Great time of year to go for a road trip north to enjoy the Fall colors. The colors were already good between the Twin Cities and Cumberland, WI last weekend but should be peeking this weekend. I would guess anywhere between the Twin Cities and Duluth should be really good now. Hayward would be a good destination.
Go on a boat cruise out of Hudson or Stillwater. The colors will be good for the next couple weeks. These can be pretty reasonably priced.
Lemon’s, cheap motels,good bottle of tequila!
Cooking oil and 6 mil plastic sheeting. ‘Nuff said.
Contender for post of year.
Does your wife know you’re soliciting ideas from your ‘internet friends?’
Does your wife know you’re soliciting ideas from your ‘internet friends?’
Same as getting all her ideas from pinterest 
Axe throwing sound great. Please share if you know of any location(s).
One thats always a good time is to grab a stash of 1 dollar bills, Go to your local bar and order some drinks, Then go to the majestic big buck hunter machine 
The only downfall is its not real adventurous 
But where else can you hunt with your wife with your beverage of choice??
Does your wife know you’re soliciting ideas from your ‘internet friends?’
Ssssh. All that matters is that I have a list of 5 things by 8pm tonight.
All that matters is that I have a list of 5 things by 8pm tonight.
Please post your final top five!
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for the cooking oil post to make your list! 
Top golf
Escape room
Whirley Ball
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
If you haven’t been to a game at St. John’s, that’s a good way to spend a Saturday, and Collegeville Orchards is right next door and pretty cool too.What?!?! Gustavus might just revoke your degree for that.
(though I wholeheartedly agree with you)
Haha I almost included a disclaimer, but always loved going there as a kid, and playing there was always a highlight. Especially when we kept it close for a half! lol
A couple additional options would be driving down the Mississippi thru Wisconsin, lots of cool little towns and great food. Harbor View Café is exceptional fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere, and I’d recommend to everyone (little spendy, but should get dinner for 2 under $100). And stop in Maiden Rock for dessert.
If you want to stay in the cities, try out Game Show Battle Room. You get your pick of similar Game Shows you see on TV (Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Minute to Win It etc.). We did this with a group and it was a blast. http://www.gameshowbattlerooms.com/
The IDO gathering tonight is a perfect example of something different to do. My wife and I will be there on our date.
-Woodworking: Find some simple projects to attempt if you have the tools and space. Try out a community education class if you do not have the tools. The new “fad” with public schools are community education classes. Our local school offers classes on welding, car maintenance, cooking, writing wills, etc.
-Brewery Tours: Leinenkugels is great. There a lot of solid wineries, breweries, and distilleries if you draw a line from Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire back West to the Twin Cities
-Kayaking: It is a great way to get outside and enjoy the weather. A quick hour or two on a weeknight can be really relaxing.
-Go Karts: There are some new high-powered go karts in the twin cities area that are pretty extreme
-High School Sports: Go root on area high school teams. There’s nothing better than Friday Night Lights in their purest form. Kids pour their hearts out and playing in-front of a crowd makes the experience that much better. Bundle up, grab a beer before the game, and go relax.
-Skiing: Most area ski resorts offer reduced rate weeknight rentals and lift tickets. Even if you are not an avid skiier, if you spend a few hours you can master some of the simpler, yet scenic runs. Afton Alps in Afton, Coffee Mill in Wabasha, and Welch Village outside Red Wing are all great places.
-Escape Rooms: I haven’t done them, but many of our friends have and are constantly looking for a group to try them with.
-People Watching: Bundle up and go grab an over-priced coffee downtown (add some Baileys) and find a bench to watch people from. This is a completely underrated activity.
-Volunteer: The art of volunteerism is slowly eroding to nothing in our country. My wife and I regularly volunteer at the area school and it is very rewarding. I just wish we had more time to get more involved than we already area. Rake pits at a local high school track meet, take tickets at an area high school contest, judge a speech meet, go to a local booster club meeting, volunteer at the humane society, etc.
Since last fall the wife and I have been going to the Ordway Concert hall classic album series. So far we have seen The Eagles Hotel California; and Led Zeppelin II.
I just took the wife and her fiends there Saturday evening to see Queens Night at the Opera. Inexpensive night, the next album cover is the Beatles Abbey road.
No formal dress up, open bar and good live music.
Start going to some local high school sports activities and cheer on the local teams.
He has two kids. If they are like most kids, then as parents they’ll be spending PLENTY of time watching kid’s sports and activities from the age of about 2 on up.
Spring league, summer league, fall league, winter league, traveling league, mini-camps, camp-camps, tournaments, regional tournaments, international tournaments, invitation-only camps, and combines. And that’s for the chess club. If the kids are into hockey, God help the parents. It gets really crazy then.
Believe me, I just put all of my 10 year old’s “away” matches on my calender. For freaking Lego League. No, I’m not kidding.
Grouse
Real Estate open houses. New construction or existing, we get a kick out of looking at different floor plans, what works or wouldn’t work for us, plus furniture and decorating ideas.
HRG
Cooking oil and 6 mil plastic sheeting. ‘Nuff said.
Damn, all I have is 8 mil … will that work – or be like taking a shower with a raincoat on??
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskycliff wrote:</div>
Cooking oil and 6 mil plastic sheeting. ‘Nuff said.Damn, all I have is 8 mil … will that work – or be like taking a shower with a raincoat on??
You’ll be fine. Pictures or it didn’t happen,,,,,,,
HRG
Segway tours of Affton, Stillwater or Lake Calhoun. See Groupon/Living Social for good discounts.
Volunteer together – repeat
Lots of wineries and distillery tours. Norseman has a mixology class. Waconia, Red Wing,…
Kayak or raft the Cannon River
Ax throwing is a blast. Also vikre distillery in Duluth. Any time I get bored I like to take a trip up there and its a good way to spend the day together minus yesterday. It’s a different feel than the cities and close enough for a day trip.
Sex, suprised it hasn’t been mentioned. 
I wondered why that was not said yet?
Sorry could not resist.
My wife and I are not any where near sports so bowling can sure be a hoot imagine Laurel and Hardy.
The wife enjoys seeing the port in Duluth.
For freaking Lego League. No, I’m not kidding.
zip-lining (I know there is one down by Henderson/belle plain and may be others)
local concert +/- night at a hotel
anything involving body shots of tequila
After my short 30 years of intense training from this woman I call my wife, I can probably write a few novels on everything not to do or say.
But, I’ve made enough mistakes to accidently get a few right.
Schedule a couples massage
Find a dirt cheap flight round ticket and do a 1 night destination. We jump on Frontier flights for crazy cheap. (I know over your budget, but we’ll worth it)
Don’t share your ideas to discuss. Epic failure. She schedules 1 weekend a month, and tells you nothing. You just go with it. Then next month, you schedule and she just goes along. Obviously, you try to plan around her interest, not your own. After a couple times, its amazing the new ideas you come up with.
Element of surprise to show how well you know her will make her very happy.
I’ve had to be dishonest a few times to keep he from guessing what were doing.
A few good cover stories:
I’m taking you to a motel room to meet a porn star
I’ve invited your mother out for drinks
I want another baby
Buddy hit a deer…you and I are going to butcher it
Steelhead are in the river, let’s go
Thought we’ld have a romantic evening shoveling snow
Oh, telling her you quit your job so you can be home to pamper her every need every day doesnt go over very well.
Good luck
ProKart go cart racing is a blast in Burnsville
Obviously, you try to plan around her interest, not your own.
Now I know why I keep failing.
Great thread.
I’d suggest finding a local curling club and try your hand at a new sport. Most clubs periodically have open house/learn to curl events that is open to new people and includes some instructional time and practice, and are free or minimal cost. Its a good activity for basically anyone, and is more physically tiring than it looks. There are a number of clubs in the metro area, and out-state too.
Check out PUNCH BOWL SOCIAL – in West End/St. Louis Park
Has paintball been suggested yet? I vote for paintball. It looks so much fun and I’ve never done it before!
Also, one of those escape room adventures would be fun. I’m sure you can do those with just two people, but typically you’ll have a better success rate if you were to do a double-date type of thing.
Has paintball been suggested yet? I vote for paintball. It looks so much fun and I’ve never done it before!
Yes, but it can also go wrong in a number of interesting ways.
Mrs. Grouse had to do paintball for one of those corporate rah rah motivational/leadership deals.
Unfortunately, the whole thing ended rather badly when she “accidentally” (so she claims) shot her too-gung-ho software engineering lead right square in the lower unit. At about 8 feet.
She claims it was a total accident because she’s just a girl and has never shot guns. The fact that she happened to take out the biggest tool in their software group and the only man that still in 2005 thought it was ok to tell “dumb woman” jokes in the office made her something of a folk hero. It might have been just that she shot the jackass, but the shot placement really sealed the deal.
He had to be hauled off by ambulance. There was no permanent damage, but apparently, there was some painful bruising that lasted about 2 weeks.
Grouse
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