Lake Vadnais, MN
August, 2011
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We truly enjoyed the beautiful August weather in Minnesota (and the accents)!
Cool temperatures and low humidity made dinning out perfect when there was an outdoor patio to sit on. We couldn't be in Minnesota and so close to Wisconsin without trying some fried cheese curds:) Oakie Doakie, here are some of the places we frequented, in no particular order......
Manitou Station at White Bear Lake (www.manitoustation.com). This place had a fabulous patio, which was equaled in the variety and quality of their food and beverages -- the best surprise was the home-made truffles at the end of every meal! Thank you Mike, for this suggestion!
That's Amore' Deli in Vadnais Heights was a treat.....home-made sandwiches, followed up with dessert bars (on-the-house)......just don't stop to eat here if you're in a big rush.
Mad Jacks Sports Cafe (www.madjackssportscafe.com) also had a nice outdoor patio, we ate there several times since it was very convenient to our hotel.
Jimmy's Food and Drink (www.visitjimmy's.com). If you would like to thicken your arteries a little, Jimmy's is known for it's Hamdog. The Hamdog is a burger, wrapped around a hotdog, topped with chilli, onions, and cheddar cheese, and served on a Hoagie!
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OK, the guys rated this as
their favorite local beer:
Surly Furious Beer
So if you're serious about Surly Furious, check them out -- their website is: www.surlybrewing.com
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A fun and inexpensive evening was had by all when we ventured to White Bear Bowl, in White Bear, MN! Did we mention that this was an inexpensive way to spend the evening? The bowling alley was easy to get to, clean, and had good, friendly service!
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On one of our two days off in Minnesota, some of us drove up to Silver Bay, MN to go rapelling and rock climbing. We spent a chilly night sleeping in a pick-up truck out in the middle of nowhere -- the stars were abundant and glorious!
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Before our climb, we fueled up at an old local dinner, the Northwoods Cafe. Nothing like a big hot breakfast to start off a day of adventure. If you end up here, be sure to get some of the hot chocolate!
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On our way to and from Silver Bay, we stopped in Duluth, MN. Located right on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior, we wished we would have had more time to explore this wonderful city. We enjoyed roaming through an enormous old warehouse, Fitger's (www.fitgers.com) which contained a hotel, brewery, and numerous shops -- and especially liked the Trail Fitters store there (www.trailfitters.com). We wanted to have dinner at the Fitger's Brewery, but the wait was over an hour long, so we had to move on.
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Our visit to the St. Paul area wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the Minnesota State Fair! What a fun evening of people-watching and eating.....anything you could imagine was deep-fried and served on a stick (including Twinkies, butter, and Oreos). Parking was easy, with frequent free buses to get you there and back. If you're in the Twin Cities area in August, you should definitely spend an evening at the fair: www.mnstatefair.org
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On our other day off, we ventured north again, this time the destination was Taylor Falls, MN. On the way, we happened upon a large outdoor sculpture park -- Franconia Sculpture Park -- which encompassed about 20 acres. With a fasinating array of mediums and styles of sculptures, this park is free and open to the public. For more information (including their live concert series), check out: www.franconia.org
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Oh....(said with that great Minnesota accent),
there was some really good climbing at Taylor Falls too!
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We really enjoyed Minnesota!
Hoping to return again some day to make more bubbles and do more exploring....
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