2 boys on a budget?

We have 2 full days and 2 1/2 days to spend in St. Paul (and area) -- my 10yo and 13yo are in charge of the money and itinerary for this trip --

so far we have --

Science Museum (free with membership @ home)

Minnesota Zoo ( '; '; '; '; )

Mall of America for LEGO area and Apple store - not to buy, just to play.

Rainforest Cafe (have a $50 gift card already)

also pencilled in --

Lock %26amp; dam

Wabasha Street Cave tour

Great Waters(?) for a meal

We%26#39;ve been to St. Paul and Minneapolis several times before - we miss the Peanuts events! - but I%26#39;m sure there are all kinds of cool things that we%26#39;d enjoy, but we don%26#39;t know about yet!

The trip will be in October and hotel(s) will be determined by $$ and proximity to what they decide we%26#39;ll visit. I like an included breakfast, so that%26#39;s one less deicision to make (and I need my coffee in the morning)

So -- what else should we do? The boys are both into music, rather than sports and would happily spend ALL DAY in a museum ...

10yo has been researching the Nickelodeon Park at MOA, but I don%26#39;t see that being in the budget.

TIA

Wendy

2 boys on a budget?

Como zoo %26amp; conservatory:

http://www.comozooconservatory.org/

Minnehaha falls:

www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp…

Rent a canoe on Lake Calhoun:

www.wheelfunrentals.com/listlocations/97

Hike or canoe at Interstate State Park:

…state.mn.us/state_parks/…index.html

Minnesota History Center - The Vatican Splendor exhibit looks to be outstanding plus you can tour the MN state capital, Mill City Museum, Fort Snelling, and the MN history center itself: http://www.mnhs.org/index.htm

If I think of more I will post here....good luck %26amp; have fun.

2 boys on a budget?

What a great idea to put them in charge!

Re: the lock %26amp; dam, do you mean the St. Anthony Falls? If so, that%26#39;s good as there are lots of things they%26#39;d enjoy there. Mill City Museum is very cool. And if you bring your bikes, river road is a great ride all the way down to Minnehaha Park %26amp; Falls. There%26#39;s a great little cafe in the park. It will be beautiful that time of day.

For whatever reason, my little sister LOVED riding light rail. That goes from downtown Minenapolis to Minnehaha Park to Mall of America. You can also bring your bikes on board.

The Museum Adventure Pass is a good value if there are more museums you%26#39;d like to see. You%26#39;d have to join the free public library, but the downtown branch is pretty cool to check out. If you like any of what you see, call ahead to ensure the library has passes (different libraries have different tix available based on popularity):

http://www.melsa.org/MuseumAdventurePass/

And instead of Great Waters (are the boys interested in the brew pub atmosphere?), I might instead suggest Cosetta%26#39;s (hustling bustling pizza institution) or Mickey%26#39;s Diner (greasy spoon located in a street car that was featured in Arnold Schwartzegers movie ';Jingle All The Way';). ALSO, the Science Museum has a pretty cool cafe where you can sit on their patio that overlooks the river - best downtown view by far!

%26lt;%26lt; And instead of Great Waters (are the boys interested in the brew pub atmosphere?) %26gt;%26gt;

LOL!! :-) We happened upon Great waters on a Sunday evening staying at the Crowne Plaza and it was one of the few places we found still open ... the boys enjoyed the food, and on previous trips we sat outside or we%26#39;ve eaten early, after calling ahead to check on kid-friendliness!

I am intrigued by Mickey%26#39;s Diner though ...

... the lock and dam ... I remember %26#39;something%26#39; from a DH and me trip 15+ years ago ... can%26#39;t remember details, so I%26#39;ll check into it more.

Thanks!

Wendy

I was afraid my comment would come off wrong, but it makes sense to return there if you%26#39;ve been before. I guess I wouldn%26#39;t think of it as a destination restaurant, but haven%26#39;t heard anything bad about it.

My 15 year old is a big fan of Great Waters. He %26amp; I have eaten there several times before/after going to hockey games at the X.

If you%26#39;re looking for something interesting take the Wabasha bridge south across the river. Where Wabasha starts to go straigh the main road curves to the left and becomes Cesar Chevez. Right at the corner is a place called the Taco House, it%26#39;s run by the same people who run Boca Chica - one of the Twin Cities premier authentic Mexican restaurants.

Give it a try, my kids love it....especially their fried tacos. It%26#39;s a fast food type place with very, very good food. They also make their own salsa - it%26#39;s kind of hidden on the room adjacent to the main dining room.

If you stay on Cesar Chavez Boca Chica will be on your left and El Burrito Mercado - which is outstanding! - will be near the corner of Chavez %26amp; Robert

Can%26#39;t go wrong with any of them!