Some Downtime In Minneapolis – Here’s What We Did

To round out our time in Minnesota, we ended up staying a total of three weeks in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. Due to the way things worked out though, we didn’t end up doing as much there as we might’ve hoped.

Both Shae and I had work trips at the beginning of June, both of which left us feeling tired afterwards for different reasons. We therefore didn’t have much energy to do too much while we were in Minneapolis, but we did do a few fun things while we were there.

Here’s a roundup of where we stayed, what we did and where we ate & drank.

Where We Stayed In Minneapolis

Hyatt Regency Minneapolis/Bloomington

When we first arrived in Minneapolis we spent four nights at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis/Bloomington for a few reasons. One is that we were both flying out of MSP airport and this hotel is near there and has a free airport shuttle.

A second is that I have Globalist status with Hyatt which means we’re eligible for suite upgrades, free breakfast, free parking (on award stays) and more. We got an upgrade to a one bedroom suite, so it was nice having that extra space while we were there.

A third reason we booked it is because it’s fairly good value when using points. At the time of our stay it was a category 2 property in the World of Hyatt program which means it costs 6,500, 8,000 or 9,500 points per night depending on if it’s at off-peak, standard or peak pricing. It was at standard pricing (i.e. 8,000 points per night) for three nights of our stay and peak (i.e. 9,500 points per night) for the other night.

The cash price would’ve been $140 per night, so that’s not the greatest value we’ve ever gotten by using Hyatt points, but it was still better than paying $560 out of pocket for our four night stay.

Another great feature of the hotel is that it’s very close to the Mall of America and the hotel also offers a free shuttle bus there.

Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport

Shae got back from her work trip a week before I did. She was due to get in late that night, so I booked her in at the Embassy Suites near the airport. We had a Hilton free night certificate that was expiring, so we used it for that stay. It wasn’t a great use of the certificate as it can be used at any Hilton property worldwide which means it can be extremely valuable, but it was better than letting it go to waste.

TownePlace Suites Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport/Eagan

After that Shae moved on to the TownePlace Suites Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport/Eagan where I joined her about a week later after getting back from my trip. We picked this property because I was able to make a successful Best Rate Guarantee claim with Marriott. That’s where you book directly with Marriott, then find a lower rate for the same stay on a different website within 24 hours. Marriott matches the lower rate you find, then gives you an extra 25% off.

That meant our rate was only $77.13 per night (including tax) after the discount which was much lower than anything available elsewhere.

One of the nice things about the TownePlace Suites brand is that all rooms are suites. Some are one bedroom suites, but we only had a studio suite. Still, it was a spacious studio suite with a bedroom area, living room area and a full kitchen. Unlike many suite hotels that only have a double stove top burner, this particular hotel had a full range with an oven.

The hotel wasn’t perfect though. The internet connection was truly awful – it constantly cut out. Their elevators were scary too – one would frequently break down, while the other sounded like the cable was going to snap the way it creaked so much.

Things To Do In Minneapolis

Cathedral of Saint Paul

A couple of months into our road trip, Shae met a couple while we were in Savannah, GA who live in the Minneapolis area. He’s followed our blog since then and he’d offered to give us a tour of the Cathedral of Saint Paul when we were in the area as he’s a docent there. We took him up on that offer and received an interesting tour where we learned all about the cathedral. Check out this post for more about our visit to the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

Trap Shooting

One of our readers Cate invited me (Shae) to join her and her friend to go clay shooting. For the most part I’ve never handled a real gun. I’ve been paintballing and one time I went target shooting – and both were during youth work outings – so I was excited.

We started by having a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then made our way to the gun club of which they are members. I did myself a little educate, asking questions about the different types of guns on display, and then we headed outside. They taught me all the shooting etiquette and I think I did very well for my first time.

We did two rounds of 25 each. I hit six the first round and seven in the second round. I also made my first and last shots of the day. The funniest memory of the day was when I was told that the clay is voice activated. I got so excited when I hit my first one I cried out, releasing another one!

Cate warned me that my shoulder would likely be sore the next day, and she was correct – it was also bruised. I would happily go again though; the experience was really exhilarating and the company was fantastic.

Historic Fort Snelling

I (Shae) really enjoyed my day at Fort Snelling. It was another time when I wish Stephen had come along because I thought he’d really enjoy it too. That often seems to happen – I find really cool stuff and he’s decided to stay back. I reminded him of this before going to the fort but alas, he had things to work on. His loss I say!

I learned interesting facts and thought they did a great job of offering extra fun included in your ticket price which involved visitor participation when possible. I highly recommend a visit – check out this post for more.

Mall of America

Shae and I aren’t big shoppers – with us needing to fit everything we own in our car for the road trip, we’ve got no space for extra stuff! Still, seeing as we were only staying a few minutes from the Mall of America when at the Hyatt Regency, we decided to make a quick visit there to check it out.

The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US and it was just as big as we imagined it to be. Having said that, neither of us were expecting the theme park in the middle of the mall!

Blackhawk Lake

While I was still off on my trip, Shae took Truffles out for a walk at nearby Blackhawk Lake. She enjoyed it so much that she took Truffles back there again, then the three of us went the morning I got back as I was jetlagged.

While Blackhawk Lake wasn’t the most beautiful lake ever due to all the algae, it was a pretty walk. We also got to see some deer while walking around; thankfully they were far enough away that Truffles couldn’t see them.

George Floyd Memorial Square

At the corner of Chicago Ave and 38th St East in Minneapolis you will find George Floyd Memorial Square. It’s a powerful and sad space that memorializes the life and death of George Floyd at the hand (well, knee) of a Minneapolis Police Officer – who has now been incarcerated in federal prison – in 2020. You can visit and reflect on the messages left by visitors and community residents and see some of the lasting impressions from that moment in history. This includes art where George Floyd died, murals, an ongoing list of those who have died by police violence and much more. It’s an important place to visit in Minneapolis. On the weekends, you can see the work and hear the story of a member of the independent press, KingDemetrius Pendleton.

Flat Tire

We’ve been incredibly fortunate with our car so far on the road trip. We’ve never broken down or run out of gas, nor had we gotten a flat tire. Well, we hadn’t gotten a flat tire until we were in Minneapolis anyway!

We were on our way to run a couple of errands before meeting up with some friends who live in the Twin Cities area when we suddenly got a flat. Thankfully we were able to easily pull over to a particularly wide shoulder under a bridge so that we were a good distance from cars passing by on the left.

Although we probably could’ve changed the tire, it’s not something we’ve ever had to do ourselves and so we figured we’d take advantage of the AAA membership we’ve been paying for for the last 6-7 years without ever needing it (until now).

While we waited for the mechanic to show up, we emptied out our trunk and got the donut out. We were grateful it wasn’t a moving day as we’d have had even more stuff in our trunk to remove.

It wasn’t a big deal though because within about half an hour of us getting the flat, we were back on the road. Fingers crossed that nothing like this happens when we’re in the middle of nowhere on the way to Alaska next summer!

Where We Ate & Drank In Minneapolis

Venn Brewing

Shae often finds it easier to get work done when not sitting in the hotel room, so while I was still away she headed to Venn Brewing.

She doesn’t like beer, but they have other non-alcoholic beverages and so she got a hot chocolate and muffin.

Venn Brewing is pet-friendly both inside and out on their patio, so Truffles was able to join her and just chilled in her bed.

I ended up going to Venn Brewing myself to at the end of our time in Minneapolis to meet up with a couple of GC Galore readers. It was fun getting to meet them, plus Venn Brewing has some excellent beers.

I don’t tend to like sour beers, but I tried a couple of theirs (the Cosmosis Pina Colada and the Stonewall Shandy (a watermelon sour shandy produced for 2023 Pride month)) and even they were good. My favorite was the Opulessence Orange Smash which was an imperial stout with chocolate and orange zest. It tasted just like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange from back home in the UK and was delicious.

Wooden Ship Brewing Company

Venn Brewing was definitely the best brewery we visited, but there were a couple of others we checked out while in the Twin Cities. One was Wooden Ship Brewing Company where we met up with someone Shae met on RAGBRAI last year and her husband.

Wooden Ship doesn’t officially do beer flights, but you can get small pours of them to effectively create your own flight. They also have plastic cups with their logos on them if you want some water; you can take those cups with you if you want, although we didn’t take ours – again to the limited space for “stuff” in our car.

Urban Growler Brewing Company

The afternoon I got back from my trip we met up with reader Cate at Urban Growler Brewing Company.

Shae got a fun-looking Pride flight which had a few unique flavors.

The Pride flight ended up being pretty pricey for what it was and Shae wasn’t a big fan of a few of them. She did like the Mermaids & Margaritas flavor, but Urban Growler sadly didn’t serve that as a standalone drink – you could only get it as part of the flight.

I can’t remember which drink I’d ordered there, although I think it might’ve been their Cowbell Cream Ale. That was OK, but not very memorable.

Cate also invited us over to dinner with her and her wife. We had a lovely evening with them with some delicious food, so that was a great night.

Naf Naf Grill

Naf Naf Grill is a small chain with a few dozen restaurants in 12 different states. They offer bowls and pita sandwiches, with the ability to customize what’s in them. It has a Middle Eastern theme, so there’s falafel, chicken shawarma, hummus, sumac onions, chopped salad, tahini, harissa and much more.

I prefer Cava which offers something similar, but our dinner from Naf Naf Grill was tasty nonetheless and was a massive portion.

What We Missed

There’s a lot of stuff we didn’t have the energy to do while visiting Minneapolis, so here’s what’s on the potential to-do list if we head back there in the future:

• State Capitol building
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
• Canterbury Park as they have corgi races in July
• Hoċokata Ti
• Vermillion Falls Park
• Afton State Park
• Stillwater
• Nadia Cakes
• Peacebunny Island
• Crosby Farm Regional Park
• Hidden Falls Regional Park
• Minnehaha Park
• Minnehaha Falls
• Lake Harriet
• Bde Maka Ska
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Stone Arch Bridge
• Mill Ruins Park
• Sweet Martha’s Cookies
• Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
• Landmark Plaza as it has Peanuts statues