Minnesota was a state that needed to be checked off my bucket list. Since I did some research and knew January was a good month to visit Minneapolis since it was inexpensive and less crowded, I booked a girls weekend for my birthday! Now, it was negative degrees outside, but it was definitely worth a visit. Listed below is where we stayed, dined, and what we did around town. We never had to rent a car, and only used Uber or Lyft. Our hotel was walking distance to everywhere except Ice Castles, Mall of America & the airport.
Where to Stay:
The best way to stay in Minneapolis is to stay in central downtown. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta which was super convenient for the weekend. The hotel was connected to the Skyway System. The system is connected to almost every building downtown so you walk through the Skyway instead of walking outside in the city. It’s definitely the best way to explore the city when it’s super cold outside like it was in January.
January was one of the slowest times to visit the city so the hotel was super affordable. I know there were so many other options nearby, but I always suggest to look for availability three months ahead of your travel dates. Below is the list of restaurants we ate at during our stay & the activities we did daily.
Where to Eat:
- Wood & Paddle Eatery: Located inside Royal Sonesta. We ate there every morning for their daily brunch with unlimited mimosas, one night for dinner & happy hour. I enjoyed an excellent restaurant just steps away from our hotel room.
- Cowboy Jack’s: Located downtown across from the Target Center. We ate there before attending the Kane Brown country concert. Such a cute western restaurant.
- FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar: Inside Mall Of America. Enjoy farm-to-table dining in the heart of Minneapolis. Each dish is prepared with local, Midwestern ingredients based from the Twin Cities. This restaurant is also located in Chicago.
- Union Rooftop: Just one block from our hotel, we ate here for brunch on the day of my birthday! It was so unique! Such a cute rooftop bar, which would be great to eat outside during the summer. I highly recommend making reservations a week advance before your stay.
- Seven Steakhouse: Just one block from the hotel, this fine dining restaurant was fantastic! We went for my birthday dinner & ordered some sushi & a bottle of wine. It was a Sunday night, and we did do reservations but it was not needed since it was a slow weekend in January.
What to Do:
- Country Concert: Kane Brown: Kane Brown & Chase Rice were performing that weekend at The Target Center. It was only a ten minute walk to the venue going through the Skyway System! They are some of my favorite country artists so it was a fun time like always!
- Mall Of America: One of the biggest malls in the world, and it is one of the top tourist destinations in the country. Nickelodeon has it’s first indoor themed park inside the mall. There is so much entertainment throughout the mall & we did our first axe throwing experience.
- Living Room Minneapolis: Super chic lounge at the Foshay! A MUST visit to have a few drinks before you end your night. It’s all decked out like the 1920s! It was one of our favorite stops.
- Seven (for Drinks): This was mentioned above but after 10pm it becomes a nightclub/bar. We just sat at the bar downstairs for a few drinks to celebrate my birthday.
- Ice Castles : Ice Castles is an award-winning frozen attraction located in five cities across North America. The experience is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. The castles include breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains and much more. I got to partner with Ice Castles during my stay, and we had a blast! Below are some photos from our experience! The other four states they are located in are New York, Utah, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire. Make sure you stop in one of those places while traveling through January & February to enjoy this experience!
