The Minnesota State Capitol has daily free tours, beginning on the hour every hour until one hour before closing. See the art collections, and weather permitting, go outside on the roof for a close-up view of the four golden horses that adorn the front of the Capitol.

Interested in local television? TPT, Twin Cities Public Television, offers tours once a month from November through April on the first Saturday of the month. Tours start at 10, 10.30, 11 and 11.30 a.m.

Downtown Minneapolis' most beautiful building, the Minneapolis Central Library, has several innovative design features, and an art collection, which are usually off-limits to the public. Register online or by phone for a tour of the Minneapolis Central Library. Would you have thought that above the silver wing, that the building has a green, grass covered roof? No, me either. Tours begin on December 1 until February 25, and reservations are required.

Museums and art galleries traditionally offer tours, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts has some of the best. Tours are offered daily at the MIA, no reservations are required, and you can choose between a tour of the museums' highlights, or one of the tours that focus on just one part of the vast collections.

The Guthrie Theater offers several tours, which are not free, but the best value is the free audio tour - download the Guthrie Theater's tour podcast for free from their website, put it on your iPod and explore at your own pace.

If your only experience with City Hall is paying parking tickets, you might not be aware of the history of Minneapolis' and St. Paul's city halls. St. Paul Court House, an art deco extravaganza dating from St. Paul's gangster days, with a 60 feet tall onyx statue of Native Americans with peace pipes offers a free self-guided tour, and guided tours can be requested via the city website. Minneapolis' City Hall and Court House is less dramatic inside, but the history of the building is just as interesting. Guided tours of Minneapolis' courthouse start at noon on the third Wednesday of every month.

_{Minneapolis Central Library. You'll need to go on a tour to see the top of that silver wing. Photo Clara James}

A Behind The Scenes Tour: See Hidden Twin Cities For Free originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 00:43:01.

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But, on the other side of town to the shirtless mountaineers, Wild Mountain Ski and Snowboard area opened on Sunday. It's been cold enough overnight for Wild Mountain to make snow, and they opened with one run and one lift operating, with appropriately discounted lift tickets for the day. Wild Mountain says that they will continue to make snow every time the weather is cold enough and hope to have more runs open soon.

So when does winter begin in Minneapolis and St. Paul? When does it start to snow in Minneapolis? That's the real kind, not make by the snow guns at ski resorts. It does seem like it's late this year, and so far the forecast for the coming week does indicate more higher-than-average temperatures, and doesn't contain any snow. But the unseasonal weather can't last much longer... can it? Surely we'll be due snow and ice and all the traditional cold weather in another next week? Or will we be celebrating Thanksgiving in our shirtsleeves? What do you think?

When Does Winter Start in Minneapolis/St. Paul? originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 00:26:49.

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One-time St. Paul resident, indie/folk musician Haley Bonar will be in store on Monday, November 16 for a special musical performance for the release of her children's EP, Sing With Me. Haley's music is regularly played on the Current so hip mamas and papas will likely enjoy this show as much as the kids will. The event is during Wild Rumpus' weekly Tail Time story time at 10.30 a.m., and it's free. Tail Time is very popular even without music stars, so get there early.

Haley Bonar at Wild Rumpus Bookstore: November 16 originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 23:34:09.

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Creative Kidstuff has been a favorite destination for holiday toy shopping and birthday gifts for over twenty years. The local-grown chain has six other locations, in Edina, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, St. Paul, and Woodbury, and the original store in Minneapolis' Linden Hills.

Tots are bound to love the giant cat that welcomes shoppers into the St. Louis Park store, but the store knows how to temp the grown ups too.

On November 21, early birds or night owls can shop kid-free at each of Creative Kidstuff's seven stores, enjoy mimosas in the morning or wine and dessert in the evening, and revive free gift wrap on every purchase. Reservations are required by calling the store you'd like to shop at, and it's for adult only, before and after the stores's regular opening hours.

Holiday Shopping: Creative Kidstuff's New Store, St. Louis Park originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 01:05:36.

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Time to Order Your Turkey - Finding An Organic, Free Range Turkey in Minneapolis/St. Paul originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 01:55:49.

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About half a million Minnesotans will be going deer hunting this weekend for the season opener, and between them shoot 200,000 deer during the season. In recent years, hunting restrictions have been liberalized in parts of Minnesota to lower deer populations, but when hunters shoot more deer than they will consume, what can be done with the surplus carcasses?

Since 2007, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Health has been running a program for hunters to donate deer carcasses to food shelves.

Participating meat processors take the carcasses, cut and wrap the meat which is then sent to a nearby food shelf to be distributed to needy families. Venison is considered to be a healthy source of protein, having a low fat and cholesterol content, and can be used in much the same way as beef - how about venison chilli?

Over 30 meat processors in Minnesota are participating in the program. To donate a deer, it must be a whole carcass, field dressed, with the hide intact. It must have been hunted legally and have a Minnesota DNR registration tag. There is no cost to the hunter - they have to sign a donation form, and then the venison can go to feed hungry families.

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Deer Donation Page
• Registered Meat Processors for Venison Donation Program
• Guide to donating a hunter-harvested deer

Venison Donation Program: Hunters Donating Deer to Food Shelves in Minnesota originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 01:31:29.

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Design Collective and W7 Collective - Minnesota Fashion and Art Design originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 01:29:23.

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For newcomers to the area, there are no metro-wide rules for getting leaves removed, except that it's illegal everywhere to dump your leaves into the street. Rules regarding leaves and yard waste vary from city to city. Whether your city collects your trash or if you have hired one of the several trash companies that serve the Twin Cities to do it, all collect yard waste. Some cities and companies include yard waste collection in the standard charge, others charge extra. Some come by with scheduled yard waste collection times, others you'll have to call to arrange collection. Most haulers stop yard waste collection in mid to late November.

If you have more than your trash collector will haul, or if you don't want to pay your trash collector to take it, you can take your leaves and yard waste to a yard waste or leaf recycling site. There are several across the Twin Cities run by cities, counties and trash haulers. Check your city and county website for the nearest one to you - http://www.yourcity.mn.us - is the format for all Minnesota city websites.

Another option, and one that's kinder to the environment, is to keep them for your garden. Pile the leaves up and then leave them for a year, letting them turn into leaf mold, which is full of nutrients for your garden. Or with a little more work, you can make leaf mulch, or add them to compost. No hauling fees and save on a couple of bags of compost next year.

If you are planning on bagging and hauling, or have someone else haul, your leaves, this is the last year you'll be able to use black plastic bags to do it. Next year, all yard waste must be bagged in compostable bags or trash collectors won't collect it. The idea is to make the process of composting yard waste more efficient and environmentally friendly. Everyone in the Twin Cities, that is, except people living in the city of Minneapolis who get an extra three years for the city to work the new regulations into their already complex trash hauling system.

Leaf Raking and Leaf Hauling in Minneapolis/St. Paul originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 23:48:24.

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If you or your children need a winter coat, but can't afford to buy one, here's a list of local organizations who can help.

Sharing And Caring Hands - Minneapolis - 612-338-4640
Ronald McDonald House - Minneapolis - 612-331-5752
Catholic Charities - Minneapolis - 612-664-8500
Lutheran Social Services - St. Paul - 651-969-2334
St. Louis Park Emergency Program, STEP - St. Louis Park - 952-925-4899
CEAP - Brooklyn Park - 763-566-9600
Hope for the City - Minnetonka - 952-897-7799
Sabathani Community Center - Minneapolis - 612-821-2347
Joseph's Coat - St. Paul - 651-291-2472
The Salvation Army - Metrowide, coats will be available from October 29 -651-746-3412
People Serving People - Minneapolis - 612-332-4500
Neighbors, Inc - South St. Paul - 651-455-1508
CHAP Ministries - Burnsville - 952-890-8222

These organizations can only help those in need with the assistance of donations. If you have a spare winter coat in good condition, or just found out that your kids grew out of last year's coats during the summer, or your teenagers can't possibly be seen in last year's coat - donating them to one of the organizations above can make the difference between a miserable, cold winter, and a warm one to whoever receives it. Donating clothing to a non-profit organization is tax deductible. Check the website of the organizations closest to you for donation information.

While coats and warm jackets are needed the most, other seasonal wear like winter boots, hats, warm gloves, and other seasonally appropriate clothing are also needed.

Another way to donate a coat and get something in return is to take it to Midwest Mountaineering, the outdoor outfitters in Minneapolis, between now and October 31. If you bring a new or gently used coat or winter jacket to the store, they'll give you 10% off the purchase of a new winter coat from the store. Last time I was in Midwest Mountaineering, their rails were packed with new arrival coats, for urban wear and for outdoor adventures.

Do You Need Help Getting a Winter Coat? originally appeared on About.com Minneapolis / St. Paul on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 15:25:06.

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