Season Opening week - advice about travelling around?

Donate To GopherHole

It's extremely strange how so many people come on here and post about how expensive things are and/or about the things they can't afford - how Gopher athletics tickets are too expensive, how expensive tailgating spots are, how all of the Big Ten basketball games should be on BTN because BTN+ is too expensive, etc. And now, of all things, a thread with multiple complaints about how the f'in State Fair sucks and how expensive it is. Just don't go! There's no one holding a gun to your head. There are a lot of things I'd like to buy but cannot afford and yet I've never once considered whining about it to a bunch of strangers on a Gophers-themed message board.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I've never once considered whining about it to a bunch of strangers on a Gophers-themed message board.
Click to expand...

You're amazing!

(...except for the part where you whine on the internet about a bunch of strangers whining on the internet. That's a little weird.)
 

Johnob2 said:
Dear All

Apologies for a self-indulgent post...

Travelling from England for my second visit to Minnesota the week of the season opener. Will have my wife, son and his girlfriend with me (son and girlfriend both in their early 20s).

Last time I visited we were pretty unadventurous in terms of site-seeing, staying mainly around the immediate Campus area. This time I have tickets for the Vikings preseason game against the Cardinals on the Saturday, the season opener against South Dakota State on Thursday evening (of course) but looking for other things to do in-between? Thinking of the State Fair? Trip to a Lake? Edging more towards outings that are pleasant/relaxing/fun rather than any high octane stuff (where they exist).

I've been on a few tourist information sites but very grateful for any advice on places we should visit and the easiest ways to get there from the Dinkytown area (I'd rather use public transport than hiring a car if possible).

Many thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

Minnehaha Falls? It's not far from the Light Rail Blue Line.

https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/parks__lakes/minnehaha_regional_park/
https://www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/events/events_calendar_month_view/

https://www.metrotransit.org/top-destinations

https://www.metrotransit.org/route/901
https://www.metrotransit.org/imap/map.aspx?route=901

There is a nice little eatery called Sea Salt at the top of Minnehaha Falls.
https://seasalteatery.wordpress.com/menu-3/

They have fish, but unfortunately no chips.

Venn Brewery is close by as well.

https://www.vennbrewing.com/
 

Sea Salt is good, but not worth the unusually long wait, and the price.
 


Face The Facts said:
Sea Salt is good, but not worth the unusually long wait, and the price.
Click to expand...

The Sea Salt experience is pretty good overall. I ride my park through the park several times a week and outside of the weekend peak times the wait is not that bad. They also have some good beer selections from the trailer outside to make the wait better.

The seafood is not SF Wharf level, but very well done and better than average, and no doubt a little expensive, but very good relative most of what you will find at the State Fair.. Also to save some money, it is pretty easy to bring a bottle of wine and discreetly fill up a water bottle and avoid paying full price. The waterfall is a within earshot and if the wind is blowing enough you can feel the mist, making it memorable.

I would recommend a trip to Sea Salt at Minnihaha Falls Park. Saint Anthony Main/ Stone Arch Bridge and the park that overlooks the St. Anthony Falls (concrete slab) is one of the better options as well.

Excelsior and some of other towns around Lake Minnetonka are worth a visit as well. I'd recommend a boat excursion on Lake Minnetonka, the Mississippi River at Harriet Island, or the St. Croix River from Stillwater.
 

Johnob2 said:
Dear All

Apologies for a self-indulgent post...

Travelling from England for my second visit to Minnesota the week of the season opener. Will have my wife, son and his girlfriend with me (son and girlfriend both in their early 20s).

Last time I visited we were pretty unadventurous in terms of site-seeing, staying mainly around the immediate Campus area. This time I have tickets for the Vikings preseason game against the Cardinals on the Saturday, the season opener against South Dakota State on Thursday evening (of course) but looking for other things to do in-between? Thinking of the State Fair? Trip to a Lake? Edging more towards outings that are pleasant/relaxing/fun rather than any high octane stuff (where they exist).

I've been on a few tourist information sites but very grateful for any advice on places we should visit and the easiest ways to get there from the Dinkytown area (I'd rather use public transport than hiring a car if possible).

Many thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

Johnob2, so glad you are still a Gopher fan!!! I hope you and your family have a great visit to Minnesota!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Word said:
I think the Minnesota State Fair is a must-do if you're in town. It's the 2nd largest state fair in the country (amazing considering our population is nowhere near 2nd in the country). Just be prepared for crowds and not-cheap food prices. There's tons to see at the fair though (free concerts and many other free exhibits). Here's the fair website: https://www.mnstatefair.org/ I'm someone that normally doesn't like crowds, but I put up with them for one day a year at the fair.

Other great things to see that are near downtown and/or on the light rail line:
--St. Anthony Falls (downtown)
--Minnehaha Falls (in southeast Minneapolis, but very close to the light rail)
--Mall of America
--Science Museum of Minnesota (downtown St. Paul)
--Mill City Museum (downtown Minneapolis)
--Minnesota Twins but they are not playing a home game while you'll be here.
--We have two zoos, but both would require "hiring a car". Como Zoo is the zoo that's closer in to the city and would be a short Lyft ride from campus. It's smaller but also has a very nice conservatory, park, and also has a small lake in the park.
--Lake Hiawatha and Bde Mka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) are both in south Minneapolis and wouldn't be too far of a Lyft ride. You can walk from one lake to the other.
--Lots of restaurants but TripAdvisor is probably a good guide there so I won't try to list them all.
Click to expand...

While it's more convenient to hire a car, you can also take the light rail and bus to como.

https://www.metrotransit.org/Planner/PlannerResult.aspx
 

Face The Facts said:
Sea Salt is good, but not worth the unusually long wait, and the price.
Click to expand...

I just get there early, avoid wait

Sea Salt is better than Bread and Pickle, I've never been to Sandcastle on Lake nokomis.

But any of 3 could make for a good picnic lunch
 



dpodoll68 said:
It's extremely strange how so many people come on here and post about how expensive things are and/or about the things they can't afford - how Gopher athletics tickets are too expensive, how expensive tailgating spots are, how all of the Big Ten basketball games should be on BTN because BTN+ is too expensive, etc. And now, of all things, a thread with multiple complaints about how the f'in State Fair sucks and how expensive it is. Just don't go! There's no one holding a gun to your head. There are a lot of things I'd like to buy but cannot afford and yet I've never once considered whining about it to a bunch of strangers on a Gophers-themed message board.
Click to expand...

It's like a modern confessional. Let it out... Let it all out!;)
 

Johnob2 said:
Dear All

Apologies for a self-indulgent post...

Travelling from England for my second visit to Minnesota the week of the season opener. Will have my wife, son and his girlfriend with me (son and girlfriend both in their early 20s).

Last time I visited we were pretty unadventurous in terms of site-seeing, staying mainly around the immediate Campus area. This time I have tickets for the Vikings preseason game against the Cardinals on the Saturday, the season opener against South Dakota State on Thursday evening (of course) but looking for other things to do in-between? Thinking of the State Fair? Trip to a Lake? Edging more towards outings that are pleasant/relaxing/fun rather than any high octane stuff (where they exist).

I've been on a few tourist information sites but very grateful for any advice on places we should visit and the easiest ways to get there from the Dinkytown area (I'd rather use public transport than hiring a car if possible).

Many thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

That is awesome! I've run into a few UK Vikings fans while traveling/ on holiday. I lost the contact info. for a guy I met in Belize years ago. It was interesting to talk to him and his friends. I think he knew more about the Vikings than most locale Vikings fans.

Welcome!
 

Face The Facts said:
It's nuts. Parking is expensive. Admission. Food prices are over-inflated.
Can't spend a day there for under $100. At the end of the day you go home feeling like you ate bad food, you stink like farm, and you watched people just stuff their faces all day long. You see these people who you think "There is no way they can eat all of those cheese curds and finish that malt", but sure enough, they just suck that malt right down eating those cheese curds. Then they get up from that park bench and get in line for a pronto pup. And you think "MY GOD, NO!!!" and sure enough, they wait in line for the pronto pop, and you hope they are getting it for their kid, but nope. It's for them. They order one, cover that baby with mustard and ketchup where it's just dripping on the sidewalk and they eat the hole darn thing. Then you wonder what they are going to get their kid, and it's the cotton candy stand. Kid barely finished his malt and they are topping it with some freshly made cotton candy and some Hawaiian Shaved Ice.

It's just the best.

The opposite of state fair is a free kale salad that smells nice.
Click to expand...

You're really obsessed with what other people eat, aren't you?

There's a lot to do at the Fair that isn't food-related, but I admit to indulging some unhealthy food at the beginning and end of my visit. The key with Sweet Martha's is to wait until you're leaving and then buy two buckets of cookies - one to share with your companions right away, and another to bring home for later.
 

I apologize for my fellow "nice" minnesotans getting your thread off track with their bickering about The Great Minnesota Get Together. It should absolutely be on the list of places to visit for anybody visiting MN during that time. The point of the list is giving them ideas, if they don't like fried food and farm animals they don't have to go it's pretty simple but it is a top attraction in the state and especially at that time.

Not knowing exactly what you are into like breweries for example makes a list more difficult but if you really want to use just public transit and not even use lyft or uber there are still tons of options since you are on the light rail on campus. Here are my suggestions, hope you have fun and let us know if you make it to the fair and what you think!

-State fair: Free shuttle buses from campus, could easily spend most of a day there, go hungry, enjoy the insanely good people watching

-Minnehaha falls: Take light rail to 46th street station, venn brewing is right there, sea salt has good sea food if sea food isn't your thing bulls horn is a dive bar with great burgers right by the light rail. see the falls, you can rent bikes could ride the creek path over to Lake Nokomis you could eat at sand castle, rent paddle boards or canoes and explore the lake. All of this is very close to the 46th street stop on the light rail.

-Downtown Minneapolis: Take the light rail, plenty of shows to see at theaters, concerts, bars/restaurants

-Downtown St. Paul: Take the light rail, see if the saints are playing CHS field is really nice, thursday evening meers park has music in the park which is fun, good restaurants breweries, science museum

-North East Minneapolis/St. Anthony falls: Rent nice ride bikes or hop on the new scooters you can rent, go see the stone arch bridge and head up into the breweries in north east, tons to choose from Dangerous Man is a classic.

These are what I can think of off the top of my head that would all be super easy to do without hiring a car. Although I will say for short rides with 4 people hiring a lyft/uber can be cheaper than riding on the light rail or a bus... Just saying.
 



Sorry to take this conversation off track.
State Fair is great and you can visit most of it without spending too much.

Lot of people are there from media and random appearances by politicians and athletes perhaps.

It's just a good load of fun.

I hope to go myself sometime early during the fair.
 

Dear All

Thank you for taking so much time and effort replying to this thread. I've managed to sit down with the family and, based on the weblinks and personal insights, get a good plan together.

Work commitments mean that I need to be back in the UK for the beginning of September each year so, looking at future schedules, it may be at least 2024 before we can return to your wondeful State for a game.

Hopefully we may get to attend the odd bowl game in the meantime (I really enjoyed the Texas Bowl in Houston against Syracuse a while back -despite the result) ... I hear Pasadena in January is nice!
 


Dear All

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone that provided advice for our visit from England to your wonderful Twin City/State. My wife, son, his girlfriend and I all thoroughly enjoyed it.

As a quick summary

- we stayed close to campus and spent lots of time in the restaurants around Dinkytown/DownTown Minneapolis. Loved the Gopher theme and all of us enjoyed the Collegiate atmosphere.
- Watched the Vikings Cardinals game on the Saturday - love the new stadium.
- Visited a good number of the municipal lakes, parks and waterfalls - Very tranquil, so grateful for the heads-up
- Had a day at the State Fair - you gave us mixed reviews but obviously I couldn't miss an opportunity to be photographed with the axe (and eat a deep fried pizza on a stick ��)
- Did the obligatory day at MofA and spent a small fortune in fashion boutiques (a trade off for buying half of Goldy's lockeroom)
- Highlight was of course the game v SDSU. Even though it wasn't quite as comfortable a victory as we would have hoped, still enjoyed every single minute. I am now 3-1 in games I have attended - my son is 3-0! It was a thrill for me to see him recite the rouser with the rest of you (5 years ago he looked out for the Oregon Ducks but is now definitely golden through and through)

The biggest thing I would say, same as I experienced last time, was the genuine warmth, friendliness and generosity of everyone we met.That applied to staff in restaurants, locals we talked to in the streets and on public transport, absolutely everyone was a credit to your culture. One old lady with a walking frame, for example, even offered to take us to the State Fair so we wouldn't get lost!

By chance we sat next to and talked for some time to Tyler Nubin's Mum and Dad in BWW opposite the stadium before the game; they had travelled from Illinois. Lovely, kind people and spoke with such excitement about the experience their son is having under the Coaching staff. Hope the fact an English guy could talk a little of what I know about Tyler (his position etc.) demonstrated a reach of the fan base they may not have expected!

We also met, through arrangement, Nick Connelly's mum and Dad and had a meal with them. As some of you already know, we unexpectedly lost our wonderful 21 year old daughter around the same time last year that Chuck and Tammy lost Nick (just as he turned 22). Our daughter was Captain of the Soccer team at Sheffield University in England and was just starting her Masters Degree when she suffered a bleed on her brain (possibly from lifting a weight that was too heavy for her/bursting an aneurism we did not know she had). I read about Nick's story through GopherHole and contacted Chuck (his Dad). I have to say Chuck and Tammy are the very most wonderful people and being able to talk and share has been a huge source of strength to us. To finally meet with them was more important to us in all sorts of ways than I can put into words. Endearing to hear that Nick's friends on the O Line continue to honour and remember him as do our daughters former teammates in England. Chuck gave me a couple of Nick's training shirts and I will always wear them with pride.

A most fantastic visit in every regard and something we hope to do again, all being well, in 2023 when the schedule reverts to an August start. (Hopefully may make an odd bowl game in the years inbetween).

Thank you GopherHole.

Ski-U-Mah.

Middlesbrough, England is Gold Country.

P.S. - on a disappointing note, on my return I have discovered that now BTN2Go International has ceased and streaming moved to Fox Sports, overseas fans will not be able to watch any games. TBH - I'm absolutely devasted as UK terrestrial TV, although showing 6 College games a week, rarely mentions Minnesota (SEC bias). If any of you have any suggestions of how I may be able to legally access streaming coverage (Digital TV or Radio) I will be most grateful?






-
 
Last edited:

Such a treat to read your post Johnob2. Thank you. Ski U Mah, Row the Boat, Go Gophers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Thanks for the updated post Johnob2. Sounds like you had a terrific time

Very healing that you were able to connect with the Connelly's like that to share experiences and stories and provide strength to each other. Don't discount the support you were providing them as well.

Regarding viewing games in UK, you may need to set up a VPN and VPN Hack it. Odd they don't have an app available for your scenario.
 

Johnob - You seem to a splendid human being, best wishes and very cool to read about your experience!!
 

You have to tell us what you actually thought about the fair...
 

Thank you so much for the recap. Sorry to hear about your loss, and I am glad you got to connect with the Connelly family. I really enjoyed hearing your perspective and I think you did a great job of sifting through a LOT of advice to pick very good options for things to do during your visit.

Should you return for a longer visit, there are some great day trips or destinations that can be experienced over a couple days within easy driving distance of the Twin Cities. But, with the time you had, and spending that time in town - you made perfect decisions and crammed in a lot of good stuff.
 

Glad you made it and had nice trip, thanks for the recap
 

I didn't know about your daughter, John. One father to another, I'm deeply sorry for your loss.

I hope you'll tell us about your impressions of the Fair.
 

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sad to hear about your daughter, but I am also pleased that we Minnesotans treated you well (as I expected).

As an aspiring woodworker I have a fondness for Sheffield. I've never been to Sheffield, but I've used some tools including wonderful backsaws from Sheffield.

Again, thank you for sharing! Hopefully you'll be able to see a game before 2023.

Cheers!
 

We need all of you to be season ticket holders with those W/L records.
 

Can we make JohnNob grand marshal of the Homecoming parade or something? What a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing and visiting us!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom