Outdoors

Autumn at the Arb. Join the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for fall-themed events. Read more about Autumn at the Arb

Unsung Spots at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. A Guide to the Lesser-Known Spots at the Arb. Read more about Unsung Spots at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Take to the sky, and you’ll never know who or what you’ll meet. “I’ve had eagles off my wing, just checking me out,” Alex Peterson says. “Actually, they’re really good guides. On one flight, I met three turkey vultures at 500 feet. I sailed and soared with them until we reached 15,000 feet.”

Peterson of Wayzata is a pilot and instructor at SkyBrothers Paragliding. He is easy to identify; his pickup truck is rigged up with a 6,000-foot spool of line that is mounted on what looks like an aluminum winch—all used to hoist paragliders up, up and away. Read more about SkyBrothers Paragliding Soars to New Heights

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska is one of the best places in the Twin Cities to take kids who need to burn off a little energy. (Children ages 15 and younger can visit for free.) Discover these activities geared toward children:

Play hide and seek: The Maze Garden is a hit with kids, thanks to its wide pathways and an observation deck and picnic table at the end. Another top spot for playing hide and seek is the Hedge Collection, which features dozens of sheared and unsheared hedges of different heights. Read more about Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Offers Many Ways to Play

No, you’re not submerged in water, and yes, you keep your clothes on. Forest bathing or shinrin-yoku via Japan is among the latest experiences that guide participants on an immersive, meditative and therapeutic forest walk, connecting their senses to the healing and stress-reducing beauty of a naturally-canopied vista.

Minnetonka Community Education (MCE) offers forest bathing programs, with two-hour sessions at Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park. Read more about Forest Bathing

March often finds Minnesotans fleeing their homes to somewhere warmer. But this is precisely the time when many non-human Minnesotans are making the inverse journey—birds returning to thawing lakes, hibernating animals emerging from dens in tender soil and insects emerging to feed on budding trees. Read more about This Home is a Lucky Place to Be

Take up biking with two easy and scenic trails. Read more about Take a Ride on These Scenic Twin Cities Bike Trails

Nicole Jacobs is a Lake Minnetonka-based professional angler who says that fishing is the perfect family activity. Read more about Pro Angler Nicole Jacobs' Fishing Advice: 'You Just Need Patience and a Smile'

Splendor awaits when we bear witness to nature. Read more about Witness One of Nature's Most Astonishing Transformations

The Lake Minnetonka area features several picture perfect parks for picnicking. Read more about Pack Your Picnic Basket and Head to One of These Local Parks