Six Ways to Savor Spring in the Twin Cities Gateway

By natalie.conrad Published March 17, 2025

Spring has almost sprung in Twin Cities Gateway! Start planning your spring break adventure today! From endless miles of hiking and biking trails to our nine golf courses, there’s no end to the fun activities to embrace the warmer weather. Check out our list of spring activities and embrace the joys of spring!

1. Patios

There’s no better way to bask in the warmer temps than relaxing on a patio!

Serum’s Good Time Emporium combines the best of contemporary dining and entertainment with memories of the past. Antiques on display from the 1890’s provide atmosphere to match the buildings origin in about 1885, making it one of the oldest buildings in Anoka! Enjoy hot wings (known for “The Best Wings West of Buffalo”), ribs, beer and more on its expansive patio with heaters and its tent-covered heated deck.

Cozy up and enjoy amazing food on the heated patio at Bricks Kitchen & Pub in Blaine! This brickwork gastro pub is serving up craft beers, and upscale pub grub.

Head to Alloy Brewing Company in Coon Rapids and soak up the sun on its expansive patio. This brewery and tap room focuses on supporting and giving back to the community.

Invictus Brewing Co. is located adjacent to the National Sports Center in Blaine and features tours and a beautiful taproom with capacity of about 200. The brewery also partners with the Tipsy Steer, a locally owned and managed kitchen that serves up local sassy brew food to their customers. Come enjoy an ice-cold beer on the patio today!

2. Biking

The Twin Cities are well known as one of the best metropolitan areas for biking in the USA. In the Gateway, biking enthusiasts will find a vast paved trail network with connections to iconic bike trails like the Mississippi River Trail. Must-ride trails include Rum River Trail in Anoka, Coon Creek Regional Trail in Coon Rapids and Rice Creek Trail, shared by Fridley, New Brighton, Shoreview, Mounds View and Lino Lakes.

3. Golf

If golf is more your bag, the Gateway is well above par with nine excellent golf courses near Minneapolis and St. Paul including Bunker Hills Golf Club and TPC Twin Cities. The latter plays host to the 3M Open, a stop on the PGA tour. The event will feature many of the best players in the world and is sure to be a big hit with golf-crazed Minnesotans.

4. Rainy Day Fun

Regardless of the season or the weather, there’s always tons of fun to be had in the Twin Cities Gateway just minutes away from downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Grab the whole family for a day of fun at any of these great indoor attractions. Whatever the ages of your family members, we’ve got you covered. From toddlers to teens, moms and dads and grandparents, there’s some indoor Twin Cities fun for everyone!

The water’s always warm and welcoming at Tropics Indoor Water Park at the Shoreview Community Center, but after a new 7,500-square-foot expansion, fun-seekers of all ages have even more inviting reasons to visit. Bamboo Bay is a new zero-depth shallow water splash pool with an interactive play structure.

Head to the Eagles Nest Indoor Playground at the New Brighton Community Center for this adrenaline-burning destination designed for children age 12 and younger. The recently renovated playground boasts a triple-level slide, a quadruple wave slide, a tornado slide, walk-on piano keys player, two ball pits, hanging foam forest, and a three-story climbing structure designed to look like a tree with an eagle’s nest near the top.

Take a spin on the Sky Rider indoor coaster to fly over Urban Air Adventure Park, named “Best Place to Take Energetic Kids,” and “Best Gym in America for Kids” by Shape Magazine. For more airborne fun, the 30,000-square-foot space also offers a ropes course with ten obstacles, a challenging climbing wall, a slam dunk track, and wall-to-floor trampoline arenas that provide several zones to jump, flip and fall into foam.

Leap as high as you dare at Zero Gravity Trampoline Park in Mounds View, where you’ll find 11,000-square feet of leaping, jumping, bouncing and flipping fun. In addition to an open jump arena packed with trampoline surfaces, the park offers a basketball slam-dunk, a traverse-style climbing wall, an aerial challenge court with net, rope and other challenges, a dodgeball zone, laser tag, plus an arcade.

5. Nature Explorations

Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley brings you closer to nature year-round. Enjoy three miles of hiking trails through oak and aspen forests, past prairies and through wetlands with floating boardwalks. Along the way, view native plants and wildlife. Inside the Interpretive Center, get up-close and personal with live snakes, frogs, fish and more – all native to Minnesota!

6. Live Music

Experience outstanding live music from a variety of artists across the country at Crooners Supper Club in Fridley. This classy music venue has adapted to the pandemic, offering socially-distanced and safe outdoor tent concerts and completely renovating its indoor space to allow for health and safety precautions, such as spaced out seating, plexiglass dividers and and enhanced ventilation system.

Savor Even More - Where to Stay

The prime Coon Rapids hotel location and wonderful amenities make the AmericInn Lodge and Suites by Wyndham – Coon Rapids your best choice while visiting the area.

Located off Highway 10, the AmericInn is in the heart of all the action. The hotel offers 53 beautifully appointed rooms and suites, featuring a wide variety of room types to make everyone comfortable. Treat yourself with upgrades to include amenities such as jacuzzis, fireplaces, refrigerators and microwaves.

Begin your stay here with a visit to the heated indoor pool, hot tub and sauna. Throughout your stay you will enjoy the convenience of our complimentary high-speed Internet. Take advantage of everything the local area has to offer; antique shopping in historic downtown Anoka, biking, walking and hiking along the Mississippi River in the spring, summer and autumn, or any of the other outdoor activities in the area. Don’t forget to do a little shopping and dining in the Coon Rapids area while you are here.

The Hilton Garden Inn – Shoreview near St. Paul and Minneapolis offers deluxe accommodations, friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere that awaits all guests. Certain to please the busy executive or leisure traveler to Minnesota are amenities that include the new V3 Sleep System beds in all king rooms. The hotel provides complimentary high-speed internet access with secure PrinterOn remote printing. Each guest room has an in-room hospitality center with a microwave, refrigerator, and coffeemaker, two dual-line phones with voicemail and data ports. The Hilton Garden Inn has a heated indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center and 24-hour complimentary business center.

Set in the heart of the Twin Cities, LivINN Hotel Minneapolis North/Fridley is a welcoming haven for travelers near downtown Minneapolis. Embrace home-life comforts in large rooms and suites with HDTVs, granite kitchens, maple furnishings, whirlpool tubs, and spa-style steam showers. Greet every day with a hot breakfast served in the peaceful garden court atrium. Relax under the gazebo or recline beneath the skylights and trees in a park-like setting. Recharge in our fitness center! Tie up corporate projects in our business center and gather in our well-designed meeting space. It’s the perfect spot for business, vacation or weekend getaways.

For more ideas to extend your adventure in Twin Cities Gateway, head to our blog, where you’ll find Top Tasty Takeout Options in Twin Cities Gateway, Top Ten Truffles, Tortes & Treats, and so much more! Plus, follow us Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more adventure inspiration! For the latest news and updates, sign up for our e-newsletter below!