There’s not a speck of snow in sight in any of these 28 ideas for cozied-up indoor play and family time in February. We’re kind of over the winter already, too.
February 1, 2023
World Read-Aloud Day
World Read Aloud Day is February 1, 2023. In the meantime, every day can be read aloud day in your own home! Or, if you prefer an outing, make a point to visit a new library branch or an independent bookstore. Why is reading aloud important? A 2015 study found that children are exposed to a larger vocabulary from picture books read aloud than from conversations with adults. See Joy’s article for read-aloud ideas today (or any day).
READ ALOUD OUTING: STORYTIME AT RED BALLOON bookshop
891 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105
Storyteller Angela hosts a read-aloud storytime at the charming bookshop perfect for 3s & under (but all welcome) each Wednesday. February 1, 2023, 10:30am.
February 2, 2023
Coolest mini golf course in town
CAN CAN WONDERLAND offers mini golfing at the coolest indoor course in town. Each artist-designed hole is an attraction in itself, entertaining all ages while you’re waiting in line to putt. Plus, there are dozens of vintage arcade games to play and a malt shop for treats. My kids request this outing frequently (and since I find it a splurge, I often wait until the grandparents are in town wanting to treat!) Open Thurs 4-10pm, Fri-Sun starting at 11am. $13/kids, $15/adults. $12/arcade pass.
MORE MINI GOLF: My kids love miniature golf no matter the season, indoors or out. Find our big list of the BEST TWIN CITIES MINI GOLF COURSES for more options (younger putters, tweens & teens, date night…).
February 3, 2023
LOVE CATS? VISIT THE CAFE MEOW!
2323 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
Here’s a cozy indoor activity idea for you: My daughter absolutely loves cats but mean old mom isn’t up for having a pet. Our solution? We book an hour at this sweet rescue coffee shop and she gets a fix without the extra responsibility. Kids over 6 (with a parent) can show some love to the kitties and sip a warm beverage. 11am-7pm, $10/pp.
SPECIAL EVENT: Cafe Meow celebrates its fifth birthday February 1-15th with a special coloring contest & raffle – and sweet prizes!
February 4, 2023
Winter Carnival Family Fun Day
The second Saturday of the St Paul Winter Carnival will offer indoor family fun at Landmark Center: cultural entertainment, education, arts and crafts, stories and more. 11am-5pm, FREE.
For more St Paul Winter Carnival coverage, jump over to our Free Family Fun at the Winter Carnival page.
February 5, 2023
FIRST FREE SUNDAY AT MINNESOTA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
10 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102
You’ll want to act fast to score FREE admission to this amazing space designed floor-to-ceiling for kids up to about age 12. Every exhibit is hands-on, durable and aims to spark creativity and curiosity. Our very own FFTC Team Kids literally cut their teeth at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Tickets available from 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23, through 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 (while supplies last).
February 6, 2023
Splish splash away at Great River Indoor Waterpark
Oxford Community Center, 270 N. Lexington Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Pick a Monday for your littles to spend time splishing and splashing in the zero-depth entry play structure. From 9-10am this is the only pool open and therefore draws a quieter, younger crowd. Check our big list of indoor pools and waterparks for more indoor swimming opportunities. Regular admission $7/pp. WE APOLOGIZE; GREAT RIVER WATER PARK HAS CLOSED TEMPORARILY WITH NO RE-OPEN DATE. PLEASE CHECK OUR LIST OF TOT SWIMS FOR MORE OPTIONS.
February 7, 2023
Order up a craft kit from one of these locals and DIY Valentines
- ARTrageous Adventures Valentine Card Making BOXED Adventure – Kits are mailed to your home with everything included: supplies and instructions for making up to 12 handcrafted Valentine cards. $25.
- ArtScraps Creativity kit – Order your DIY Valentine kit from the Re-use shop (or any of 15 other themed creativity kits!) to send joy to family and friends. $40 per kit.
February 8, 2023
Learning is anything but dull at the Minnesota History Center
There’s never a dull moment for kids here; the museum takes special care to install exhibits that are hands-on and kid-friendly while managing to remain highly educational. Read about our all-ages favorites when we bring our own families here. Open Wed-Sun, $8-$12/pp.
LATEST EXHIBIT: We recently visited Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition at the Minnesota History Center with a pack of tweens and teens who both enjoy solving puzzles and the British drama series Sherlock. We recommend kids be at least 8 to deftly navigate the mystery (admittedly, I turned to my own teens for help). Included with museum admission.
February 9, 2023
It’s always balmy at Como Zoo & Conservatory
Keep as warm as the tropics as you wander the indoor gardens and exhibits. The animal enclosures are heated, too. One of our favorite ways to make a mini-escape in the winter months. We pick Thursday for a visit because LIL EXPLORERS at Como offers hands-on activities, art projects, games and stories perfect for the 4 & under set. Runs 10am-noon each Thursday. FREE, donations appreciated.
February 10, 2023
Movie Night at Edinborough Park Amphitheater
EDINBOROUGH PARK in Edina stays balmy and green, even through the winter! The indoor park is free to stroll through and a free movie night is offered once a month at the amphitheater. $9/pp plus tax will get the young ones into the giant ADVENTURE PEAK play structure where they’ll be busy climbing for hours and includes admission to Minions: The Rise of Gru. 5:30pm.
February 11, 2023
Create & craft for free at Lowe’s
Participating locations invite young makers to the store Saturday for a LOWE’S KIDS WORKSHOP to build a sweetheart swan note holder. Please register for a timeslot in advance. 9am-12pm. FREE.
February 12, 2023
It’s Super Bowl Sunday!
Are you making it a family-and-or-friends party for the big game? We’ve got some easy, kid-friendly snack recipes and halftime game ideas on our Super Bowl: Fun at Home page.
February 13, 2023
Cozy up by the “fire” at Shoreview Library (plus more area fun)
This branch of the Ramsey County Library system features an expanded kids space and playthings and a super cool fireplace. Cozy up, read and play indoors if the snow is piling up outside.
To make a day of it, head over to the adjacent SHOREVIEW COMMUNITY CENTER for a run around TROPICAL ADVENTURE INDOOR PLAYGROUND and a swim in TROPICS INDOOR WATERPARK. Daily passes to the community center run $10.25-$12/pp or $37-$45/family.
February 14, 2023
Snuggle up with your valentines big & little
Still scrambling to make that perfect homemade Valentine for the grandparents? Joy’s kids created these Valentine Love Journals to give as gifts that can be treasured year-round.
Twin Cities Valentine’s Day events for the family
Start planning ahead and you’ll feel the love with our list of Twin Cities Family Valentine’s Day Events, most of which are tucked cozily indoors and require absolutely no coats or boots. Absolutely heart-warming.
February 15, 2023
Preschool & up Open Gymnastics
A trip to Gleason’s for open gym (particularly in the middle of winter) is an instant mood-lifter. The kids will love the opportunity to bounce on trampolines, scoot through obstacle courses, and play on the gym equipment to their hearts’ content. And hey, teens and tweens! There are open gyms for you, too. Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:30am & Fridays only 10am – 12pm. Pre-registered: $10/kid, $15/family or at the door: $13/kid or $20/family.
February 16, 2023
You really can’t go wrong with a family trip to MILL CITY MUSEUM in Minneapolis. It’s the kind of place where both adults and kids will be truly entertained (most exhibits are hands-on) and you don’t have to spend the bulk of your precious time shushing children or worrying they’ll destroy something. If you haven’t brought them out yet, here are 10 Things for Kids at Mill City Museum that will leave an indelible impression. Open Thurs-Sun, $8-$12/pp – consider snagging a family membership to the Minnesota Historical Society for free admission!
February 17, 2023
Kids at the Castle
American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Your little ones will be awed by exploring a museum within a castle! This months’s theme is “Hearts & Hugs”. Plus, you’ll get the chance to check out the newest Family Gallery exhibit and all the attention put into making it super family-friendly. Read more about top family favorites at American Swedish Institute. $10/family for the program – must register in advance as space is limited and slots sell out. 9-10am.
February 18, 2023
Carnaval Brasileiro at Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Heat up mid-February with a Brazilian festival complete with traditional food, music, dance, art, and martial arts demonstrations. 11am-2pm, FREE admission & food for purchase.
February 19, 2023
President’s Day Weekend in the Twin Cities
Need some suggestions for the long weekend? Look no further than our Weekend Family Guide – stocked up with ideas indoors and out. We publish a fresh new guide each weekend as a companion to our longtime Family Fun Calendar.
February 20, 2023
Outdoors brought in at Good Times Park
We love GOOD TIMES PARK in Eagan for its indoors-but-outdoor feel: soccer turf, multi-level basketball hoops, huge jumping pillow, play equipment and ability to entertain a wide range of ages. Open daily, 7am-9:30pm, $11/pp ages 1-17. Admission is bought online in advance, space may be limited.
February 21, 2023
Make it a Discount Movie Day
Tuesday is the day of the ticket deal in the Twin Cities. Our favorite local movie house, the Riverview Theater, often screens family-friendly flicks for the reasonable ticket price of $5 every Tuesday. Check the Riverview website to see what’s scheduled this month. Walk-up sales of its delicious freshly-popped popcorn are also available if you want to bring a taste of the theater home and cozy up there. For more Twin Cities movie deals, check our Cheap Flicks: Twin Cities Movie Discount Days page.
February 22, 2023
So much more than shopping at SCHEELS!
8301 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Who knew you could spend the day being so entertained at the sporting goods store? This generation’s variety features plenty of indoor fun: a 65-foot Ferris wheel, mini-bowling, a candy shop, shooting gallery, archery range and arcade. No trouble getting my teens and tweens to join me on this outing!
February 23, 2023
Explore a new nature center
I know, I know, we swore there wouldn’t be snow involved in this list. And we promise, there doesn’t have to be when exploring many of the nature and interpretive centers around the Twin Cities. Take RICHARDSON NATURE CENTER in Bloomington, for instance. You can spend an afternoon’s worth of free, cozy fun putting on a puppet show, taking a scavenger hunt through the huge wall murals and visiting the resident critters in their indoor tanks. Get the details for visiting in our list of 10 Things For Kids at Richardson Nature Center.
Jump over for more Twin Cities-area nature centers – ideas for indoor play and learning.
February 24, 2023
Fly high at SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park
Unique locations in Blaine, Edina, Maple Grove & Oakdale
Work up a serious sweat indoors at locations in Oakdale, Edina and Blaine. Teens and tweens can jump (and climb and crawl and play) until 10pm on a Friday night (prices start at $22/90 min jump time); littles 6 & under get their own Little Leapers jump time Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm. Cost is $17 per child. Bounce off somebody else’s walls!
February 25, 2023
Last chance to see the Night Trains
All aboard! This is your last chance to see the special Holiday Night Trains at TWIN CITY MODEL RAILROAD MUSEUM before they chug out of the station for another season. Saturday only, 3-7pm, $15/pp, advance tickets available.
Minneapolis-St Paul has historically been an important hub for the railroads. If you’ve got little (or big!) train lovers in your family, there are plenty of indoor places to get up close to them around town including the JACKSON STREET ROUNDHOUSE (take real coach train rides and tinker with exhibits) and UNION DEPOT (picnic next to the trains in nicer weather). You can read more about train-spotting opportunities in Minneapolis-St Paul, a Train Lovers Destination.
February 26, 2023
Travel the globe without leaving the state
We know it’s not exactly like Spring Break in Scandinavia, but the URBAN EXPEDITION program (now in its 19th season) is easily the next best thing to visiting Norway – and certainly more budget-friendly. Learn about Norwegian culture through music, dance, and crafts; free and very family-friendly. While you’re at the beautiful LANDMARK CENTER, pop in to the free SCHUBERT CLUB MUSEUM, a hidden gem that allows kids to experiment with a cacophony of musical instruments. 1-3pm, FREE.
February 27, 2023
Keep it balmy at indoor Central Park
Thoughts of winter and snow will melt away in Woodbury’s CENTRAL PARK as you stroll around the landscaped rocks and tricking water fountains. Under one roof, kids can cozy up with books at a branch of the WASHINGTON COUNTY LIBRARY and work off the wiggles at LOOKOUT RIDGE INDOOR PLAYGROUND.
February 28, 2023
Leap year or not, let’s jump headlong into March (and spring!) with this huge list of fun indoor games for kids of all ages! The perfect antidote for a super cold day, rainy day, no-school snow day, bored out of your gourd day…you get our drift.