1. WATER PARKS — Splash Away the Winter Blues
If you’ve got kids with energy to burn (or adults who need a serotonin boost), indoor water parks are your friend.
Great Wolf Lodge Bloomington
Day passes are $30 per person (kids 2 and under are free). You get access to over 75,000 square feet of water park — lazy river, waterslides, the whole deal. And it’s 84 degrees year-round, which honestly feels a little illegal in January.
Book online at greatwolf.com/minnesota/daypass.
Budget-friendly alternatives:
Any hotel with a pool and hot tub (make it an overnight adventure)
Your local YMCA (many have indoor pools)
If your gym has a pool or hot tub… now’s the time to actually use it
2. INDOOR MOVIE THEATRE — Fort Edition
You don’t even need to leave the house for this one.
If you have a projector, set it up — even if you don’t technically need to. It adds to the magic. Pile all the couch cushions on the floor. Build a blanket fort. Dim the lights. Make it cozy.
For littles: Grab cardboard boxes, let them decorate, turn them into “cars,” and create a drive-in movie experience.
Must-haves: popcorn, candy, cozy blankets
Optional but encouraged: cocktails or mocktails for the adults
3. ONE CREATIVE HOUR PER WEEK
I know this can feel hard when we’re deep in hibernation, but hear me out.
Once a week, put the screens away. Turn on your favorite music. Do something with your hands for one uninterrupted hour.
Ideas: Paint. Sew. Build something with wood. Play an instrument. Take photos. Bake bread. Make a collage. Write in a journal.
You don’t have to be “good” at it… we’re really just trying to trick ourselves out of the winter funk. It’s a surprisingly powerful mood lift when you need it most.
4. COMO CONSERVATORY or MINNESOTA ZOO — Get Your Green Fix
When we can’t get outside and enjoy the green, we go enjoy the green somewhere else.
Como Park Conservatory
Cost: FREE (suggested donation $4/adult, $2/child)
Hours: 10am–4pm daily (May–Sept: 10am–6pm)
Winter Flower Show: January 9 – March 15, 2026
Warm air. Tropical plants. Orchids. Ferns. A full sensory reset when everything outside is gray and frozen.
comozooconservatory.org
Minnesota Zoo — Tropics Trail
Cost: $25.95 adults | $19.95 kids/seniors | FREE ages 2 & under | $10 parking
Hours: 10am–4pm daily (members enter at 9am)
It’s always 78 degrees inside. Humid. Lush. Birds chirping. Monkeys yelling. You’ll forget it’s winter… until you walk back outside.
mnzoo.org
5. INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING — Try Something New
Vertical Endeavors
(Locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington)
Day Pass: $24 adults, $20 youth/young adults (ages 4–20)
Family Day Pass: $80
Shoe rental: $5
Harness + shoes + chalk package: $12
First-time climber orientation included
No experience needed. Routes for total beginners. Auto-belays mean you can climb solo. It’s equal parts empowering and humbling I’m sure, and a surprisingly great winter date or “try something new” activity.
verticalendeavors.com
6. BEACH DAY AT HOME — For the Truly Desperate
Depending on how desperate you’re feeling… this one’s for the brave.
Put on your swimsuit. Turn the heat way up. I’m talkin’ hot enough for the utility bill to ask you questions. Fill Tupperware bins with sand (or rice, or beans if you must) and stick your feet in them, close your eyes and do your best to transport yourself to another place and time. We’re trying to mimic the beach here.
Crack open a beach read. Make a frozen slushy. If you have kids, let them open a “restaurant” in the kitchen and call it “Bebe Frogs” or whatever feels right 😉
Is this ridiculous? Yes.
Will it make you laugh? Also yes.
Will it chase away the winter blues for an hour? I think so, but you’ll have to let me know!
PICK ONE THING
January in Minnesota is dreary and LONG. But we’re hearty, darn it, and we don’t have to just survive it! We can find pockets of warmth, creativity, and low-stakes adventure even when it’s -10 outside.
Pick one thing this week. Just one. And let me know how it goes.
Which one are you trying first? 💛