This weekend (July 16-18) Target is sponsoring arts and cultural events all over the US for their Arts & Wonder Free Family Event. If you don’t already have plans I think these would be a lot of fun!

We’re planning on hitting up the Walker Art Center on Friday and the Guthrie Theater open house on Saturday since they seem the most toddler friendly. There’s also the Minnesota Orchestra concert and the Minnesota Children’s Museum.

A little tip: If you head to the Guthrie you can make it an all day outing and stop by the Mill City Market then make your way to the Stone Arch Bridge to see the lock & dam.

Wait, what? The Children’s Museum is free? Not every day but it is on every third Sunday of the month thanks to Target Corp.

There are 4 levels to the museum and many different play areas.  The Little Peanut had so much fun that we’re planning on heading back whenever we can. We had to drag her away from World Works, the water filled “action-packed, hands-on environment that encourages investigating, experimenting, problem-solving, and observing.” She also had so much fun grocery shopping and cooking in Our World, the “unique neighborhood experiences encourage kids to connect, cooperate and communicate.”

An added bonus for us: she took about a 2 hour nap when we got home! If you know our girl then you know that on a good day her naps are just about an hour long.

Some tips:

• Get there early. It can get a little crowded in some areas by lunch time.
• Speaking of lunch time. If you park in the ramp you’ll probably have to make a stop at McDonalds once the kiddo’s get a glimpse of it! It’s going to be crowded there at lunch time too. So either pack some lunch or plan to eat earlier/later then normal to avoid the lunch rush.
• Parking in the ramp is only $3 with validation. Or if you’re lucky enough to get street parking it’s free.
• The museum suggests leaving strollers in the car. It really is a good idea if your kids are able to walk. You’ll be busy chasing them around!

With the weather warming up and my daughter getting older now I’ve been on the hunt for fun things to do in the Twin Cities. It also just happens that everything I’ve found so far is also FREE, which is great because an outing with the family can get pretty expensive these days – and so starts my new series “Fun & free 4 kids!”

Fun & Free 4 kids ~ Stillwater, MN

A few weekends ago I delivered some consignment goods to Darn. Knit. {Anyway} in Stillwater. (DKA is a great store btw! Yarn and fabric galore with an amazing boutique of local crafters/artists.) It had been awhile since we vistited and thought it would be a fun day trip for the family. The Little Peanut had a lot of fun exploring the shops along Main Street, the St. Croix River and Teddy Bear Park.

Teddy Bear Park was our first stop. It’s just off main street but seemed like quite a trek because of the hill we had to climb! The effort was well worth it though. The park has got to be like heaven for kids! There are multiple play areas with slides, tunnels, monkey bars and a lot of climbing opportunities.

The whole ride home we kept wishing that there is a park similar to this in Minneapolis, so if you know of any please let me know!

After dragging the Little Peanut away from the park we headed around Main Street visiting shops and taking in the sights. There are tons of antique stores, art galleries and boutiques to visit. When our legs got tired we went to the river front. There is a large area that would be perfect for a picnic and if you time it right you can see the lift bridge in action.

We had a great time and only had to spend $$ on gas and lunch! A bonus was that the Little Peanut took a 2 hour nap after we got home! (If you know her then you know she ususally only does 45 minutes or an hour if we’re lucky.) The only thing I would change is packing a picnic lunch for us to enjoy on the river front.

Some tips:

-Most of the shops in town have a free map that you can pickup so you can make sure you don’t miss a thing!

-There is free parking in the parking lot adjacent to the Brick Alley Building from October 31st to May 1st.

-For more activities in Stillwater visit Discoverstillwater.com