It’s hard to believe that our year in Minneapolis has already come to an end, and that one week from today we’ll be en route to Copenhagen, Denmark!

Although it has been a whirlwind 12 months, we did manage to establish some routines and traditions and we’re excited to share a little round-up of things to do in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Leviathon at Day Block – Day Block Brewing is a quick bike ride from our place, and quickly became one of our favorite stops once we found out they had a ghost pepper pizza on their menu. The Leviathon is deliciously spicy, so beware! If you love hot food, though, this is a must!
• Rock Climbing – Moving back to Minnesota meant being near to friends who we’ve rock climbed with for years. Josh quickly established a tradition of rock climbing every Sunday morning, and I joined occasionally. The Twin Cities are home to several great rock climbing gyms, our favorites were Vertical Endeavors on Nicollet and Minneapolis Bouldering Project. For outdoor trips we recommend Red Wing (90 minutes), Taylor’s Falls (1 hour) and one of our favorites, Devils Lake (3 hours).
  
• Stone Arch and St. Anthony Main –  A great area of the city that was walking or biking distance for us, and quickly became a favorite outing (and also one of our first dates nights way back when). I loved being able to take the walking paths all the way down along the river, across the Stone Arch Bridge and through St. Anthony Main when walking Walter, and we got through the long winter by enjoying $5 movie nights at the theater (pro tip: you can bring cocktails from Pracna into the theater).
• First Call at Last Call – Our favorite Minneapolis beer is First Call by Modist Brewing.  It’s a phenomenal cold press coffee lager that you gotta try ASAP! We loved that it was dog friendly, and we frequently ended up there while walking Walter (oops).

• Kayak the Mississippi River or chain of Lakes – I’m glad that we found time to do both of these during our time in Minneapolis. The Mississippi has a paddle share program (just reserve online, kayak and return) or you can rent kayaks at Lake Calhoun and access the entire chain of lakes.

• Urban Biking – Minneapolis is very bike friendly, so if you’re an enthusiast we recommend giving it a whirl. Josh bike commuted almost every single day, even through the Minnesota winter, and his commute consisted of a 10 mile round-trip ride almost entirely on the Cedar Lake Trail. It quickly became one of our favorite rides and we did it in all seasons.
• Have dinner at The Draft Horse – There are a lot of great restaurants in the Twin Cities, but The Draft Horse quickly stole our hearts for its amazing vibe, great food and friendly staff.
• Irish Coffee and The Sonder Shaker – We are Irish Coffee enthusiasts, and pride ourselves on trying to find the best one in every city. The Sonder Shaker is a relatively new establishment, and their Irish Coffee is absolutely incredible.
• Game Night at Merlin’s Rest – If you’re into board games as much as we are, you’ll love saddling up at a table in Merlin’s Rest for a few rounds of Catan or Dominion.
• Pizza at Latuff’s – If you are also a Luther College Alumnus (hey, go norse!) you will appreciate this tip: the closest you’ll get to a Mabe’s Pizza in the metro is Latuff’s Pizza in Plymouth. This was something we discovered circa 2009 when we lived in St. Louis Park, and we were thrilled that it was still just as good. Thank me later!
• Comedy – Did you know that Minneapolis is home to a couple of the oldest comedy clubs in the US? We loved having Brave New Workshop (improv) and ACME Comedy Club (stand-up) both within walking distance of us, and loved taking in last minute shows.
• Mall of America – Although some locals will do just about anything to avoid having to go to Mall of America, it’s a definite must if you’re a shopping enthusiast and a 5-star option if you’re planning a family vacation or girls weekend. I did two girls weekends with my mom and sisters this year and we had a blast (read about them here and here).

We had a great year and can’t wait to share another one with you once we get used to our new ‘hood in Copenhagen! We did a similar post before our last move. Click here to read 10 Things to Do in Madison, WI!