My granddaughter is moving to Minneapolis. Any advice for museums, staying warm, etc.? She's 10.?

Question

She is moving from Las Vegas, and I know she'll be in shock at the cold. She loves the huge mall there (Mall of America?), and also loves museums, movies and roller skating.

Nana (that's me) plans to visit only in the warmer months. I cannot imagine that sort of cold, being a California resident.

I worry she will freeze to death, but I must trust her mother to keep her warmly dressed!

I know it's a much better place to raise a child than Las Vegas, and there will be lots of family around, so she'll be better off in the long run.

I'd like ideas of where to take her when I visit. My first trip will be in July.

Thanks.

Answer 1

There is so much to do in Minneapolis!
The Mall of America is a great place to visit - http://www.mallofamerica.com/ It has the indoor amusement park, as well as a huge movie theater (plus the shopping, of course)

There is also the Science Museum of Minnesota, which also has the Omni Theater - http://www.smm.org/

The Minneapolis Children's Museum - http://www.mcm.org/

The Minneapolis Children's Theater - http://www.childrenstheatre.org/

The Minnesota Zoo - http://www.mnzoo.com/

The Bell Museum of Natural History - http://www.bellmuseum.org/

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts - http://www.artsmia.org/

Walker Art Center - http://www.walkerart.org/index.wac

Como Park Zoo & Conservatory - http://www.comozooconservatory.org/

Valley Fair Amusement Park - http://www.valleyfair.com/

There is just so much to do, I could go on and on... she really won't freeze to death - she will just need to get and WEAR warm clothes - jacket, hat, mittens, boots. Don't worry, Nana, she will be fine - and she may even talk you into a winter visit!

Answer 2

Ooh, there's tons of stuff to do in Minneapolis/St. Paul!

Museums:
- Children's Museum (St. Paul)
- Science Museum of Minnesota (also St. Paul)
- Mill City Museum (Minneapolis)
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Minneapolis -- admission is free!)

Other attractions:
- Water parks (indoor and outdoor)
- Various summer festivals (there's one pretty much every weekend somewhere in or near the Twin Cities)
- Visitor center at the lock & dam on the Mississippi river, it's neat to see how the locks work and watch the boats go up and down.

In July it will be warm and humid, and there will be plenty of stuff to do outdoors. The parks system in Minneapolis is one of the best in the nation, and there are lots of lakes for swimming, trails for riding bikes, etc. Some of the lakes have canoes/kayaks/paddleboats that you can rent, too.

Have fun visiting! (And don't worry, she'll survive the winter, we all do. ;) Just make sure she's got a warm coat, boots, hat & mittens!)

Answer 3

10 is a good age to move here. She'll acclimate to the weather fairly quickly.

For rollerskating, make sure she checks out the Roller Garden! It's a classic rink.

Answer 4

When the mittens and stuff come out at the stores in the fall. Have her buy two pair. When she loses one mitten later in the season the stores may not have any replacements left.