During our latest trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota we stayed at the Homewood Suites. Homewood Suites is an extended stay brand owned by Hilton. I had stayed there before a couple years earlier but had never stayed there with a baby before. In an earlier post I mentioned I wanted to explore and seek out hotels to see if they were family friendly and what caused them to be so.

First off, as we were packing for our trip up North we called the hotel to see if we needed to cart our pack n play with us and check it on the plane. We were crossing our fingers we wouldn’t need to do so but you really never know. The hotel was very friendly and informed us they had new cribs and upon arrival it would be set up in our room. This was a major plus to us as a) we didn’t have to bring and check the pack n play and b) we wouldn’t have to set it up.

When we got there the staff was friendly and kind. We had booked a one room suite which was absolutely perfect. The baby crib was set up and cute and they even had rubber duckies for bath time (BabyTravels is a little young for bath time toys but it is the thought that counts). We opted for a one-room suite instead of a studio which we could have done with our small family, because we were able to put the baby in bed at night and close the door and go into the living area and watch some TV and hang out without disturbing the little one’s sleep. I loved that the hotel room had two big flat screen TV’s.

Even though BabyTravels is too little I did take mental note that the breakfast had kid-friendly options and the pool was spacious and even open late. All in all I think that the Homewood Suites is a great family friendly hotel that can accommodate even larger families with the option of getting a two-room suite.

I will have to say it’s a beautiful place. Rivers and lakes are everywhere and beautiful greenery completes the scene. Make sure to keep your eye out for wildlife because we saw a bear, a bald eagle, countless dear, and even a fox! The area he grew up in is near Warroad, MN. It is well known for its excellent fishing and hunting. All along the Lake of the Woods, which is known as the Walleye Capitol of the World, there are many fishing resorts that are full all summer long with fishers hoping to catch some tasty Walleye (as seen in the above picture- this statue of Willie the Walleye is located in Baudette, MN). But fishing is not only limited here in the summer-ice fishing is also an essential part of the culture. Fish houses are seen everywhere and many enjoy spending time with friends and family crowded over a hole in the ice hoping to land a big one.

If you are an avid hunter you will not want to miss hunting season in northern Minnesota. If you have always dreamed of that perfect bear rug you may want to start here.  Black bears are very prominent throughout the northern woodlands and the season begins September 1 and runs to October 18. There are many guide services you can choose from if you want the expertise of a local. I have to suggest you check out KnS Guide Service first. I may be a little biased because they are my brother-in-law and sister-in-law but you really will get a once in a lifetime experience and get to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world.

Although we didn’t go hunting or fishing as this was primarily a family trip, I did get to experience the beauty and peacefulness that is northern MN and urge those interested in the above activities to make the trip and see for yourself, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The name of my blog post is more than 10,000 lakes which is in reference to the fact that Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes (There are 11,842 lakes in Minnesota 10 acres or larger in size). This became apparent as we were flying into Minneapolis- there really were lakes everywhere! Minneapolis is probably one of my top 10 favorite US cities. It has an artsy feel with tons of sculptures and galleries everywhere. The downtown area has a ton to do and see, for those of all ages. It even includes some really pretty walking paths. Our first stop was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden; apparently the cherry on the spoon sculpture is famous. The park is filled with other unique and interesting pieces. It was fun -definitely worth it to check out.

We ate dinner at Pizza Luce (insert appropriate accents) where for the first time ever I tried mashed potatoes on pizza. Gotta say I didn’t hate it, actually it was really good. The restaurant has unique art hung on the wall, a friendly staff, and nice collateral (sorry work at an advertising agency).

The main reason we came was to see a premiere of the snowboarding film: That’s it that’s all. It was awesome. The showing was held at Pantages, a venue that mostly hosts musical and plays in the downtown Hennepin Theater district of Minneapolis. The movie is really cool, if you haven’t seen it yet (the movie is on tour). After the show we headed over to Sebastian Joe’s Ice-Cream Cafe. The ice-cream there was drool worthy. It is all homemade in the shop and they are famous for their unique flavors. I had the Pavarotti- a banana ice-cream with chocolate chunks. Oh so good. Apparently the Oreo sundaes were pretty tasty as well.

The next day of our trip was spent exploring Rochester, MN where our friends live. Rochester, as most people know, is famous for the Mayo Clinic. I couldn’t believe how big the Mayo Clinic Campus is! It’s pretty impressive. Also, our friends took us to the Plummer House. The house is an English Tudor Mansion and the former home of Henry S. Plummer, who was a member of the Mayo Clinic Staff starting in 1901. The house is 5 stories high, contains 49 rooms, and occupies 11 acres which include outdoor gardens and water tower. The house was closed for tours but we enjoyed walking around the gardens.

That night we ate some of the best burgers of our lives in downtown Rochester at Newts. Newts has been voted the best burger in Rochester for five consecutive years. It was packed when we got there so we had to wait about twenty minutes. The vibe was very laid back, a very home town cheers feel. I got a mushroom burger and I have to say it was delicious. They also give you about a pound of fries with your burgers.

It was a great trip and thank you to Chris and Lisa for putting us up (and putting up with us) and spending time with us. We had a blast and look forward to returning the favor to them this winter. I have to say I was genuinely sad to leave.

*photo credit to genius photographer Reid Fuller