Living well while spending less in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area
Hot Wheels are at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul! My son has loved Hot Wheels for years so we were super excited about this exhibit opening up. We visited shortly after it opened and had a blast, and I have a ticket discount and GIVEAWAY to share!
First, about the exhibit:
The Hot Wheels exhibit is open now through May 24th!
Have you visited Ice Castles in New Brighton this year yet? I visited with my kids and friend and I’m so excited to share my review with you! Plus, I have an exclusive 15% discount for tickets AND a ticket GIVEAWAY!
As always, Ice Castles is beautiful, magical, and great for many photo opportunities. We visited on a not-so-cold Saturday and it was perfect. We had tickets in advance for a specific time and went right in (be sure to get them online in advance with my discount code!).
Our family recently visited SeaQuest in Roseville, and honestly, we had the most interactive family experience that I think we’ve ever had at an attraction!
SeaQuest opened in Roseville in the spring of 2019, and is 23,000 square feet with 1200 animals of 300 species from 5 continents. Many are rescues.
A visit starts with basic admission with their Single Day Passports and Annual Passports, but you can also feed the animals, experience encounters with animals like the sloth, otters and kinkajou, and even snorkel with stingrays!
I had heard about SeaQuest coming to the Twin Cities for a while and was looking forward to checking it out with the kids, so finally we headed there not just to visit, but to experience some of the add-on interactions they offer as well!
SeaQuest is located inside Rosedale Mall in Roseville, which makes it convenient if you have some shopping stops to make as well or want to eat out after your visit (Rosedale is one of our favorite malls, especially after their recent makeover!).
I recently tried an escape room for the first time with a group of friends – it’s called the Riddle Room, it’s in Minneapolis, and it was AMAZING!
I had heard about escape rooms for the past few years, as they’ve been seeming to get more popular for groups of coworkers, friends or family members. Friends who had done them have said so many things about their experiences, that they were SO much fun. I was curious and subconsciously added it to my bucket list of things to try someday, so when a place in Minneapolis called the Riddle Room invited me to visit with a group, I jumped at the opportunity.
What is an Escape Room?
An escape room is a room where a group is “locked” in (usually not really locked in but are supposed to feel that way), and there are puzzles that need to be solved within a period of time so they can get out or just accomplish their mission.
The William L. McKnight-3M Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota just went digital with a new laser projection system!
On Thursday, October 17th, the Omnitheater opened as only the third IMAX digital laser dome theater in the world, and we visited for the premiere of Superpower Dogs!
The Omnitheater has been at the Science Museum for four decades showing movies using a film projection system. We’ve seen many of them over the years. But its new digital laser projection system will allow for “even better contrast, brightness, clarity, and color.”
Superpower Dogs is the first film to be shown with the new system. It’s the story of six real-life working dogs as they help save lives following earthquakes and avalanches, as well as protect endangered species, and help people with special needs.
We got to meet Henry, one of the stars of the movie. Henry is a 5-year-old border collie from Canada. Henry and Ian Bunbury, his handler/trainer, are a Senior Avalanche Rescue Dog Team. Together they work as volunteers with the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association.
Henry was so amazingly well-trained by Ian. He would pose with everyone so well, though of course he’s trained to do much more.
The other dogs in the movie are so cute yet so amazing. For example, Halo’s story was featured throughout the movie, as a disaster response dog in Miami, Florida. Reef is a water rescue dog in Italy, and Ricochet provides emotional support to people with disabilities (below).
My kids and I enjoyed the movie so much. It was interesting and even made me a little teary-eyed near the end (it was a good ending!).
We also loved that for the first time ever they had concessions you can buy and bring into the show! We had some popcorn and cookies but there was a lot more you could buy. (I don’t admire whoever has to clean up people’s spilled popcorn in those high rows of seats, though.)
Was the quality of the movie better?
I would say it was the best quality I can imagine. The color and sharpness were excellent and immersive. With everything going digital now, I think it was a great move for the Omnitheater.
Check it out for yourself! Superpower Dogs is playing now.
For more information, visit the Science Museum’s website.
(Disclosure: We were provided with a complimentary visit to facilitate sharing our experience. All opinions are 100% mine.)
It’s September, and that means Sever’s Fall Festival & Corn Maze is opening! And I’m excited to be partnering with them to give away 4 free tickets!
Sever’s is located in Shakopee, and they’re open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from September 13th through November 3rd.
And Sever’s has exciting announcements for the 2019 season! First, Sever’s has a new, permanent home in Shakopee at 3121 West 150th Street – and it’s three times the size of its previous spot!
We went to Sever’s last year and had a blast, and can’t wait to see the new location!
With the new location, Severs is paying tribute to the past with the theme of this year’s event: Sever’s Jurassic Adventure!
Why the dinosaur theme?
“The very first Sever’s corn maze design was actually a T-Rex,” says Nicola Peterson with Sever’s. “So, this year’s theme takes us back to our roots and, as with many of our designs, is inspired by our own children.”
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If you’re looking for the ultimate indoor destination for all-day family fun, check out the new Urban Air Adventure Park in Plymouth!
We visited there recently for the first time to see what it was like (and so the kids could burn off some energy!). My daughter had been to a birthday party at a different Urban Air location and she loved it, and we had been meaning to go as a family. Then we learned of this new location in Plymouth (they opened in May 2019) so we headed there for the day.
This place had so much to do! There were not only trampolines but go-karts, a zip line (called the Sky Rider coaster), tubes and slides, climbing walls and so much more.
Attractions include:
After getting our socks on, my kids ran straight for the trampolines where they loved bouncing around. What’s neat is there are more than just basic trampolines here – there are several different types. There is the freestyle area which my kids liked the best. There are areas like DropZone, Slam Dunk Zone and “ProZone Performance” trampolines where you can do acrobatics and stunts (this was popular).
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The Sea Life Aquarium at the Mall of America has a special event this summer through Labor Day called “LEGO Sea Explorers” and our family recommends it to everyone! We visited and loved all the LEGO fun throughout the attraction. If you haven’t gotten there, be sure to visit before it ends on Monday, September 2, 2019!
Here’s what to expect!
There are LEGOs around the attraction that you can look for. We found them from the “Brave the Rainforest” exhibit all the way through to the “Jellyfish Discovery” exhibit.
In Barnes & Noble, I’m already like a kid in a candy store. So you can guess how amazing it was to be among the first to tour a newly designed Barnes & Noble!
My kids and I previewed the new Barnes & Noble at City Place Shopping Center in Woodbury, which opens Wednesday, July 24th!
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This year my daughter finished 5th grade. That means she starts middle school in the fall, which I can hardly believe. Where did the time go? This is a huge change for her, and will take some adjustment for all of us, I’m sure.
My daughter does well overall in school, but from the homework and projects she has brought home, I can see her schoolwork has become more and more challenging, and will continue to be in the 6th grade. That’s something I’m concerned about, so I want to do everything I can to help her do her best and make sure her study skills are ready for this next stage in her life.
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