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Marcus Theatres Kids Dream Summer Film Series 2023 – $3 Admission (& Get Free Tickets!)

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marcus kids dream series

The Marcus Theatres Kids Dream Summer Film Series is back in 2023 – get $3 admission to each of 8 movies this summer!

Plus get 2 FREE tickets courtesy of American Family Insurance! Click here to get the electronic voucher.

Movies play June 13th through August 5th, 2023. 

In Minnesota, there are theatres in these locations:

  • Hermantown (by Duluth)
  • Oakdale
  • Waite Park
  • Rochester
  • Rosemount
  • Shakopee

Here are the movies playing this summer!

  • Shrek 2 – June 13-June 17
  • The Bad Guys – June 20-June 24
  • Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile – June 27-July 1
  • The Amazing Maurice – July 4-8
  • Minions: Rise of Gru – July 11-July 15
  • Mummies – July 18-July 22
  • DC League of Super Pets – July 25-July 29
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – August 1-August 5

Check it out on their website.

50% Off Heavy Metal Dine-In Events in Hastings All Summer 2023 (Exclusive Deal!)

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heavy metal dine in

Heavy Metal Dine-In at Extreme Sandbox in Hastings is BACK in 2023! And you can save 50% off tickets all summer long with my exclusive code!

Do your kids love watching big construction equipment at work? Do they want to drive big construction equipment? How about you? 

Extreme Sandbox in Hastings, MN is a heavy equipment adventure company where you can play on construction equipment. I previously wrote about their “Heavy Metal Drive Thru” shows where you can sit in your car and watch construction equipment show off what they can do. (read about our experience here)!

You can also reserve time to drive the construction equipment – they have excavators, bulldozers, & wheel loaders! My friend and I drove bulldozers there once and it was awesome! Read about our experience here!

My fiance and I also drove excavators here which was awesome.

Extreme Sandbox Hastings

Heavy Metal Dine-In

Extreme Sandbox launched a NEW event last summer. It’s called Heavy Metal Dine-In, where you can dig, dine and discover. It’s BACK in 2023, and they have a ton of dates. PLUS – I have an EXCLUSIVE 50% off deal for you!!!! This is unbeatable! Just use my code frugalmom in advance online!

About Heavy Metal Dine-In

[Read more…]

Foshay Tower Museum & Observation Deck in Minneapolis

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Have you been to the Foshay Museum & Observation Deck in Minneapolis?

foshay observation deck

Yes, there’s an observation deck on the 31st floor of the Foshay building, and it’s an actual museum too. 

My fiance and I went on a recent cloudy day we spent exploring downtown Minneapolis. We first visited the Twin Cities Auto Show which was nearby at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and we took the skyway all the way from the convention center to the Foshay. 

A note about the skyways – the Minneapolis Skyway System is actually the largest contiguous system of enclosed, second-level bridges in the world, so don’t worry about walking in snow or rain here! It is 9.5 miles long and connects 80 city blocks. That’s a lot of skyways!

Because we were just in the skyways, I didn’t get a picture from the outside, but I did get reflections of the building in some of my pictures. 

[Read more…]

Spring Break Guide for the Twin Cities 2023

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spring break guide twin cities

Spring break is a full week off for kids (and sometimes even longer), and in Minnesota is typically in March. 

Whether your kids’ week off is in early or late March (or even April), this guide should help you think of fun things to do!

Basically I’ve compiled multiple guides from my site – some listing fun things to do in Minnesota, discounts for fun, and even things kids can do at home when they’re bored.

And at the end I have some free spring cleaning resources for your family too (for your kids to help you with, of course! ha).

Highlights for spring in the Twin Cities:

Minnesota Children's Museum discount

Framed: Step into Art– Minnesota Children’s Museum, St. Paul. Now through May 7th. Go for FREE on the first Sunday of the month!

Or save the MOST on tickets with my exclusive code. Just go to mcm.org and use my code TCFM to save $3 per admission on tickets! You can also use that code to save $20 on a membership as well. 

[Read more…]

Saint Paul Family Fun Day & Date Night: Discounts & a GIVEAWAY!

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Saint Paul Family Fun Day & Date Night: Discounts & a GIVEAWAY

I’m SUPER excited to partner with Visit Saint Paul to feature all the city of Saint Paul, MN has to offer, plus I have a FABULOUS giveaway! Be sure to enter below for your chance to win TWO $50 gift cards: $50 to the Red Balloon Bookshop, and $50 for Momento Restaurant. 

I previously wrote about the Visit Saint Paul “Local Lover VIP Pass.” It’s totally FREE and you can get tons of great discounts for places all around Saint Paul. Be sure to sign up for the pass by the end of February to be entered into giveaways and get your free t-shirt! The deals will then be good through September 29th, 2023.

Hurry up and sign up for this FREE pass now!

local lover t shirt tcfm

There are many discounts on the list I had never heard of, and the deals are pretty darn good, so I decided to spend a Saturday enjoying the pass with my kids, and then for date night with my fiance!

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Boredom Busters for Kids! 7 Free Printable Posters with 42+ Ideas

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Boredom Busters are here to save the day and keep your kids busy and off of screens!

Boredom Busters Posters

Boredom Busters! 7 Free Printable Posters with 42+ Fun Ideas

If kids complain of one thing all the time, it’s probably “I’m bored!” Mine certainly do and screens are often the easiest thing to occupy themselves. But that’s not good for them long-term!

So I have something for you – a collection of 7 Boredom Busters posters:

  • 1 poster filled in with 42+ ideas on bright colors
  • 1 blank template poster that’s the same bright colors
  • 1 blank template poster in pastel versions of those colors
  • 1 blank template poster in greens and blues
  • 1 blank template poster in pinks and purples
  • 1 blank template poster in greens and yellows (perfect for Easter!)
  • 1 blank template that’s black and white – kids can color this one in!

Check out these 42 ideas on the first poster. They’ll keep your kids busy for hours and away from screens!

[Read more…]

Winter Break Fun in the Twin Cities 2022 – 2023 (100’s of Ideas!)

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winter break fun twin cities

Winter Break is here for many kids, and goes through New Year’s Day or later! I know mine will be busy with Christmas presents for at least part of the time, but what to do for the rest of winter break?

A few years ago I talked on WCCO about last minute gift ideas and free and inexpensive winter break fun, so I thought I’d create a list for this year too!

So here is a list of ideas for winter break fun in the Twin Cities that I put together to keep my family happy as well as yours! (And many are FREE or inexpensive!)

ENJOY HOLIDAY LIGHT DISPLAYS! 

This was always my favorite part of the Christmas season as I was growing up. Driving around and seeing how others get their house all decked out for the season always gets me in the Christmas spirit.

I put together these guides for Minnesota light displays this season:

Holiday Lights and Events in Minnesota 2022 (& Discounts!)

holiday lights minnesota 2022

Holiday Lights Drive-Thru Events in Minnesota 2022

holiday lights drive thru events mn 2022

LIBRARY EVENTS

Local libraries offer SO much FREE programming for everyone, including kids through teens. And they often offer winter break events and activities to keep your kiddos busy. Here’s a sampling of events offered end of December through early January:

Ramsey County

  • Strategy Game Buffet (Grades 4-8)
  • Perler Bead Fun (ages 5 and up)
  • Board Games and More (for families)
  • Shrinky Dinks (ages 7-12)

Hennepin County

  • Nintendo Switch Night (Grades 3 – 12)
  • DIY Crafts (K – grade 8)
  • Free Play (K – grade 6)
  • STEM Fest (elementary aged children and families)

And so many more! To find them, search the library website’s event page. I found the Hennepin County Library events by narrowing my search to “Families.”

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Discounted Wine Tastings at Wild Mountain Winery in Taylors Falls (& My Review)

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Discounted Wine Tastings at Wild Mountain Winery in Taylors Falls (& My Review!)

So a couple of years ago my friend and I got together just have a fun girls weekend around the Twin Cities, and one of the places we had been wanting to go is a winery.

I had checked out Groupon for deals and found a great one for Wild Mountain Winery which is in Taylors Falls. It’s not far from Wild Mountain Adventure Park, too. 

We found a great deal for a wine tasting, and they still have great deals now!

I recommend getting a Groupon deal which has currently two options:

  • Wine Tasting for Two with Two Glasses of Wine, Two Take-Home Glasses, and Cheese Plate for $25 (regularly $33)!
  • Wine Tasting for Four with Four Glasses of Wine, Four Take-Home Glasses, and Cheese Plate for $46 (regularly $66)!

PLUS – save an extra 25% now through July 6th when you use code SAVE! Just add the deal to your cart, add the promo code SAVE and voila, you save an extra 25%!

Check out the Groupon deals here! (And be sure to apply the extra 25% discount by July 6th!)

Our Experience

We went on Saturday afternoon and arrived just in time for live music, which we didn’t even expect! Many people were seated at the patio tables enjoying the beautiful day.

Wild Mountain Winery

We traded in our Groupon voucher for our wine and cheese plate. We got to actually choose our wine from a list, and sample up to 3 if we weren’t sure what we wanted. They had about 16 to choose from, listed from dry to sweet. I chose a Mountain Sweet Red wine, which is fairly sweet. It was delicious!

Wild Mountain Winery

My friend and I enjoyed our wine and cheese plate at a table as we listened to the live music. They have a list of their live music on their website.

[Read more…]

Spring Break Guide for the Twin Cities 2022

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spring break guide twin cities

Spring break is a full week off for kids (and sometimes even longer), and in Minnesota is typically in March. 

Whether your kids’ week off is in early or late March (or even April), this guide should help you think of fun things to do!

Basically I’ve compiled multiple guides from my site – some listing fun things to do in Minnesota, discounts for fun, and even things kids can do at home when they’re bored.

And at the end I have some free spring cleaning resources for your family too (for your kids to help you with, of course! ha).

Highlights for spring in the Twin Cities:

thomas the train mcm

Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails Exhibit – Minnesota Children’s Museum, St. Paul. Now through May 8th. Go for FREE on the first Sunday of the month! Or save the MOST on tickets with my exclusive code. Just go to mcm.org and use my code TCFM to save $3 per admission on tickets IN-PERSON. You can also use that code to save $20 on a membership either in-person or online. (Note that my code is only good for ticket purchases in-person at this time due to COVID restrictions. Just mention my code when you purchase your tickets.)

Sundays at Landmark – Landmark Center, St. Paul. There are Urban Adventure days and other events throughout the month – all free.

Como Zoo – Always free, though donations appreciated. In St. Paul. Must make a reservation.

Visit a library! Libraries are full of books and movies, but also storytimes and other special events!

Scheels Eden Prairie

Scheels – Located in Eden Prairie, this store is like an amusement park. It has a ferris wheel, aquarium, candy store – lots of fun! We visited when it opened in 2020 and things that were closed then (like the ferris wheel) are now open!

For events happening this month and ongoing:

Twin Cities Deals & Events Calendar

This calendar includes local events (& deals!) for the current month, and is updated regularly.

Twin Cities Deals & Events Calendar

Staycation & Short Trip Ideas in Minnesota

Austin Minnesota

Austin, MN – We had a perfect weekend getaway here!

Duluth, MN – I grew up here, but visit here often with my kids. I’ve written many recaps of our visits including Spirit Mountain, Glensheen Mansion, the Vista Fleet, North Shore Railroad and Great Lakes Aquarium. 

Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington – We stayed here twice and love how there’s so much to do on-site! 

Radisson Blu Hotel at the Mall of America – We also stayed here twice and love how it’s so nice and connected to the Mall of America for unlimited fun.

Stillwater, MN – We go here all the time and here’s my review of our weekend visit.

Franconia Collage

Shafer, MN – You have to stop at the free Franconia Sculpture Park! Less than an hour from the Twin Cities.

Guides!

The Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun

This lists tons of places a family can find fun in Minnesota, organized alphabetically by category! Cities/locations are included.

Originally created as a list by one of my readers, I then expanded this list and published it here. Then another reader created an interactive spreadsheet for me to include! It’s all here:

Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun

Twin Cities Discount Guide for Families

All the ways you can save money at places all around the Twin Cities, compiled here.

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The Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun INTERACTIVE SPREADSHEET!

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ultimate list of minnesota family fun spreadsheet

Last year I posted “The Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun” and it was so helpful to one reader that she created an interactive spreadsheet version of it and sent it to me! She also added some more regional information.

Thank you to Elizabeth Goskesen for putting this together!

You can search the spreadsheet by city/region, or by type of attraction, or name.

Click here to open in a new window!

To use it:

Click on the down arrow in each column OR right click on each column to sort A to Z or Z to A.

To search for a specific attraction or anything else in the spreadsheet, hold “Control” & “F” to open the “Find” window, and search in that.

Works best on a desktop computer.

If you are viewing on your phone, it helps to download the Google Sheets app.

You can also view here:

Click here to open in a new window!

See my original post here!