Great Minnesota Winter Activities

Minnesota in the winter can be such a fun time of year. Sure, it can get a little cold, but there are plenty of fun things to do.

Here’s a list of our top 5 winter/holiday activities you can do with your family or friends:

1. Experience an Ice Castle. If you haven’t done this yet, what are you waiting for? The Twin Cities have amazing ice castles. The St. Paul Winter Carnival has some pretty awesome sculptures and castles or you can walk through real-life ice castles created by Ice Castles Minnesota.
2. Speaking of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, that’s number 2 on our list. The winter carnival started in 1886 and has been going strong ever since. From a parade to ice bars, food competitions and more, this 10 day celebration in January has something for everyone.
3. If carnivals and ice castles aren’t your thing, Minnesota has tons of trails to explore. Not only can you hike, but there’s cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and so much more.
4. Try a unique winter sport! OK this one might add more to the list, but you could consider trying a new sport. From dog sledding to ice fishing and curling, our great state has it all! You can ice fish just about anywhere in the state, but Lake of the Woods is known as the “walleye capital of the world”, so it could be a great place to start.
5. Take in a game! Minnesota is never short on sports activities and winter is no different. You can check out a Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, or Minnesota Lynx game or maybe all three! We also have a lot of college sports teams as well to keep you busy all winter long.

Of course, there are MANY more things to do in the winter in Minnesota including lots of things inside if you aren’t the outdoorsy type! We’d love to hear what your favorite activities are for winter. 

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