(for lovers, friends, situationships, or just you and your emotional support beverage)

One of my favorite things about Minneapolis in the summer is that the city basically turns into one giant communal backyard. Outdoor movies. Live music. People laying in the grass pretending they’re not covered in mosquito spray. It’s magic.

The Minneapolis Parks Events Calendar is honestly elite, and you can even embed it into your Google Calendar like the organized summer goddess you are trying to become.

Bring:
• a blanket
• snacks
• bug spray
• someone cute
• or honestly just yourself

Start at Bde Maka Ska and paddle around the Chain of Lakes. There’s actually a little island you can tie up at and hang for a while.

This is one of those dates that feels aggressively wholesome in the best possible way.

If you need rentals:
• Wheel Fun Rentals at Bde Maka Ska

10/10 recommend:
• little cooler
• favorite snacks
• sparkling water or bevvies of choice
• laying dramatically in the canoe for absolutely no reason

This one costs almost nothing and somehow feels luxurious.

Find a shady spot. Bring books you may or may not actually read. Swing around in a hammock. Fall asleep for 47 minutes. Wake up confused but emotionally restored.

Good hammock spots:
• Lake Harriet
• Theodore Wirth Regional Park
• Boom Island Park

Bonus points if someone brings cards, cribbage, or a frisbee.

Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park is GREAT if you’ve got dogs and enough courage to let them off leash near water.

It’s huge, right on the river, and there are parts where it genuinely feels like you accidentally left Minneapolis and ended up somewhere way farther north.

Dogs absolutely LIVE for this park.

Downside:
Your dog will emerge looking like they survived a low-budget action movie.

Minnie treats mud, sand, and river water like a competitive sport, so just emotionally prepare yourself for the bath afterward.

This is basically a Minneapolis summer rite of passage.

Walk Minnehaha Falls, pretend you’re outdoorsy, then reward yourselves with fish tacos and people watching at Sea Salt Eatery.

Not technically free-ish, but honestly? Pretty reasonable for a date that feels like a whole experience.

Also there’s something deeply bonding about collectively trying to figure out whether that line is “totally fine” or “an hour and a half long.”

Menu + hours:
• Sea Salt Eatery Website

I just got my first “good bike” from Tangletown Bike Shop and shoutout to Nick there because two other bike shops made me feel approximately one IQ point away from eating crayons.

Nick was AMAZING and somehow helped me find the exact right bike without making me feel dumb for not already knowing every bike term known to man.

Now I fully understand why Minneapolis people become bike evangelists.

A few of my favorite trail-and-brewery combos to get you started:

• Midtown Greenway → Surly Brewing Co.
• Cedar Lake Trail → Utepils Brewing
• Mississippi River Trail → Indeed Brewing Company or Bauhaus Brew Labs
• Midtown Greenway → Sociable Cider Werks
• Luce Line Trail → Lake Monster Brewing or Excelsior Brewing Company

Pick a trail. Stop at breweries. Pretend you're sporty.

Bike shop link:
• Tangletown Bike Shop

I recently learned you do not need to spend your life savings to badly hit golf balls.

Hiawatha Golf Club has a surprisingly affordable driving range, plus a chip-and-putt area with semi-maintained practice greens that honestly feel kind of charming.

Perfect for those of us golfing with the confidence of a baby deer learning to walk.

Honestly? Very fun date.

You hit things.
You laugh.
Nobody expects excellence.

• Hiawatha Golf Club Info

Coffee in hand (or hand in hand if you prefer). Wandering slowly. Buying one artisanal thing you absolutely did not need.

Elite summer behavior.

Find more here:
• Find a Minneapolis Farmer’s Market

If all else fails:

Bring snacks to a park and stare lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Whoever breaks eye contact first has to buy ice cream.

Good picnic spots:
• Gold Medal Park
• Boom Island Park
• Lake Harriet

#StaringContest

This is maybe the real point.

Some of the best dates/friend hangs/summer memories aren’t expensive or curated within an inch of their lives. They’re just:

• outside
• a little unplanned
• maybe slightly sweaty
• and shared with people you like

And honestly? That’s enough sometimes.