Looking to explore the capital of Minnesota with your kids but want to stay within your budget? We have some fun and thrifty St. Paul outing ideas with kids!
St. Paul is a fun and adventurous city. We rounded up a few thrifty outings for kids in St. Paul. Read on…
State Capitol Tours
What better way to start exploring St. Paul than where it all began at the State Capitol! There are free guided tours of the State Capitol Monday- Saturday every hour. The tours are 45 minutes long and start at the top of every hour 9am – 4pm Monday through Friday and 10am – 2pm every Saturday.
Throughout the tour you see many amazing pieces of history including: the second largest self supported marble dome in the world, decorative art, murals and paintings from 1905, the chambers where government decisions are made, stories about the Capitol’s history and more! You can learn more about the tours here.
Red Balloon Bookshop
The Red Balloon Bookshop has been a staple of St Paul’s Grand Avenue for over 39 years! Not only are they an amazing bookshop to visit any day, they also have weekly storytime for kids and lots of other free events.
Join Red Balloon Storyteller Kelly every Wednesday and and Storyteller Angela every Thursday at 10:30am for stories, rhymes, and fun! All are welcome at weekly story times, especially infants and toddlers ages 0-3!
Other free events include the Teens Read Book Club, the (Not-So) Young Adults Book Club and lots of author events. Most of the events are free to attend, with an optional book purchase. You can check out their full list of events here.
Union Depot
Have you been to Union Depot for their scavenger hunt? Chances are maybe you’ve visited for another event, but have you really stopped to take a look at everything inside Union Depot?
The scavenger hunt is available online here and includes 9 stops featuring train depot history, the largest lite-bright mural in the world, local art and more! They even have a train-themed Free Little Library if you want to pick up a book for your next reading adventure.
For kids a little older, Union Depot does offer free tours. The tours are 60 minutes long and cover over 4 blocks of walking. There are two different types of free tours, one that dives into the lesser known facts about Union Depot and one that sticks to the historical background. You can find the tour times listed at the Union Depot website.
St. Paul Public Libraries
For kids 7-11, St. Paul Public Libraries has FunLab at different branches. What is FunLab you ask? FunLab is the opportunity for kids ages 7-11 to hang out, play games, and make some cool stuff at the library. It’s a STEAM drop-in program featuring crafts, science experiments, engineering projects and more.
You can find the full list of FunLab opportunities here. FunLab takes place at over 12 St. Paul Public Library locations.
What are your favorite fun and thrifty things to do in St. Paul? Do you have something to add to our list? Tell us in the comments below!
Also be sure to see Free and Low Cost Things to Do in Minneapolis with Kids.
- About the Author
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Hannah is a married mom of 3 kiddos in the Twin Cities. Born and raised here in MN, she loves finding deals and special events to share with others.
Hannah enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading books, going on road trips up north, singing along with the radio and finding new thrift stores to shop! Hannah is also a fierce advocate for people with disabilities and is always on the lookout for more sensory friendly opportunities in the Twin Cities.
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