beactiveminnesota

Strange Laws of Minnesota

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve probably seen World’s Dumbest Criminals on directv Minnesota service or the like, but have you ever heard of a stupid law. Not “stupid” like you disagree with it, but “stupid” as in “objectively ridiculous in every conceivable way.” Don’t load up the car, forget about calling the moving truck, and cancel that plane ticket – here are some of the most bizarre laws you ever heard of coming straight out of Minnesota. Whether it’s for pleasure or a permanent home, you are going to want to get a feel for the lay of the land before you inadvertently break a law you never knew existed. Be warned: these laws are both real and hilarious!

No Loitering – EVER!
Need to catch a bus? Is the stop in front of some house? Better have a good reason for catching that bus because, in Minnesota, it is illegal to stand around ANY building without a decent, substantiated reason.

Run a-Fowl
Did you know that in Minnesota it is absolutely illegal to cross state lines with a duck on your head? We swear we aren’t making this up. You might wonder if they mean a real duck or a fake (not specified) but maybe a better question you should be asking is how they could possibly make this law or plan to enforce it!

All bathtubs must have feet
Never mind the fact that you can barely find a bathtub that isn’t built into the home, the reasoning behind this one is unfathomable. If it’s a safety concern then wouldn’t feet be less safe than a built-in tub?

As mentioned before, these laws are real. Watch your step. With laws this ridiculous, you never know who you’re going to offend without realizing it

Explore Some of Minnesota’s State Parks

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Plan your next excursion to Minnesota for some of the most beautiful state parks in the country. Saint Croix State Park, in Pine County, is the largest in Minnesota. It covers 33,000 acres along the shores of the St. Croix and Kettle Rivers. You can canoe or kayak on the rivers, go mountain biking or horseback riding. Climb to the cab of the fire tower, 134 steps up. Enjoy 127 miles of hiking trails, and snowmobiling and cross country skiing in the winter. Big Bog Recreation Area is located by Waskish, Minnesota. Over 9,000 acres of swamps, bogs and islands make for a unique visit. Take the Bog Walk to explore many types of trees and wetlands, and keep your eyes open for bald eagles, black bears and even moose.

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park includes the childhood home of aviator Charles Lindbergh. This is a peaceful, fairly undeveloped park where you can camp and even canoe on the Mississippi River.

Jay Cooke State Park runs along the St. Louis River, near Duluth, Minnesota. The scenic overlooks are breathtaking along the hiking trails. Several trails are open to mountain biking as well. Black bears and coyotes are often spotted along here.

The Crystal Lakes of Central Minnesota

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Minnesota is known around the world as the land of 10,000 lakes. Minnesota’s central lakes are scattered amidst the vast forests, they host crystal-clear waters and offer some of the best freshwater fishing on the planet. For the visitor, Minnesota offers a plethora of activities including golf, museums, shopping, casinos and an endless array of art and culture with music, theater and visual arts, but it is the lakes that are the biggest draw.

Great majorities of visitors to Minnesota, come for outdoor activities and the state has no shortage of raw nature. There are thousands of miles of hiking trails, downhill and cross-country skiing venues and rivers that attract kayakers and canoeing enthusiasts from all over the country.

There is a multitude of concessions that rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats, water-skis and wakeboards and for the angler, tackle shops provide all that is desired. Fishing in Minnesota is discipline and a lifestyle. Minnesota’s lakes and rivers are rife with big and smallmouth bass, five species of catfish, brook, brown, lake and rainbow trout and for those seeking out the big boys, there are fighting northern pike, walleye and enormous sturgeon.

The crystal lakes of central Minnesota have something for everyone.

Have Fun in the Twin Cities

admin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Twin Cities is a great destination for your next family vacation. The Twin Cities have everything a family wants to do for fun, from the great Minnesota Zoo, to the largest mall in the United States, and everything in between.

When people first visit the Twin Cities, the one place they want to visit first is the Mall of America. This is the largest mall in the nation, and has 520 stores, 50 restaurants, 400 free events yearly, and Nickelodeon Universe-for the kids. There’s so much more to this mall than just shopping. Parents will enjoy the sales and various merchandise this mall offers, while kids will enjoy several of its themed rides.

Every child’s favorite outing involves going to the zoo. The Minnesota Zoo houses over 2,900 animals from every corner of the world. Check out the current African Coast Penguin exhibit to see these wonderful animals up-close and personal. You can also go underground, beneath the penguin pool, to see what happens when penguins disappear under the water.

One more fun family adventure in the Twin Cities, is the Valleyfair Family Amusement Park. This park’s theme is Snoopy and the whole PEANUTS crew. Say hello to Snoopy before jumping on one of the eight roller coasters this park offers. There’s even a waterpark included and an IMAX theater.

This is only a sample of the many things to do in the Twin Cities.

Discover Duluth

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Duluth is a wonderful place in the state of Minnesota. It has far more to offer than you may think when you first hear about it. Not only does it have some truly breathtaking sites to see while out hiking, kayaking or camping, but it’s also filled with museums, galleries, & theaters. You get spend the daytime enjoying the beauty of nature and end the evening with an amazingly show good for entertaining adults, kids, or anyone at all.
With family friendly places,http://www.adventurezoneduluth.com/ involving laser tag and rides you can keep the whole family entertained with a seemingly never ending option of things to do. For the adults there’s wonderful plays, shows and clubs to spend the night enjoying a performance or dancing the time away with friends or the one you love.
It’s an amazing area for businesses as well, not just a great vacation spot but a perfect place for settling down in places safe for all ages and with a large amount of opportunities. A great place for keeping up on news,http://www.duluthnewstribune.com in the area and finding what’s going on so you’re always informed. There’s a lot of things to do, see, work, and enjoy in Duluth!

Spam and Cheese

www.beactiveminnesota.org — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We recently wrote about Minnesota being the birthplace of SPAM canned meat, so we thought with the holidays approaching it might be timely to provide a quick and easy SPAM and Cheese casserole recipe that will accompany any Christmas dinner! Ingredients: 1 12-ounce can SPAM, chopped/cubed 2 eggs, beaten 20 crushed soda crackers 2 cups milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided into cup and cup) Directions: 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2.Combine the meat, eggs, cracker crumbs, milk and 3/4 cup of the cheese. 3.Mix well and place into a 9×13 baking dish.4.Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top. 5.Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour. 6.Let cool and serve. 7.Enjoy!

Minnehaha Falls: A Secret Jewel

www.beactiveminnesota.org — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:10:40 +0000

Nestled in the web of city streets and freeways in Minneapolis is one of the most coveted centerpeices of its resources Minnehaha Falls.The park’s urban location is not marred by its surrounding city development as the falls wind through their route to the Mississippi River. And this meandering is not by happenstance. The name Minnehaha is translated as “curling water” or “water fall” from the Dakota language.Having a vast footprint of over 190 acres, the park is a family favorite for picnics and strolling while never far from the falls’ span of 53 feet. Conveniently, there is an upper portion to the park as well as a lower portion.Kayaking is popular along the creek as well as mountain biking along historic trails.And if you’re a history buff, make sure you check out an example of a pioneer home by visiting the John Stevens House (one of Minnesota’s first original homes) located within Minnehaha Falls Park.If strolling or biking through the park, make sure to take note of the art and statues that commemorate John H. Stevens, Hiawatha, Minnehaha, Little Crow, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Located off Hiawatha Avenue (Route 55), it is a “must see” for those in the area.

Minnesota’s Native American Heritage

www.beactiveminnesota.org — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:12:24 +0000

With its current population of over 5 million residents, it’s hard to imagine that Minnesota was once home to a vast array of Native American tribes.In order to truly appreciate all that Minnesota has to offer, sometimes it’s a good thing to look at the past.Following is a sample of some of the most notable Native American tribes that helped shape this state as it is known today.Arapaho were a Plains tribe living around the Red River Valley of northern Minnesota and North Dakota.Chippewa (also known as the Ojibwas) can be broken into 15 historic bands (divisions) located in Michigan, western Minnesota, and all of Canada.Cheyenne heritage can be traced back to their earliest home in Minnesota bounded by the Mississippi, Minnesota, and upper red Rivers. Afterwards they moved to the Sheyenne branch of the Red River.Dakota were first known to Europeans in the area of southern Minnesota, but they gradually pushed westward. However, they never ceded all their lands as evidenced by their famous Red Pipestone Quarry.Omaha once lived near the Red Pipestone Quarry (see Dakota, above).Since the culture and history of Minnesota can so closely be aligned with its first residents, there are references just about everywhere and in just about every activity within the state.It’s a proud heritage. Respect it and enjoy it.

Minnesota Fun Facts

www.beactiveminnesota.org — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:08:16 +0000

The Metrodome is the only sports venue where there has been a Super Bowl, a World Series, and an NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship.
During the winter of 1888, residents of St. Paul built an ice palace that was considered one of the largest buildings in the world, measuring 14 stories high and covering an acre of land.
The Mall of America in Bloomington is over 9.5 million square feet in size and showcases 500 specialty stores, 50 restaurants, 7 nightclubs and 14 movie theaters.
Because of its thousands of lakes, Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline which is more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.
Home base to some nifty inventions, Minnesota is proud to claim heritage to Scotch tape, Wheaties, Bisquick, the bundt pan, and the Snickers candy bar (not to mention SPAM).
The Minnesota Public Library was the first in the country to have a Children’s Department in 1889.
Minnesota was the leading producer of lumber between the 1860s and the early 1900s.
The three largest cities are Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Rochester (in that order).
Some famous people hailing from Minnesota include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Sinclair Lewis, and Richard W. Sears (founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company),

Spam, Spam, Spam

www.beactiveminnesota.org — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:06:29 +0000

Contrary to popular opinion, spam is not merely annoying electronic junk mail.It is a classic canned meat that has been around since 1936 when Jay Hormel developed a perfect way to package (“can”) sweet and tender pork shoulder meat so it wouldn’t spoil.Today, the classic SPAM product contains the simple ingredients of pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrate and is the foundation for many a festival and recipe cook-off.Fortunately, the SPAM museum is located in Austin, Minnesota and houses 16,500 square feet of SPAM artifacts and memorabilia all for free and that’s something to spam about!