Things to Do During Winter in Minnesota

Map of USA showing the state of Minnesota (Source: Wikipedia)

Minnesota is a state geographically located at the north central regions of the United States of America. Its name comes from the Dakotan name of Minnesota River from the two words in the Dakotan language 'Mní sóta' which means "clear blue water." It is bordered to the north by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, to the west by North Dakota and South Dakota, to the south by Iowa, and to the east by Wisconsin and the Lake Superior. The state experiences temperature extremes characterizing the continental climate according to the Koppen-Geiger Classification of World Climates. This type of climate is defined as having a coldest month mean temperature below 0°C which means having cold winters. Like any other countries on the northern hemisphere, Minnesota has four seasons within the year; winter, spring, summer, and fall. Winter normally starts at the month of December and ends on February with average temperatures at around -10°C. By March, temperature starts to rise melting the snow which marks the start of the spring season when trees start to grow leaves and flowers bloom. According to my sister, there are some spots in Minnesota having "sakura" or cherry blossoms and flower gardens showcasing beautiful flowers like tulips similar to those in Netherlands. However, frequent rainfall is experienced during this season which ends in May. The hottest months which marks the summer season is from June to August. According to Minnesotans, this is the best season for them to enjoy outdoor activities such as picnics, biking, fishing, canoeing and other water-related activities for they are home to more than 10,000 lakes. By September, temperature starts to drop again which marks the start of Fall or Autumn season when leaves turn to hue of yellow, orange, and red. For them, it is the most picturesque and lovely season because of the changing colors of leaves like those in paintings. Since Minnesota is along the neighborhood of Canada, the famous maple trees are well distributed especially along the northern part of the state like the Iron Range and Lake Superior in Duluth. Autumn ends in the month of November when trees become bald and all the leaves are on the ground. To check more about Minnesota, click here. Since I visited the state during the months of December until January to spend the holidays with my sisters and brother-in-law, I was able to experience my first White Christmas. So here are the things we did or should I say to do for you if you are inetersted in visiting Minnesota during the winter season.

10 Things To Do During Winter in Minnesota:

1. Since winter in Minnesota is extremely cold, why don't you stay at home right? Joke! You can still enjoy outside but not for long. Most of the people prefer to stay at home and do indoor activities like board games, billiards, and watching tv with a cup of coffee. I never played billiards before but I learned it in Minnesota because that is Mike's pastime which became my pastime too. Eating is the best thing to do during this time. There must be a scientific reason why people are always hungry when its cold. Americans love sweets too and even eating ice cream even its cold..hooohhh..I gained a lot of weights after my vacation. Most of the time, it is too dangerous to stay outside because you may catch cold and worst frostbite and hypothermia. Walking is not an option during winter so most people have cars to go to stores or to their work. However, blizzards occur sometimes although hailstorms are rare. Accidents mostly occur during this rare instances because of zero visibility and slippery road. Better stay safe at home.

Pool table at the game room.

My brother-in-law Mike baking a delicious Christmas cookie.

Ice cream pa more....

2. People are very lazy during winter! Of course it is a bed weather! 😉Everyone loves to sleep if its cold. Some people doesn't shower for a day....shhhhhh! This is because you don't get stinky or sweaty to smell bad. Almost everything are heated. The entire house has a controlled temperature, a fireplace, and showers have heaters. If swimming pools are in demand during summer, heated bath tubs and jacuzzi are your best spots to relax during winter.

Jacuzzi day at home with Mike and Coleen (Mike's sister)

3. If some people hate winter, true blood Minnesotans especially the young ones love it! It is time for winter sports like ice skating, ski, snow tubing, etc. A lot of people flock to ski parks. Since we live in Maple Grove, the nearest to our home is the Elm Creek Park Reserve. Since we are afraid to get some injuries, we didn't tried skiing but rather went snow tubing which is I think the safest. For more information about the Elm Creek Park Reserve, click here.

Snow tubing at Elm Creek Park Reserve

4. Most of the parks in Minnesota are close during winter. Trees are bald but the skies are dramatic during this season. I love the hue of sunsets during this season which start as early as 4 or 5 pm. Its lakes are all frozen so you can do ice skating but I never tried because I was afraid to fall again..acheche. I once tried it at the ice skating rink of the Mall of Asia in Manila. I got a hand injury so I never tried it again. There are still picturesque parks during winter such as the Sculpture Park with the famous Cherry Spoon sculpture right at the heart of downtown Minneapolis. 

You haven't been to Minnesota without a selfie with the Cherry Spoon Sculpture

5. Go to the movie theaters. I went to AMC in Arbor Lakes, Maple Grove twice; first is with my sister Kimmy and her friend Ate Rose and watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi, second is with my sister Faith and brother-in-law Mike and watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. They offer unlimited flavored softdrinks; no wonder a lot of Americans are fat..hmmm racist..hehe

AMC theater at Arbor Lakes

Groufie before the movie starts

6. Go shopping on malls or outside stores. Honestly, their largest mall is just like a normal-sized mall in the Philippines..sorry Minnesotans..hehe. We went to the Mall of America in Minneapolis. It has an indoor theme park; the Nickelodeon which is the best spot for kids. Although they have stores inside the mall, most of their stores are stand-alone, along streets, or grouped on one park square. Supermarkets are like warehouse-type which sells almost all the items you want for certain goods. For example, Cub Foods sells almost all food products while Nordstrom Rack sells almost all the brands of clothes. No problem for Asians like us, there are Asian stores such as the Dragon Star Supermarket so we can still cook and enjoy Asian foods.

Caught doing selfie at the Nickelodeon theme park inside the Mall of America 😉

Inside the Dragon Star Supermarket which sells Asian stuff.

7. Eat at the best restaurants. Most of these are in downtown Minneapolis near Uptown and Calhoun Square. For us Asians, Hoban offers Korean Cuisine while Amazing Thailand offers of course Thai Cuisine. Fast food chains like McDonalds, Burger King, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are scattered everywhere. Panda express sells chinese fast food such as noodles we call "pancit" in Filipino. Minnesota still doesn't have any Jollibee which is still the best fast food chain for us Filipinos.

Celebrating my birthday at Hoban Korean Restaurant in Hennepin Ave. S

8. Visit indoor parks like the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul. We arrived there at around 5 pm because we didn't knew about the operating hours so were not able to enter the park. We just took some pictures from outside 😊It is open everyday of the year from 10 am to 6 pm but only until 4 pm during the winter months. For more information about Como visit their website.

Its never an epic fail journey. There should always be a perfect shot. Photo taken by Kimberly Sui

9. Road trip at downtown Minneapolis especially around the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Campus. 

University of Minnesota near Frederick R, Weisman Art Museum

10. Watch the frozen Mississippi River which separates the East and West Bank of University of Minnesota.

Above all, the most important thing I did in Minnesota was to spend holidays with them! Thank you McCord Family!