Ideas to Spice Up Your Winter Bucket-list
Courtesy of Mark Pickhall @ Munro Studios
MINNESOTA GATHERING: Located in the Arboretum’s Sugar Maple collection, the installation was inspired when Munro saw the weave of blue tubes that carry sap for maple syrup production. It channels Munro’s early life in Australia, where great flocks of birds would congregate near his home. The blue lines at the Arboretum will serve as a perch for raucous birds, an exotic flock seeking a cooler climate. Thousands of fluorescent pegs are attached to the blue tubes, color coded by bird species, creating an eclectic gathering of sound and psychedelic color. “I see this work as a bit of fun but also a reminder that we all should keep our eyes, ears, hearts and imagination open to the amazing variety of life that surrounds us on a daily basis.” – Bruce Munro 2016
Now that Minnesota has transformed into a North Pole worthy snow globe, there are many holidazzling things to do with friends and family. Zip up your jackets, slip on your mittens, and embrace the winter season while it’s here. Or, if you’re not into the 32 degrees and below weather, grab your cabin socks and hot cocoa, because there are options for you as well.
Naturally, any adventure must begin with a happy mood and happy stomach. For that purpose, Minnesota has got you covered. Even though you are spending the holidays at home, you can still explore your cultured side. Maybe your friends have foreign travels on their Instagrams, but there are some secret gems here as well.
We all have a little hipster inside of us, and warming up in one of Minneapolis’s artsy coffee shops is a fantastic way to feed it.
The first stop is Quang Restaurant. A family owned authentic Vietnamese restaurant located on Nicollet Ave., Quang boasts itself as one of Minnesota’s best places to satisfy your worldly taste buds. The pho, a type of noodle soup, is warm and well-loved, the perfect combination to defrost your icy fingers. Additionally, most of the menu is under 10 dollars.
Jump on the winter bandwagon and ride over to the Depot to go ice skating. What’s a winter bucketlist without ice skating? The Depot was ranked as one of the best places in North America to go skating by the Today Show and USA Today. If you have a significant other, skating is perfect for a romantic date–just ask Buddy the Elf. For outdoor skating, opt for the Wells Fargo WinterSkate in downtown St. Paul.
For some celestial sights, try a trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s winter display, Bruce Munro: Winter Light at the Arboretum. It features a mixture of both indoor and outdoor large-scale art installations and animations–by Bruce Munro, an internationally-acclaimed artist–that immerse viewers in a sensory explosion of sound, colors, and light. Warm beverages and snacks are served to visitors, and pictures are encouraged.
To check some names off of that holiday shopping list, the Mall of America (MOA) is a go to destination. Frank Sinatra serenading you over the speakers as you walk through a mall transformed by festive lights and Christmas tree displays is sure to be a wonderful time, even if you just window shop. If MOA feels too overdone, the Minneapolis Skyway System is a fun option too. It links 69 blocks over an eight mile expanse, and can be traveled entirely without having to encounter Jack Frost.
We all have a little hipster inside of us, and warming up in one of Minneapolis’s artsy coffee shops is a fantastic way to feed it. Instead of the usual Caribou or Starbucks, try opting for Spyhouse Coffee, the perfect place to boost your Instagram game with its latte art and warehouse-y feel.
Other options include Vicinity Coffee, which has locally roasted coffee and seemingly endless pastries; Sparrow Cafe, the only adorably cozy coffee shop in the Twin Cities that is certified bird-friendly, so even feathery friends could join; and Dogwood Coffee Bar, a shop with high ceilings and lots of sunshine filled windows. The latter is located in Uptown on the same block as the Apple Store, Francesca’s, and Mager & Quinn Booksellers–the Twin Cities’ largest indie bookstore with a name that could’ve been thought up by JK Rowling herself.
Of course, at the end of the day, the perfect winter outing does not require spending money. Inviting friends over to watch seasonal Netflix next to a fire, going sledding or having a snowball fight, and baking cookies while Bing Crosby plays in the background, are all winter classics that will not disappoint. So whether or not you stay in or go out, try something new or get cozy with the usual, may your holiday season be merry and bright.
Hello! My name is Cari Spencer and I am one of the Co-Editors in Chief. I’m a junior in Journalism II and have been writing articles for The Spartan...
