Family Vacations in Minnesota

If your family's idea of a cruise is paddling along a peaceful waterway, the Boundry Waters Canoe Area could be the perfect vacation for you. Located in northern Minnesota, near the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, this stretch of pristine wilderness is one of the largest areas of protected wilderness in North America. Glaciers have carved out a breathtaking series of more than 1,000 interconnected waterways linked by portage trails.

This labyrinth of lakes served as a travel network for Native Americans for thousands of years and was once one of the main routes to the west for European explorers and fur traders. Known as the Voyageurs' Highway, it ran through what is now the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park.

There are more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes, and motorized boats are not allowed. There are paddle-in campsites throughout the park. The rugged terrain is populated by moose, beavers, otters, minks, and loons. Fishing is superb, and lake trout, smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike are plentiful.

Entry points are established to control the flow of visitors and protect the wilderness area. The town of Ely is considered the gateway to the Boundary Waters, and here you'll find outfitters of all kinds that sell supplies and specialized equipment, rent canoes, and provide guides.

During your visit, stop by the International Wolf Center to meet the center's resident wolf pack and take a wolf-howling lesson. After dark, you can practice what you've learned to exchange calls with the wild wolves.

In winter, the area is known for ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Dogsledding is also popular, and special trails have been created just for that sport. Several outfitters operate sleigh rides in the evening to take advantage of the crystal-clear view of the starry sky and the northern lights.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Information

Address: 118 S. 4th Ave. E., Ely, MN

Phone: 518/885-9964 877/550-6777

Hours of Operation: Dawn - Dusk

Admission: $ 10 adults; $5 kids

Check out the next page for information on the frozen fun available at St. Paul's Winter Carnival.

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This gala St. Paul Winter Carnival is a much-anticipated event in St. Paul and is the country's oldest winter festival. The city is filled with ice-carving contests, car races on ice, and torchlight parades.

The crowning of the festival royalty -- King Boreas and the Queen of Snows and their court -- heralds the beginning of two weeks of frozen fun. The coronation is followed by the Grande Day Parade, when more than 100 outrageously decorated floats wind through downtown. A second procession, called the Torchlight Parade, features floats aglow with giant flames and festive lights.

The carnival offers all kinds of sporty events, including ice hockey, softball played on ice, a children's ice fishing contest, ice skating, snow volleyball, ice golf, and more. A frozen winter playground and a giant ice slide are popular stops for younger children. The intricate and elaborate sculptures of the ice-carving competition are on display throughout the entire carnival.

One of the most anticipated events of the festival is the treasure hunt for the special Winter Carnival medallion, which is worth thousands of dollars to the winner. It's a tradition that has St. Paul residents following daily clues in the local newspaper and searching high and low for the hidden prize.

St. Paul Winter Carnival Information

Address: Harriet Island Regional Park at Plato Blvd. and W. Water St., Saint Paul, MN

Phone: 651/223-4700

Hours of Operation: Last week in Jan. - First week in Feb.

Check out the next page for information about the adventures a family can have at the country's largest shopping center, the Mall of America.

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You can spend the whole day at Bloomington's Mall of America (MOA) and never even set foot in any of its more than 520 stores on four floors. The Park at MOA is a seven-acre playground with more than 30 rides and attractions for children. It is the nation's largest indoor theme park, complete with its own food court and restaurants.

There is a 14-screen movie theater, a NASCAR simulator, a four-story Lego play area with more than 30 full-size Lego models, a lively, interactive dinosaur museum, and much more.

The MOA's popular Underwater Adventures Aquarium is a 1.2-million-gallon tank that teems with more than 4,500 sea creatures. Visitors cruise by on a moving walkway inside a transparent tunnel to observe sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and all kinds of fish. Its Seven Seas Gallery features poison dart frogs and an octopus that likes to pull her crab dinner out of a peanut butter jar. A turtle center and hatchery has more than 1,000 turtles.

Mall of America Information

Address: Interstate 494 and Highway 77, Bloomington, MN

Phone: 952/883-8800

Hours of Operation: 10 a.m. - 9: 30 p.m., Mon. - Sat. and 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sun.

Admission: Cost varies by attraction

Continue on to the next page to see some of the dramatic entertainment opportunities provided by the Children's Theatre Company of Minnesota.

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North America's flagship theater for young people brings to the stage classic children's stories such as The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Pippi Longstocking, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The productions are brilliantly staged with wildly imaginative, colorful sets and vivid costumes. The shows are performed by a troupe of talented professional adult and child actors.

The Minneapolis theater company also commissions new works from significant artists, such as Pulitzer Prize-winning Nilo Cruz, who adapted for the stage the short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings by magical realist author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 2003, the Children's Theatre Company was the first theater for young people to ever win a Regional Theatre Tony Award. Plus, its musical adaptation of the Arnold Lobel story, A Year with Frog and Toad, had a successful Broadway run.

The theater complex has two stages, where the company features an average of ten different plays and performances each year. A separate floor of classrooms and a state-of-the art performance studio round out the educational facilities for kids.

Children's Theatre Company Information

Address: 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN

Phone: 612/874.0400

Hours of Operation: Hours vary

Admission: Cost varies

Continue on to the next page to learn more about the sprawling grassland full of exciting and dynamic free-standing art that makes up the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

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Dozens of awe-inspiring and extraordinary sculptures by 20th-century artists such as Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, and Frank Gehry are situated about the grassy landscape of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Its most famous work is the playful Spoonbridge and Cherry, a 50-foot-long teaspoon with a 15-foot-high, water-spouting, bright-red cherry perched on its rim. Created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, it sits in the middle of a lily pond.

The unique setting is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country; it's also a place where children can run around and blow off steam while enjoying some of the world's finest modern three-dimensional works of art. A map with pictures and explanations of each piece is available. Children enjoy using it as a treasure map to hunt down the various artwork depicted. During the summer, free Saturday events feature live music, performers, and creative activities.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Information

Address: 1750 Hennepin, Minneapolis, MN

Phone: 612/375-7600

Hours of Operation: 6 a.m. - midnight, daily

Admission: Free

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Sutherland is a widely acknowledged authority on family travel and has published several books on the topic, including Best Family Ski Vacations In North America and Tropical Family Vacations.