Weekend Happenings: Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

If you'll be sticking close to home this weekend chances are you'll have guests with you.  If you're looking for something to entertain the masses, check out the offerings below for some holiday fun.  And if all else fails, there are usually some great movies released on Thanksgiving weekend.

Making Seasons Bright
MN Landscape Arboretum
November 25 to January 1

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum announces "Making Spirits Bright," a holiday season brimming with merriment, music and make-believe. Visitors will find 12 spectacular storybook-themed decorated trees, surrounded by storytime seating, in the Oswald Visitor Center and Snyder Building. Santa also will be on hand! The whimsical art of Dr. Seuss in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" will inspire a display of holiday-themed gingerbread creations. All that and much more!

Here are the offerings for this weekend:

Storytime by the Trees. Sit down with the kids by your favorite tree and listen as the elves and helpers tell your favorite holiday stories. Storytimes: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Traditional Holiday Teas. Sat., Nov. 26  Snyder Building Tea Room. Share holiday joy at these formal teas complete with freshly baked sweets and savories, plus an English trifle. $23 member/$26 non-member, plus tax. 612-626-3951.

Holiday Kids' Shop. Nov. 25-Jan. 1. Tucked inside the Visitor Center, there will be a special place where kids can shop for gifts for mom and dad. Gift wrapping too! No grown-ups allowed!

Holiday Live Music. This weekend's highlights include:
•Holiday Heralds of the Minnesota Chorale, Saturday, Nov. 26, 1:30-2 p.m. and 2:30-3 p.m.
•Twin Cities Bronze Handbells Concert, Sunday, Nov. 27, 1-2:30 p.m., MacMillan Auditorium.


The Depot Ice Rink
225 3rd Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN 55401
Thanksgiving Holiday Hours:

10:00am – 9:00pm on November 24
10:00am – 11:30pm on November 25 & 26
10:00am – 6:00pm on November 27
Cost:  Prices and Packages

Having extra time off over the Thanksgiving holiday is a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family; but the question ultimately becomes ‘What do I do with all of my spare time?’ We suggest skating a few laps around an ice rink.

It's fun, it's romantic, and it's warm in the winter...and it's open this weekend. Named one of the top ten best places in the United States to ice skate by the USA Today and MSNBC, The Depot Rink is a historic Downtown Minneapolis train shed that now houses a modern-day, indoor rink with floor-to-ceiling glass walls showcasing views of the downtown city skyline.


Lifetime Fitness Turkey Day 5K
Lifetime Fitness Target Center - Downtown Mpls
Thurs., Nov. 24, 2011
8:00 am
Cost:  Registration: Adult – $30; Adult (LTF Member) – $20; Youth 5k (17 & under) – $20

Race Day Registration: Adult – $40; Youth 5k (17 & under) – $25

This Thanksgiving, consider taking a preemptive strike against all of those calories by participating in a long-distance run before the big feast.  Warm up your Thanksgiving appetite with the 2011 Life Time Turkey Day 5k! Since 1989, the TD5k has brought family and friends together to start the day in a healthy way. Join runners, joggers, and walkers for a morning of fun,

This charity race benefits the Second Harvest Heatland.

Happy Thanksgiving!