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 just love this theatre. It's small enough where every seat is a good one, the shows are always…read moreunique and special in their own way and such talented actors and actresses. I also appreciate their willingness to ensure the safety of the crew and staff by requiring masks and vaccine cards. Thanks to everyone at Open Eye for a great evening!

I've probably seen more of their puppet shows than anyone on the planet. During the summer they do…read moretheir Driveway Tour, where they do scores of free shows in front yards, parks, libraries, and anywhere you are willing to host them (public bathroom?). My kids absolutely love The Amazing Cow Boat, Katie Tomatie in the Big City, and Little Grandpa in the Big City. Most people only hear about the shows actually happening in their neighborhood, but I scour their website for any and all shows at time and places we can make, showing up in the backyards of random people all over the city. We've also been to their theater itself to see Milly and Tilly (x2), and The Learning Fairy. These shows are not for the faint of heart, they are loud, high energy performances by nutty, nutty people. A bit too loud for my middle-aged ears, and can be too intense for 1 year-olds sitting in the front row, but holy cow the kids go nutty for these shows. My kids play act Milly and Tilly all the time. Plus, they often have complimentary ice cream afterward. Next summer they are going to create a new puppet show, can't wait.

Wow, what a cool train museum, ESPECIALLY for young kids. This place brings me back to my days of…read morehaving a train as a child, but watching my kids interact with the trains is the best part. If you have young kids (under 8 or so), this is a wonderful place to take them, and if you live nearby, consider a membership. Here's a summary of the cool aspects for kids: 1) Almost all the trains are interactive. There are buttons kids can press to start trains, and also start other aspects of the displays, like turning on lights, making cars go, helicopter blades spin, and even a roller coaster go (yes you read that right!). 2) There's so many trains, my kids would walk around for hours if I let them. 3) They change aspects of the displays often, so even if you visit a lot, there's always something new to look at. 4) There's three tables with large Lego trains and Brio trains, we always end here and my kids play endlessly with them. 5) There's a few other cool things like a scavenger hunt, a couple "racing" tables, and night trains (have not been yet but looks cool). 6) The bathroom is clean and set up for kids. All in all, this is a phenomenal place to bring kids, and even if you don't have kids, it's great for people who are kids-at-heart!

We came in time for the night train display. I have to say they "bring it" for this event. The…read moretrains are fun and they even had live music. There were many staff and volunteers on hand, including a train doctor. If you look closely at the displays, there are some (not literal) Easter eggs. They have a gift shop too with hats, whistles, books, and postcards. My kid actually lasted an hour and then it was too much. Many of the displays were hard to read in the dark, so if you're there for more of a museum experience, go during day hours. Overall a good experience. You can see the love and care put into the displays.

This is such a great space to see a local production done by kids. There isn't a bad seat in the…read moretheater. If you have toddlers, they have booster seats available to use, just ask. The tickets are reasonably priced and you can usually get one last minute of needed. The staff are really helpful and friendly in my experience. The seats are comfortable and there really isn't a bad spot to sit in order to have a great view of the stage. Parking is all street parking, so it can be a challenge on a busy night to find a close spot. After the shows I've been to, the actors all line up to say hello and sign your program. It is fun to congratulate them and say great work!

We LOVE the Stages Theatre! The 1st show we went to was Maltida and my older son loved it and we…read morehave been taking our two boys (ages 6 & 3) to shows since then. Great plays with mostly children actors/actresses tailored for kids. The cast also does meet and greets after the shows - my kids love getting to meet them! Madagascar today was our 4th show and we went a group of almost 40 people. The group discount rate is amazing and it's fun to go enjoy a show with a group of friends. FREE parking ramp super close to the Stages Theatre which is very nice. They also have lap child passes for $5/kid (age 4 and under) for younger kids who want to sit in the lap of an adult vs having their own seats. Highly recommend checking out shows here!

Our family has had an annual pass for several years and both of our boys love coming here…read more Their favorites are the big slides and laser game. They also enjoy the variety of rooms/areas and rotating exhibits that the Minnesota Children's Museum has. Great place for kids of many ages!

Went to the Minnesota Children's Museum earlier this month for their Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum…read moreDiscovery Days event for my daughter who absolutely loves Gabby! We paid for the meet and greet and also explored the museum, which had several Gabby themed activities in addition to the regular exhibits. While the museum isn't necessarily our favorite, I'm glad my daughter had a great time. She especially loved meeting and hugging Gabby! Her favorite area of the museum was the toddler area, particularly the water and play areas. My husband and I also really enjoyed watching her paint and get creative. Another thing we loved was the little hand-washing stations where kids can learn to wash and dry their hands independently. It encourages good habits while making it fun for them. Overall, it was a nice family outing, and seeing how excited my daughter was to meet Gabby made the visit worthwhile!

This was a awesome experience! I didn't think it would be fun but had a great time the staff was…read morefriendly, polite and helpful.

OMG! This place is SO FUN! I haven't painted since I was 13 years old and I was really excited to…read moredo a session with them. This was very laid back and we had a great instructor. Like I said - I haven't painted since I was a kid and I was nervous (silly me) because I'm so untalented and have ZERO training or talent. But I painted a picture and I feel like I learned a few things. Mostly, it killed the apprehension inside of me. Now I feel like I can let the artist in me out and I now have some confidence. They provide everything (canvas, paint and brushes) - you only need to bring yourself and maybe a friend There's wine and egg rolls for those who want to snack and paint. The classes are small and are for all ages. I can't stress enough HOW MUCH I think people should do this! It was a great, new thing to do.

we had my sons 8th Birthday party at nowhere and it was an amazing experience. Dwain, our party…read morehost was so great with the boys, made sure everyone was happy, comfortable and had a great time. he was fantastic! I highly recommended having your party here, you won't be disappointed!

An absolute hidden gem. Easily accessible right off the highway. Parking lot was huge…read more The staff members were extremely friendly. The place is super clean and the food/drinks were not shabby either. We enjoyed mini golf and did a couple of rounds as it was really fun and yet not too challenging. We also enjoyed the arcade games and walked out with tons of goodies that we were able to cash out from our arcade game winnings.

What a great place! We went for a play that was done by the unlabeled group. We had a great time…read more There are no bad seats

It's open for The Rez Sisters right now - the play that triggered a native theater Renaissance…read more With food truck and brewery options.