Snelling is a great place to learn about Minnesotan history, as well as experience the beauty of the Mississippi riverbank. Watch cannons fire and historic reenactors march military routes in this 1800s fort. Fort Snelling is also a great place to learn about Native history. Learn about Dakota language, history, and culture from community members and historic actors, and see how native people were treated during Fort Snelling’s time as an internment camp. Lastly, hear the story and see the living quarters of Dread Scott, a slave who sued the US government for his family’s freedom. So much history and many monumental moments have taken place at Fort Snelling, right in Highland’s backyard.

Getting To Know/History

History of the National Parks

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By: Grace Wright

Logo of the United States National Park Service

March 1, 1872 was the day Yellowstone National Park became officially approved by the U.S. congress. The founding of Yellowstone National Park helped start the wave of new parks in over 100 different nations and 1,200 parks.

After Yellowstone became a National Park there were many different monuments and new National Parks, but the issue was that depending on where it was located, it was managed by many different government departments; this made things complicated. The 3 departments involved were: the Department of the Interior, the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture.

On August 25, 1916 an act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson creating the National Park Service. It was a new department responsible for protecting the 35 parks and different monuments that the Department of the Interior was responsible for. It wasn’t until 1933, when an executive order transferred 56 monuments and military sites from the two other departments, that all of the National Parks fell under 1 department These steps have been most important to help build the National Park Systems we know today.

One person who was very important to these steps was Theodore Roosevelt. He was known as the “Conservation President”, he impacted the system well beyond his life. When he was president in 1901-1909 he doubled the number of parks known. He established 5 parks in his time, Crater Lake in Oregon, Wind Cave in South Dakota, Sully’s Hill in North Dakota, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and Platt in Oklahoma. Some of these are not here today but they have still made an impact.

The National Park system in the U.S. includes 400 areas that cover more than 84 million acres in the 50 states but also the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands and many more.

The National Parks still strive to meet the goals of protecting the diverse cultural and recreational resources, being an advocate and helping to preserve our natural world. The National Park Service employs more than 20,000 people and they care for 400+ National Parks and monuments. 

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Entertainment, Getting To Know/History

The most popular mall in America

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By: Isabel Strack

Image generated with securly.com

The most popular mall in America is the Mall of America. This mall has endless options to shop with 520 stores. There are also many different places you can eat with 50 different restaurants.

They have great entertainment including a movie theater, an aquarium, escape room, Crayola Experience, and an amusement park inside the mall. The amusement park has 24 rides including a roller coaster that goes around the enclosed atrium of the mall. The aquarium holds 1.2 million-gallons and has sharks, stingrays, giant sea turtles, and many other creatures. There is a glass tunnel that can go from one end of the aquarium to the other, which is around the same length as a football field.

The Mall of America is huge so in case you ever get lost they have these directories that show you where to go.

Here are some more facts about the Mall:

  • The Mall of America can also be called the MOA.
  • The MOA is the largest mall in the U.S. it has more than 2,779,242 million feet of shops, entertainment, and restaurants.
  • This mall is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, as it annually attracts over 40 million visitors.
  • It first opened in 1992, which was on the site of something previously called Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Twins teams once played.
  • Around 4 out of 10 visitors that go to the Mall of America are tourists. Almost more than twice as many people as the world’s largest amusement park, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World have visited the MOA.

Some of the original plans for this mall included an indoor submarine ride and a convention center, but all of these plans later were eliminated due to cost. It was co-developed by the Ghermezian family who lived in Edmonton, Canada. This family also developed the largest shopping mall in North America called the West Edmonton Mall.

The MOA is very large so if you’re visiting it might be nice to request a free visitors kit before you go.

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Getting To Know/History, Sports

Tara Dower

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By: Kara Fini

Appalachian Trail sign

A record previously only held by men was broken last year by a woman.  In September of 2024, Tara Dower ran the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in under 41 days beating the previous record held by Karel Sabbe, a male ultrarunner, by a whole 13 hours.

Tara is a 31-year-old ultra runner from Virginia. She’s run thousands of miles in her life and attempted to hike the Appalachian Trail twice. Her first time in 2017 she didn’t make it due to anxiety, but two years later she completed it with her husband. This time she wanted to make history.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Appalachian Trail, it’s a long hiking trail that spans from Georgia all the way to Maine going through the Appalachian Mountains. This trail is 2,190+ miles long and is open to the public. There are many parts of the trail for doing shorter hikes. The total amount of elevation gain for the entire trail is 520,000 ft with the highest elevation being 6,643 ft.

Annually, about 3,000 people attempt to complete this 2,000 mile journey, but only about 25% of people complete it. For the average hiker, it takes 5 to 7 months to complete with several stops along the way.

With all of that in mind, it puts into perspective how crazy and amazing it is for Tara to run this in only 41 days. Tara was running the equivalent of two marathons every day across the mountains. She had different pacers, people who ran with her to make sure she was going the right speed, throughout the whole time who helped her stay encouraged and motivated. She completed it at 11:53 at night on September 21.

This moment is powerful for women and girls in sports, especially running. In most things related to endurance sports, men have the fastest time. Seeing a woman not only beat the women’s fastest known time, but the overall known time shows how capable and strong women in sports can be.

If you want to see more of Tara’s running journey, she has a TikTok and Instagram that you can follow. Her username for both is @tara.dower.

Advice/How To

Things to do to make the most of Winter Break

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By: Kumari Wijetunge

A view of the Mississippi River from the trails in Crosby Farm Regional Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, February 3, 2016. By: National Park Service-courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

During winter break many people will leave town or even the country to see family and friends or just for a vacation, but some people will stay home during break. And since many places are closed and friends are out of town, winter break can seem boring or lonely, so here are five things you can do during break to keep yourself busy and make the most of it.

Visit a local Christmas market:

Christmas markets are a great way to take in local Minnesota traditions and Christmas spirit. Here are some options: European Christmas market in St. Paul, which is held in Union Depot, has over 70 different vendors, holiday themed activities, and live entertainment. Another notable option is Dayton’s Holiday Market in Minneapolis. Located in the Nicollet Mall this market has a mix of festive decor, holiday treats, and local artisans. These markets are great places to visit during break.

Visit a llama farm:

There are a few great llama farms in Minnesota and many of these locations let you feed, pet, and take photos with them. Places like Carlsons’s Llovable Llama in Waconia and Pauley Alpaca company in Rochester are awesome places to hang out with some llamas!

Ice castles:

Minnesota Ice Castles have super impressive ice structures, the location changes every year and prices vary depending on what day you go. But no matter what, it’s a super fun experience with ice slides, caverns, tunnels, and many more exciting adventures in ice.

Art Shanty Projects:

The Art Shanty Projects is an immersive art program that takes place on the frozen surface of Minneapolis’ Bdé Umán/Lake Harriet.

Saint Paul Winter Carnival:

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival invites a great lineup of events to experience in Saint Paul. It is the oldest winter festival in the United States. Many events that the carnival offers are free, both traditional favorites and new attractions, that cater to all ages.

Getting To Know/History

The story of Gobi

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By: Kara Fini

The story of Gobi is a story of a dog who ran 77 miles of an ultra marathon in the Gobi Desert of north-central China back in 2015. She is a small female chihuahua who ran with the runner Dion Leonard. Dion Leonard is from Edinburgh, Scotland and traveled to China to race one of the toughest races in his life.

On day two of Dion’s race a little stray dog started to follow him and run alongside him. It annoyed him at first, but his attitude changed on day three. Right before he was about to take the lead, there was a huge water crossing he had to wade through. He started going through the water, but heard whimpering behind him, so doing something he had never done before, he turned back and carried the dog across. After that day his main priority changed from winning the race, to protecting and running with Gobi.

When the race ended, Dion asked to see if anyone was her owner, but when no one claimed her he decided he wanted to take her home to Scotland. Because of policies that stopped Dion from just taking her, he went back to Scotland and left Gobi with a local family who offered to take her.

After a few weeks apart Dion got heartbreaking news that Gobi went missing. Dion was heartbroken, and decided to fly to China to start a rescue team to try and find her. They set up posters and searched everywhere. By this time, the story of Gobi and Dion had gone viral in this area so many people were wanting to try and help find Gobi.

Dion wasn’t convinced that Gobi had just escaped and thought that someone would take her because of how viral she had become. He started to lose hope when someone claimed to have found her, but it was the wrong dog.

Then one day, a person on Dion’s search team came up to him and showed him a picture of a dog that people had sent to him thinking it was Gobi. Dion glanced at it, but was not convinced that this was Gobi. He decided to go and meet with them anyway. They got there and as soon as the dog saw Dion it came sprinting towards him. It leaped into his arms and Dion knew that it was Gobi.

They spent a couple months living in Beijing while Gobi was waiting for the necessary paperwork, so she could go to Scotland with Dion.

She now lives there full time with Dion and his wife. She is retired from running, but they travel the world to inspire others to run.

If you want to hear more about Gobi’s story, Dion wrote a memoir called ‘Finding Gobi’ where he talks about his whole experience in running with Gobi and the journey to take her back to Scotland.

Travel/Food

Best places to camp in MN

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By: Kara Fini

(View of Fenske Lake from campsite #7)

Minnesota has beautiful wildlife and nature which means it also has amazing places to go camping. Here’s a list of 3 of my personal favorite places to go camp.

Jay Cooke State Park is located in Carlton Country about 20 miles southwest of Duluth. Like most campgrounds they offer tent, RV, and camper cabin sites for a variety of ways to camp. They all Include a fire pit and you are able to buy firewood on-site. Why Jay Cooke stands out against other campgrounds is because of their famous swinging bridge which is now 100 years old. This bridge has stunning views over the St. Louis River and leads you to a bunch of amazing hiking trails. In total, there are 50 miles of hiking trails to explore and 34 miles of Nordic skiing trails in the winter. I would recommend Jay Cooke as a nice family camping trip or first time camper because of the variety of ways to camp and because of the many activities they provide.

If you are looking for a more secluded campground, Fenske is in my opinion the best place to go camping. Fenske Lake Campground is a small remote campground up in Ely, Minnesota. The campground has 16 campsites with 11 being RV accessible. The nicer sites have a walk in style meaning there is a small trail about 60 meters leading down to the campsite. This makes it harder to set up tents and bring stuff down, but it’s worth it when you’re in your own secluded campsite. Some campsites are connected to the lake. This means you can canoe, kayak, paddleboard or go swimming straight from your campsite. There are hiking trails, but they require a bit of a drive to get to. Overall, I would recommend Fenske for non-first time campers because it’s a bit rougher compared to other campgrounds like Jay Cooke. 

The Boundary Waters 4.3 million acres of interconnected lakes and rivers with beautiful forests that are home to much wildlife including moose, loons, bears, deer and many other animals. Camping in the Boundary Waters is a much different experience than a state park campground. First of all, there are no motorized vehicles allowed in the Boundary Waters area. The only ways to get into the Boundary Waters is by portaging, canoeing or hiking. Inside the Boundary Waters there are 2,000 campsites, most accessible from the lakeside. These campsites have an area to set up a tent, a small pit toilet and sometimes have a fire pit. The Boundary Waters can be difficult to plan and hard to navigate, but the memories and experiences of them make it worth going.

Travel/Food

Top 5 places to travel: These are some of the best places to travel and here is why

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By: Isabel Strack

Image taken from: https://www.vecteezy.com/

Paris

Paris is one of the best places to travel because it is a major European city and a global center for finance, diplomacy, commerce, art, fashion, gastronomy, and culture.

Paris has many great stores to shop at. The shopping experiences in Paris make it worth the visit.

Paris has leading roles in science and arts, as well as its early and expensive system of street lighting. In the 19th century Paris became known as the city of light.

And lastly, from many bucket list attractions like the Eiffel Tower, your first visit may feel magical, but even if you return dozens of times you will never run out of new things to see and do.

Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the most popular places to visit. Hawaii has very beautiful scenery like their gorgeous beaches. They are very well known for their famous beaches as well. From the idyllic shorelines of Waikiki to the wild black sand on Hawaii’s big island.

Hawaii has amazing wildlife whether it is whale watching season or seeing the tropical birds, to dolphins. You can watch the green sea turtles and how they behave in their natural habitat as well.

And lastly, you may want to visit because they have beautiful volcanoes. You are able to go on many tourist helicopter rides to see these mountains up close. The Hawaiian islands were formed by the volcanic eruptions deep under the ocean.

Bali

Many people like to travel to Bali because they have amazing beaches. They have big collections of gorgeous beaches. These beaches can range from white sandy coastlines to limestone cliffs.

Another big reason people like to visit is because they always have beautiful weather. Bali is always nice and warm because it is 8 degrees south of the equator which is why Bali is a top option for beach lovers.

And lastly, another reason to visit is because they have great restaurant options. Some of Indonesia’s best restaurants are right in Bali; some of them are even in the “World’s 50 best restaurants.” Those are just some of the many reasons why Bali is an amazing place to visit.

Greece

Greece is a very popular place to travel and here is why. Greece has great hiking spots. They have many hills and mountains that have beautiful views and are perfect for people who love to hike.

Greece has very nice beaches. Greece has over 6,000 islands which means that they have a lot of beaches. The sand is alway very soft and clean and the ocean is always clear and clean.

They also have amazing Greek food. They are very well known for their olive oil; they’re even in the top 3 olive oils. They also make amazing dairy products, like their Greek yogurt.

Rome

Many people enjoy visiting Rome and here are some of the reasons why. Rome is the capital of Italy and is a beautiful place.

Rome also has very beautiful weather. Temperatures in spring hover around 65 degrees but can occasionally reach to 80 degrees. Which means it can never be too hot or too cold.

Rome also has amazing Italian food. They have many different dishes but are most known for their spaghetti or Alfredo. They also make amazing pizzas in their stone ovens that can cook the pizzas to perfection. There are many different reasons why Rome is amazing to visit. These are just some of the main reasons.