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I am a tad bit in love with my homeland.  I know that Minnesota gets a reputation for being cold and snowy all the time, but it’s not.  The people here do not all talk like the characters in Fargo.  So, as much as I love traveling to new places, I also love a good staycation.

Here are my top 10 favorite things about MN:

10.  MN sports fans.  Have you ever heard of the phrase Minnesota nice?  I think it applies nicely to our sports fans.  Not in the way you might think though.  Trust me, you do NOT want to get in the middle of an argument between a Packer fan and a Vikings fan.  No, they aren’t necessarily nice to rival teams or even one another during or after the games.  Our fans are extremely nice to our own teams.

Most people would have deserted the Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins and the Wild by now.  Our last championship (in men’s sports – the women are awesome) was 1991 when the Twins won the World Series.  The fans stick around though knowing that it will come around again someday.  Fans that stick with losing teams are loyal and I’m proud to consider myself a loyal fan.

9.  Food & Drink.  We are the home of Spam (sick.)  I don’t eat meat, but I do eat fish sometimes.  Minnesota is known for Walleye.  I love to try Walleye anytime I’m up north.  Also, beer.  One of our favorite up & coming breweries is Fulton Beer in Minneapolis.

It’s always a fun atmosphere with tapped kegs, a variety of food trucks and sometimes some live entertainment.  Lots of good beer is made here.

8.  Target.  It started here.  I actually shop at store #1 – it has been rebuilt in the last few years, but still the original site of the original Target.  Plus, I love Target Field.

7.  Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  Haven’t heard of it?  It’s one of the most peaceful places in the country.  Cell phones get no service.  Boats with motors are not allowed.  It’s just you, your camping equipment, your canoe and a whole lot of Loons (our state bird.)

6.  Famous people.  We don’t have many, so each one that we have, we cherish.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7

Yes, we love you even if you change your name to a symbol, you marry Kim Kardashian for love (?), or you are Paul Bunyan.  Jesse Ventura was our governor, so seriously, we support anyone and everyone that shows any love for this state.

5.  MN Parties.  There are some seriously awesome festivals here.  Most recently, I’ve posted about St. Patrick’s Day in St. Paul and the St. Paul Winter Carnival, but there are tons of fun things that happen.  We have the Uptown Art Fair, the MN Renaissance Festival, Grand Ole Day, the original Zombie Pub Crawl, and the best one (see #4).  These pictures are St. Pat’s last year.

4. The Great MN Get Together.  The MN State Fair is among the largest in the whole country.  We invented deep fried food on a stick.  It is a 12 day party around Labor Day weekend with the best people watching ever.  It’s like Disneyworld meets Honey Boo Boo.  I don’t know where these people come from because I don’t see them when we’re out and about the rest of the year, but there are fanny packs, Zubaz and matching family outfits.  They have a midway, a beer garden, an international bazaar, the “miracle of life” (where you watch farm animals give birth – no joke) and a million other things to do.  Last year, Wilson Phillips and Dawes played free shows at the fair (two totally different bands, but I love them both.)

You haven’t really lived until you’ve gotten a “Fair-Do.”

3.  Lakes.  We are the Land of 10,000 Lakes – but it’s actually more like 15,000.  I love to be out on the water.  We have everything from Lake Superior – the largest of the Great Lakes – down to Como Lake which is the little man-made lake by my house.

2.  The Twin Cities.  If you know me at all, you know that I love St. Paul more than Minneapolis, but how awesome is it that I live within 10 minutes of two large cities?  They are both very unique from one another.

St. Paul

Minneapolis

1.  All 4 Seasons.  I’ll say it a million times.  I love having four seasons.  Yes, I’m annoyed that it hasn’t magically become spring yet around here, but watching the snow start to melt and knowing that the Farmer’s Market will be picking up soon, I love it.  There is a million things to do no matter what the weather.  I loved Florida, but I need snow for Christmas and I like skiing.  I love California, but I need a humid 95 degree day to be on the boat – mosquitos or not.

So, that’s my Travel Tuesday.  Beer, Target, Prince and Food on a Stick – what more could you need?

Helene in Between