Top 10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues in the Twin Cities Twin Cities

Top 10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues in the Twin Cities

Your winter survival guide. In 10 exciting steps!




Twin Cities’ winters are long and cold, and can, if you let them, become quite unkind to the spirit. It’s always good to have a list of blues-busters on hand for when those winter time downs come your way. Here are ten ways you can shake ‘em and remind yourself of how much living in the Twin Cities rules (even when it’s January).

10. Rent some funky shoes, pick out a ten pounder, grab a pint, and let it roll. There are a lot of fun and unique bowling alleys in the Twin Cities. Try out: Bryant Lake Bowl and Memory Lanes, for good times.

9. Trade in that -10 degree temperature for a 105 degree one at one of the Twin Cities many “hot yoga” studios. The contrast is exhilarating and refreshing, and is also good for working off all those Christmas cookies. Try out: Hot Yoga (at 3900 Vinewood), Bikram Yoga College, Bikram Yoga of St. Paul, or one of Corepower Yoga’s many studios.

8. Stop in at Barley John’s Brew Pub for a lovely, restorative evening. Drink some of the best beer in the Twin Cities, enjoy phenomenal made-from scratch organic food, and play a game of cribbage at one of their cribbage tables, in a lovely candle-lit atmosphere.

7. Take in some jazz at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis. The Dakota hosts many nationally-acclaimed jazz acts as well as many local performers. See a jazz master in an intimate setting, sip on a cocktail, and sample gourmet cuisine.

6. Spice up wintertime by enrolling in a cooking class at Let’s Cook. Whatever your flavor or skill level, there is a class for you at Let’s Cook. Learn to make your own pasta, cook with seaweed, bake yeasted bread, cook southern-style, or decorate a cake!

5. Weather those cold, gray days out at a cozy, dark pub with a glass of stout and a great book of mood appropriate short stories. Try out: the Local, a well-poured Guinness, and Jack London’s The Sea Wolf.

4. Take a trip to an exotic warm place at a Twin Cities conservatory. The warm, humid air, smell of plants, and sound of water will transport you to a more hospitable season. Wear something bright, bring a book of poetry, and absorb. Try out: the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul or the Cowles Conservatory in Minneapolis

3. Go salsa dancing at the Loring Pasta Bar. Dance the night away, sip wine, and watch the beautiful people turn their way about the dance floor.

2. Host a game night at your place, invite your best friends over, and prepare some appetizers. You can all spend the evening shaking the dice, flipping the cards, and moving the pieces. Make your way through a bottle of wine, chat, laugh, and play the evening away. This one is a never-fail spirit lifter. Try out: Citadels or Carcassonne, Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon, and a cheese platter.

1. Embrace the cold weather! That’s right – get outside and get a white wash. Have a snowball fight, build a snowman, snowboard, sled, or ice skate until you start to truly believe you might actually LIKE winter. And when you’ve had enough, get inside, put on some dry clothes, stretch out in front of the fireplace, sip on some hot chocolate, and read a good book.



Comments on Top 10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues in the Twin Cities


Amy Jo Selzler on Sep 14, 2008 at 07:27 PM

I live in Bismarck, North Dakota and the best way to beat the winter blues is to invest in underglow. For three hundred smacks you can enjoy going out to your car all winter. When it is dark in the morning and dark when you go home, it is the greatest thing to see those lights glisten off the snow. I wouldn't trade mine for a klondike bar.

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