28+ Days of Twin Cities Cozy Indoor Play in February 2024

Stay cozy indoors in February!

Personally, by mid-February I’m sick to death of outdoor activities and would prefer to pretend I’ve flown south. All winter long we’ve touted the sledding hills, skating rinks, tubing spots, and winter samplers that keep you out among the snow and ice (or, at least we’ve hoped for the chance to tout them – winter hasn’t been cooperating with us this year.) Regardless, 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. They’re simply not allowed to involve the cold.  We’re kind of over this wishy-washy winter, too.

28+ Days of Cozy Indoor Play in February

February 1, 2024

Indoor Tot Time Open Gyms

Warm up indoors with unstructured free play at gyms and community centers across the Twin Cities. When it’s too cold and sloppy to visit the local playground, this is a wonderful option for kids to work out wiggles and stay active. Many spaces furnish extras like balls, scooters, inflatables and other gross motor equipment. We stay diligent about listing these open gyms on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR and have individual details about each program in our round-up of OPEN PLAY, GYM & SWIM SPOTS FOR TOTS in the Twin Cities.

Indoor Toddler Activities


February 2, 2024

Love cats? Visit the Cafe Meow!

3524 Winnetka Ave N, New Hope, MN 55427
1718A Lexington Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113
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 7 (with a parent) can show some love to the kitties and sip a warm beverage. 11am-7pm, $10.50/pp.


February 3, 2024

Winter Carnival Family Fun Day

The second Saturday of the St Paul Winter Carnival offers warm, indoor family fun at Landmark Center: cultural entertainment, education, arts and crafts, stories and more. All activities are tucked inside, a break from all the ice and snow of the Carnival. 11am-5pm, FREE. For more St Paul Winter Carnival coverage, jump over to our Free Family Fun at the Winter Carnival page.

snowy st paul


February 4, 2024

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. Returning to the museum this February 3, 2024, is the Wild Kratts: Creature Power! exhibit. Tickets available for Free First Sunday starting 10 a.m. Monday, January 22 while supplies last. 


February 5, 2024

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 or $25/family.
BUDGET TIP: A special FREE open swim will be hosted Sundays starting January 21 from 12-5pm.  Free water safety  training will be provided from 3-3:25pm. 


February 6, 2024

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.


February 7, 2024

World Read-Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day is February 7, 2024. 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 7, 2024, 10:30am.

Summer Reading Programs at Local Bookstores
The Red Balloon bookstore

February 8, 2024

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.

28+ Days of Cozy Indoor Play in February


February 9, 2024

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. $10/pp will get the young ones into the giant ADVENTURE PEAK play structure where they’ll be busy climbing for hours and includes admission to the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Mutant Mayhem. 5:30pm.

Edinborough Park - Adventure Peak Indoor Playground


February 10, 2024

Lunar New Year Celebration at Midtown Global Market

920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
All are welcome to join in the family-friendly party, which celebrates the Year of the Dragon with cultural performances, music and crafts for kids. You’ll want to stay for a meal and choose from one (or many) of the delicious vendor stalls that flavor the indoor market. Event runs from 12-3pm. FREE admission.

Text: "Twin Cities Lunar New Year with Kids". Background: Girl with red dress holding a handful of gold coins.


February 11, 2024

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.

Twin Cities Super Bowl Fun


February 12, 2024

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.

28+ Days of Cozy Indoor Play in FebruaryTo 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 $9-$13.50/pp and include admission to both the indoor playground and indoor waterpark.


February 13, 2024

Cozy with cocoa & storytime

124 1st Ave E, Shakopee MN 55379
Free hot cocoa for kids and stories at Shakopee Brewhall courtesy of the Shakopee Library. Coffee and pastries for the adults available for purchase. Close the door on the cold, clutch a cup of something warm and get lost in a story. February 13, 2024, 10-10:30am. FREE.


February 14, 2024

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.

Steps 1-3 for Making a Valentine Love Journal: Step 1: Rip out the pages of an old book. We just ripped them out to my husband's horror. He recommends using an X-ACTO Knife. (Ripping worked just fine). Step 2:  Use the old pages to measure your new pages. You'll want most of your sheets to be the size of one page. But your first and last page will be one folded sheet of paper the size of two pages. We just used the first and last page of the original book for this. They were already one continuous sheet. We made the mistake of designing our pages before we cut them out. It's better to cut them out first and then design. That way nothing will get cut off. Step 3: Glue the new cover picture onto the book cover. I think Mod Podge would be the best way to go here. Mine had mysteriously disappeared, so I used the bookbinding glue.  It did the trick. School Glue could have worked, too.


February 15, 2024

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, $12/pp ages 1-17. Admission is bought online in advance, space may be limited.


February 16, 2024

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 17, 2024

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 month’s theme is “Love Monster”. 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. $15/family for the program – must register in advance as space is limited and slots sell out. 9-10am.

Dala Horse at American Swedish Institute


February 18, 2024

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!

28+ Days of Cozy Indoor Play in February


February 19, 2024

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 – this weekend will include some ideas for the Monday of President’s Day weekend.

Weekend Family Guide - Family Fun Twin Cities Banner.


February 20, 2024

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.

Two girls sharing popcorn during a movie at the Mall of America in Bloomington Minnesota


February 21, 2024

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 22, 2024

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.

Children playing with puppets at Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington, Minnesota
Richardson Nature Center

February 23, 2024

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 $23/90 min jump time); littles 6 & under get their own Little Leapers jump time Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm. Cost is $18 per child. Bounce off somebody else’s walls!


February 24, 2024

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.

Girl by train car at the Minnesota Transportation Museum in Saint Paul, MN
Minnesota Transportation Museum – Jackson Street Roundhouse

February 25, 2024

Travel the globe without leaving the state

We know it’s not exactly like Spring Break in Paris, but the URBAN EXPEDITION program (now in its 20th season) is easily the next best thing to visiting France – and certainly more budget-friendly. Learn about French 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 26, 2024

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. This week is your LAST CHANCE until Fall of 2025 to visit the indoor playground.

Girl walking along paths in Woodbury Minnesota's Indoor Central Park


February 27, 2024

Science Museum of Minnesota OmniFest

120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102
Yeah, it’s screen time. But it’s screen time that is educational, awe-inspiring and ideal for the family to enjoy together (cozy and warm indoors, in keeping with our theme here). OmniFest screens five films back-to-back daily with fascinating themes such as space exploration and exotic wildlife. You can preview the lineup here. Each film is priced at $9.95/pp – this doesn’t include admission to the Science Museum exhibits (a worthwhile add-on if you’ve got an entire afternoon and several extra dollars to spend). Science Museum OmniFest starts February 24, 2024.
WAYS TO SAVE:

  • If you are considering a membership, now is the time because members can see one film a day for FREE.
  • Great Tix is the Science Museum’s income-based discount tickets are $3-$5/pp.
  • Combining Omnitheater tickets with general museum admission saves on both.
View of seating Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota
View of seating Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota

February 28, 2024

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 Tues-Wed 4-10pm ($11 cover admission), Thurs-Sun starting at 11am ($14 cover). Mini golf extra – $13-$15/pp.

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 29, 2024

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.

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