Museums in Minneapolis, MN

There are several women's rugby clubs in the cities. https://www.google.com/search?q=womens.rugby+minneapolis&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS691US710&oq=womens.rugby+minneapolis&aqs=chrome..69 i57.6767 j0 j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

The walker art center is free the first Saturdays of every month. MInnesota institute of art Is also great!

http://www.amazonrugby.org/

http://www.valkyriesrugby.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/richfieldmncommunity/permalink/1390879617633198/

Jen Brazell, contact the Bloomington schools, I know they had Rugby. It was intra-mural so they may allow her to join, or at least do practice time with them.

I played on a high school rugby team in Hopkins/Wayzata (that was awhile ago) and I also played a little at the U of MN. It was a blast, but I'm not sure if the league is still going or not. Here's a youth rugby link I found that hopefully helps: http://www.minnesotayouthrugby.com/page/show/713014-high-school-rugby

So I know richfield has its own pool.. but.. this place in minneapolis is amaxing! A biofiltrated pool. All natural! https://www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/water_activities/webber_natural_swimming_pool/

Minnehaha falls is a great walking tour, you could stop at sea salt for a meal, rent one of those little carts, walk around the falls? Stone Arch bridge is a great place to see the skyline and read some light history. Also, I know several ladies who are part of local rugby leagues, I can get you some info if she is interested.

If you have a library card from one of the eight public library systems in the Twin Cities, the SmART Pass program provides an opportunity to reserve free and/or discounted admission to a wide range of arts experiences. https://smartpass.melsa.org/

http://www.metropolisrugby.com/

http://www.trondheim.com/ or any of the areas you want to visit's websites

Check: Scandinavian School in San Francisco. Norwegians living here, childs immersion

Robert Gordon Mork - Suggest working on some bilingual text and audio before going to Norway. Children's brains are like a sponge. They will learn Norwegian much faster than an adult and can then immerse themselves in the culture.

I would highly suggest talking with Kari Dyngeland she is a wonderful travel agent and is very knowledgable about traveling in Norway. very helplful and may have good insight on something for you to do.

If you can, try to be there May 17 th (Syttende Mai) for Constitution Day in Oslo...very majestic and lots of pageantry, royalty greets the public, people come dressed in colorful Bunads from all the different regions...so festive, I will remember it forever!

You might want to consider attending a program from the Concordia Language Villages. They have a summer Family "Nordic Week" that offers Finnish, Swedish, and/or Norwegian Language and culture offerings over the course of the week. Here is a link to the site: http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/youth-languages/programs/nordic-family-week

This is where my grandfather was from: http://www.utla.no/ cabins and camping

This is pretty "touristy", I guess, but I'll post it regardless. http://www.olavsfestdagene.no/en/information/ A weeklong pilgrimage festival in one of Norway's oldest (still populated) towns, Trondheim. This festival holds medieval markets, usually knight tournaments, medieval workshops for children, plenty of food and music to every taste. In this city you can also take a closer look at the Norwegian crown and other regalia in the , or visit the folk museum to see original old buildings (some of them nicely replicated in the EPCOT-center i Disney World Orlando). http://www.nidarosdomen.no/musikik-arkitektur-historie/riksregaliene http://sverresborg.no/

Try talking to people at Brekke Travel

I stayed in a hostel last time I was in tokyo (my 3 rd time) and I stayed at sakura house. Nice place in asakusa, which is a tourist hotspot with lots of street markets. It was about as cheap a place as you'll find in tokyo and had a great staff. find them on hostelworld or just google their name; booking via the internet gives a cheaper rate (though I had to argue for the cheaper rate when I just showed up in person with a friend). If your friends go to school at waseda, tell them you want to go to "drunk circle" outside of big box (takadanobaba station). hopefully they'll know what that is. have a beer there then go to shibuya and have a fun night.

I stayed at the [Nui Hostel](http://backpackersjapan.co.jp/nui_en/) for 6 nights and had a great time. Awesome facilites, people and atmosphere. New people arrive everyday from all over the world. Not sure how it compares to others on price, but was the best hostel I stayed at on my 4 month round-the-world trip at the end of last year. Good luck have fun!

I had a very good experience with Tokyo International Youth Hostel. It was extremely affordable, clean and friendly. Things couldn't have been better, really, and the rooms were something cheap like $20 per night. They have since changed their name to [Tokyo Central Youth Hostel](http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Tokyo-Central-Youth-Hostel/Tokyo/31536). They're on the 18th and 19th floors of a high-rise in Shinjuku, above a shopping center with a yummy bento shop in the basement. The view is impressive; you can see a lot of the city. Easy access to the JR Iidabashi station, too. I'm female and went with my then-boyfriend, so we had to sleep in separate lodgings, but that was fine. The individual bunk beds have curtains for privacy, and the room had a locker for each bed (we had to bring our own locks, though, of course). The hostel plays a 7am wake-up call every day, so we got going early and were able to see a lot of things. Incidentally, we were there during the disastrous earthquake/tsunami a few years ago. The hostel staff were accommodating and friendly despite being under extreme stress. We spoke very little Japanese but were kept well-informed throughout the whole ordeal. **Edited to add**: It appears to be close to the Waseda dorms too! Looks good, eh?

Ace Inn in Shinjuku, near Akebonobashi station. Tube-style, but cheap as hell and catering towards international travelers rather than drunk businessmen.

I posted this elsewhere at some point. "I just checked out of Flexstay Nippori this morning. It is cheaper than Oak Hotel, and I find cleaner also. Not too fun necessarily, but english speaking staff, 5-7 minutes from Nippori Station, a bit farther to Nishi-Nippori Station. There is a some food and shops nearby and since Nippori is on the Yamanote line it is pretty easy to get around. There is also an area of temples/ shrines to the west of Nippori station and Yanaka Ginza is a decent little shopping/ tourist street."

I'd recommend K's House http://kshouse.jp/tokyo-e/index.html I've stayed in their Kyoto location twice and been very, very happy with it. People that have used the Tokyo one also seemed happy with it. You might also want to look at http://www.hostelworld.com/ which makes it fairly easy to find a well reviewed place.

I always stay at [New Koyo](http://newkoyo.jp/) when I'm in Tokyo, at least when I'm there by myself. You get a **private** room for ¥2700 a night with no curfews. It's not close to Waseda, but it is close to Minowa and Minami-Senju stations over in Asakusa, and it's only 3 stops from Ueno, where there are a lot of museums, and only 5 stops from Akihabara.

Just a note, botbot22 is referring to [Sakura Hostel](http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/), not [Sakura House](http://www.sakura-house.com/en/), which is a chain of guest houses for long-term (1+ months) stay, owned by the same people. The Asakusa one is an an excellent location (I live nearby, love the area), but they fill up *very* quickly. The [Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro](http://www.sakura-hotel-ikebukuro.com/) might be a good bet for hanging out in Waseda, they are more a hotel than a hostel but they do have cheap dorm rooms. You might consider getting something along the Tozai or Yamanote lines; the former (Tokyo Metro) gets you to Waseda Station, and the latter (JR) gets you to Takadanobaba Station (also on the Tozai Line). Unfortunately for you, though, the overwhelming majority of Tokyo's hostels are in the Asakusa area (and surrounding parts of Sumida-ku and Ueno). The Yamanote line goes to Ueno, but it's a bit of a ride to Takadanobaba/Waseda, because they're on the other side of town. One possibility for you is [Yadoya Guesthouse](http://www.cheap-accommodation-tokyo.com/), which is about 10-15 minutes by train from Takadanobaba. Another is [Ace Inn](http://ace-inn.jp/), about 15 mins from Takadanobaba or Waseda, but you have to change train companies so the trip is a little more expensive. BTW I don't recommend a capsule hotel for 6 nights, they are cheap but it gets awfully cramped after a while. Ace Inn's might be a bit different as they are more "capsule style hostel" than straight-up capsule.

I forget what the place is called but there’s a really cute tea place in redwing along the river. Redwing also has got a few antique stores and art show/exhibit places too.

If you're looking for a literal tea party, the [Mad Hatter in Anoka](https://www.madhatteranoka.com/)

Downtown Excelsior and Stillwater if you want to stick closer to the metro

Go to The Mad Hatter Restaurant & Tea house in Anoka! I've been there for bridal showers and baby showers before and it's amazing! I haven't been there since Covid, so they might have different policies on reservations so you should call ahead to make sure you can get a table, but they have an amazing tea service and a tea shop upstairs! Link to their website: https://www.madhatteranoka.com/

Love the Museum of Marine Art. Really a hidden treasure. The American Swedish institute is pretty cool. Also, the Como Conservatory is always nice if you can get there on a less busy day. If you go to Stillwater.... Taylors Falls is also a nice little spot in that area. Quaint little town.

Henderson, MN

WHISTLE STOP IN FRONTENAC!

Here is the page in the book I found the info in. Early New England Potters and Their Wares by Lura Watkins. http://www.whatelyhistorical.org/earlynewenglandpotters.pdf

FYI, the science museum is in St Paul so doing dinner in Minneapolis would be a bit of a haul if you want to do something really close. As far as options near there, Red Cow in Cathedral Hill (burgers) or DeGidio's on West 7 th (Italian) could be good options. Both are within 5-10 min driving from the museum.

Can Can Wonderland? Maybe your kids are too old to really enjoy it. http://www.cancanwonderland.com