Parks and Historic Sites

Ghouls & Goblins at the Maze

Minnesota state parks campsite reservation system back online today

DNR Facbook PageInterstate State Park is open and enticing.​The shutdown was rough on Minnesotan outdoorsmen and women. No boat or fishing license renewal. Closed state parks. A minefield of poop outside of locked public restrooms. Well, it's all over now. And starting this morning, the Departmen ... More >>

Poop epidemic at Minnesota state parks

DebGooseberry Falls State Park, before the poopers took over.​With no bathrooms and no one around to clean them up during the shutdown, some of Minnesota's state parks are starting to look and smell like crap. Literally.Minnesotans are still trying to take advantage of the parks, which have areas ... More >>

Arboretum's Toast & Taste in the Gardens: Save the date

Todd MulvihillThe Arboretum's Toast & Taste in the Gardens celebrates summer cuisine.​Who's got the best digs for a garden party? The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, of course, and it will be hosting its annual Toast & Taste on Thursday, July 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. The arboretum recruits several ... More >>

Gregory Seftick, Minnesota skier, found dead after Jackson Hole avalanche

Gregory Seftik grew up in Minnesota.​Teton National Park, Wyo., rangers dug the bodies of Gregory Seftick and Walker Kuhl out from under 13 feet of avalanche debris on Sunday morning. They were in their tent, which had been pitched in an avalanche runout zone in Garnet Canyon at about 9,000 ... More >>

Porky's decamps for Pioneer Village in Hastings

Tony NelsonDid the pioneers eat onion rings?​Admittedly it's not the first place we thought Porky's retro diner would end up: Little Log House Pioneer Village just outside Hastings, as part of a 160-acre collection of more than 50 historical buildings. The purchaser, Steve Bauer, who owns Pio ... More >>

Betty McCollum promises to fight Michele Bachmann's bridge

McCollum promises to stymie Bachmann.​We have a congressional border spat. DFL Rep. Betty McCollum wants to know why, if Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the federal government are all broke, GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann wants to build a $700 million bridge over the St. Croix River. Bachmann, who complain ... More >>

Applehouse is mecca for apple devotees

Juicy, sweet and cool​The University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center at the Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen doesn't sound like the kind of place you'd want to visit on your weekends. But the items it produces--most famously the Honeycrisp apple--are a consistent draw, which is w ... More >>

Tales of Hoffmann: A Picnic Operetta (HP: C)

Juicy, sweet and cool​The University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center at the Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen doesn't sound like the kind of place you'd want to visit on your weekends. But the items it produces--most famously the Honeycrisp apple--are a consistent draw, which is w ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Juicy, sweet and cool​The University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center at the Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen doesn't sound like the kind of place you'd want to visit on your weekends. But the items it produces--most famously the Honeycrisp apple--are a consistent draw, which is w ... More >>

"America's Favorite Park" is Lily the black bear's home

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffmann: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

Via Lily The Back Bear/FacebookLily the black bear, and her cub, Hope​We'll admit we're not too familiar with Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely. But Lily, the black bear who became an international sensation after she gave birth live on the Internet, knows the park like the back of her paw. ... More >>

Picnic Operetta starts this weekend

​ If you missed it last year--or enjoyed it so much you'd like to go back--the Picnic Operetta is returning to Twin Cities community gardens this weekend. This time, eleven singers and musicians will be performing director Scotty Reynolds's take on Tales of Hoffmann, beginning Saturday, August ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

​ If you missed it last year--or enjoyed it so much you'd like to go back--the Picnic Operetta is returning to Twin Cities community gardens this weekend. This time, eleven singers and musicians will be performing director Scotty Reynolds's take on Tales of Hoffmann, beginning Saturday, August ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

​ If you missed it last year--or enjoyed it so much you'd like to go back--the Picnic Operetta is returning to Twin Cities community gardens this weekend. This time, eleven singers and musicians will be performing director Scotty Reynolds's take on Tales of Hoffmann, beginning Saturday, August ... More >>

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

​ If you missed it last year--or enjoyed it so much you'd like to go back--the Picnic Operetta is returning to Twin Cities community gardens this weekend. This time, eleven singers and musicians will be performing director Scotty Reynolds's take on Tales of Hoffmann, beginning Saturday, August ... More >>

Mayor R.T. Rybak eats homegrown

​Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak wants you to eat better. Which is why he created Homegrown Minneapolis, an initiative designed to "improve the growth, sales, distribution, and consumption of healthy, locally grown foods within the city and the surrounding region." That means more community garde ... More >>

Michele Bachmann wants St. Croix River cut from Wild and Scenic Rivers protection

She supports a monster, $668.5 million bridge span built to divert traffic away from Stillwater and its aging lift bridge.

U of M grapevines stolen, officials suspect possible inside job

Grapevine heist has U of M officials concerned, puzzled.

Now Open: AppleHouse at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Get apple happy at the AppleHouse, now open for the season in Chanhassen.

The Picnic Operetta = must-see show

A musical performance of modern Greek myth is staged in local community gardens-- mint /tomato /watermellon appetizers included.

Independence Day Celebration

A musical performance of modern Greek myth is staged in local community gardens-- mint /tomato /watermellon appetizers included.

No more pop machines in parks?

Lunching at the Arboretum

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Ar-BOO-retum!

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Photo of the Day: Park(ing) Day

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Flowerfest Weekend

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Make it a date: Smalley's Caribbean BBQ

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Park It: Twin Cities parks among country's best

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Welcome to the Recession Vacation Research Laboratory

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

The Arboretum's own farmers' market

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Sprawl of the Wild Part II: Northwoods for sale

The Arboretum offers a host of locally grown meals. Imagine the beautiful flowers at the table!

Sprawl Of The Wild

Baxterization, beaten paths, and the great riparian land rush of northern Minnesota

What Lies Beneath

What's in the smelly, oily water coming out of the ground at the new Heritage Park housing development?

A November Surprise

Bush RX for forests: Fewer rules, more logging

In the Name of the Children

Environmentalists cry foul as legislators argue that a land swap will benefit public education

Green Acre?

Developers visit the Gas Works and see a plush high-rise, but neighbors envision a meadow

The Plot Thickens

Community gardens in Phillips get weeded out

The Lore of the Pines

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.

Blowing Smoke: How the Buck is Passed on Air Quality

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.

The Great Green Whistlestop Tour

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.

Planet Hollywood, Planet Earth, and Planet Clinton

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.

Here's the Beef: How NAFTA Kissed the West Goodbye

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.

The Senator, the Star, and One Big Gold Mine

Politics, myth, and money in Minnesota's dwindling north woods.