Optional Tours

“Up North” Forests and Cities Tour

Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
$88 per person

Join us as we spend an unforgettable day touring many of Minnesota’s most beautiful cities and innovatively managed forests – by foot and haywagon!

We’ll head “Up North” by luxury motorcoach to northern Minnesota to visit historic “Harbor City” built on the shores of Lake Superior.  A professional forester and Tree Farm inspector will be “on tap” for the ride, answering questions and providing interesting tidbits about Minnesota’s forests.  First stop, the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center, viewing state-of-the-art research projects and demonstration sites during a comfortable and relaxing 2 hour hayride.  A delicious local lunch will follow at the forestry center.

Next up, we’ll visit the city of Duluth, a port city perched on the sparkling westernmost tip of Lake Superior near the Wisconsin border.  We’ve engaged a local expert that will provide us with a 1 ½ hour tour, including a stop at Enger Tower, which overlooks the city skyline, lake and surrounding forests and prairies. From here we will travel the University of Minnesota’s beautiful and fragrant Rose Gardens.  If you enjoy history, Duluth is a fascinating site.  Originally the haunt of the Ojibwe and fur traders, at the turn of the 20^thcentury it had become the playground of the rich and famous with a port that surpassed New York and Chicago in tonnage of goods. The industrial port boom faltered in the challenging economic times of the late 20^th Century.  Today, the city is enjoying a renaissance whose culture and natural beauty attracts some 3.5 million tourists a year.  A highlight is the Canal Park region, once empty warehouses, it now features an ever-growing array of boutiques, interesting restaurants and shops.  We’ll spend our free time here, or, if you prefer, walking along the shores of Lake Superior, a truly “Great” Lake, which features the famed Aerial Lift Bridge.

On our way home by motorcoach we’ll stop at Grand Casino – Hinckley for a delicious dinner buffet before returning to the hotel.
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** SOLD OUT** St. Paul Sightseeing Tour and River Cruise

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
$65 per person 

There’s a reason it’s called “The Twin Cities.”  Join us for a terrific day of touring the Saintly City, St. Paul, Minnesota.  We’ve procured one of the cities most knowledgeable tour guides to give us an insider’s look at “the last city of the East,” a city of turrets and towers, baroque domes and elaborate Victorian architecture.  The tour will begin driving through Victorian neighborhoods built by railroad barons, historic families and notable authors that rival the famous row of “Painted Ladies” in San Francisco.  The next stop will be the magnificent St. Paul Cathedral and the equally stunning State Capitol.  The corporate headquarters Ecolab and the Minnesota Wild Hockey Team’s home arena – Xcel Energy Center – will show off the region’s sense of innovation and robust economy.  From there we’ll hop on a scenic boat cruise on the Mississippi River, listening to stories of this surprising city, home to cathedrals and such notorious gangsters as John Dillinger and Babyface Nelson.   Docking on Harriet Island, we transfer to the historic Padelford River Boat ® to take in panoramic views of the great city on the prairie.  The cruise will continue with an onboard lunch, a fascinating expert presentation and viewings of the St. Paul High Bridge, Pig’s Eye's Cave, Minnesota River mouth, Pike Island, Fort Snelling, and – always as the backdrop -- the timeless splendor of the mighty Mississippi River.

After the conclusion of the cruise we will again board the motorcoach as we make our way back to Minneapolis.
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University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum & Sovereign Estate Winery Tour

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
$65 per person

Climb aboard our deluxe motorcoach as we leave the busy city for a day of touring TheUniversity of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Sovereign Estate Winery.  The arboretum features more than 1,000 acres of magnificent gardens, model landscapes, and natural areas-from woodlands and wetlands to prairie-with extensive collections of northern-hardy plants.  We think you’ll enjoy the “Red Barn” built in 1920 as well as whimsical willow sculptures.  Enjoy a tram ride with guided tour through the Arboretum or walk a portion of the 12.5 miles of garden paths and hiking trails.  Smell the flowers, inhale the scents of roses, mint and lavender, Then quench your thirst with refreshing ice-cold lemonade, iced tea and a snack in the Tea Room overlooking the gardens with Green Heron Pond in the distance.

Next up, Sovereign Estate Winery, an award-winning vinter located on the scenic north shore of Lake Waconia.  A European style winery with a storied history, it showcases how a local family has worked the land to create a unique product, based on the specific “terroir” of this region. There will be tours, wine tastings, on-site shopping and an antipasto lunch on the patio. 
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Dinner at Nye's Polonaise

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
$50 per adult
$20 per child (12 and under)

Join us for an evening of delicious food and music in one of Minneapolis' most treasured venues.  The bar at the corner of Prince Street NE and East Hennepin Avenue has been called Nye’s since 1950, when Albin Nye took over Prince Café owned by Hefron’s, a “working man’s bar” occupying the 1880’s building.  From the beginning whenever it was open, Al, a former machine shop foreman at Minar Ford, was determined to be there serving drinks to the mostly blue-collar Nordeast crowd.

Business was good, and before long Al began to envision a dining room addition unlike any other.  In 1964 Al opened a piano lounge resplendent in oak paneling, red carpet, and curvy, glittering, naugahyde booths.  Al designed the colored-glass light fixtures himself and had them custom-made by the Winona Lighting Company.  Above the piano, Al hung a portrait of Frederic Chopin, the Polish composer famous for his works in the style of “Polonaise”, the Polish national dance.  “Polonaise”, the French word for “Polish”, also gave Al a name for his unique, new dining room.

Serving dinner gave Al the opportunity to display his heritage by developing his own Polish recipes for things like sauerkraut and cabbage rolls, as well as prime rib.  Al also tore out an old exit stair in the “Old Bar” so he could build the legendary tiny Polka stage, which would become a space-saving showcase for countless live bands over the years.

Business remained robust, so in the late 60’s Al opened the Chopin Dining Room, which was located next door on the first floor of a former Harness Shop that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The brick exterior of the Chopin Dining Room is a contributing property to the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District.

Al’s domination of the block was made complete in 1974 when he incorporated Jon’s Café, the diner next door that was formerly known as The Dog House, and turned it into Nye’s.  Al redecorated the space with military portraits and named it the Pulaski Room, after General D. Pulaski, a polish-born officer in the American Revolutionary War, and a hero to Polish-Americans everywhere.  Business was booming!

Somehow, through nine presidents, River Place, and a fire in 1988, Nye’s was never redecorated.  Instead , Al focused his efforts on serving his guests high quality, reasonably priced food and drink in a fun, swanky atmosphere, always with a nice “Jumbo” cocktail until his retirement in 1994 at the age of 79.  Steven Anderly took over ownership until 1999, when Nye’s was purchased by brothers Rob and Tony Jacob.  The Jacob brothers are committed to providing their guests with the highest quality food, drink and friendly service in a fun atmosphere and they will continue to preserve the legacy Al Nye created over fifty years ago!

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Minneapolis Tour, Mall of America Visit and Transportation to MSP Airport

Sunday, July 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
$35 per person

Before departing for home, you can enjoy a half-day excursion that will include a one-hour sightseeing tour of Minneapolis, and a visit to the Mall of America. With its gleaming skyscrapers and glittering lakes, Minneapolis in the summer is simply gorgeous.  In our tour, we’ll enjoy the architecture of downtown, which spans three centuries, and includes both historic buildings and newly minted avant garde structures.  Sights will include:

• The Theater District -- with thirty theaters, Minneapolis has more seats per capita than any U.S. city except New York.
• The Nicollet Mall – home of the renowned shopping and restaurant district and Target’s Headquarters
• The Mill District – home of the historic Mill City Museum and former Pillsbury Flour Mills.

We’ll leave the city center to travel by several of the area’s 22 tree-lined lakes, including Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. After all that nature, plan to enjoy shopping at the famous Mall of America, the largest indoor shopping mall in America, which has it’s own indoor theme park – “Nickelodeon Universe.”

The bus will be waiting for you at the scheduled departure time for MSP Airport, ensuring a stress-free arrival at whatever Terminal you depart from: Terminal 1 – Lindbergh Terminal (Delta, American Airlines, United, Air Canada, Alaskan Air, Frontier and US Airways and Terminal 2 – AirTran, IcelandAir, Southwest Airlines, Spirit and Sun Country.

We think this will be a great way to say goodbye to new friends and old, and one of America’s greatest cities! 

Note: The tour will drop guests off at the Mall of America at 11:15 a.m. for free time at the Mall. During the tour, there will be two shuttles to drop off guests at the MSP Airport.  Shuttle 1 will go straight to the airport (no visit to the Mall of America) and drop off guests at Airport terminals 1 & 2 by  12:30 p.m.  The later Shuttle 2 will allow guests to visit the Mall of America and depart the mall at 2:00 p.m., dropping off passengers at Airport terminals 1 & 2 by 3:00 p.m.