Shop Minnesota museums for the most unique holiday gifts

If you crave gifts that are unexpected and go up a notch on the cool factor, skip the big retailers. Head to your local museums instead.

Museum gift shops celebrate regional artists, authors and local flavor in a ways you won't get at most stores. By shopping at museums, you're supporting Minnesota's cultural scene as well as taking a breather if you're able to enjoy the exhibits, too.

Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
The Mill City Museum (left) in particular melts into the holiday mood thanks to its focus on Minneapolis' history as the flour capital of the world for half a century. General Mills with its Betty Crocker icon and Pillsbury with its Dough Boy continue the homey kitchen legacy. I always leave with an urge to go bake cookies.

What you can find here: Lip balm scented like Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, stuffed Dough Boys, hot dish cookbooks, Minnesota-invented Bundt cake pans, wonderful junior chef bakeware for kids, and aprons with attitude: "I'm not Betty Crocker. Deal with it!"

Minnesota History Center,  St. Paul
Visitors to the Minnesota History Center will find top-of-the-line local treats that tie into its new show, "Chocolate: The Exhibition." On loan from the Field Museum in Chicago through Jan. 2, it follows the history of how a humble cocoa bean became one of the world's most sought-after flavors.

It's also an ideal place to pick up something for book-lovers such as Peg Meier's "Wishing for a Snow Day: Growing Up in Minnesota," beautifully photographed "Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness" from Greg Breining and Layne Kennedy, and novels such as Dean Urdahl's "Uprising," the first in a trilogy about the U.S. Dakota War of 1862.

Need stocking stuffers? Look for light-hearted loon flutes, ladyslipper socks and Ole and Lena fortune cookies.

Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul
This is the greatest shop for nature and biology kits, guidebooks, rocks and minerals, dinosaur puzzles and other wonderful hands-on gifts for curious kids (or adults).

A sampling of goodies for under $20: hand-held, take-apart brain-teasers similar to Rubik's Cube; origami kits for folding bunnies that hop and birds that can flap their wings; a build-your-own kaleidoscope kit; and DVDs of favorite IMAX movies.

To shake things up a little, you can pose with Anubis (left), a 26-foot-tall replica of the Egyptian god erected this week at Landmark Plaza. It makes for an enchanting Christmas outing with a stop at the free Wells Fargo ice rink. Anubis precedes the upcoming King Tut exhibit, "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," that opens Feb. 18. Tickets went on sale this week and can make great stocking stuffers, along with tickets to the general museum or Omnitheater.

Tip for parents: If you have kids ages 10 and under, stop by the Mississippi Visitor Center in the museum's lobby. Like other national park sites, you can get a free workbook to learn about the river and earn a Junior Ranger badge.

Art museums
Art museum gift shops have always been spot on for unique jewelry, art cards, journals, whimsical umbrellas, puzzles, prints and posters, funky desk toys and, of course, art supplies. The Walker Art Center's Totem building cards and crayon rocks for kids look especially intriguing. The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts also is worth a look. Plus admission is free with the exception of special exhibits. Check out its family center and look for monthly family days.


Regional museums
Don't forget smaller regional museums either. They're especially good for older relatives who enjoy memoirs, nostalgic gifts and the funny ones. Our favorite find one year was from St. Cloud's Stearns History Museum: Nunzilla, a stern, wind-up nun who walked and shot sparks from her mouth. It was perfect for an aunt who attended a strict Catholic school and spent many Halloweens dressed in a habit.

For more information on museums statewide and art centers, go to Explore Minnesota.

For additional gift ideas, check out some of the best Minnesota-made apparel and accessories.

Catch Santa's elves in action at Macy's

I've been all across the Midwest, and when it comes to cool, free holiday happenings, Minneapolis ranks among the absolute best with its "A Day in the Life of an Elf" Macy's auditorium show on display through Dec. 30.

This free holiday event is one of the most-beloved traditions for Minnesota families. These animated, three-dimensional journeys through scenes--often from popular children's tales--started with Dayton's 47 years ago. It makes sense that the Twin Cities with deep roots in theater would be able to continually construct spectacular sets.

If, instead of walking, visitors rode motorized sleighs through the 13,000-square-foot auditorium, it would be the equivalent of a Disney World ride.

Going by foot gives you a chance to study each scene, often with snippets of stories. In years past, visitors wandered through moving, larger-than-life scenes from "Harry Potter," "Cinderella," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," and "The Polar Express" before the movie version.

"A Day in the Life of Elves," brought back again this season with some slight changes, offers a comical look at the life of Santa's helpers, from trying to wake up in the morning to getting buried in the mail room. Mice run across the elves' kitchen floor, reindeer learn to fly while uncomfortably strapped below hot-air balloons, and elves use an inventive machine to make candy canes.

We waited in line for only 10 minutes Saturday morning (not bad) before the 20-minute walk-through. Like always, it's smart to bring a little ka'ching for the cookies afterward.

As we left with our 5-year-old girls (each sporting a green or red frosting mustache) we realized Macy's doesn't need motorized sleighs to feel like Disney World. It has something just as good: eight floors of escalators. The girls loved them.

More information: Look for more information at http://www.dothetown.com/. Remember you can get validated parking through select retailers. You can also up the excitement of the outing with a trip on the Light Rail Train (http://www.metrotransit.org/). You'll have to walk a few more blocks, but Nicollet Mall looks enchanting flanked by illuminated trees.

How about you? Leave your comments about trips to the 8th floor auditorium and share your favorite downtown events.

Upcoming blog: A spin around The Depot's popular ice rink.

Very merry Mall of America

Add a little more magic to your gifts
with a trip to Bloomington

What makes a travel souvenir more than just a regular purchase? The memories attached to it. That's why most of us feel compelled to bring back something whenver we travel. A bottle of local wine. A funny T-shirt. Fine-crafted chocolates.
Christmas ornaments. It's tangible evidence we were there--a visual trigger for days well-spent.

That need for memory--and value--to be attached to our possessions makes the holidays a struggle sometimes. I don't want to just go buy a pile of stuff from mega-stores to tumble under the tree. And who needs more over-the-top packaging that takes a utility knife, multi-tool and 30 minutes to undo toys that break 24 hours later?

Last year, with $50 each from grandparents, our kids were able to purchase one of their best gift : a teddy bear. Yep. A good old bear. No batteries needed. What made it special was the memories attached to it as we made a trip to Mall of America and Build-A-Bear-Workshop. I admit I wasn't that crazy about the idea as I typically dodge crowds and anything that feels overhyped. Boy, was I wrong.


Look for hands-on gifts

The girls, who were 4 at the time, and Jonathan, still 9, absolutely loved the hands-on approach and bringing their own bear to life. It was the highlight in a magical Mall of America outing that included rides at Nickelodeon Universe and lunch among the fishtanks and animatronics of Rainforest Cafe.

The Build-A-Bear staff was helpful and attentive, guiding the kids in choosing their favorite bear (or dog), then a little heart to go inside before they stuffed it. They watched the process with big eyes and a few giggles. The hardest part was choosing the outfits from the mind-boggling choices. We left with a Batman dog, a Snow White puppy, a Sleeping Beauty bear and a whole lotta happiness.

Other kids (big or small) are finding similar experiences with the adjacent store for building dolls, the newly opened Barbie shop(a temporary store through March) and last year's newcomer, the much-anticipated American Girl store complete with restaurant, beauty shop and doll hospital.

Lessons learned:

1. Make time for special outings no matter what time of year.

2. Look for any hands-on opportunities near you, whether it's paint-your-own-pottery, a learn-to-knit session or building a bear.

3. Savor vacation souvenirs whether that vacation was a week in Mexico or a day-trip from your own backyard.

4. Do set a budget. With Underwater World, movie theaters galore, and toy temptations around every corner, it's easy to go nuts. Decide what you can afford and stick to it. Make it clear to kids, too, what you are able to do. If they want more, have them ask Santa for ride tickets or offer ideas for ways they can earn their own money for a return trip.

5. If you do get to the Mall of America this season, be sure to linger after dark when the amusement park with its sparkle of lights feels the most festive.

One more tip: If you are a big fan of Rainforest Cafe, the T-Rex Cafe at Kansas City and in Orlando takes that interactive, full-sensory concept even further with new technology and funky designs. Think meteor storms, digging for bones, sitting beneath a giant jelly fish or chilling out in an ice cave.

Above: The girls on the carousel at Nickelodeon Universe, our second favorite one after the carousel at LARK Toys in Wabasha.

Don't forget about Legoland: It's full of cool contraptions and creations just outside Nickelodeon Universe. Best thing about this attraction: It's free! And for little children, it's ideal. Most of them don't need any fancy rides. Let their creativity loose and have a few car races.