Insider’s Blog

By Tammy Galvin

The Hennepin History Museum—one of the Twin Cities’ most unique social history museums—sits quietly in the Whittier neighborhood a mere block away from the much more famous Minneapolis Institute of Art. While Mia attracts visitors with its old and new art from around the world, the Hennepin History Museum’s focus on the locals and their legacy makes it one of the best ways to get at the heart of the Twin Cities.

Founded in 1938 as the Hennepin County Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum is dedicated to bringing the diverse history of Hennepin County—the largest in Minnesota—and its residents to life through exhibitions, library, collections and educational programs.

With archival collections of priceless scholarly value and unique exhibits bundled in a historic mansion setting, the museum is a rare find, having evolved from the Hennepin County Territorial Pioneers Association in 1858 to the County Historical Society in 1938 to today’s award-winning history museum embracing a diverse range of cultures and social histories.

Hung Duong, left, and her family look at her spot in the Hennepin History Museum’s Eat Street at 20 exhibit. She owns the Truong Thanh Market. Photo courtesy of the Hennepin History Museum.

The exhibition and education programs have expanded from an original focus on Hennepin County settlers to include the wide range of people who constitute the county today. As one of Minnesota’s most rapidly growing and diverse counties, Hennepin includes urban, suburban and rural communities, and all of these stories are featured in the exhibits, library and outreach programs at the museum.

Running through Feb. 25, the current exhibit—Eat Street at 20—chronicles the development of the aptly named 17-block stretch of Nicollet Avenue that is home to 50-plus ethnically diverse restaurants. Based on an oral history project by Spotlight Oral History and the Whittier Alliance, the exhibit chronicles the street’s evolution and the men and women involved in building the establishments, along with photos and cooking instruments from the restaurants themselves, providing visitors insight to the different styles and techniques of cooking used around the world.

In addition to the rotating exhibits, visit the museum’s library, known as the “Reading Room.”

There, you can peruse diaries, journals, manuscripts, letters, scrapbooks, atlases, maps, correspondence and various ephemera including menus, contracts, advertisements, deeds and certificates, sheet music, postcards, posters, broadsides, invitations, and calling cards—all of which illustrates life in Hennepin County.

Photographs make up a significant portion of the collections and include the Confer Real Estate photos, detailing views of properties sold by the company from 1915-1940. Other notable photo collections include the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co., detailing riverfront development from 1895-1906; The Kjorlie photos, illustrating Minneapolis and St. Paul during the late 1930s and 1940s; Minnesota Volunteers 1861-1866, from the Whitney Negatives; and the Arthur Adams lantern slide collection of Minnesota images, circa 1920s.

The Reading Room is open Tuesdays through Saturdays during regular museum hours, and an archivist is available to assist researchers Tuesdays through Thursdays. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors/students and free for 6 and under. Please note that visiting the museum at this time does require the use of stairs.

By Lianna Matt

In her 23 years as a park naturalist, Kristine Hiller has been at Minnesota’s Jay Cooke State Park for 17 of them. As the state’s seventh largest park, more than 300,000 people visit it year-round with almost 35,000 making overnight camping trips. With the park’s location about 23 miles southwest of Duluth, it’s the perfect highlight for a weekend trip out of the cities or even a Duluth day trip.

If you have your doubts about the two hour drive up, the first impression you get of Jay Cooke will make them go away. Depending on your route, you’ll catch alluring glimpses of the St. Louis River from the road, but when you cross the swinging bridge near the entrance of the park, well … The view will take your breath away.

“You know, the first time I drove in—and I think to a lot of our first time visitors—it’s an unexpected place,” Hiller says. “The river, because of the rapids and the slanted rocks that look so rugged. … People don’t expect to see something like that in Minnesota. There is also lots of terrain, and we think of Minnesota as being a flat state.”

As the St. Louis swirls over hidden and unhidden rocks, its liquid glass surface wrinkles and flows in between a valley of flat, slanted slate and greywacke rocks that are all tilted toward the sky. While the rocks are not technically on the trail, when you’re near the swinging bridge, you’ll always find a few hikers making their way carefully among the flatter rocks to get closer to the water.

Here are some of Hiller’s insider tips from almost two decades at the 8,938-acre state park:

For Hiking:

“Everybody comes to the swinging bridge; that is our landmark feature,” says Hiller. “Either way that you go from the bridge—you can be on the north side or the south side across the river—and there’s at least 25 miles of trails to choose from on either side.”

For an easier trail, Hiller recommends the 1.8 miles along the CCC Trail. For about half of the hike, you follow the river and catch beautiful glimpses of it through the park’s foliage, and the rest of the path is underneath the forest canopy.

The Carlton Trail Trip is a favorite of visitors who want more of an intermediate to advanced hike. Beautiful views of the river, hills, roots, the occasional mud puddle and even some places where you may need to cling to a rock or to make this trail a true adventure through the park. The 5-mile trail branches out so hikers can take easier trails through a pioneer cemetery and shaded forest on the return route.

Horseback riding and mountain biking are also common ways to explore the park, and in the the winter, people often bring out the cross country skis, snow shoes and fat bikes.

For Wildlife:

Jay Cooke State Park has more than 45 animal species wandering around, including black bears, timber wolves and coyotes. If you’re walking the more populated trails in the summer, you probably won’t see any of these magnificent creatures, but you will see some adorable red squirrels and chipmunks. In general, diurnal animals tend to be more active in the morning or in the early evening when it’s cool out to avoid the summer heat.

Birding is best done in May through the first week of July. Hiller usually sends people up the paved Forbray Trail that’s connected to the main parking lot; there, she can pick out 25-30 different bird species—a lot of warblers, apparently—from just that one spot.

While some animals hibernate in the winter, there is still plenty of activity on the parkland, even if the blanket of snow muffles it. You’re more likely to run into foxes or bobcats on the trail, says Hiller, because they, like you, want the path of least resistance, and the flat, groomed paths seem easier than traipsing through the snow. You can also see the otters.

In the summer, otters have full run of the river, slipping in and out of it as they please. When the winter hits, though, parts of the river freezes up, creating specific pockets of rushing open water that limits the otters’ normal freedom. “A lot of time just before the bridge, we’ll see their tracks and we’ll see them sliding down the rocks,” Hiller says.

For Wildflowers:

Springtime is the best for wildflowers, and Hiller would send you straight to the West Ridge Trail. After an initial hill, the 1.8-mile trail is easy walking, and in the spring, naturalists frequently lead guided wildflower walks along it. Wildflowers are one of Hiller’s favorite parts about nature, and she loves the variety that Jay Cooke has. Although she can’t single out just one species, she does love spotting the first hepatica for the season—seeing the small plant poke its lobed leaves and miniature lavender, pink and white flowers always means that winter is ending.

For New Experiences:

Jay Cooke State Park’s naturalists offer programming year round for all ages and groups. Simply visit their online calendar for the most up to date information on events like geocaching how-to’s, guided walks, fishing excursions and interactive teachings about animals, astronomy and more. They’re great ways to learn more about the outdoors, and with the naturalists’ knowledge, you’ll find new things to discover at Jay Cooke each and every time.

To be fair to Mother Nature, even without the naturalists’ healthy list of events, repeat visitors always love going to Jay Cooke. The park is eternally changing and showing new parts of itself, and this fall people will be able to see all of it once again.

Since 2012, half of the roads in the park have been more difficult to reach because of flooding damage. In October, the road is opening up again, and Hiller couldn’t be more excited. “It’s what I like about the park—if you visit one side, it looks one way. If you visit the other side, it’s a very different look just because of how big the park is.”

By Lianna Matt

Sometimes it takes the beauty of a place like Nerstrand Big Woods State Park to make you stop and wonder what Minnesota looked like 500 or even 100 years ago. As you hike along, you’re in constant, emerald shade as the trees stretch into dappled canopies above you. Ferns and underbrush cover the ground, only breaking for the gravel-lined hiking path and the creek that leads to a hidden waterfall. Children and adults alike walk on the waterfall’s flat top, looking out to the forest as the water flows smoothly across the stone into a gentle curtain and down to a basin where more families play.

Nerstrand State Park is located just under an hour south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the perfect distance for a day trip or a weekend camping excursion. The park has open picnic and camping grounds, and the nearby city of Northfield can rescue any first-time and forgetful campers.

While less known around the metro than parks such as Minnehaha Regional Park or Taylors Falls, this gem is one of the last remnants of a forest that grew tall amid the oak and savanna prairies. Nestled within the park’s 2,884 acres are more than 200 varieties of wildflowers, including the endangered dwarf trout lily, that bloom in the spring underneath sugar maples, basswood, oak, elm, ironwood, ash, hickory and aspen trees. With such a protected and secluded area, a variety of birds including seven species of woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings and meadowlarks can be seen flitting around, and raccoon, fox and deer are some of the forest residents.

The paths are designed in easy-to-plan loops, and a clearly labeled map is at every crossroad, making hiking or biking easily navigable. In the winter, when snow covers up the gravel and weaves in and out of the tree trunks, most of the summer paths are open for snowmobiling and cross country skiing, too.

Their menu even features seven whiskey flights in addition to a full bar’s worth of libations. And you won’t want to miss Hopkins’ beloved micro-brewery, LTD Brewing Co. Crafting small batch beers in a fun atmosphere, the brewery hosts weekly trivia nights during the week and live music on the weekends.

Get your shopping fix at local shops like Hopkins Antique Mall, Kiddywampus—a fun store for the kids with toys, games and special events—and Mill City Sound, a purveyor of vintage and contemporary records. The entertainment never stops at Hopkins’ downtown retro cinema, and across the street you’ll find Stages Theatre Company, which has been producing exciting shows for younger audiences for 25 years.

And during the summer months, visit the Hopkins Farmers’ Market for truly farm-fresh produce and a wide variety of free-range meat, poultry and eggs. The market takes over a parking lot off Ninth Avenue in downtown Hopkins and is open, rain or shine, from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays mid-June through October.

The city of Hopkins covers about 4 square miles, surrounded by the southwest suburbs of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Edina. Getting around is easy with access to major highways and ample bus routes courtesy of the Twin Cities’ public transportation authority, Metro Transit. Additionally, Hopkins is only a short 20-minute drive from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. And when it comes to finding a place to live, the list of options is consistently growing.

Bloomington-based Doran Companies recently constructed a 241-unit, luxurious apartment building within walking distance of downtown Hopkins. The Moline is offering new leases starting in August 2017, and you can choose from several floor plan options. Leasing for this fall, Marketplace & Main offers luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in a beautiful building overlooking Mainstreet.

QUESTION ABOUT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD?

The true seller for this part of town is the mixing of cultures that takes place here. Over the past decade, the population of Brooklyn Park has changed rapidly. Growing African American, Asian and Hispanic groups have infused their cultures and cuisines into the city with superb ethnic restaurants and markets.

Find authentic Vietnamese and Thai cooking at Vietnam House Restaurant, MT Noodles, Thai Fusion and Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine. A chain of African marketplaces can be found along Brooklyn Boulevard with African Deli, Value Foods African Market and Mama Ti’s African Kitchen restaurant serving up traditional West African dishes and housemade ginger beer. For southern-inspired fare, stop at the Cajun Deli or Crazy Cajun, two locally-owned eateries that know how to cook up Creole-style seafood boils and po-boys. Hungry for classic diner food? Fat Nat’s Eggs, Wagner’s Drive-In, Fat Chance Sandwich Shop and Gramsky’s Sandwiches fix up hearty plates of American favorites.

Once one of the nation’s top potato growing regions, Brooklyn Park is now filled with local businesses and restaurants, but the city hasn’t forgotten its humble roots. Eidem Homestead, a ten-acre historical farm, takes visitors back in time to the turn of the 20th century. The restored Victorian house, barn and farm animals act as a portal back to simpler times with wringer washing machines and old-fashioned Norwegian traditions.

For more modern fun, the Brooklyn Park’s Community Activity Center features an indoor skating rink and racquetball and wallyball courts, while Brunswick Zone XL offers bowling, billiards and arcade games. The area is also home to dozens of parks and trails. Two golf courses, the nine-hole Brookland Golf Park and the 18-hole Edinburgh Golf Course, and two sports parks, Zane Sports Park and Noble Sports Park, provide ample ways for Brooklyn Park residents to stay active and enjoy the outdoors in their neighborhood.

QUESTION ABOUT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD?

Downtown East Commons, or, the Commons, in downtown Minneapolis adds 4.2 more acres of sprawling Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass to Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s already impressive 6,804 acres of green space blanketing the city and its suburbs.

A view of U.S. Bank Stadium from the Great Lawn.

Neighboring U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, Downtown East Commons trades in the steel girders, asphalt sidewalks, towering skyscrapers and other manmade works of art for the creations of the greatest artist on the planet, Mother Earth. Divided into two separate pieces, the eastern portion—also known as the Great Lawn— features plenty of open, green space to serve as ground zero for game day festivities and massive amounts of people during the football season, as well as a jungle gym and water jets for the little ones—or anyone—to run through, while the western piece serves as the quieter sibling featuring a spread of trees and shrubbery for a more natural aesthetic, along with the Edition apartments complex. All throughout both sections, visitors will find nearly 200 trees, including honeylocusts, oaks, pines and more, as well as native flowers such as hydrangeas, grey owl juniper and redtwigged dogwood, making it the perfect lunchtime hangout and office getaway.

 

 

 

 

Space: the final frontier. It’s a place that’s infinitely as large as it is wondrous. From astrophysicists to people outstretched on a blanket in their backyard, its twinkling stars, celestial bodies and raining meteor showers have puzzled and astounded many from the first time we gazed our eyes upon the sky. Thanks to advancements in technology, we’re now able to peer farther into its dark recesses than we ever thought possible and marvel at Mother Nature’s greatest light show. If you’re looking for a firsthand experience but don’t have any equipment of your own, fear not, these cosmic hotspots are here to sate your imagination.

Telescopes For Use

The Tate Laboratory of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Minnesota has long been a venue for star parties, but while it receives a much-needed facelift, stargazers can still get their celestial fix every first and third Friday of the month during the fall and spring semesters at the Bell Museum of Natural History. Included each night is a short, 20-minute presentation followed by outdoor observing (weather permitting) in the courtyard outside the museum.

Each year from April through November, the Minnesota Astronomical Society hosts stargazing parties come clouds or high water inside Baylor Regional Park on the shores of Eagle Lake. Spread across two observatories (Onan Observatory and Sylvia A. Casby Observatory), space connoisseurs have access to more than a dozen state-of-the-art telescopes and the Hotspot Classroom, a room dedicated to conducting presentations, live telescope feeds, and warming cold bodies on crisp nights.

Telescope Required

For those looking for a patch of green to set-up shop away from the city lights, Metcalf Observing Field 14 miles east of downtown St. Paul is the perfect solution. While it doesn’t have any public telescopes available for use, it does feature three telescope pads equipped with electricity and a light pollution-free shroud of darkness.

Stargazing Events

Break free of the city limits during the summer months for Universe in the Park. Every summer from June to August, the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics puts on a show at various state parks throughout the state. Each show includes a short presentation (20-30 minutes), and covers topics including the history of matter, how astronomers “see,” and a journey through our solar system. After the show, attendees are invited to peep at the stars through 8-inch reflecting telescopes.

Planetarium

If Mother Nature isn’t cooperating with you, a cloud and cold-free cosmic light show can always be found at the ExploraDome at the Bell Museum of Natural History. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday stargazers can get an astronaut’s-eye-view of Earth, or marvel at the deepest, galaxy-filled edges of the observable universe in any of three shows.

From 1965 to 1988, Camelot Castle was the place to see and be seen. Quail, chicken croquette, Chateaubriand, and its unparalleled duck flamed and carved table-side drew famous visitors and loyal locals alike. Decades later, the beautiful Camelot has long since been transformed into Griffin Gallery and houses an incredible collection of representational art from masters like its owner Bill Mack.

Around town, sculptor Bill Mack is best known as the artist that created larger-than-life bronze statues of legendary Minnesota Twins players Kirby Puckett, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Kent Hrbek at Target Field. But what many people don’t realize is that this same local artisan is indeed the world’s preeminent relief sculptor, whose work graces the homes and galleries of dignitaries, celebrities and art lovers around the globe, including Presidents Clinton, Ford and Reagan; and Elton John, Sylvester Stallone and Prince Albert of Monaco, among many others.

Along with his wife, Deb, Mack runs Griffin Gallery and features traditional and contemporary fine art originals, limited edition prints, etchings, celebrity artifacts, sports memorabilia and more. The gallery primarily showcases Mack’s relief sculptures and paintings of classic Hollywood stars, the latter of which are painted on parts of the original Hollywood sign. Another portion of the gallery features internationally acclaimed artists as well as the best of today’s emerging artists.

Mack is an avid collector of original artwork and Hollywood memorabilia, including the front gates to Marilyn Monroe’s home, costumes such as the one worn by Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz and Clark Gable’s coat from Gone with the Wind.

5.5 paved miles

Sometimes referred to as a “freeway for bikes,” the Midtown Greenway is the perfect year-round urban bike experience, with the wide, smooth, mostly flat trail giving riders a taste of Minneapolis from the Mississippi River to our Chain of Lakes.