Open Streets MPLS Returns With Eight Events For 2016

Open Streets MPLS returns for it sixth year with eight events that cover all quadrants of the city including downtown.  What started as one event in 2011 has grown into something big that gives cyclists, pedestrians, skaters and skateboarders a new way to see the city without automobile traffic.  These events are a great way to explore these neighborhoods, their local businesses and meet new people in a fun, family-friendly way.  And best of all, they are all free.  So grab your bike, walking shoes, skateboard or skates and enjoy these neighborhood streets that are free from traffic for one day.

Thanks to the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) and the City of Minneapolis for making these events possible.  These events have brought out thousands of people to see these neighborhoods in a way that is not possible during the rest of the year.

Local community members plan out these events and around 100 volunteers are needed for each one.  If you would like to volunteer for any of the Open Streets MPLS events, visit the Open Streets Volunteer page and fill out the sign up form.

Open Streets MPLS Dates

Lyndale Avenue South

Sunday, June 5th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

22nd St. W. to 42nd St. W. 

Facebook Event Page

Downtown

Sunday, July 10th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Washington Ave. N. from 8th Ave. N to 1st Ave. N.
& 1st Ave. N. from Washington Ave. N. to 8th St. S.

Facebook Event Page 

East Lake Street

Sunday, July 24th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Elliot Ave. to 42nd Ave. S.

Facebook Event Page

Northeast

Sunday, August 7th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

13th from 2nd to 5th/5th from 13th to 22nd/
22nd from 5th to Central/Central from Lowry to 18 1/2th 
Facebook Event Page

Franklin Avenue

Sunday, August 21st
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Portland Ave. to 28th Ave. S.

Facebook Event Page 

Broadway

Saturday, September 10th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lyndayle to Penn Ave. N.

Facebook Event Page

Nicollet

Sunday, September 18th
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lake St. W. to 46th St. W.

Facebook Event Page

University of Minnesota

Saturday, October 1st
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Cedar Riverside/West Bank/Dinkytown
Facebook Event Page

 For updates on Open Streets MPLS visit them on Facebook, Twitter or their website.

Open Streets MPLS Returns With Eight Events For 2015

As the Summer biking season approaches Open Streets MPLS returns in its fifth year with eight events around the city. What started as one event in 2011 has grown into something big that gives cyclists, pedestrians, skaters and skateboarders a new way to see the city without automobile traffic.  These events provide a safe place for people to get to know these neighborhoods, do some shopping, have some fun, meet new people and it's all free.

An initiative of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, Open Streets MPLS has become a huge success bringing out thousands of people for these events.  Come and join the fun family atmosphere that is Open Streets in these great Minneapolis neighborhoods and see the city in a whole new way.

Local community members plan out these events and around 100 volunteers are needed for each one.  If you would like to volunteer for any of the Open Streets MPLS events, visit the Open Streets Volunteer page and fill out the sign up form.

Image Credit: Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition

   

Open Streets MPLS Dates

Lyndale Avenue South 

Sunday, June 7
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

22nd St. W. to 42nd St. W. 

Northeast

Sunday, July 12
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

"Join us for a not just one street but a whole route!"

East Lake Street

Sunday, August 2 
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Elliot Ave. to 42nd Ave. S.

 

Franklin Avenue

Sunday, August 16
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Portland Ave. to 28th Ave. S.

Downtown

Sunday, August 23
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Washington Ave. from 1st Ave. N to 10th Ave. N.
& 1st Ave. N. from Washington Ave. N. to 8th St. N.

University of Minnesota

Saturday, September 12
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
University Ave. and Oak St.

Nicollet

Sunday, September 20
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lake St. W. to 46th St. W.

Lowry

Saturday, September 26
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Emerson Ave. N. to Vincent Ave. N.

For updates on Open Streets MPLS visit them on Facebook, Twitter or their website.

Pedal Hub Podcast Keeps Listeners Updated on Growing Twin Cities Bike Community

Pedal Hub is a weekly podcast brought to you by Minnesota Public Radio and is hosted by owner of One On One Bicycle Studio Gene Oberpriller, Amber Dallman from St. Paul Women on Bikes and 30 Days of Biking founder Patrick Stephenson.  These 30 minute episodes cover a number of cycling topics, what's going on with cycling in the Twin Cities and include guest cycling enthusiasts providing interesting discussions.

Image Credit: Banjo Brothers

Pedal Hub started back in August and continues to gain new listeners with each new episode.  This podcast is for all cyclists, beginner or experienced and is full of useful information and insight into cycling in the Twin Cities.  Visit the Pedal Hub page on the MPR News website for new and past episodes.  Subscribe to Pedal Hub on iTunes or the RSS Podcast Feed.  Stay updated on Pedal Hub by following on Twitter.

Minneapolis Bike Tour Returns for 8th Year

The Minneapolis Bike Tour has become a yearly tradition for cyclist of all ages and abilities since its inauguration in 2007.  This event allows participants to enjoy a tour of Minneapolis on segments of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway and the Midtown Greenway at their own pace with the parkways and roadways free of traffic.  Proceeds from the tour will benefit  bike safety and education events for Minneapolis youth as well as bike trail improvement projects throughout the system.

The Minneapolis Bike Tour takes place on Sunday, September 14th and will start and finish on Boom Island in Minneapolis.  There will be 16, 25 and 32 mile routes to choose from complete with hydration stops, mechanical and medical support.  Don't forget your helmet, wearing it is a requirement of  all participants during the ride.

Image Credit: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Photographers

Stick around for a post-ride party with live music and beer (available for participants 21+ with ID).  Local food vendors will be on hand as well as exhibitor booths and Bike Tour merchandise will be available for sale.  The post-ride party will open from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm.

Image Credit: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Photographers

Registration is available online until September 10th at 9:00 am.  Register early, after September 10th the fee goes up $5.  On-site registration will be available on September 13th from 8:30 am to 12 noon and  September 14th from 6:30 to 8:00 am.  Registration fee for adults (18+) is $40, youth (ages 6-17) is $15 and children under 5 are free.

Image Credit: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Photographers

For more information about the Minneapolis Bike Tour, visit the FAQ page, Bike Tour Details page and the About the Minneapolis Bike Tour page.  If you have additional questions contact the Minneapolis Parks Customer Service at 612-230-6400 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or send an email to specialevents@minneapolisparks.org.  More than 150 Bike Tour Volunteers are needed to make this event a success.  If you would like to volunteer or get more information about volunteering, call 612-313-7779 or send an email to smcgrath@minneapolisparks.org.

Plan Your Own Twin Cities Brewery Taproom Bike Tour

The Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area is known for two things, cycling and craft beers.   With our bike infrastructure and a boom of new microbreweries, this give cyclists a great opportunity to bike to a multitude of taprooms around the Twin Cities.  So many breweries with taprooms are scattered throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul that you should be able to plan several bike tours without hitting the same ones twice, unless you are compelled to visit your favorites.  Ride with friends, in the era of social media it shouldn't be hard to put together your own group taproom bike tour.  If you prefer that someone else do the navigating, check in with Bike to Beer in Minneapolis for upcoming bike tours of local microbreweries.  To help you better plan your own brewery taproom bike tours, I have created a Twin Cities Taprooms by Bike map.

View Twin Cities Taprooms by Bike in a larger map

Open this map on your smartphone to help you reach your taproom destinations or use it to plan out a ride using your favorite cycling/mapping app or GPS software.  Use the Bicycling map layer available in Google maps to show trails, bike lanes and bicycle friendly roads to plan the most bike-friendly routes from taproom to taproom.  

Taproom hours* vary, so plan out your route in accordance with those that are open on the day of your ride.  Below is a list of the brewery taprooms on this map with hours and website links.

*Taproom hours subject to change.  Visit brewery website or call for updated taproom hours. 

945 NE Broadway St., Ste.188, Mpls
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-10 pm
Friday 2:30-Midnight
Saturday Noon-Midnight
Sunday 11:30 am-9 pm
612-217-0437

 

4571 Valley Industrial Blvd S, Shakopee

Taproom hours:

 Tuesday 3-7pm

Wednesday 3-10pm

Thursday 3-10pm

Friday 3-11pm

Saturday 12-11pm

Sunday 12-8pm

952-230-2739

2320 Capp Rd., St.Paul

Taproom hours:

Friday 4-10pm

Saturday 2-8pm

 1315 Tyler St NE, Mpls
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-11 pm
Thursday 4-11 pm
Friday 3-11 pm
Saturday Noon-11 pm
612-276-6911

 1744 Terrace Dr, Roseville
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-10 pm
Friday 2:30-11 pm
Saturday Noon-11 pm
Sunday Noon-7 pm
844-TRY-BENT

2222 4th St., White Bear Lake
Taproom hours:
Tuesday 4-10 pm
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-10 pm
Friday 3-11 pm
Saturday 1-11 pm
612-360-2986

 2014 Washington Ave. N.,Mpls
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-9 pm
Thursday 4-9 pm
Friday 4-9 pm
Saturday 1-9 pm
Sunday 1-6 pm
612-227-9635

 

1750 Thomas Ave. W., St. Paul
Taproom hours:
Thursday 4-9 pm
Friday 4-10 pm
Saturday 2-10 pm
Sunday 2-6 pm
651-444-8882

1300 2nd St. NE, Mpls
Taproom hours:
Tuesday 4-10 pm
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-10 pm
Friday 3 pm-12 am
Saturday 12 pm-12 am
612-209-2626

920 East Lake Street #123, Mpls
Taproom Hours:
Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-12am
612-217-4668 

7929 Victoria Dr., Victoria
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-10 pm
Friday 4-10 pm
Saturday 12-10 pm
Sunday 12-6 pm
952-300-8408

421 3rd St., Excelsior
Taproom hours:
Wednesday 4-10 pm
Thursday 4-11 pm
Friday 4-11 pm
Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-6 pm
952-474-7837

2506 Central Ave NE, Mpls
Taproom hours:
Monday-Thursday 4-11pm 
Friday 4pm-12am
Saturday 12pm-12am
Sunday 12-9pm
Taproom: 612-444-3574

 

 688 Minnehaha Ave E, St. Paul

Taproom hours:

Tuesday 3:30-6:30 pm

Thursday 3:30-6:30 pm

Friday 3:30-6:30 pm

Saturday 12-6:30 pm

651-698-1945

 414 6th Ave N, Mpls

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 3-10 pm

Thursday 3-10 pm

Friday 3-11 pm
Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-6 pm

Home Twins games

612-333-3208

 7785 Lake Dr., Lino Lakes

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 2-10 pm

Thursday 2-10 pm

Friday 2-10 pm

Saturday 2-10 pm
Sunday 12-8 pm

651-964-2160

 3036 Minnehaha Ave., Mpls

Taproom hours:

Tuesday 4-10 pm

Wednesday 4-11 pm

Thursday 4-11 pm

Friday 4 pm-12 am

Saturday 1 pm-12 am
Sunday 2-9 pm

612-315-4633

112 1st St. S., Buffalo

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 5-10pm

Thursday 5-10pm

Friday 3-10pm

Saturday 3-10pm

Sunday 2-7pm

hayespublichouse@gmail.com 

 711 NE 15th Ave., Mpls

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 3-11 pm
Thursday 3-11 pm

Friday 12-11 pm

Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-8 pm

612-843-5090

2821 E Hennepin Ave., Mpls

Taproom hours:

Monday-Thursday 3-11pm

Friday 3pm-12am

Saturday 12pm-12am

Sunday 12pm-11pm

612-722-7222  

 

1900 Tower Dr W., Stillwater

Taproom hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 5-10 pm

Friday-Saturday 12-10 pm

Sunday 12-6 pm

888-430-2337

725 Mainstreet, Hopkins

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 4-10 pm

Thursday 3-10 pm

Friday 2 pm-12 am

Saturday 12 pm-12 am
Sunday 12-7 pm
952-938-2415

248 River St. N., Delano

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 4-10pm

Thursday 4-10pm

Friday 4-11pm

Saturday 2-11pm

Sunday 2-6pm

763-333-1033

2934 Lyndale Avenue S., Mpls

Taproom hours:

Tuesday 5 pm-12 am
Wednesday 5 pm-12 am

Thursday 5 pm-12 am

Friday 2 pm-1 am

Saturday 12 pm-1 am
Sunday 12-10 pm

612-326-1999

712 Ontario Avenue West, Mpls

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 3-10 pm

 Thursday 3-10 pm

Friday 12 pm-1 am

Saturday 12 pm-1 am

612-321-8324

1500 NE Fillmore St., Mpls

Taproom hours:

Thursday 4-11 pm
Friday 4-11 pm

Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-9 pm

612-758-0105

221 2nd St. N., Delano

Taproom hours:

Thursday 4-8pm

Friday 4-10pm

Saturday 2-10pm

Sunday 11am-6pm

 4848 W 35th St., St. Louis Park

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 3-8 pm
Thursday 3-8 pm

Fridays 3-10 pm

Saturday 12-10 pm

952-955-9965

910 Montreal Cir., St. Paul

Taproom hours:

Friday 4-9 pm
Saturday 4-9 pm

651-265-7800

520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Mpls

Taproom hours:

Sunday-Thursday 11 am-11 pm
Friday-Saturday 11 am-12 am

763-535-3330

 125 E 9th St #127, St. Paul

Taproom hours:

Wednesday 4-10 pm

Thursday 4-10 pm

Friday 3-11 pm

Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-5 pm
651-330-4734

2325 Endicott Street, St. Paul

Taproom hours:

Tuesday 3-10 pm
Wednesday 3-10 pm

Thursday 3-10 pm

Friday 12-11 pm

Saturday 12-11 pm
Sunday 12-8 pm
651-340-5793

 255 W Main St, Waconia
Taproom hours:
Monday 4-9pm
 Tuesday 4-9pm
Wednesday 2-9pm
Thursday 2-9pm
Friday 2-10pm
Saturday 11am-10pm
Sunday 1-8pm
612-888-2739