Things to do in Minneapolis & St Paul this weekend!
This Twin Cities Family Weekend Guide covers the weekend of October 28-29, 2023 – the weekend before Halloween! To find our most recent guide, click here.
There is no shortage of not-so-spooky family events haunting the Twin Cities area this year. Pick your poison – do you want to trick-or-treat? Still hunting for that perfect pumpkin to carve up? We’ve got bunches of ideas for things to do this weekend with your kids on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR, our GUIDE TO FALL FUN IN THE TWIN CITIES or browse our ultimate TWIN CITIES GUIDE TO HALLOWEEN FUN IN 2023 (if you dare!).
Family Halloween events & fall festivals this weekend in the Twin Cities
Trick-or-treating in the Twin Cities
Hey families! There are some great trunk-or-treat events and trick-or-treat trails going on across the Twin Cities this weekend if you’re looking for an alternative to the usual door-to-door routine. FAR TOO MANY to list here in the weekend guide, in fact. Most of these are FREE and do not require registration! Hit up the guide for details.
Free Halloween events in the Twin Cities
St Paul & Minneapolis Parks Halloween parties
More Halloween parties, trick-or-treat & trunk-or-treat events than we can list in this weekend guide! Hit the link for FREE Halloween fun Friday-Sunday.
Twin Cities Northwest Metro Halloween events
Including Anoka’s Halloween Grande Day Parade, a trunk-or-treat in Maple Grove, a special costume contest & storytime Fridley and more Halloween events this weekend. Plus, plan ahead to purchase tickets for Halloween events that require a fee.
October 29, 2023: Andover Christian Church Great Pumpkin Party
October 28, 2023: Anoka Grande Day Parade
October 28, 2023: Spooktacular at Zanewood
October 28, 2023: Buffalo Trick or Treat
October 29, 2023: Halloween Kids Costume Contest & Storytime at Forgotten Star
October 28, 2023: Maple Grove Trunk or Treat
October 28, 2023: Osseo Lions Halloween Event
October 28, 2023: Trick or Treat Plymouth Town Center
October 29, 2023: Messiah Church Trunk or Treat
Twin Cities Northeast Metro Halloween events
Trunk-or-treat at local churches in the Twin Cities northeast metro and hit the streets of Stillwater to gather candy at participating downtown businesses this weekend. For plan-ahead Halloween fun in the northeast metro communities of Roseville, Shoreview, White Bear Lake & Wyoming, browse over here.
October 28, 2023: Living Waters Trunk or Treat
October 28, 2023: Lutheran Church of Peace Trunk or Treat
October 28, 2023: Faith United Methodist Trunk or Treat
October 29, 2023: Stillwater Main Street Trick or Treat
Twin Cities Southeast Metro Halloween events
Including free trick-or-treating in local businesses districts in communities such as Apple Valley and Hastings and a big Monster Bash parade in Cottage Grove. There’s more! The communities of Burnsville, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights & Lakeville are hosting Halloween events this weekend, too. View those that require a ticket purchase here.
October 28, 2023: Apple Valley Trunk-or-Treat
October 28, 2023: Monster Bash Parade
October 29, 2023: Halloween Candy Crawl
October 28, 2023: Newport Trunk or Treat
Twin Cities Southwest Metro Halloween events
A ghostly gaggle of places of trick-or-treat in the following communities this weekend plus plan-ahead events (ticket required) in Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Richfield, St Louis Park & Victoria. Get the scoop on these Halloween events here.
October 29, 2023: Bloomington Halloween Trick or Treat Trail
October 28, 2023: Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest & Puppy Parade
October 29, 2023: Burnsville Halloween Skating Party
October 28, 2023: Trick-or-Treat at 50th & France
October 28, 2023: Halloween in Excelsior
October 28, 2023: Halloween in Hopkins
October 28, 2023: Trick-or-Treating in Downtown Shakopee
October 28, 2023: Shakopee Spooky Family Fun Night
October 28, 2023: Boo Blast Celebration
More Halloween Fun this weekend in Minneapolis & St Paul
Fall Free Ink Day at Highpoint Center
Highpoint Center for Printmaking, 912 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408
Relief printing in the Rain Garden: Spend a weekend afternoon creating fall or Halloween-themed prints to take home. Plus candy provided – and wear your costume if you like! October 28, 2023, 12-4pm. FREE.
Haunted Roundhouse
Jackson Street Roundhouse, 193 Pennsylvania Ave E, St Paul, MN 55130
All the fun of the Jackson Street Roundhouse (train rides, too) with a slightly spooky air plus smores & trick-or-treating. Choose an entrance time between 10am & 2pm. October 28, 2023. Tickets: $7-$15/pp or $45/family.
Spooky Trains – Night Trains
668 Transfer Rd Ste. 8, St Paul, MN 55114
Night Trains begins with three Saturdays of “spooky trains” complete with treats. Costumes are welcome. Learn more about the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum. October 28, 2023, 3-7pm. $15/pp age 4+.
BOOnion Depot
Union Depot, 214 4th Street East, St. Paul, MN 55101
Halloween activities, crafts and costume contest, trick-or-treating, face painting and more. October 29, 2023, 10am-3pm. FREE.
Fun outdoor activities in Twin Cities parks this weekend
Featured here for the weekend is just a taste of all that’s going on across the incredible Twin Cities park systems. You can get more ideas on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR or browse the links below to search for local fun events & things to do with kids this weekend in the parks.
SOME FUN FAMILY IDEAS FOR THIS WEEKEND
MISSISSIPPI GATEWAY REGIONAL PARK in Brooklyn Park is connected to COON RAPIDS DAM REGIONAL PARK by an exciting walk across the dam. So it’s really a double feature – two parks in one straddling the river with things to do on both sides including a visitor center, nature play area, bike trails and a playground.
HALLOWEEN EVENT AT THE PARK! Trick-or-Treat Geocaching
Trick-or-treat by geocaching your way around the park. Also, meet animals and wear your Halloween costume if you’d like. Registration required. October 28, 2023, 10am-12pm, $6/pp.
Also to think about this weekend, each Sunday in October, Mississippi Gateway hosts a FREE FAMILY FUN DAY with drop-in activities from 1-3pm. October 29, 2023, drop in between 1-3pm.
Want to explore more nature centers this weekend? Check out the links on our big list of Twin Cities nature & interpretive centers for all the details.
FEATURED TWIN CITIES PARK EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Halloween Spooktacular at Harriet Alexander Nature Center
2520 Dale St N, Roseville, MN 55113
Barrel train rides, Halloween crafts, face painting and a trunk-or-treat organized by Calvary Church youth. October 28, 2023, 1-4pm. $8/child, registration required.
Eagan Halloween Trail Walk
Viking Lakes, 2685 Vikings Circle, Eagan MN
Dress up and explore “Legends Crossing” outdoors at the Eagan Community Center while visiting trick or treat stations and playing games. A local DJ will share music. October 28, 2023, 11am-2pm, $6/child; adults free with food donation. Pre-registration required.
Visit a Twin Cities pumpkin patch or corn maze this weekend
This weekend’s highlighted fall fun pumpkin patches & corn mazes:
It’s LAST CHANCE for the pumpkin patch this weekend and we’ve got the details on 15 on our list we think are worth checking out for their fall activities, farm animals, and fresh produce. This weekend we highlight DEHN’S PUMPKINS in Dayton, Minnesota. Free admission is offered to the market place and pumpkin patch. Wristbands for adults & kids vary according to day of the week and range from $7-$12/pp. The list of activities includes fall classics such as a corn maze and scenic hayride. 17270 125th Ave N, Dayton,. MN 55327
Jump over to Pick One: Twin Cities Pumpkin Patches or click the graphic for more outing ideas.
KIDS IN THE (CORN) MAZES
Love them, fear them, however you feel about corn mazes, they are a staple of outdoor fall fun in Minnesota. This weekend, we share with you the corn maze at WALDOCH FARM in Lino Lakes. The purchase of a Joyer Adventure Farm ticket includes this big ‘ol corn maze plus tons of other fun fall activities. Timed tickets sold online only – $14.99/pp, includes all attractions.
Find more Twin Cities corn mazes for all ages on our TOP 10 CORN MAZES FOR FAMILIES LIST.
More ideas for things to do this weekend in the Twin Cities with kids
Is there anything to do in town that does not somehow involve Halloween, you might be wondering? Turns out the answer is “not much”…but we do have a few ideas:
Michaels Sunday Makebreak
Participating Michaels stores across the Twin Cities offer free Sunday kids classes. This weekend, kids can craft mandala pumpkin art. OK, so it’s still in the family of Halloween activities… October 29, 2-4pm, FREE.
Fall Flower Show at Como Conservatory
1225 Estabrook Dr, St Paul, MN 55103
Autumn colors are on fire at the Fall Flower Show in the Conservatory’s sunken garden. Plus, it’s all indoors and balmy so noses won’t freeze. Admission is always free w/ donations gladly accepted. Daily, 10am-4pm.
Pond Dakota Mission Park Living History Open House
401 E 104th St, Bloomington, MN 55420
Hands-on living history programs fun and free of charge. New themes each Saturday – this week, drop in for a mystery house tour. October 28, 2023, drop in from 1-4pm.
Catch the fall colors
Beautiful but fleeting, fall colors in Minnesota are worth a weekend family outing. Some suggestions for the best places to view this stunning palette can be found in our TWIN CITIES FALL COLOR GUIDE. Or, here are a few quick notes to jot, some from readers who have voted for their favorite color spots in our OCTOBER SURVEY:
- HYLAND LAKE PARK RESERVE, Bloomington – for the well-groomed paths.
- MINNEHAHA FALLS REGIONAL PARK, Minneapolis – take the stairs down into the gorge and hike the little trails to admire the colors.
- MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM, Chaska – beautiful colors, displays and an apple house.
- RED WING, Minnesota – Barn Bluff is one of our favorite fall hikes and less than an hour from the metro.
- TAYLORS FALLS, Minnesota – Interstate State Park, on the St Croix River, is some of the best scenery and colors in the state.
