Minnesota Archives - Page 3 of 5

4 In 2020/ Family/ Inspiration/ Joy/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Raising boys

Knights in Shining Rowboats

It should have been a simple drop off.

My son Paul was invited to spend the night at his friend Isaiah’s house. As we were getting out of the car, Paul asked everyone to get out and see a nest of baby birds they had discovered the day before in Isaish’s backyard. The mother had made a nest on a precarious branch in the lower part of a small blue spruce tree.

We went to the back and found that the baby birds and nest had fallen from the tree and were scattered in the backyard. Paul gently picked up the birds, put them back in their nest, and tucked them safely in the tree.

I noticed that Clark’s eyes were glued to the lake. Something out there had his full attention.

‘Mom, look at that TIki boat – it’s stuck and there are people on it. We should go help!’

Immediately, George, Clark, and their friend Landon, grabbed life jackets, put the canoe in the water, and paddled out.

They arrived at the Tiki Boat and discovered four ladies and the boat driver completely stuck in a bog.

They used their oars, strength and ingenuity to get the boat free … only for it to lodge itself deeper 10 yards away. This time it was REALLY stuck.

Two by two, Clark brought the ladies onto shore. George and Landon stayed on the Tiki boat until everyone was safe. They’d be the last ones to come back in.

George and Landon waiting on the Tiki Boat
Clark bringing in the ladies, two by two

Paul and his friend Isaiah, brought the boat driver safely to shore.

Two EIGHT YEAR OLDS saving the 20-something year old boat driver.

Once the women were safely on land, they couldn’t stop praising the brave young men who rescued them. These women were shocked when they saw the boys rowing toward them. They were THRILLED that help had arrived. You see, there are no motor boats on this lake. The Tiki Boat is the only boat with a motor on the entire lake. There was no one coming to help. They were sure they’d have to wade through the muck and mud, holding their Tory Burch shoes and Loius Vitton purses overhead.

The brave young men who saved the Damsels in Distress and the Tiki Boat Driver.

I gave the ladies a ride back to their restaurant. They looked happy to be off the boat – but I’m sure they had a night they’ll never forget.

The ladies gave the older boys a tip. George and Clark say they don’t want to spend the money. They want to save it for the memory. They are also on the lookout for any other damsels in distress.

Update: The Tiki Boat did eventually get free when a homeowner on the lake used a long rope and a four wheeler to pull the boat from the muck, allowing it to motor back to it’s home base – The Charthouse Restaurant.

Clark had asked me last month if he could get a ride on that Tiki boat, but you have to be 18 to ride. It’s pretty ironic that they are too young to ride, but not too young to rescue the passengers aboard!

July 19, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

A peek into our week(s) June 2020

First hair cuts since quarantine

Why do hair cuts make them grow up so fast?

Luke
Paul
Clark
George

Ted took George and Clark to help clean up our city.

I participated in my first ‘peace walk’ – “Moms March for Peace.”

I was invited by my friend Lourdmy – both of us are moms raising four sons. She is black, I am white. She asked if I wanted to join her for this peace march. I was happy to walk with her, to listen and to learn. It was an emotional and beautiful event.

Lots of time outside …

On the water and in the water
Fishing – I watched Luke catch a fish for the first time!
Hiking and Picnicking
Swimming, Sprinklers, and Slip in Slides

Luke
Paul
Paul, Luke and their friend
Luke and a friend
The boys fishing with neighbors

Paul and a friend canoeing
Can you spot me and Clark on the paddle boat?

Luke loves his new tank from Target
Swimming at Orchard Lake

It’s been HOT in Minnesota. You’d think that since we have such COLD winters, we should be rewarded with not so hot summers. Nope. Not this June. It’s been HOT and HUMID with endless amounts of mosquitoes.

However, everything is BLOOMING and BEAUTIFUL! There is NEW life everywhere – flowers, baby ducks, toads and turtles.

Luke holding a baby turtle
Paul holding a tiny toad
Hiking and picnicking at Ritter Farm
Watching a turtle build a nest and lay eggs
Lilacs – heavenly!

Father’s day with our real life super hero!

What have YOU been up to? Leave a comment!

June 25, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Family/ Minnesota/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week

It’s my Birthday! Let’s Eat Cake…

Thank you Minnesota, for recognizing that June 10 is my birthday, and choosing to open all gyms, restaurants and pools. I’m honored!!

My day started at the gym. (Exercise prevents cake-eating guilt.) Next, I stopped by Starbucks for my favorite FREE birthday drink – Iced Cloud Caramel Macchiato.

Then I stopped by Caribou for my FREE birthday breakfast sandwich.

I came home and the boys were up and gave me hugs and wished me happy birthday.

I made them banana bread and we did a puzzle together.

Ted went to Target and I asked him what he was getting.

Ted: Well, I was buying you flowers. It was supposed to be a surprise, but since you’re asking – what kind would you like?

Me: I’d prefer a plant over a bouquet, it lasts longer.

George: Dad, just get her seeds – those last the longest!

——–

Ted brought home a cake, and after lunch the boys sang to me, and we had CAKE! I opened a couple of cards I’d received in the mail, plus a gift from my mom and mother-in-law. The boys gave me handmade cards. The card from Clark was the start of a scavenger hunt. He gave me one clue, that led to another clue, that led me all over the house. The last clue was to “go to the room where you sleep.” I opened my bedroom door and all the boys jumped out and yelled:

Surprise!! Happy Birthday!!

Oh … so …. sweet. The best gifts are the ones you can’t buy.

After lunch, Ted offered to let me sneak away to get a pedicure.

That evening, a super kind friend came to watch our boys so that Ted and I could go to dinner – our first time inside a restaurant in MONTHS!

We had a delicious dinner at COV – a beautiful restaurant right on Lake Minnetonka. We shared the best CRAB CAKE I’ve ever eaten… also salmon, sushi, brussel sprouts and then more CAKE! YUM!

After dinner, I took a walk with my boys and ended the night watching a few minutes of The Greatest Showman (we love this movie).

Thanks for birthday wishes. I felt LOVED and extravagantly blessed.

‘In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.’
Abraham Lincoln

Here are some birthday freebies I received and you can get them too:

Starbucks – free drink on your birthday

Caribou – free breakfast sandwich and/or drink the week of your birthday

Culvers – Free sundae

Redbox – Free movie

Free points toward gift cards from Swagbucks

Dunkin Donuts – Free Drink

Ace Hardware – $10 off a purchase

Target – 5% off a total purchase

Kum & Go – free food or drink

More free birthday treat ideas here!

Wondering how NOT to dread another year around the sun? Click here!

June 11, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Funny/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Raising boys

A Day in the Life of a #BoyMom in quarantine

The day started as usual … oh, you know, four, I mean, FIVE boys – hungry and asking for bacon.

The boys completed their homeschool (aka distance learning) – as fast as possible because they had ‘important’ things to do.

George and Clark wanted to make a “What’s in the Box?” video for their youtube channel. The idea behind this video is that each boy has to take turns being blindfolded, then reaching their hand into a box, and “guessing” what’s in the box.

George and Clark both wanted to surprise each other with something ALiVE in the box! They commissioned Paul (the animal whisperer) to catch some live animals for them.

First, Paul caught some frogs that were attached to each other. He brought it to our backyard and taught our 6-year-old, as well as the neighbor girl, that these frogs are “mating” and this is how baby frogs are born. (Let’s call this homeschool science) I told Paul that mating frogs like to be left alone and to go put them back where he found them.

Next, Paul found a “non-mating” frog for George. George put the frog in an ENCLOSED container, and hid it in his room until he was ready for the ‘what’s in the box’ video.

Clark asked Paul to find a turtle for him and then hid it in his room – in a SHALLOW dish, with NO COVER.

When he went to get the turtle for the video…

…the TURTLE was GONE!

I was in the kitchen and overheard Clark saying:

Oh no, Oh no!!
Paul…I need your help!
I need some help in here!
– #clarkwayne

I came to check on Clark and he let me know the turtle was GONE and he couldn’t find it.

He showed me the shallow dish. No lid. No turtle.

We started looking around the room and COULD not find it.

We got Paul – Paul can catch any animal. Paul COULD NOT find it.

Ted came and looked – Ted COULD NOT find the turtle.

The door to Clark’s room was open when the turtle escaped. I started looking around the house. I could not find the turtle.

About 90 minutes later, Clark FINALLY found him…under a toy, under his bed.

Thank God it just a turtle this time.

Once the turtle was found, the boys were able to finish their video. Then, they took the animals immediately back to the pond.

Next, the boys had a water gun fight.

When it was time to come in for dinner, Luke said, “Mom, I’m not going to need a bath tonight, I had a water gun fight with my brothers.” (He DID take a bath)

This was just a regular Tuesday. A glimpse in the life of a #boymom! Never boring, always fun. Usually messy. Wouldn’t trade it.

_____________________________________________________________________

For the record, this turtle was the 3rd creature that my boys have found, and then lost, and then found. Luke once brought a frog home, and accidentally dropped it in my kitchen. The frog jumped under the stove and it took us a LONG time to get him out. The first incident though, was when Clark lost a SNAKE in my car – to read about that adventure: Click HERE.

_____________________________________________________________________

George and Clark decided to start a youtube channel to give them something to do in quarantine. Click here to read about it.

Here’s the “What’s in the Box” Challenge:

Thanks for reading and watching!

May 21, 2020 By Kathryn

4 In 2020/ Minnesota/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week

Peek into Quarantine Week

Home School (aka Distance Learning)

This was my first week of home schooling all four boys and what I’ve learned is – it’s not easy. I’m a full-time mom with a teaching degree and IT’S NOT EASY. I’m putting that out there so that every other parent can give themselves some grace!!!

This is new to ALL of us, and it’s not streamlined or organized. I’m not sure if we are getting it all done, or done correctly?! My mantra right now:

Good enough is good enough.

Here’s a breakdown of what each of us are doing:

George:

George has been a rock star – starting his day on time, figuring out all his assignments, checking them off, one-by-one. He asks me for help in understanding a few things. My favorite subject to do with him is Minnesota Studies. We are both learning so much about our state. He’s in sixth grade and has 7 classes. Each class is giving him about 20 minutes worth of homework.

Clark

Clark isn’t a fan of home learning. He needs social interaction and competition to thrive. His favorite part of home learning are zoom chats with his entire class.

Paul

Paul’s doing good with home school. I assist him with about 50% of his work. His home school consists of reading on an app called EPIC, math on an app called IXL, and other assignments on an app called SeeSaw. His teacher sends a daily video and list of activities to my Gmail. They also do classroom zoom chats. His favorite part of the day is getting outside to hike and explore.

Luke

I’m trying to keep Luke busy with letter worksheets, art, small-motor activities, and some digital learning games while I help his brothers with school. The boys take turns reading and practicing letters with him, and his preschool teacher has posted videos on youtube for him to watch and learn.

Learning inside
Learning outside

Kathryn:

I usually make everyone a big breakfast, and then we start homeschool at 9AM. I move from kid to kid throughout the morning helping them start activities, finish work, or answer questions.

Lunch is simple – sandwiches or mac-n-cheese and fruit.

After lunch we finish our homework and then we get outside until it’s time to get dinner ready.

Most nights we eat dinner together. This has been one of my favorite parts of quarantine – lots of time around the table! After dinner the kids can have some videogame time, or we will watch a show. Some shows we like to watch together:

The Voice (cheering on my cousin Jon),
America’s Funniest Home Videos,
Survivor (cheering on Boston Rob), and we’ve just started watching
The Mandalorian – a Star Wars themed show on Disney
We also like to watch Mark Rober on YouTube

I usually read about 5 books a month. However, this month I only finished ONE book – Give and Take: Helping Others Drives our Success by Adam Grant.

Ted:

Ted is staying busy with work for Target – but working from home. He has conference calls and video chats throughout the day. Sometimes it’s tricky keeping four boys quiet while he’s on a call. He told me the other day, when I was in the shower, he was on a call and heard one of our sons shout, “I love bacon!” Then all four boys starting chanting “I love bacon!” Thankfully, his co-workers thought it was funny, but now I make sure he doesn’t have a conference call before I get in the shower.

Getting Outside!

Clark’s artwork
George’s artwork
Hiking an old abandoned railroad

Getting outside is one of our favorite parts of the day – especially now that the sun is coming out and the weather is getting warmer! Minnesota winters are LONG, which makes spring and summer so much sweeter.

One afternoon, while out on a hike, the boys caught a water bug, a slug, and a leech, then put them into the same bucket with pond water to see what would survive. They watched the giant water bug use his proboscis to kill the minnow.

3 Things we learned:

The word Proboscis: the long appendage on the front of a bug or animal. It’s the part of a mosquito that sticks into a human to suck it’s blood.
Water bugs have a large proboscis that they use to poke and kill their prey.
We don’t have to be in school to learn about science and nature!

What I’m loving:

Psalm 91 – I’m starting each day by reading this passage of Scripture.
Covid Memes! So much laughter!
Slower pace and time with my family
FaceTime with family and friends
Family Dinners
My “One Line a Day” Book. I’m capturing some of what’s happening in this simple journal. It will be interesting to look back on in years to come. I also write funny things my kids say and do.

What are you loving right now? Leave me a comment by clicking on the comment box by the title of this post.

Thanks for reading! Can’t wait to share a post written by my husband soon. Subscribe so you don’t miss a post.

April 5, 2020 By Kathryn

1 In 2020/ History/ Minnesota/ Traveling

15 Fun Facts about Minnesota

Before moving to Minnesota, there were only two things I knew about this place:

#1. Long cold winters

#2. Home to Mall of America

Here are some fun facts I’ve learned about Minnesota since moving here!

1. Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 lakes, but there are actually 15,291 lakes in Minnesota- more lakes than any other state in the lower 48.

In order to qualify as a “lake” – a body of water must be 10 acres. So, there are not only over 15 thousand lakes … but COUNTLESS ponds!

2. Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Hawaii and Florida COMBINED!!

3. Minnesota ranks #1 in the US for fishing licenses and boat ownership. (One boat for every 6 residents)

4. Minnesota water flows in three directions – north to Canada, south to the Gulf, east to the Atlantic.

5. Did you ever wonder why the Los Angeles basketball team are the “LAKERS?” Well, they were originally from Minnesota – the land of lakes!

6. The Minnesota Twins Baseball team was the first team to be named after a STATE and not a city.

7. Minnesota was the first state to send troops to fight in the civil war.

Minnesota also had the last surviving member of the Union Army – Henry Woolsen – who died in Duluth at age 106.

Minnesota soldiers of the Civil War reunited at Fort Snelling in June 1902. Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society.

8. The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota and runs over 2500 miles down to the Gulf of Mexico.

9. There is only ONE waterfall on the Mississippi River – St. Anthony Falls, located near Minneapolis.

This waterfall was originally used to power several flour mills. From 1880 to about 1930, Minneapolis was known as the “Flour Milling Capital of the World.” Here’s a peek into one former mill, now a museum!

10. Minnesota is #2 in longest life expectancy.

Hawaii is #1.

11. Minnesota has the highest turnout of voters than any other state.

It was also the first state to allow voting at age 18.

12. The state flower is the Lady Slipper. It will die if a petal is plucked from the plant, but left untouched, it will live up to 100 years!!

13. Minnesota has more Bald Eagles than any state in the lower 48.

I see them all the time and they never cease to amaze me. They are beautiful!

14. Minnesota has provided more Olympic and pro hockey players than any other state.

15. Minnesota is a the first state with a “state mushroom” – the Morel.

My son Paul has been ‘morel’ hunting in the woods. It’s a spring tradition among many Minnesota natives. Have you tried one?

Here are 3 ‘not-so-fun’ facts that may keep people OUT of Minnesota:

Minnesota ranks #5 in highest taxes. (No tax on clothes though, thus, Mall of America)
Minnesota’s average winter temperature is colder than Moscow, Russia. Brrr!
Minneapolis is further north than Toronto, Canada (see picture below)

For gifts that Minnesota gave the world, click here!

For tips on how to fit in as a Minnesota Noob, click here!

Want to read my Minnesota Bucket list? Click here!

Want to read more about Minnesota? Check out this book from Amazon or your local libary:

What’s a fun fact about where you live? Leave a comment!

Click here to read: What to do and Where to Go in Duluth, MN!

Click here to read: 20 gifts that Minnesota gave the world!

Thanks for reading, please consider subscribing.

March 10, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Minnesota

Peek into our winter weeks

The winter of 2019 was so cold we didn’t get to spend a lot of time outside. 2020 has started much more MILD and we’re all happy about that. “Mild” in Minnesota means the temperature is a “warm” 30 degrees.

Here are some fun things we’ve been doing this winter:

Skiing

Luke learned to ski! I signed him up for a 90 minute class, and 6 hours later…he still didn’t want to stop skiing!

George and Clark joined the Ski Club at school. Once a week they go directly from school to the ski hill with their classmates.

Luke learning to ski and LOVING it!
Clark and Paul about to begin
George and Clark

I was just there for the hot chocolate! 🙂

Sledding

We found a huge sledding hill near our home!

Clark’s “homemade” sled…it didn’t work that well
George’s new sled – Christmas gift from his Grandma and Papa Chris
Luke

Shoveling

George and Clark are earning extra money by shoveling for neighbors.

Christmas

Christmas was a fun family day with just the 6 of us. We made pancakes and played lots of games.

The boys playing Hungry Hippo
Clark got a new jersey and signed card from Don Beebe
RataTat Cat – fun family game!
Luke, Paul and Ted playing Yeti in my Spaghetti

A Visit from Family

My sister and her family came to visit from Indiana. We got to go out to dinner, swimming, sledding, and visited Mall of America. This is their second annual trip to Minnesota. They come up and spend the New Year with us – and we spend 4th of July with them in Indiana.

Fun Day at MOA
Date night at Colita

Basketball

George, Clark and Paul are finishing their first season of basketball and they’ve loved it. We were all surprised how much fun this sport it. They’ve enjoyed playing, and the rest of us have enjoyed watching them play

Winter is for watching Movies:

Little Women – A friend invited me to go see this with her. It’s nominated for a bunch of Oscars and now I know why – it’s an INCREDIBLE movie! Watch it!

Where’d you Go, Bernadette? I really enjoyed the book and thought the movie was fantastic! (Get it from Redbox or the library)

Something we have NOT enjoyed this winter: The FLU 🙁

It started with Paul, jumped to Luke, and then to Ted. Thankfully, I only had one rough night! We are all better now!

He had the flu, so I probably shouldn’t be this close…but look at him. You’d hold him too, wouldn’t you?

What have you been up to this winter?

Click here to read my Minnesota Bucket List!

Click here to read How Not to Hate Winter!

Please subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

January 28, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2019/ Family/ Minnesota/ Things to do in Minnesota/ Traveling

We toured the US – without leaving our state!

Minnesota is a beautiful place, but I’d like to see what the rest of the country looks like too! How about you?

With four young boys in tow – we don’t get to see as much of the world as we’d like to. However, at Mall of America, you can see the most beautiful parts of the U.S. when you experience FlyOver America.

Our family of six visited this attraction during Christmas vacation and we LOVED it! It was an incredibly unique way for all of us to see parts of our great country that we have not seen before.

Each picture on this wall is a location that you fly over during your ride!

It’s a 4D/Virtual reality ride that makes you feel like your soaring through the open air (yet seated) with a giant screen and 180 degree views! The seats move up and down and sway to the side.

When you fly over the pine trees, you feel the wind in your face and SMELL PINE!

When you fly over the ocean towards Hawaii – you get spritzed with WATER!

During the holiday season, your trip also takes you to the North Pole. If you have children, visiting in November and December will be extra fun because there are “elves” that pop up throughout your travels. My boys got excited when they’d spot an elf. If the adventure wasn’t entertaining enough, adding silly elves certainly keeps kids engaged!

Here’s what I heard from my boys as we walked out of the FlyOver attraction:

George, Age 12: It was really cool! It gave me good memories.

Clark, Age 10: That was so good! I liked the blowing wind, smelling stuff, and splashes of water.

Paul, Age 8: I liked finding the elves and seeing them do funny things.

Luke, Age 5: That was SO fun! Can we do it again?!

And Ted, parent: Better than I expected.

Tickets are $19.99 for adults and $15.99 for children (12 and under). Discounts can be found online.

It’s absolutely worth a visit and will delight EVERY age group. You must be 40 inches to ride (which is about 4 years old).

For insight into the Best Day to Go to Mall of America with kids – click here.

For a peek into the Crayola Experience, click here.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a future post that will include 30 things to do at Mall Of America besides SHOP! Subscribe so you don’t miss that one!

January 12, 2020 By Kathryn

1 In 2019/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Things to do in Minnesota

Getting Creative at Crayola

The boys and I spent the day at the Crayola Experience at the Mall of America and wanted to give you a peek inside!

Because the kids were out of school, it was a little bit crowded. However, there are SO many different activities to do inside, it never felt “OVERLY” crowded.

I honestly wasn’t sure how my four boys (ages 5 to 12) would do at the Crayola Experience. They aren’t really into ‘crafting’ and ‘coloring.’ However, I was surprised by how much fun we all had. It was actually ‘soul-filling’ to spend the day creating, painting, crafting and coloring. Bonus – there was no prep work or clean up involved!

Here are some of our favorite things from the day:

Each of us got modeling dough. I forgot how relaxing it is to be creative with play dough.

George working on his Silly Selfie
George’s Silly Selfie

Wax painting

The boys loved decorating a paper car – then seeing it come to life on the big screen!

Clark’s car
Clark created, then watched his car come to life!

All the boys enjoyed the 2-story playground. If I had season passes, I’d let them play and burn some energy every time we came to the mall.

We took a break to go eat at Chick Fil A in the food court, but since our passes were good all day, we came back to continue our fun.

We watched a live show about how crayons are made, painted with watercolors, created creatures that “danced,” colored mini ‘pets’ that we got to bring home…and more!

At first I thought the admission price was a little high. However, once we had the “Crayola Experience,” the price seemed fair. The admission price includes all of the activities and stations, the play area, the live show, the ‘mini-pet,’ a crayon that you create, and modeling dough.

The regular admission price is $17.99. You can save on the admission price through:

Groupon
The Mall Coupon Book – or –
If you live in the area, I’d recommend a season pass for only $30!

With a season pass, you can stop in any time for an entire year to create and play. It also includes other perks as well, which you can read about by clicking here.

Parking Tips:

Parking is free at Mall of America. I recommend parking in the EAST lot. Take a picture of your spot so that you can find your car at the end of the busy day!

Another tip: Because the mall is so big, it’s easy to forget which door you entered. When I walk into the mall, I take a picture of the first store I see. When it’s time to leave at the end of the day, I use the mall directory to find the quickest way back to that store, which will lead me to where I parked!

Thanks for reading about our day! We hope you get to experience the fun at Crayola too!

Other posts you might enjoy (just click to read):

The Best Day to visit Nickelodeon Universe!

My favorite things to do in Lakeville, MN

My Minnesota Bucket List

A Peek inside the Mill City Museum

How to Not Hate Winter

October 23, 2019 By Kathryn

2 In Finding our place/ Minnesota/ Things to do in Minnesota/ Traveling

10 things to do in Lakeville, Minnesota

When we decided to move to Minnesota, we had NO IDEA where to plant our roots. There are hundreds of towns within a 30 mile radius of Minneapolis and we checked out MOST of them. Nearly every person we asked would tell us why their city was the BEST one in Minnesota. That made our decision extremely difficult, but we finally settled in Lakeville …and we LOVE it here!

Did you know that Lakeville was rated one of the best places to live according to Money Magazine?

I’ve explored this city and have ten reasons for YOU to come visit.

1. Lakeville is known for their excellent sports programs. Visit Lakeville NORTH High School and… Lakeville SOUTH High School to cheer on our young athletes!

2. Eat at one of the many fabulous restaurants!

3. Get ice cream at the historic Dairy Delight, fill your own cup at Cherry Berry, or try delicious waffles and ice cream at the Waffle Bar!

4. Have an Ax-throwing competition – https://battleaxed.com

5. Hike and explore at Ritter Farm or Murphy-Hanrehan Park

6. Watch a live show at the Lakeville Arts Center

7. Go Fishing at one of the many lakes around town: Lake Marion or Orchard Lake

8. Explore the historic buildings and quaint shops along Main Street in Downtown Lakeville.

9. Play at one of the incredible parks for kids!

10. Enjoy the beach and swim at Antlers Park or Orchard Lake

Other things you won’t want to miss:

Applewood Farm/Orchard in the Fall

Skiing at Buck Hill in the winter

(Buck hill is on the border of Lakeville and Burnsville)

Lifetime Gym – We are spoiled with a REALLY nice Lifetime Gym in Lakeville! Not only is it a great place to exercise, but we also love the Rock Climbing area (included with membership), Parents Night out (included with Membership!) and Swimming (awesome outdoor and indoor pools with waterslides)!

Consider subscribing so you don’t miss a post!

Click here to read How to fit in as a Minnesota Newbie

Click here to read: How I learned to not HATE winter!

Click here to read about The Mill City Museum in Minneapolis.

Click here for our Minnesota Bucket List!

Click here to read Gifts that Minnesota Gave the World

October 13, 2019 By Kathryn