It’s not always easy to anticipate a spring break spent at home as it is to count down the days until a European backpacking adventure, a trip to Los Angeles, a week spent on an island beach, a sport ski trip to the Alps, or whatever other ridiculously luxurious thing every other college kid seems to be doing. I have spent my last two spring breaks (actually, nearly every spring break of my life) right here in sweet home Minnesota.
I’m not ungrateful. A whole week spent alongside my family and pets is a dream. However, sometimes vegging on the couch gets boring. Shocking, I know, but true. The couch calls my name and soothes my worries, but it also lacks the Instagrammable sparkle of adventure and excitement that spring breaks spent abroad have an excess of.
How does a kid stuck in Minnesota have an exciting break? This is simple. Do every touristy thing you’ve been meaning to do your whole life and simply haven’t had the time to do.
1. Go to the Como Zoo.
Refresh your animal palette away from your classic domestic dog and cat with some monkeys and fish! If you’re looking for a tropical experience, they’ve even got a greenhouse with palm trees.
2. Eat. Eat everywhere.
Indulge at Glam Doll Donuts. Get classic at Snuffy’s. Cruise Costco for samples. Just eat anything besides Mesa Pizza and make sure it’s at least a mile out of Dinkytown. I dare you.
3. Go on an Instagram tour of Minneapolis.
Stock up some cute photos for a rainy (read: bad hair) day. The Twin Cities Daily Planet did a round-up of all the best murals in Minneapolis and you - yes, you - could be the one who starts a trend with a background that’s not just that one ‘I Like You’ mural.
4. Visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Go get cultured and fancy at the MIA. It’s free. It’s art. You’ll learn stuff. What can be better than that? Oh, they’ve got a sick gift shop and a cute little café? What a perfect trip for a rainy or freezing day!
5. Go to the theater.
6. House hunt around Lake of the Isles.
Pretend you’re incredibly wealthy and take a little stroll around Lake of the Isles. There’s tons of neighborhood parking for your car, and it’s a fun, free, active adventure. The best part is getting ice cream afterward at Sebastian Joe’s.
I know it’s on campus; I know you pass it every day. I dare you to actually go inside and check out that Insta-famous cloud installation that everyone is talking about. I’m betting that 80 percent of the U’s student population graduates without ever stepping foot into the Weisman Art Museum. Us stay-at-home Spring Breakers can change that.
