Go south down Hennepin Avenue towards the lakes. Along Hennepin south of downtown there are many interesting antique type shops--my favorite H & B Galleries on about 28th and Hennepin. Magers and Quinn is a fascinating used book shop about on 30th and Hennepin. There are also lots of restaurants in the area. Then, go to the Linden Hills area on the west/southwest edge of Lake Harriet. Fun shops in the vicinity and up 44th to France Av. on the west. You can walk around any of the 3 lakes--Lake of the Isles, Calhoun and Harriet. They are all connected by walking paths--it is also fun to look at the houses along the lakes.

Have you been to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts or the History Museum in St. Paul? They are both excellent. Have you taken the walk along Summit Av. in St. Paul? It is listed on the Historic Register because of the abundance of beautiful, stately historic homes. Have you walked along River Road (either side of the Mississippi River) just for a nice walk--great houses to see too?

You might want to drive west of the city 1/2 hour to Excelsion which is a quaint little town on Lake Minnetonka with small shops and restaurants. In that vicinity there is also another former small town on Lake Minnetonka, now suburb, Wazyata that might interest you. The Minneapolis Farmer's Market opens the last weekend in April. On weekends there is an interesting mix of vendors there who sell things other than fruits and vegetables and plants.

You might also want to drive down Lyndale south of downtosn, and you'll find quite a few of the types of things you are looking for along that stretch to about 32nd or so.

Also, forgot the restaurant part. South along Nicollet between about 24th and 29th is an area referred to as Eat Street because of the multitude of ethnic restaurants lining both sides of the street. None of these are chains. Other favorites in other locales in no particular order Rinata, El Meson, Peninsula Malaysian Restaurant, Cafe 28, Zumbro Cafe, Gardens of Salonica, Broder's Pasta Bar, Cafe Latte (Grand Av. in St. Paul), Da Afghan, Mai Village (St. Paul), Turtle Bread Comapny (super casual sandwich/snack type place). Go online to City Pages and they have an extensive restaurant review section. We never ever go to chain restaurants! Have fun!

Wow, Julies! I'm overwhelmed at all of your wonderful suggestions. It sounds like you've hit all of the types of things we enjoy.

The Twin Cities are blessed with great natural beauty and many exquisite homes. Sometimes we just forget to get off the freeway. We'll make a point of it this time and hopefully the weather will cooperate for a lot of nice strolling along the banks of rivers or lakes.

Thanks so much for taking time to respond. Now I'm especially looking forward to the trip.

If you go to the Warehouse District website, www.mplswarehouse.com you can get information on the many businesses and events there and request a copy of their brochure. Enjoy your visit!

mdwest--

As someone who lives in Minneapolis, I can tell you that other than perhaps a few places like Antiques Riverwalk, I think you'd like my suggestions for places to visit more than you'd like the warehouse district.

Hi Julies,
We had a great time in the Cities thanks in large part to your great ideas. We only spent 2 nights but it was refreshing, particularly since the weather was in the 70's and even low 80's as we were leaving. That is miraculous this time of year.

We did find the antique store but it took a while. We sort of got turned around near the Basilica (but the Basilica was beautiful). The store was a wonderful place to browse for an hour. They directed us to a restaurant called Lucia's which is right near the bookstore. We had a delicious lunch and then my husband hit the bookstore while I took my time in the paper store next door. We hit a few more shops in the area and then headed west to Excelsior. The weather was so great we sat by the water for quite a while and then walked around a bit. We had a great day.

After that we went to the Guthrie. The play was great fun. The building is awesome and we really loved the views from the unique windows in the changing light of the evening.

Our laptop wasn't working and our GPS was having some "issues" so we didn't seek out any of your restaurant recommendations but I've got them on hand for our next trip.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. We wouldn't have found those places without your help. If you head towards Madison sometime I'll try to help you out!

Thanks!

You are welcome! I was glad to be of help, and yu certainly did louck out with the unusually warm weather. I too love the new Guthire setting and building right on the river.

Hello!
Next time, since you're looking for quirky and unique shops and affordable art galleries, I would definitely recommend you check out Anoka's historic downtown. There are so many cool shops that you can't find anywhere else in the world. Anoka's only a short drive away from the Twin Cities but is completely unique. Check out some of the other Anoka things to do (http://www.tcgateway.com/anoka) too!