Twin Cities

Fall is in full swing! Looking for things to do before the weather turns cold? We found nine activities across the Twin Cities (well, one technically in Wisconsin) to try this season. 

Details: The Fall Colors train ride along the St. Croix River Valley is the perfect low-effort way to see foliage. Sit back, relax and take lots of pictures during the 90-minute tour. 

When: Every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 31. 

Details: It's the perfect weather for a fall bike ride to see the changing leaves. There are plenty of trails to explore, no matter your skill level. Here's our guide to some of the best across the metro.

Tip: Check beforehand to see if the trail or park has an entrance fee. 

Details: Take a short trip from the Twin Cities to one of Minnesota's many apple orchards to pick your own peck and enjoy other fall activities, like corn mazes and hayrides. Here's our guide to five orchards nearby. 

Tip: Check out our Instagram for our tour of Thompsons' Hillcrest Orchard in Elko New Market.

Details: Want to see some spooky movies on the big screen? Indie theater Trylon Cinema has a full calendar of creepy and cult movies this month, like "Kingdom of the Spiders," "Jennifer's Body," and their annual all-night Horrorthon. 

Details: What's fall without a good beer? The Twin Cities Oktoberfest brings together local breweries, cideries and wineries, plus other German fare like schnitzel and bratwurst, to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. 

Cost: Entrance is free, but you must buy a $5 wristband to purchase alcohol. 

Details: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit is a must-see. Arboretum staff work with garden centers and locals to create dozens of unique scarecrows each year, like "Anthony Crow-ci."

Tip: Walk through their pumpkin display while you're there — they have over 300 kinds!

Cost: Admission to the Arboretum is $15 a person, or free for members, children under 15 and University of Minnesota students.

Details: Plenty of spots around the Twin Cities have fall fare, like hot mulled cider from Minneapolis Cider Company, spiced maple lattes at Wesley Andrews and sweet potato maple bourbon latte from Dogwood Coffee Bar.  

Details: Head to the Twin Cities Harvest Festival for their 20-acre corn maze, partially shaped in the University of St. Thomas logo. Kids can also try the scavenger hunt for signs scattered throughout the maze. 

Tip: Try the haybale maze for an extra challenge — it's included in the price of the ticket. 

When: The festival is open daily through October 31, but the corn maze is only on weekends and the Thursday and Friday of MEA. 

Cost: $10 per person, kids under 36'' are free.

Details: Sever's Fall Festival is an annual classic, but their drive-thru light show is a unique way to celebrate the leaves changing. The 1.2 million lights even sync to fall music!

Cost: $25 per car, or $40 for a car of 8+ people. 

9 things to do this fall around the Twin Cities

The Fall Colors train ride along the St. Croix River Valley is the perfect low-effort way to see foliage.

hand holding a red apple in front of a group of apple trees on sunny day

A freshly picked Honeycrisp apple from Thompsons' Hillcrest Orchard. Photo: Audrey Kennedy/Axios

Things to Do

Axios Twin Cities, anchored by Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard

Axios Twin Cities

Looking for something to do this weekend? Here are five ideas:

🇳🇴 Ingebretsen's Flea Market, the self-proclaimed "best Scandinavian-focused flea market this side of the Mississippi," runs through Saturday in South Minneapolis. Cash or checks only. Free. 

👻 It's costume contest season! Dress in your Halloween finest and walk the runway at BOOnion Depot at Union Depot in St. Paul tonight. Stay for the double showing of "Hocus Pocus" and "The Nightmare before Christmas." Free. 

🎨 Saturday's Eat Street Fall Arts Fest on Minneapolis' Nicollet Avenue is an afternoon of food, music, flamenco dancing, live mural painting and hands-on art activities with Minneapolis Institute of Art. Free. 

🌱 Bring your green thumb to the Twin Cities Halloween Houseplant Extravaganza, a buy/sell/trade plant market Saturday at Hidden Falls Regional Park. Costumes for participants and pets encouraged. Free. 

📚 More than 50 Minnesota authors will speak on panels and present new releases at the Twin Cities Book Festival at the State Fairgrounds Saturday. New and used books, plus virtual events, will also be available. Free. 

On tap this weekend: Twin Cities Book Festival, flea markets and more

Illustration of an animated neutral emoji changing into a smiling-with-sunglasses emoji.

I recently stopped by Slice, a Black-owned pizzeria that just opened in Northeast Minneapolis. 

The small takeout and delivery spot serves New York-style pizza by the slice or pie.

My order: Pineapple chicken (pineapple belongs on pizza!). I drove back for a slice of pepperoni.

My review: 10/10! Hot out of the oven, good size, great sauce-to-cheese ratio and reasonably priced at $3.50 a slice.

No clue if it's actually New York-style. NY transplants: Give it a try and let us know! 

Tip: Follow Slice's Instagram and Facebook for updates. (Googling "Slice pizza Minneapolis" proved quite the challenge.)

Visit: 519 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 12-8pm; Friday-Saturday, 12-10pm. 

Craving New York-style pizza? Make Slice your next stop

The Black-owned pizzeria just opened in Northeast Minneapolis.

A slice of pizza from Slice, a new Black-owned pizza spot in Minneapolis.

 A slice of pepperoni from Slice. Photo: Audrey Kennedy/Axios

Food and Drink

It's Indigenous Peoples Day! Want to learn more about Native American culture and history? 

I went to Native-owned and operated Birchbark Books and Native Arts in Minneapolis to get some book recommendations. Here are five authors to add to your reading list: 

Tip: You can find them all at Birchbark, which was founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich.

Drew Hayden Taylor: Ojibway playwright, filmmaker and comedian 

Recommended: "Dead White Writer on the Floor," a two-act play examining (and poking fun at) fictional Native characters written by white people.

Peter Razor: First-time Ojibwe memoirist 

Recommended: "While the Locust Slept," in which Razor shares his harrowing story of growing up as a ward of the state of Minnesota in the 1930s.

Joy Harjo: First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate 

Recommended: "An American Sunrise," a collection of Harjo's poems on returning to her family's homeland and exploring her tribe's history.

Angeline Boulley: Ojibwe New York Times bestselling young adult author

Recommended: "Firekeeper's Daughter," a YA thriller about a Native teen rooting out corruption in her community.

Diane Wilson: Award-winning Dakota fiction writer and essayist 

Recommended: "The Seed Keeper," which follows a Dakota family for several generations and the women who protected their family seeds.

Thought bubble: I plan to read "The Seed Keeper" after I finish "LaRose" by Louise Erdrich. I'm 50 pages in and already recommend it. 

5 Native authors to read on Indigenous Peoples Day

From a collection of poems to a young adult thriller, here are five Native authors to add to your reading list.

hand holding purple book in front of storefront

Audrey bought The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson at Birchbark Books. Photo by Audrey Kennedy/Axios

We're well aware of the need for a reusable tote after Minneapolis' single-use bag fee took effect this month. But that's not the only low-waste option shoppers have in the Twin Cities.

What's happening: More retailers and restaurants are embracing a number of trash-free practices, from offering reusable takeout containers to selling products in bulk. 

Why it matters: We produce a lot of  garbage. The Twin Cities metro alone generates around 3.3 million tons of waste each year. 

And we're dumping more and more. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency expanded four metro landfills this summer in response to a 30% increase in garbage in the last year.

The big picture: Studies suggest that plastic waste significantly increased worldwide during the pandemic, in part because of greater demand for single-use plastics. 

State of play: Dedicated bulk markets, like Minneapolis' Tare, appear to be paving the way for low-waste alternatives in the metro. 

Tare Market — named after the word for the weight of an empty container — focuses on bulk food, such as spices, grains and even candies. Customers bring their own containers, or borrow one from the store by paying a returnable deposit.

Home goods store Zero(ish) Co., which operates under a similar concept, opened this August. Customers bring their own containers and purchase refills of cleaning, beauty and household products by the ounce. 

They also sell other low-waste goods, like reusable coffee filters, shampoo bars and dissolving laundry detergent strips. 

Meanwhile, some Twin Cities restaurants have begun offering Foreverware, a reusable takeout container customers can "check out" for a $5 deposit. They get the deposit back once the container is returned. 

Each steel container has an asset tag to track when, where and how often they're used. 

What they're saying: Since November, Foreverware has saved over 10,000 takeout containers from landfills, co-founder Natasha Gaffer said.

"It's been a great way for us to introduce more people to low-waste options outside of just our menu," a staff member from Foreverware partner Wise Acre Cafe told Axios. 

Zoom out: As consumers become more aware of climate change, adapting sustainable practices can help a business' bottom line, said Natalie Huang, assistant professor of supply chain and operations at the University of Minnesota. 

"More people are willing to pay a premium or stay loyal to firms that show their environmental efforts," she said. 

And, reducing waste during production can help businesses operate more efficiently. It can be cheaper over time too. 

The bottom line: It's unlikely you’ll be able to fit five years of your trash in a single mason jar. But sustainable options are available and attainable, no matter how small. 

"You don't have to be the perfect zero-waste consumer,"  Zero(ish) founder Kate Marnach said. "Any step toward reducing your trash matters."

More Twin Cities businesses embrace low-waste practices

The Twin Cities metro alone generates around 3.3 million tons of waste each year.

Recycling symbol made of plastic utensils

Audrey Kennedy

Featured stories

On tap this weekend: Twin Cities Book Festival, flea markets and more

More Twin Cities businesses embrace low-waste practices

Craving New York-style pizza? Make Slice your next stop

5 Native authors to read on Indigenous Peoples Day

9 things to do this fall around the Twin Cities