Best Fun and Games

Best Way to Get Frostbite
Best Cross-Country Ski Event
Best Outdoor Ice Skating Rink
Best Place to Go Snowshoeing
Best National Amateur Sporting Event
Best Dog Park
Best In-Town(ish) Ski Experience
Best Way to Keep Up Your Golf Game

Best Direct Flight Out
Best New- & Old-School Movie Theaters
Best Indoor Water Park
Best Public Place to Curl Up with a Good Book
Best Indoor Tennis
Best Way to See Holiday Lights
Best Place to Escape the Winter Doldrums
Best Way to Get Your Nature Fix

Best Way to Get Frostbite

Polar Bear Plunge. How Minnesotan are you? If you’ve taken the plunge, you’ve probably earned your stay. Minnesota Law Enforcement presents the Polar Bear Plunge each year as a way to benefit Special Olympics Minnesota. At eleven sites across the state—including White Bear Lake, Eden Prairie, Minneapolis, and Maple Grove—brave men and women support the cause by putting on a swim suit and jumping into the frigid Minnesota waters. That’s hard core. Jan. 23–24. 612-604-1280 [top]

Best Direct Flight Out

Northwest Airlines nonstop to Honolulu. Nonstop flights daily. And a swimsuit definitely fits in a carry on. [top]

Best Cross-Country Ski Event

The Loppet. A must for any cross-country skier. This two-day skiing festival features eight cross-country skiing races that loop around the Chain of Lakes and other urban trails. Events include the Skijor Loppet, which combines cross-country skiing and dogsledding; the Caribou Coffee Luminary Loppet, during which Lake of the Isles is lit by candles; and the urban Freestyle Loppet. Jan. 31–Feb. 1. Online registration open until Jan. 29. Near the Chain of Lakes, Mpls., 612-604-5330 [top]

Best Old-School Movie Theater

Riverview. Even without the real buttered popcorn, this Minneapolis landmark—a cultural mainstay since 1948—would be our favorite. What’s not to love? Two- and three-buck tickets, friendly staff, a cool modernist venue, updated rocker seats, and an intriguing mix of recent releases and big-screen sports presentations. And it’s easily accessible, with free on-street parking, in one of the city’s pleasantest residential neighborhoods. 3800 42nd Ave. S., Mpls., 612-729-7369

Photo by Stephanie Colgan

Best New-School Movie Theater

Theatres at Mall of America. The MOA has upped the dinner-and-a-movie game. With its twenty-one-and-over VIP theaters, moviegoers can lean back in plush new chairs and enjoy seatside food and cocktail services with their flick. 952-883-8800

Photo by Stephanie Colgan

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Best Outdoor Ice Skating Rink

Wells Fargo WinterSkate. It wouldn’t be a Minnesota winter without a little ice skating, and for those brave enough to leave the comfort of an indoor rink, there’s no better place to lace up your skates and practice your double axels than at Wells Fargo WinterSkate. The artificially chilled public rink is free, situated in Landmark Plaza beside a seventy-five-foot holiday tree that’s draped with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights. New this year: Fireworks light up the sky after the tree-lighting ceremony on November 29. Open Nov. 29–Feb. 1. Rice Park, St. Paul, 651-291-5608 [top]

Best Indoor Water Park

Water Park of America. Minnesota’s biggest indoor water park is also its best. The park boasts a wave pool, water rides, and Minnesota’s only surf simulator. The park also features a mile-long, ten-story-tall family raft ride. Surfs up. 1700 American Blvd. E., Bloomington, 952-854-8700

Photo courtesy of Water Park of America

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Best Place to Go Snowshoeing

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Many may think the arboretum is only for checking out blooming flowers, but come winter this 1,000-acre area becomes the perfect landscape for winter activities. Snowshoers can take advantage of three miles of trails or embark across the boardwalk and wetland areas. And except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the arboretum is open all winter for optimum outdoor time. 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska, 952-443-1400

Photo courtesy of Tubbs Snowshoes

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Best Public Place to Curl Up with a Good Book

Minneapolis Central Library. Not to be overlooked amid the sizzle of Cesar Pelli’s spectacular downtown media center is what good public libraries always provide: space to read. In addition to all the high technology, the Central Library offers great places to snuggle up with a favorite author, enhanced by comfortable seating, spot-on lighting, and a handful of fireplaces. Oh, and books—more than 160,000 works of fiction alone. 300 Nicollet Mall, 612-630-6000 [top]

Best National Amateur Sporting Event

US Pond Hockey
Champion-ships. At presstime, 239 teams had registered for the chance to bring home the illustrious Golden Shovel, the ultimate trophy in this amateur sport. The tournament is only in its fourth year, but is already filled with fierce competitors who face the freezing cold in the search for glory. The tourney has already grabbed the attention of national outlets such as The Today Show and Sports Illustrated. This year, teams take to the ice on Lake Nokomis January 23–25.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Krause, U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

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Best Indoor Tennis

Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center. With eleven indoor courts and year-round classes, Reed-Sweatt offers a winter fix for tennis fans. Bonus: Unlike at most indoor tennis centers, you don’t have to be a member to reserve a court (although membership offers court preference and cheaper fees). 4005 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-825-6844 [top]

Best Dog Park

Minnehaha Dog Park. It might be chilly, but Fido doesn’t feel the cold. With 4.3 acres nestled along the banks of the Mississippi, this City of Minneapolis dog park with a large off-leash area is an urban retreat for your four-legged friend. Located off 54th Street and Hiawatha, it is the perfect location for both Minneapolis and St. Paul doggies. And in the summer, the easy river access makes for a really fun adventure for Fido and his friends. 612 230-6400 [top]

Best Way to See Holiday Lights

Renee’s Royal Valet. Talk about sightseeing in style. Every year, this charter limo service scouts the Cities for impressive holiday light displays and updates its planned tours accordingly. Your party can choose an East Metro or a West Metro tour (Holidazzle optional) from the comfort of Renee’s various coaches and limos. And the limo service also provides glassware and ice in case you want to enjoy some holiday libations. 763-551-1919 [top]

Best In-Town(ish) Ski Experience

Welch Village. Just a short trip south of the Twin Cities, Welch is a solid option for all levels of skiers. For the hard core, there are sixty runs, including twenty-three black and double-black diamonds. For the one-run-and-done crew, there is the Base Lodge with food and activities for families and the Madd Jaxx Chalet for more adult pursuits (read: a full bar). As good as it gets sans the five-hour drive north. 651-222-7079 [top]

Best Place to Escape the Winter Doldrums

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. Despite the snow and freezing temps, there’s still a place in the Twin Cities to see spring and summer colors we crave come winter. The conservatory boasts two greenhouses and the Japanese Sunken Garden, all under a sixty-four-foot-high dome. To get in the Christmas spirit, check out the poinsettias at the Holiday Flower Show (December 6–January 19). Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Dr., St. Paul, 651-487-8200 [top]

Best Way to Keep Up Your Golf Game

Country Air Golf Park and Golf Zone. Your swing doesn’t have to suffer this winter. Both Country Air Golf Park in Lake Elmo and Golf Zone in Chaska offer heated, covered stalls to keep your muscles (and spirits) warm while perfecting your swing. And Golf Zone has an eighteen-hole indoor minigolf course to keep your short game sharp. Country Air Golf Park, 404 Lake Elmo Ave. N., Lake Elmo, 651-436-7888; Golf Zone, 825 Flying Cloud Dr., Chaska, 952-445-1500 [top]

Best Way to Get Your Nature Fix

Russia’s Grizzly Coast at the Minnesota Zoo. If you think about it, there aren’t too many differences between Russia’s eastern coast and Minnesota on a bad day—blustery winds, cold temps, bears. OK, we have bears, but we don’t have grizzly bears, or sea otters, amur leopards, wild boars, or bubbling geysers. Which makes the Zoo’s new $24 million exhibit a treat even in the cold—or in this case, from the comfort of the heated monorail. 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley, 952-431-9500

Photo by Tim Flach

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