It has been sub-zero temps for weeks now in Minnesota and if you're anything like me you don't want to leave the house more than you absolutely have to which luckily for me is not much these days.
However, it is actually supposed to "warm up" to about 30 degrees this weekend and I had been considering finding something to do. Not outside mind you as everyone seems to be fighting off some sort of illness, but it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world to stop going totally stir crazy by going somewhere. I was digging through places I'd been over the last year and three jumped out at me for distractions. If you like playing video games there's several places in town now where you can go have some drinks, play some games and even get some vegan food. It stayed pretty warm into the early part of December so when it got cold I'm not sure anyone was really ready this year.
The first place is UpDown Mpls.. They specialize in 80's arcade games so if watching Stranger Things has you nostalgic for games you played as a kid this is where you'll want to go. Although in my case they have an X-Men game that I used to play when I was younger and of course was always Storm. I don't have super great pics of this place because it does get insanely busy and they don't, as far as I know, have any vegan food. They do however have some good hard ciders on tap.
The second place in Uptown not too far from Up/Down is Tilt. They specialize in Pinball. The place is not very big, but what they lack in size they make up for with yummy "hot dogs" and cute atmosphere. They have some cool pinball machines and carry vegan sausages that you can cover with all sorts of yummy, smelly things. They have decent cocktails as well. We got great service when we were here and I enjoyed my afternoon hanging out.
The last place I'd suggest is actually my favorite, but it's a big chain and gets insane on the weekends except Sunday night when I like to go occasionally. The reason I like it is because they have electronic versions of carnival games I really like such as throwing balls to knock down clowns. It's amazing stress relief for me. I know it's silly, but it's true. They make ridiculous over the top Tiki drinks which are fun to have and order some French fries and I'm good for a couple of hours. It is the most expensive of the three places and can be very loud (though they all can be depending on the crowds). The one here is in Southdale Mall. I think there is a second MN location, but it's far from me. If you go at the right times you could probably also catch a movie.
If video games are not necessarily for you or if you like really old ones you could always head over to another charming and fun place I went to: Can Can Wonderland. I love mini-golf so I am dying to go back here soon. Plus I believe they've added some vegan treats to the menu.
