Family Weekend Escape in Minnesota’s Sweet Spot

Whether you choose a vacation or a staycation, Minnesota’s Sweet Spot has activities for every age. St. Louis Park and Golden Valley bring together nature centers, bike trails, museums, and plenty of other ways to have fun. Bring the children—and the dog—for a memorable family getaway.

What This Itinerary Includes

• Food
• Outdoor Activities
• Attractions

Saturday

Morning

Begin your Minnesota’s Sweet Spot adventure with brunch at Good Day Café. This award-winning Golden Valley restaurant is known for cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, apple soufflé pancakes, omelets, and French toast. Coffee, juice, and smoothie options round out the menu.

Afternoon

Schaper Park Challenge Course

Test your inner ninja warrior at Schaper Park’s outdoor fitness challenge course. Built for ages 13 and up, it features obstacles to navigate over, under, around, and through while racing the clock. A 40-yd dash lets visitors compete against one another. Families looking for a gentler option can use the all-inclusive play structure, which is designed for children and families of all ability levels.

Schaper Park also provides direct access to the Luce Line Regional Trail. A nine-mile paved stretch runs from Theodore Wirth Regional Park through Golden Valley and onward to Plymouth. Heading west, walkers and cyclists pass wooden bridges with views toward the Bassett Creek marshlands, with Medicine Lake in the background. Eastbound, the trail connects with the Minneapolis Grand Rounds Scenic Byway trail network and offers Minneapolis skyline views. Much of this portion is paved and works well for walking, biking, or rollerblading.

Evening

Make dinner a family pizza night at Parkway Pizza, billed as Best. Pizza. Ever. The menu includes handcrafted Minneapolis-style pizzas—thin crusts cut into square pieces—along with pastas, hoagies, salads, vegan choices, and craft beer on tap. Eat at the restaurant or take the meal with you.

Afterward, return to the hotel for some downtime in the hot tub while the kids enjoy the pool.

Sunday

Morning

Start with artisan baked goods from Honey & Rye Bakehouse. The rustic-chic bakery prepares cinnamon rolls, scones, croissants, coffee cake, banana bread, cookies, and more, alongside a selection of teas and coffees.

Pavek Museum

Continue to the Pavek Museum, home to one of the world’s most significant collections of electronic communication. Its 12,000 sq. ft. of exhibits includes antique radios, televisions, and broadcast equipment, as well as instruction about electromagnetism and sound. Highlights from the Pavek collections include an AEG Magnetophon tape recorder, an RCA Theremin, a Spark Gap Generator, and a Philco Mystery Control Radio.

Afternoon

Westwood Hills Nature Center

Spend the afternoon discovering Westwood Hills Nature Center, a 160-acre natural area made up of marsh, woodland, and restored prairie. More than 3 miles of trails and walkways create opportunities for leaf peeping, birdwatching, and spotting wildlife. Deer, turtles, fox, mink, owls, and many other animals live in the preserve.

Westwood Lake sits within the natural area. The 64-acre lake is stocked with bluegills, and visitors can rent a fishing pole from the Interpretive Center before heading to the fishing pier. Canoe rentals are also available for a paddle. Children can run across the floating boardwalk spanning the lake.

Allow time to visit the new $12 million, eco-friendly Interpretive Center. Interactive displays include an exhibit about pollinators and their important role, while live animals on view include a flying squirrel, a red-tailed hawk, and a barred owl.

Evening

After exploring the park, have dinner at Wok in the Park. This modern Asian fusion bistro serves fresh Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and French-inspired dishes. Its simple, handcrafted recipes give classic Asian cuisine a fresh, distinctive spin.

Everything is prepared fresh in house with high-quality ingredients, including whole garlic, real lemon, local produce when in season, and sustainable seafood. Vegetarian and gluten-free choices are plentiful, and most dishes can be prepared vegan upon request. Inside, look for the cherry blossom mural covering the walls, created by Japanese artist Kazuta Kuroki.

If the weekend still has room for more fun, cross the street to Texa-Tonka Lanes for a few frames of bowling. With over 30 years in business, the bowling alley knows how to entertain families.

When it is time to leave, you can take home fun memories for the whole family to cherish.

This itinerary offers only a sample of what you can do in Minnesota’s Sweet Spot. Explore additional Experiences as you plan your trip.