Restaurants in Bloomington, MN

Mill City Museum downtown Minneapolis is pretty cool and I think tweens may enjoy it. Also in that area is the Guthrie Theater which you can walk around without tickets and check out the "endless bridge," the riverfront there is cool with the Stone Arch Bridge, and Izzy's Ice Cream. Its all within a couple blocks and would be a great way to spend a couple hours, particularly if the weather cooperates.

Are you here for the weekend or a whole week? If you are here for a whole week, there's good daytripping opportunities, Duluth, Stillwater, Taylor's Falls

Valley "Fare" lol. It's true though, it'll cost ya. You're hitting up a lot of good places. If price isn't a problem, go to Manny's for dinner downtown. When a free agent athlete is visiting to potentially sign to our teams, that's typically where they're taken.

**Entertainment** *See a show at the [Childrens theater](https://www.childrenstheatre.org/) *[Riverview theater] (http://www.riverviewtheater.com/) is a discount 1950s movie theater. *Check the [Timberwolves schedule](http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/schedule) if you're interested in catching a game *[Comedy Sportz](http://www.comedysportztc.com) has 8pm shows that are family friendly *There's also a discount movie theater in [downtown hopkins] (http://manntheatres.com/theatre/?tid=86) *There's a motorcycle event at the MN state fairgrounds depending on your schedule and what the kids like. [http://indoorflattrack.com/ ](http://indoorflattrack.com/ ) **Activities** *[Tilt Pinball] (http://tiltpinballbar.com/) - most games are a quarter. All ages are welcome until around 8pm. Pair this with the Art Institute if you want to stop by the art museum (which is free). *The kids might have fun at the [Science museum & Omni theater](https://www.smm.org/visit/hours-admission) in St Paul *Try [indoor rock climbing](https://www.verticalendeavors.com/visit-us/faq/) and then find someplace to eat on [Eat Street](https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-eat-street-minneapolis) **Outside things** *Walk across the Stone arch bridge followed by the [Guthrie balcony view](https://www.guthrietheater.org/) (which is free), Gold medal park, and Izzy's ice cream. This will also provide a good view of the USB stadium. *Mini golf & Ferris Wheel at [Betty Dangers](http://bettydangers.com/amenities/) *If you visit the Sculpture Garden you can use the Pedestrian Bridge to cross to [Loring Park](https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/parks__lakes/loring_park/) if it's a nice day out *If you're a gophers fan, get a picture with the Goldy statue in front of [Coffman](https://sua.umn.edu/locations/coffman/directions/) and then walk across the Mississippi river. While you're near Coffman, visit the [Weisman art museum] (http://wam.umn.edu/). Admission is free. *Walk around [Centennial lakes in Edina] (https://www.edinamn.gov/704/Maps). Ice skating will be closed for the season but it's a chance to enjoy the weather *Check out Lake of the Isles/Bde Maka Ska for a nice walk. It's about an hour/3 miles to walk around the lake. *[Theo Wirth Park](https://www.minneapolisparks.org/park_care__improvements/water_resources/quaking_bog/#group_0_158561) is huge and has some nice walking trails. Not sure how messy it will be this time of year. **Food** *Lunch at [midtown global market](https://midtownglobalmarket.org/) is a fun option *Some of the breweries around the area are [family friendly](https://www.minneapolis.org/food-drink/breweries/family-pet-friendly-breweries/) and have food trucks. Many have a calendar on their website with food truck info. **Random** *Tour the [Capitol building in St Paul](http://www.mnhs.org/capitol/activities/tours) *Drive or walk Summit Ave to admire the fancy houses. Pair this activity with the Capitol tour since they're in the same general area. Continue over to Grand Ave and get a treat at [Cafe Latte](http://www.cafelatte.com/). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Avenue_(St._Paul) **Mini trips** *Visit downtown Stillwater - walk through downtown and walk across the river on the [new bridge](https://www.twincities.com/2017/08/01/a-mile-long-spectacular-views-st-croix-crossing-by-the-numbers/) *[Albertville outlet mall](http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/albertville/stores) isn't too far away *[Blainebook] (http://www.blainbrookbowl.com/blank) also has pinball/arcade games. It's in Blaine, so it is a bit of a drive. If you want to check this out I would potentially suggest pairing it with your Taylors Falls trip. You can also stop by the [Fraconia sculpture park](http://www.franconia.org/) and Interstate state park on the same trip since it's all north of the metro.

I’m going to recommend you see some more of the east side of the Metro, i.e. St. Paul and points east of Minneapolis, because there are lots of fun things to do on that side of town. I’m also going to try to limit my suggestions to lesser-known or not-as-frequently-mentioned places to visit. [Can Can Wonderland](https://www.cancanwonderland.com/) in St. Paul is tailor made for families. You will all find something fun to do there. Several others recommend it and so do I -- check out Stillwater. It's a quaint town that goes back to the 1850s with lots of shops and restaurants, on the beautiful St. Croix River. Also take a walk over the new [St. Croix River Crossing bridge](https://www.dot.state.mn.us/stcroixcrossing) which divides Minnesota and Wisconsin - just south of downtown Stillwater. I *highly* recommend taking a drive down Summit Avenue in St. Paul, which is the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian boulevard in the United States. There used to be many like it, but Summit Avenue is now pretty much the only one remaining. It's four solid miles of **amazing** mansions. Start on Summit near the Cathedral of St. Paul (which is itself an amazing building, and also open to the public) and drive west. Then after your drive down Summit, head back south to Snelling Avenue, then turn east one block onto Grand Avenue. Grand Avenue has a few miles worth of fun local shops and restaurants between Snelling Avenue and Dale Street. The [St. Paul State Capitol] ( http://www.mnhs.org/capitol/activities) is 113 years old, recently renovated, and very beautiful. Free to tour. If you don’t mind driving a bit further then I also recommend the [Franconia Sculpture Park]( http://www.franconia.org/) which is northeast of Stillwater, about a 45 minute drive from St. Paul. That is a free and fun place and your kids will love it. If you want some restaurant suggestions for the East Metro, let me know what kind of foods your family likes, and I will recommend some places to eat. Have fun!

Hope you guys had a good time while you were here. What were some of the best/favorite things that you ended up doing?

I would recommend the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's a pretty great free art museum near the Sculpture Garden. Also if you are downtown I would recommend checking out the St. Anthony and Main area. The stone Arch Bridge is always cool to walk on and there are a few good restaurants in that area too.

Lahore Grill..enjoy!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lahore-Grill/171775609509585

Roy Rogers failed from bad ownership and bad management. I was one of the managers. (laugh)

Correct Keith. They (Damon's) closed in N Palm Beach and all over. Many of the chains just went under. I notice Krispy Kreme is open in Bloomington. Many of the stores here closed up shop.

Wasn't ours (at one time?) owned by the Sperry's. Now owners of Mechanical Devices?

Anything at the corner of Main and Hovey. And, of course, Mr. Quick.

Loved going there with my dad. Best Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches!

Niki, I knew your grandparents well. Gramma Prestegard was good friends with my mom, dad and grandma. We would pick her up and bring her over to my grandma's mobile home on Portland. We lived kitty corner from gramma and grandpa Prestegard!

Dad is donnie. Mom is Terri Zielen