Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
It’s nearing November and the weather looks like it will still allow for some outdoor fun this Halloween weekend. Celebrate the harvest season at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, which has a weekend slate of activities for every member of the family to enjoy.
Vote for your favorite scarecrow in the exhibit Scarecrows on Parade; learn about more than 130 varieties of pumpkins large and small at the Pumpkin Palooza exhibit, all of which were grown at the Horticultural Research Center on display in the great hall through Oct. 31; or take your little one in costume to the to the Ghouls and Goblins at the Maze, Saturday, Oct. 29, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk the half-mile Trick or Treat Trail to the Maze Garden and then return to the Visitor Center for more fun family activities. Free gate admission during the event hours. Registration suggested. The Landscape Arboretum is located four miles west of Chanhassen, just a quarter mile west of the intersection of highways 41 and 5. The grounds are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or sunset (whichever comes first); the buildings are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of the
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota History Center
If you are a history buff like I am, you have probably enjoyed many of the exhibits over the years at the Minnesota History Center. This month a new exhibit made its debut. It’s called “The 1968 Exhibit” and it highlights the many tumultuous events in this extraordinary year in American history. Vietnam War protests, rock music, political strife and popular culture, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy: Their lives and times are all on display in this wonderfully interactive exhibit. View a life-sized space capsule, a Huey helicopter, and other memorabilia that celebrates the year that was 1968. News anchor Tom Brokaw and Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell both personally contributed to the exhibit, developed by The Minnesota History Center along with the Atlanta History Center, the Chicago History Museum, and the Oakland Museum of California. For more, read Minnesota Monthly’s interview with Tom Brokaw about the exhibit.
Cavalia
Many have likened this wonderful show, called Cavalia, to an equine Cirque. I suppose that might be one way to describe this traveling big top production that combines a mix of performing arts, gymnastics, multimedia, and special effects. This very popular show, which has been playing to packed houses, will be ending its extended run this weekend. But there is still time to see the show before it moves on to its next stop in Portland. Dine at one of the restaurants at the nearby Shops at West End and then enjoy a wonderful evening of equestrian ballet under the big top.
