Axios Twin Cities

The Minnesota Zoo is a popular family-friendly destination, but a few times a year, it becomes an adults-only playground.

What's happening: I attended the March 11 "Zoo After Hours" — a recurring, 18+ night for those looking for a kids-free experience.

• Because of the cold and early sunset, last week's 5-8:30pm event only featured the aquarium and Tropics Trail, a warm, lush and winding path through exhibits.
• Plus, we could purchase beer, wine and zoo-themed cocktails.

Who made it great: Lucky, Kai, Noelani and Spree, four of the seven bottlenose dolphins Minnesota is temporarily hosting while their home at Illinois' Brookfield Zoo undergoes renovations.

• This wasn't the first after-hours event, but the zoo hasn't held dolphins since 2012.
• When they publicly debuted last December, their tank quickly became one of the most popular — and crowded— spots, volunteers told me.

My thought bubble: This was worth every penny of my $15 admission. It was quiet and calm with no crowds — a unique experience.

• It's also worth visiting — with or without kids— before the dolphins return to Illinois. When I went, they swam right up to the glass.
• A spokesperson told me they'll likely be around through the end of May.

What's next: Tickets ($25) go on sale soon for the April 29 after-hours experience. This time, the entire zoo will be open.

• The Treetop Trail, a walkway built on the former monorail tracks that lets pedestrians view the zoo from above, is set to open this summer.

Watch the dolphins in action via our Instagram.

⛪️ Five of the six Roman Catholic dioceses in Minnesota temporarily lifted Lenten restrictions on eating meat on Fridays in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The one outlier was a diocese in New Ulm. (Marshall Independent)

• New Ulm St. Patrick's Day parade co-founder Tom Donnelly said Thursday that good Irishmen will abide by the decision "as we always do."

🤖 Bemidji Middle School's robotics team qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship for the second year in a row. (The Bemidji Pioneer)

🔨 A run-down Waterville hotel on the National Register of Historic Places will be restored and converted into a five-unit apartment building. (Owatonna People's Press)

Two old Minneapolis motel signs have been put up for auction as Hennepin County prepares to convert the buildings into affordable-housing units.

• The bidding opened Tuesday at $5/sign. As of Friday afternoon, the Metro Inn sign had reached $18; Aqua City Motel's was at $525 with more than 3o bidders.

What they're saying: The signs had to be removed so it was clear rooms weren't available for rent, but the county recognized some might find them to be "novel or worth preserving," a spokesperson for Hennepin County told me.

• But: The decades-old signs are in "used condition." No guarantee the neon works, according to the auction site.