Walkable and/or Historic Towns to Explore in Minnesota

When people mention walkable, historic towns in Minnesota my mind immediately goes to someplace like Stillwater or Crosby or even St. Joe.  Someplace where there are cute shops, restaurants, historic buildings, and just a great atmosphere.

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Apparently I need to get out more, because I am missing some great stuff to check out.  According to Only in Your State - Minnesota, the place that you should definitely check out is the town of Hopkins, Minnesota.  My first thought is Hopkins??  Really??  But, yes.  Hopkins.  No diss on Hopkins at all, it's really just the fact that I think of it as a suburb or the Twin Cities, and that usually doesn't compute as a great area to walk, explore and check out the history of the city.

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE CITY OF HOPKINS HISTORY

Many of Hopkins' original downtown buildings still stand, which resulted in three blocks of the city's historic commercial district - along Main Street between 8th and 11th Avenues - being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest buildings in this stretch date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, mile-long Main Street is home to a vibrant collection of restaurants, bars, shops, and service providers - and is perfect for walking. Hopkins is especially renowned for its antique shops and thrift stores, like Hopkins Antique Mall.

Those are exactly the features of the cities that I mentioned above that make me want to go and check them out.  It's fun to learn more about cities in Minnesota that seemed to fly under the radar as far as interesting things to do.

Hopkins also has a great culture aspect to it, which I had no idea either.  Learning so much about this city.

A LOT OF ART AND CULTURE IN THE CITY OF HOPKINS

The city is also a strong supporter of the arts. Hopkins Center for the Arts and Stages Theater Company is the epicenter of the arts scene, but you'll find several galleries, studios, and public art installations throughout the community. Annual events like ArtStreet and Walk of Art Hopkins showcase local and regional talent. One of the Twin Cities' premier record shops - Mill City Sound - is also located right in downtown Hopkins.

I guess that it is time for us to all go and take a little day trip to Hopkins and check out what the city has to offer.  Personally, I will wait until it warms up a bit.