Whoever set this up has never been to the legit ones in Nuremberg or Berlin. Way too narrow for…read morepeople to shop on both sides while having room for others to pass by in the center; only a couple hot wine vendors with ginormous lines, didn't see any warm pretzels (and those are like every third stall in Germany), and the majority of the crafters sold overpriced junk. So: no heart, no space, no cheer, no festive atmosphere. Just angry hordes jostling to get through. And BTW, if you're going to have too-narrow thoroughfares you need to prohibit strollers and have an area for people to ditch them.

Came here for this years Christmas Market on a slightly warmer than lately Saturday…read more As usual it's a gorgeous setup. The small huts and lights are just so aesthetically pleasing, and fun to walk around and peruse. We haven't had something we disliked food wise. It's all very good. A little spendy, be prepared for State-Fair level prices, but hey it's an event and at least they don't charge you to get in! The mulled wine or Glühwein as it's called is great. if you pick up a mug you can get cheaper refills. I've had the red but didn't get around to getting a cup of the white but I'd still recommend it to people who like sweeter wines. The shops are all really cute and have alot of good products. Think art fair, you can buy art, clothes, knick-knacks, Christmas decorations and more, homemade and super bespoke. We might swing back but if not we'll definitely be there to check it out again next year!

We went to check out the ice festival in Eagan that has the longest ice maze. This festival runs…read morefrom January 10 to February 16, depending on the weather of course. Tickets can be purchased online or the box office. We had purchased a deal online and waited for someone to come to the box office in order to redeem the voucher. After waiting for 10 minutes, the guard let us through the gate to talk to the ladies that works for the event. Ice maze was fun, for all ages. There's a warming house that sells hot and cold beverages and alcohol. Variety of food trucks, ice skating rink, and slide made from ice. The maze has a scavenger hunt throughout, there's 12 names to look for and you'll get a prize at the hut near the skating rink. Definitely recommend to check out.

The Minnesota Ice Festival is an absolute must-see for anyone who loves winter, art, and outdoor…read morefun! From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by the stunning ice sculptures-each one more intricate and breathtaking than the last. The level of detail and creativity that goes into these frozen masterpieces is truly incredible. Beyond the sculptures, the festival had so much to offer. We enjoyed the ice slides (so much fun for both kids and adults!), sipped on delicious hot cocoa, and even tried our hand at ice carving. The atmosphere was lively, with twinkling lights, live music, and cozy fire pits where you can make s'mores and it easy to warm up when needed. They also have games made out of ice shuffle board, ping pong, air hockey and they also have ice skating The staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful, and despite the crowds, everything was well organized. Dress warmly-it gets chilly, especially at night-but that's all part of the magical winter experience.If you're looking for a unique and festive way to celebrate winter in Minnesota, this festival is well worth it. We went on a pretty warm day so unfortunately the maze was very wet lots of puddles We'll definitely be back next year!

It's 2022..and 'Open Streets Lyndale' returns in full form; first time since pandemic started and…read moreit was back BIG! So much entertainment, fun and activities for the whole family it's a great community celebration! Welcome back!

Great idea! Fortunately I was gifted tickets to the 2025 GLOW Festival and it's the group you go…read morewith that will make this fun. Like all events, it's all about perspective. I'm local to Saint Paul and I love a quiet St. Paul activity. We went on a Friday evening which I believe was opening night and it was dead!! Contrary, I liked it. We took an Uber which relieved us of any parking stresses and because this was a quiet event the uber prices were on point. I don't think this experience is worth the normal ticket of $27 but if you're looking for something to do, go for it. This event would start to be spendy with kids as each activity inside costs money. For example, the marshmallow fire roasting station is $6, the slide with the tubes is $3.75, carousel is $5, hot chocolate is $6, the zip line is $15, etc. Contrary, Santa was onsite most of our evening and the visit has no cost. The entire CHS field is lit up with lights ranging from Christmas trees, polar bears, moose, and varying little stables for the kiddos to pop in and out of. There are basic concession stands, a warming house with a bar a couple of local vendors, a giant slide and zip line. There is holiday music playing and attendees roam the arena. Tons of photo opportunities! The night we went it was pretty warm with no snow so I do believe that snow would make this a very different experience. Fun fact: My group was able to witness a couple get engaged. Congratulations to those two!!

TLDR: Great for families with younger kids, lots of things for them to look at, run around and do;…read moreparking is limited and expensive. I had no idea this holiday festival was a thing! I wasn't sure what to expect and brought my adult daughter with me to see what it was all about. If you have young children or a person who loves looking at holiday lights, this is the place to stop by. Luckily, the night we went, it wasn't too cold, but there really wasn't much for us to do other than walk around and look at the light displays. Neither of us was drinking cocktails that night, so we didn't take advantage of the cocktail lounge, but did get our picture with Santa Claus. The little houses all around the field are super cute. They had great music playing and a "fireplace" image displayed on the Jumbotron. In the same area as the cocktail lounge, there was a makers market. I saw people who purchased concessions from the normal concession stand areas, but we didn't get anything from there either. We parked on the street using the app, and it was ridiculously expensive for being a Friday night and I booked a few hours, not knowing how long we would be in the festival. Turns out it only took us about 45 minutes to walk around. Not sure if I would pay to go back. I think it's a kind of thing that I'm not sure the experience changes much year to year.

I was SO looking forward to this festival as I love Asian food. The quality of the food was very…read moregood and the ViP bag & pin were cute but tickets at $85 for two was high. But the food prices were through roof. When your only options for wontons is one for $4.00 and $18.00 for 8 is unreasonable. Can I get 2 for $7.00, so I can have other small tastes of other food? $21.00 for a cup of beef ramen (commemorative noodle cup which is very cute-see photo)? The drinks were also pretty highly priced. Mt other feedback was the security check. We paid for VIP tickets and expecting a VIP entrance. Nope, everyone goes through the same line which OK, I get it, it's police policy. However, the officer went way too far in searching. Not only did he pull my wallet out, he started opening up my wallet and looking though the compartments. What was he thinking he'd find? No wonder the line was long and we were there right at 4:00 pm. And I wasn't the only one, another guest commented on the extra security needed because she had never had her wallet inspected either. Probably won't return, unless, it can become a "tasting menu" vs. $70 for 3 dishes.

Ah, Panda Festival 2026 at the Mall of America. I believe this is the second year they have had…read morethis in Minnesota. We missed out last year because the tickets sold out (my fault), but we made sure to attend it this year. Here is the good, bad, and the ugly from our adventure. We, as in me, my wife, and 11 year old daughter, made it our mission to make it this year. I got the 1000 am check in time, and paid for 4 tickets to PANDA FEST 2026! This was the earliest check in time for day 2, Saturday, August 1st. Luckily we didn't get tickets to day 1 on Friday, because it rained almost all day. Saturday was rain free, but a bit warm. The temp was in the high 80's. The 4th ticket went unused because my daughter's friend didn't make it. We made sure we arrived about 20 minutes early, because I had no idea where to park. The event was in the far north parking lot of the MOA (Mall of America). I was happy to see that there was plenty of parking about 2 blocks from the festivities, and the parking lot was enormous. We walked to the entrance, and there was already a long line that had formed, and it was pretty regulated with the typical cattle guard fences and MOA security overlooking everything. We didn't have to wait long, and the MC of the event got on her "toy" bull horn and welcomed everyone to the second annual Panda Festival. The countdown started, and everyone shuffled through the security checkpoint that was manned by MOA personnel, and Bloomington Police Officers. This was a pretty secure checkpoint that looked like Terminal One of the MSP airport. Yes, they even had metal detectors, and all bags/purses were checked. No vapes, lighters, guns, or weapons, outside beverages or food were allowed in. But no worries, it looked like a few vapes were tossed on the ground before the check in. Confession time. I'm a retired copper of 30 years, and always carry a knife on me. Today was no exception. I figured my chances were about 50/50 on whether my very expensive knife was going to trigger the metal detectors. But I decided to play the odds, and then flash my Police ID if the detector went off. I'd hand over the knife, but return later to get it after we left the venue. However, I passed through the metal detectors no problem, despite having my cell phone, and a janitor sized keychain on my belt loop. Read that as you may, but methinks the sensitivity of the metal detectors were set a bit too low. Anyway, we passed the checkpoint, got our collectable panda pins, and the inflatable panda headbands. It was a nice touch that the headband station had hand pumps to pump up the headbands. My daughter loved the headbands. Now, it was time to eat! If you are a foodie, this was the place to be. Evidently there were over 80 food vendors here, and the variety was enough to satisfy almost everyone. We started off with 2 fruit juices since it was pretty hot out. The two juices were okay, and set us back about $10 a piece. We then decided to get something to eat. My daughter (who took all the pictures, thanks Dixi!) got some fresh fruit that was caramelized in a sugar shell. I got a marinated steak skewer that was about 14 inches long that was pretty fatty (very fatty) but tasted pretty good. The wife abstained from eating but got a potato tornado drenched in blue Taqui dust later (didn't like it). We then proceeded to check the rest of the place out, and I won a trivia contest that yielded a bamboo Vietnamese rice hat for the daughter. Then we ate more food. The highlight was a weird concoction of an ice cream cone that was shaped like a question mark that my daughter had seen on YouTube. It was messy, but tasted pretty good. She also had a conversation with the YouTube influencer that was there, so she was happy about that. We lasted about 2 1/2 hours due to the heat, but managed to visit the entire venue, albeit about $150.00 lighter, much to my chagrin. We had fun, ate a lot, but it was not cheap. Case in point: a panda container of fresh watermelon juice set us back $25. The average cost of a single item was around $15. With that said, the best deal was a Thai style papaya salad made to order for $10. It was very good, and was good for about 3 servings. All in all, we had a good time, but it was expensive. Will we go next year if Panda Festival comes back? Probably. This place made bank, and it was a huge crowd. A word of advice: Don't do the VIP treatment. It's not worth it, and basically gets you a slightly shorter line on entrance, a small swag bag, and more access to the port a potties. Shell out for the general admin tickets. The line goes quick. All in all we had a good time. Thanks to the kiddo for the pictures taken, and she got interviewed by a reporter from the Star Tribune on camera. Expensive, but it was an experience.

What a bummer to see low ratings for such a fun place!! I have been coming to Severs since I was a…read morekid, and have always enjoyed it! The parking is free and I highly recommend doing no the cheaper presale tickets or get the online core you go! You get a discount and don't have to wait in line. When you get there, they do have a free program booklet/map. There are apples, honey and pumpkins for purchase and plenty of spots for you to take your fall photos. There is a north and south food area! Highly recommend the roasted corn! There are also classics like kettle corn, beer, alcoholic ciders, mini doughnuts and more! This year they added a BMX bike show and my boys REALLY like that! (Free) The maze is free and takes just under an hour for us to normally complete it. The petting zoo is also free unless you want to feed the animals. Then it's a few bucks for a cup of food. There is a giant slide, little train ride that goes around the grounds,hayride, pumpkin blaster, pony rides, and more that all have a small extra fee to them. I suspect this is why the ratings are lower. There are also large jumping pillows (adults can go on these too), shows, pig races, picture opportunities, small play ground areas, a large tire climbing area, zip line, hay maze, corn pit and more that are free. So plenty to do without having to shell out more money if you do not want to! This is a fall staple in my house! And we enjoy it every year!

If you're frugal family, I can NOT recommend this place at all. Don't get too excited by the…read morepictures and do your research before coming on how much everything cost. You pay 25 plus something dollars per person over 3 yrs to get in the door and a majority of the stuff inside still has an extra charge. That's $100+ for a family of four to just walk into the place!? Did I miss discounted tickets somewhere? - just make sure you digest all of the website so nothing gives your wallet a shock when you get there. BUT, however, if you have the extra expendable income - you should have a okay time and a extra price tags for most extras doesn't faze you for extras - it should be a decent time had by you and your little one's. Note: NO dogs. There is ample parking and you'll need it on the weekend as it for crowded VERY quick. It does have some cute gimmicky things instagram photo moments - that were luckily free. Everything on the grounds likes cash. Make sure you bring plenty of small bills to make vendors happy. It's a meh from me and I'll gamble on somewhere else next time.

The highlight of our Minneapolis trip was Roxys! We found it the night before online and decided to…read morego. Its set in a theater next to the diner, and is a well polished show. My friend ordered food (she said pretty good) and I just ordered drinks. The show was spectacular and gives a true cabaret type of feel. It was so personable and the performers were all fantastic! I loved that there was a chance to connect with them after the show on the rooftop. Highly recommend!

What a fun show! The entertainment was full of life. We went for brunch, great food and drinks that…read morerolled into the show. Small intimate stage. After we went to the rooftop had additional drinks, the queens were generous with their time. Pictures and learning the story of Roxy! Roxy you would be so proud of your legacy! Highly recommend and hope that next time in town we can visit again!!

Alumni here! I have been coming to The Haunting Experience annually for many years to celebrate…read morefall, my birthday, October, etc. and have always loved the setup and familiarity. While I have so many old pictures from 2011-2016, I will refrain from going back into the archives. Rather, I will speak towards my most recent 2025 visit as it's been a blast seeing the transformation. Pros: free easy parking, tickets can be purchased online with options for fast passes (a touch more expensive) which skip the line. Very well oiled staff who understand the importance of parking assistance, ticket services, line movement, hayride safety rules, concession stands, etc. Fun ambiance - giant chair to take photos in, gift shop, spooky fun music, concessions, and weekend beer garden. Variety - main process is to attend both a haunted house and hayride. You do have the option to do less or skip one (some people are fearful of 1 vs. the other) My biggest giggle is now that I'm older, I'm not as afraid. When I was younger, I used to think the Hayride was so scary but as time has passed, it was more laughable this year. I appreciate the efforts but everything was so predictable and the chainsaw skit hasn't changed (I don't want it to either - just repeated acting). Thank you to the staff, actors, actresses, etc. who keeps this running year over year! It's truly historic and nostalgic for me. I look forward to next year in 2026. Happy spooky season!

This was 9/10. The Haunted house was a blast and super scary to us. It was the perfect amount of…read morescare! A girl in front of us was too scared and they let her out a side door so there is a way out if you don't like it! I gave it a 9 because the hayride wasn't as scary. Loved the set ups but they could have used more actors. There are different ticket options- 1. general admission (GA) haunted house and hayride 2. Fast lane- both with faster lines 3. VIP- Haunted house, hayride and Massacre (where they can touch you and it's in a corn field) plus shorter lines! We did GA and didn't wait too long. I thought the price was reasonable! It's also cheaper to buy online. We got there at 6:30pm so the lines weren't long and didn't have to wait. Highly recommend! It got really busy around 8pm. They have concessions, food trucks and everything is affordable. I attached pics of food options and pricing. **They only serve alcohol on Fridays and Saturdays** Plenty of porta potties and parking - parking is free! There were the cutest goats you can pet, pumpkins, mums and a cute store you can find decor, jams, etc. There was a psychic reader booth but they weren't there when we were there. $20 for a reading We talked to one of the owners. He was very nice and you could tell he enjoyed his job! All of the staff were nice! Next year is their 40th year so he said they are going to make it extra special! Definitely plan on going back next year!