We’ve been to Minneapolis twice this year. Once to visit a friend and another time to see our first professional hockey game! Go CAPS! Both times we have really enjoyed our visits. This post is going to be about our most recent visit at the end of February.
Saturday
IKEA
We started out the day with our first visit to IKEA (I know. Our first visit. It’s crazy). We went in very unprepared and two hours later came out with a French press, a milk frothier and a metal jug to froth said milk in. We were unprepared because we did not expect to spend two hours in the store, and we didn’t know what we were getting into. The whole first floor was full of showrooms and we were a little confused as to where you buy the products. Then, we found stairs that led to the bottom floor, which was full of bins with the items that were showcased throughout.
If you think you can just stop into IKEA quick. . . you’re mistaken. With that being said, I LOVED it. It was so cute! My boyfriend however was getting tired of it after the first hour or so.
Mall of America
After hopping back in our car, we drove the Mall of America. What a glorious mall it is. If you love to shop as much as I do, you could spend more than one day here. Last time we were in Minneapolis, we spent 6 hours here. This past time it was closer to 5 hours. We stopped in a ton of stores, but I’ve listed some of my favorites below:
- Fjällräven (Swedish gear and backpack store.)
- Lush (To get shampoo bars for the first time!)
- Lindt (for a ridiculous amount of truffles. The Neapolitan one is a new favorite!)
- Columbia (peeked at their clearance and found AMAZING hiking boots in my size!)
- H&M (They use sustainably sourced cotton!)
- Barnes and Noble (To find a book I’m searching for. Turns out it hasn’t been released yet!)
- Random restaurant for a taco platter
Blue Door Pub
After the mall we went back to our friend’s place and rested a while before dinner. After asking our friend and his roommates, we were recommended Blue Door Pub. It’s a popular burger joint serving bluceys, which are burgers with cheese inside of them. We ordered an appetizer of fried pickles and then our burgers. I got the Baked n’ Loaded Burger, which is as delicious as it sounds, with the toppings of a next level baked potato.
Red Cow
On our last visit we opted for another burger joint called Red Cow. I ordered a basic burger with toppings, an order of fries, and a passion fruit cider from Oregon. The cider was among the best I’ve had, and the fries were amazing as well. If I had to choose between the two, I would probably choose red cow because the cider was out of this world and I liked their fries a bit more.
Our next stop was a wine and liquor store to check out the local brews and ciders. I’m a fan of any cider that is not apple flavored. This time I found a crisp pear cider and a cherry rhubarb cider. We also tried grain belt premium which is a popular local beer. The rest of the night was spent catching up with our friend.
Sunday
Black Coffee and Waffle Bar
In the morning we decided to check out a waffle place called Black Coffee and Waffle Bar. It seemed to be a popular place for students, but we saw an older couple enjoying a meal as well. We got lattes and waffles. Dillon opted for the banana nut waffle and I chose the signature naughty waffle with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, almond butter, granola, and topped with whipped cream. It was delicious and I definitely recommend stopping by for a waffle!
Mill City Museum
After breakfast we headed to the Mill City Museum. It is kid friendly but as 20 somethings we still thoroughly enjoyed it. They have a main gallery with a courtyard that is open when weather permits (closed in the winter). Your entry also includes the flour tower which is an elevator that brings you to a lookout at the top of the building. It offers great views of Minneapolis and is a great place for a photo opportunity. When you go back down to the main gallery don’t forget to stop by the bread lab where you can try fresh baked bread! We tried an Italian loaf and the museum staff member encouraged us to take a picture of the recipe to try at home.
All of the staff members were helpful and friendly when we had questions. It truly made for an enjoyable experience. The museum also has a museum store and a café on the same floor as the main entrance. I felt the Mill City Museum was one of the best stops we made in Minneapolis because it gave us a lot of history on the origins of the city.
American Swedish Institute
Our last visit to Minneapolis consisted mainly of the Mall of America, a few parks, and outdoor attractions (that were great for our summer visit) so this visit I was determined to fit in some museums. So, for our next stop, we went to the American Swedish Institute. The institute consists of a beautifully decorated Swedish mansion and a modern addition that contains an additional gallery, the museum store, and a café. As we entered, a charming front desk woman welcomed us to the museum and gave us a map along with a rundown of the current exhibits.
As we went to enter the mansion portion of the museum, a staff member handed us a scavenger hunt worksheet and a row of stickers. Once we completed the hunt, we would receive a prize. This museum was quirky and exciting. If you have kids this would be a fun museum to take them to. I found myself grinning at things throughout I would’ve enjoyed as a kid. We explored all three floors and the basement of the mansion. My favorite features were the ceramic tile furnaces that heated the mansion. Each one was beautifully hand painted and ornate.
As we made our way back to the entrance, we turned in our scavenger hunt and got a Swedish fish as our reward. Before we left, we stopped in the gift shop. The shop had a great selection of traditional Swedish things from clothing and accessories to dishes and home goods. My favorite section was the back wall that was filled with books. There were books of culture, travel, and works written by famous Swedish authors.
Boiler Room Coffee
After exploring two museums, we were hungry again.We did a quick google search for cafes near us because we wanted a nice light meal. We reviewed a few and decided to check out Boiler Room Coffee. It sounded like it had the most character and was relatively close to where we were. We walked in to find a large coffee bar in the center, and seating on each side filled with people working on their laptops. Dillon got a cold sandwich and chips with a pickle on the side. I got a cold sandwich and chicken wild rice soup, also with a pickle on the side. The cup of soup was my favorite part of the meal!
As we found our table, I grabbed a copy of the City Pages from a stand in the corner. When traveling, I like to read local publications to see what each city raves about. I got the impression that Minneapolis is quite proud of their food options and unique dishes served at restaurants across the city. I am all about cities with pride in their food scene! We finished up our meal and headed back to our friend’s apartment to get ready for out first professional hockey game.
Minnesota Wild vs Washington Capitals
I had bought Dillon tickets for Christmas to see the Minnesota Wild versus the Washington Capitals at the Xcel Energy Center on March 1st. Dillon is a hard-core Washington Capitals fan and I was so excited to get him tickets to his first NHL game! We used Uber to get to the stadium and our entrance into the stadium was seamless. On our way in we didn’t have to stand in a long line and our Uber was able to drop us off right at the stadium entrance!
Inside the stadium
While walking to our seats, we did find that drinks and snacks were quite pricey but I’m sure that’s the same in any professional sports stadium. I bought a bag of gummy worms for 6 dollars which is a little ridiculous but its not the first time I’ve spent that much on gummy worms having previously bought them in the Chicago airport for the same outrageous price. I guess one could draw the conclusion that sports stadium concession prices are similar to airport snack prices. After we got our snacks we headed in to find our seats. All of the seats were clearly marked, and we found ours with ease.
The game itself was amazing! The Caps won 4-3 and we got to see a fight on the ice! The entertainment during game breaks was also entertaining and the Wild mascot shot t-shirts into the crowd.
Our Way Back From the Game
After the game was over walking out of the stadium and the pedestrian traffic wasn’t bad but the car traffic was a bit delayed. It took us about 30 minutes to get our Uber to go back to our friend’s place.
In the Uber, on the way back from the game, we ordered from Sarpino’s Pizzeria for pick-up. We got a pepperoni pizza with green peppers and onions as additional toppings. The crust was crisp on the bottom and still fluffy on the inside. The sauce was sweeter than expected but overall it was a savory slice. After our pizza we turned in for the night.
Monday
The Museum of Russian Art
On Monday morning, our first and last stop in Minneapolis, was the Museum of Russian Art. We found street parking near the museum and walked inside. We were greeted by a museum employee, given a map and a brief explanation of the current exhibits. There were 3 exhibits on display when we visited. One of the exhibits was titled Soviet Posters and showed posters from when communism became popular in Russia all the way to the fall of the USSR. Our favorite exhibit was Vladimir Dikarev: Poetic Surrealism. It’s currently a temporary exhibit at the museum until June of 2020. The artist is originally from Ukraine and now lives in Minnesota. His artwork is colorful and unique.
As we wandered through the exhibits, we were thankful that translations and descriptions could be found on the wall next to each piece of artwork. After we had seen each of the exhibits, we went into the museum store located on the second floor where we were offered complimentary tea. We enjoyed our experience at the museum. However, this museum is better suited to individuals with interest or knowledge of Russia’s complex history.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post on our trip to Minneapolis! We enjoyed our time and I hope you enjoyed hearing about it! Please post comments or questions below.
Until next time,
Sarah Elizabeth
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