Liz Weddle's recommendations are the Mia or the Walker Art Center. The Mia is free admission with art from a variety of time periods and cultures. The Walker is contemporary art, and admission is $18, but it also has a free sculpture garden which is where you can see the classic "Spoonbridge and Cherry" sculpture.
Jessica Moore recommends Stillwater, MN, located 20 miles east of Northwestern on the scenic St. Croix River. It is known as the Birthplace of Minnesota. The Main Street river front area is on the National Historic Register, where you can walk to many boutique stores, antique shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Fun things to do include walking across the Historic Lift Bridge, climbing the Historic Stairs, or taking a trolley tour, river boat cruise, or a self-guided Downtown Walking Tour.
Greg Rosauer recommends you visit the Cathedral of Saint Paul. One of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, the Cathedral was designed by E. L. Masqueray. Guided tours and self-guided tours of the building are available.
Photo: By McGhiever - CC BY-SA 3.0
Nathan Farley recommends the Bell Museum, Minnesota’s official natural history museum and planetarium. Admission is $15.
Becky Halberg's favorite local attraction to visit with her family is Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. There is a little bit of something for everyone—lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!)—as well as greenhouse tropics and beautiful gardens to walk through. The best part—it's free admission.
Photo by Alexius Horatius, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. 
