Forget All Your Troubles, Forget All Your Cares…

…And go DOWNTOWN!

It’s like Petula Clark actually wrote the song “Downtown” for the residents of Minneapolis. Our downtown is a pretty cool place with an elaborate skyway system but, even though I live less than three miles to the west, it rarely crosses my mind to venture there, especially with my kids. But, as aforementioned, this winter is leading me to dig deep into my vault of ideas to keep the littles entertained and exhausted. So today we piled in the car and drove to downtown Minneapolis to see what kind of adventures we could find. We had no destination in mind and the change of scenery was very welcomed. And, to be completely honest, we made a lot of hardcore businesspeople (who looked like they had serious cases of the Mondays) smile today.

What is it?
Downtown Minneapolis. It’s so much more than big buildings. You’ll find food, coffee, shopping, water fountains, elevators, escalators, sculptures, TONS of well-dressed businesspeople, some open skyways to run, and giant windows just screaming to have noses pressed up against them. My kids tend to see downtown only at Christmas time for The Life of an Elf exhibit and the Holidazzle parade (RIP), so today was a nice change of pace for them. And, we barely made a drop in the bucket that is downtown Minne.

Fit for what ages?
It’s not like there are rollercoasters adorning the skyways. This “activity” is more geared toward toddlers and preschoolers, who don’t need “true” entertainment yet, but rather just want room to run and be crazy. Your grade-schoolers might get bored, but even they could find joy in grabbing an Orange Julius or making their own sundae at Yogurt Lab.

How much are we talkin?
The main reason we went downtown was because mama’s been feeling broke and the only other free option I could come up with was the library. My kids were NOT on a volume level that was library-appropriate today, so we tried this. Other than the $20 in Target spent on things I actually needed anyway, I was able to get in and out of downtown for $2.50 (ice cream cones) total. Depending on what you decide to do and how long you decide to stay, this can be a very cheap and effective way to wipe ’em out.

Want some tips?
I parked in the Target ramp because A) it’s easy to find and B) if you spend $20 at Target, your first hour (on weekdays; 2 hours on weekends) is free. Parking downtown Minneapolis is never enjoyable. I have yet to find a street spot, and the ramps are very expensive. But, this seemed like a decent deal being that I had juice boxes and diapers on my grocery list anyway. Save the shopping for last, so you don’t need to lug your purchases all over the skyway. The second those kids hit the skyway, they were OFF! Try to find some side-skyways that are empty and open, and especially avoid going around noon, when all the trendy worker bees are trying to get their lunch and get back to their office before their next meeting. I had packed sandwiches so we roamed to the IDS Center to eat next to the giant “raining” water fountain. There is a Gap Kids (and a Banana Republic for mommy) if shopping is in your day’s agenda. There is a Yogurt Lab in the IDS Center as well…what kid doesn’t like the idea of building their own ice cream sundae? Downtown has a Candyland on 7th off of Hennepin that my kids (and my husband) never like to pass up when we are in the area. Take some time to window watch/people watch. Strollers work just fine as there are elevators galore and people are Minnesota nice and absolutely step out of your way. Plenty of kid-friendly restaurants line the skyways, including D. Brians, Andrea’s Pizza, and 123 SUSHI.  Gaviidae Common also has some fun “dancing” fountains and a cool amusement-park-themed food court. After many ups and downs on escalators and elevators, we stopped at Dairy Queen to grab an ice cream cone and then made our way back to Target to get our parking ramp discount and let the kids play in the toy section. They spent at least 20 minutes playing with Jake the Neverland Pirate ships and Lego models and Thomas Trains. And, this Target has something that seems so silly, but your kids (and some adults) may possibly watch it for minutes on end – the cart escalator! It’s an anomaly and that’s all I’m going to say about it.  The only downside of today’s adventure was the lack of bathrooms. Being that it’s a pretty corporate environment, we weren’t allowed entry into a lot of “private” bathroom areas, so when my son had to go (and when he has to go, he has to GO!) we booked it like we were extras in the airport scene of Home Alone.

Hours and Location
The Target ramp is located on LaSalle, but there are many ramps throughout downtown that will do the trick. Most everything in the skyway is open during the week, and closed on weekends.

Map to LaSalle Court Parking Ramp:

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