July 4 Weekend

Me, my soulmate, and my soon-to-be 11-y/o daughter will be visiting the Twin Cities for 3 nights Friday through Monday. Saturday night is taken up with soccer... I better ask about fireworks displays in or near Blaine that night.

We%26#39;d prefer to stay closer to downtown Minneapolis than to Blaine, but I don%26#39;t want costs to skyrocket, so to speak. I%26#39;m open to suggestions.

I%26#39;m trying to avoid Mall of America, no matter that my daughter may insist. Otherwise, where to go? I have a couple ideas in mind from having been through there once. Again, open to suggestions.

July 4 Weekend

Minneapolis has a HUGE fireworks display by the Mississippi River for the 4th of July. It%26#39;s right downtown and within walkin distance or quick cab ride from most of the hotels. I%26#39;d recommend bring bug spray, and a blanket, and get to the viewing area early.

Try bidding on Priceline for 4 star downtown hotels and try $45/night. You probably won%26#39;t get nights for that price, but it will ';hint'; at what might work. The two hotels that usually go on priceline are the Hyatt and Millenium, both on Nicollet Mall downtown in a nice area, across the street from each other.

You can take the light rail from the airport. It will drop you off on 5th street.

Blaine might have fireworks too, but I%26#39;ve only seen the Minneapolis ones from my condo downtown.

Sunday, consider ValleyFair, the amusement park down in Shakopee. Lots of rides, and a waterpark too.

If you want to try booking the Marriott Depot hotel (there are two Marriotts connected) there%26#39;s a waterpark in between. It%26#39;s in downtown Minneapolis and very close to the fireworks viewing.

July 4 Weekend

DowntownMinneapolis --

Are you sure that the July 4 display still exists? I spoke with someone at the Mpls tourism office last June who said it was off because of financial reasons ... and I would expect this year with the worsened economy to be worse.

Pounder --

If I am recalling correctly, Minneapolis won%26#39;t have a fireworks display. Last year I directed people to St. Paul for the area%26#39;s largest fireworks show and they seemed pleased. You could always stay downtown St. Paul if the fireworks display is your No. 1 concern. Parking is a hassle when so many people crowd downtown St. Paul and staying down there would alleviate that.

But I will say downtown Minneapolis offers more to do and nicer hotels. I think that area would give you a better area and more options overall. Take Downtown%26#39;s advice and use Priceline if you%26#39;re not particular which hotel you stay in. The deals are usually outstanding.

Coincidentally, I assume you%26#39;ll be here for the USA Cup. I played in that tourney 6 times as a kid. Finished third in the U-16 tourney one year. Lost in PKs to the eventual winner, from Texas. We even beat a team from Russia. Great tournament.

Blaine almost certainly would have a fireworks show, if you ask me. And if you%26#39;re spending Saturday at the National Sports Center, why not grab dinner at one of the places along Central Ave/65. Lots of places there to get a decent meal (nothing outstanding) and stick around for the fireworks show. I recall they had one when I used to play, but that was back in the early 90s when I played last.

If I get a minute I%26#39;ll check the city%26#39;s site.

I could have sworn I heard at the beginning of 2008, that Minneapolis didn%26#39;t have the funding for fireworks for the 4th in 2008, and they were cancelled.... but the show still went on. I had even told my friends not to come over to my deck to watch them.

But they went on.

I wondering if contacting Rybek%26#39;s office would get a solid answer.

Awesome time to visit, enjoy your stay!

The great thing about July 4th weekend is that there are so many displays going on, choosing one is the hard part, regardless of whether Mpls has one. The Taste of MN is usually happening in St Paul and they always have them, a fairly affordable and entertaining family event. Here%26#39;s the link, but it%26#39;s not yet updated for 09 - tasteofmn.org. We often opt for the small town fireworks, just more nostalgic with a neighborhood feel.

Last night, I found out about a hotel that may well be the city%26#39;s best kept secret. Tucked away on 4th St between the Metrodome and the new Twins stadium is The Hotel Minneapolis. I spoke with the valet after enjoying happy hour (very impressive staff and service) and he told me they are very affordable. After doing a search for a double on your dates, costs ranged between $102-149 w/o taxes. I don%26#39;t know if they charge for parking.

It%26#39;s a great area because it%26#39;s walking distance to St Anthony Falls and all their attractions - Mill City Museum, Guthrie Theater, the path along River Road, St Anthony Main and N Hennepin district. It%26#39;s a short walk to the main downtown attractions - Nicollet Mall, Peavey Plaza, Block E and light rail if you absolutely have to go to the Mall of America.

OK, so I spoke with the head cheese at the Minneapolis Park Board. He said there will be a Fourth of July fireworks display in downtown Mpls. this year. (aparently, two things caused the confusion. switch in which part of city budget pays for it and cancellation of the New Year%26#39;s Eve fireworks display).

I imagine the person I spoke with last year at the park board was confused herself, as there was a fireworks display last 4th of July. I%26#39;m guessing that person assumed that beacuase NYE was canceled so was Fourth of July.

Anyway, bottom line is there will be a fireworks display at St. Anthony Main (over the Mississippi River) on the 4th. So by all means, stay downtown. In fact, the Aloft is showing Priceline prices of $79, though not sure what type of room that is or what you need. Still, that is a ridiculously low rate and you should check into it. It%26#39;s VERY close to St. Anthony Main and the riverfront. A nice stroll across the beautiful Stone Arch Bridge will get you there.

(Forget my earlier recomendation of going to the Taste in St. Paul. Much more scenic display in Mpls, IMO. But get there early with a blanket and a spot that is not behind the trees. In fact, the Merriam Street bridge is the spot I%26#39;ve watched from before.)

St. Anthony Main is the area across the Mississippi from downtown Minneapolis. That area and the flour mill walk (complete with info markers) make up a pretty nice and scenic couple hours -- fireworks or not.

One final thing: the drawback to staying downtown is the hotels usually charge for parking (like most major cities), and most people are caught off guard and feel ripped off because they%26#39;re used to complimentary parking. I believe Aloft is one of those hotels that charges for parking but you should confirm if you plan to stay there.

That said, downtown hotel stays offer so much more than the suburbs. So much to see without having to worry about driving and taxiing somewhere. And there%26#39;s just a certain something about being downtown vs. suburbia. And places to eat not named TGI Firdays and Applebee%26#39;s, of course.

AND, the parking charge is more than offset if you get a Priceline rate like the one I saw advertised at Aloft for those dates.