Wild Rumpus is a one-of-a-kind independent children's bookstore. They celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2017. Besides a catalog of books geared toward children and a friendly staff, they boast a menagerie of domestic and exotic pets. Once a year, in the late spring, the animals get their annual vet check up. Families are invited to come watch.
Like any good bookstore, they also offer author events, readings and story times. They are not quick to get these up on their website or out in press releases, so I recommend getting on their email list.
During the shutdown for Covid-19, Wild Rumpus offers live story times, book recommendations and photos of their famous pets via Instagram and Facebook . You can also watch their story times on YouTube for 24 hours after they are live.
Read Gianna's guide to the Rumpus here.
Wild Rumpus Trolley Story Times
A couple times a year, Wild Rumpus offers their popular trolley ride story times. Several other bookstores do this now, too, but I think this is the bookstore that started the trend. At least they were the first I saw do it. This also tends to be the most popular of the trolley story hours, so they've used various methods to fairly distribute tickets -- from lottery systems to limits on tickets.
Whichever method they use to distribute the tickets, they are gone too fast to promote. If you are interested in attending one of these programs, I, again, recommend subscribing to their newsletter so you can get the details early.
Wild Rumpus Neighborhood
Wild Rumpus is located in the beloved Linden Hills neighborhood. If you are up for an afternoon of exploring, other nearby family-friendly stores include Creative Kidstuff and Heartfelt. Anne has more details and suggestions for restaurants in her article, Family Fun Idea: 5 Spots to Stop in Linden Hills, Minneapolis. Also, speaking of trolley rides, one of the Como-Harriet Streetcar trolley stations is in Linden Hills. Even if you are not attending a story time, you may be able to ride the trolley.