This half of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) is Minnesota’s largest city. Often overlooked by those outside of the region, Minneapolis is a city with something to offer just about everyone. Performing arts, spectator sports, lush, green parks, a busy downtown, and a myriad of tasty restaurants are just a few of the items this city has to offer all year long.

December is a magical time in Minneapolis. Snow falls lightly on the city sidewalks as you do your holiday shopping and pop into one of the many good cafes. It’s also the time of year for the Holidazzle Parade, a celebration of lights that occurs several times a week, is a whimsical event where characters like Santa Claus, Peter Pan, and characters from favorite nursery rhymes waltz down the street decked in holiday lights.

One of the first cities to pass anti-discrimination laws, Minneapolis is laid back, accepting, safe, and fun with a bustling gay community. While there isn’t a specific gay neighborhood, there are many gay-owned and loudly gay-friendly hotspots throughout Minneapolis.

The arts and culture scene is vibrant and eclectic with shows going on all year long, all nights of the week. The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus lines up a full season every year to sing everything from original compositions to popular jazz. For theatre, check out the Guthrie for big-time shows, Bedlam Theatre for something a little edgy, and Patrick’s Cabaret for dance, music, or performance art.

Traveling as a couple? Consider a romantic walk along one of the lakes in the Chain of Lakes in western Minneapolis. In the winter, you could ice skate at Lake of the Isles. In summer, perhaps you’d like to lounge on the beach at Lake Calhoun. For a large city, Minneapolis has an impressive amount of green space that will make you feel like you are far away from the city as you delve further into the parks.

The Twin Cities host an array of sports teams for all tastes. Professional teams include the Minnesota Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild, and Twins. The Twins baseball team has long been loved in Minneapolis and taking in a game at the new Target Field is a fun way to spend the afternoon. Take a glance at home plate, which is the same one used at the Twins previous stadium and then head off to check out the Twins Pubs for a beer or a State Fair Foods stand for a snack on a stick.

There are a myriad of women’s sports here, too. The Minnesota Vixen are the oldest women’s tackle football team in the United States with a long tradition of promoting women in sports.

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