Creating my own adventures during Minnesota flight layover
We are fans of having a decent layover at an airport when we travel. One to two hours would be acceptable. What do you do when you have four hours?
This happened to me during a recent trip. I had four hours to kill at the Minneapolis airport. I figured I could do a lot of walking. But, four hours’ worth? I ended up creating my own sightseeing tour. A lot of people walk around airports. So, there was the people watching aspect. Lisa and I are fans of diversity, so we always enjoy hearing different languages spoken. I probably heard 4-5 international languages.
On a previous trip, Lisa, daughter Mallory and I spent time watching the movie “30 Days of Night.” It’s about vampires taking over Barrow, Alaska, during the longest period of darkness during winter. It seemed appropriate since we were on our way to visit friends in Alaska.
As I toured the Minneapolis airport, I checked out a few “Peanuts” sculptures located around the terminal. Cartoonist Charles Schulz was from Saint Paul.
If you’re interested in getting something local at the airport, check out one of the few Minnesota stores, such as Minnesota! I found T-shirts, sweatshirts, books and other souvenirs.
If you’re going to be at the airport for a while, you can always get a haircut, massage or spa treatment.
Minneapolis has a variety of restaurants to dine at during your layover. You have a variety of fast food places, or you can check out sit down eateries. I’ve dined at Chilis Too a couple of times during my travels. Champions Grille and French Meadow Bakery are a couple of decent places to check out.
During my stroll I came upon Authors Bookstore. It had a pretty cool décor.
Being a Vikings and Twins fan, Sports Minnesota was a natural stop for me. I liked checking out the sports gear and accessories.
The airport is currently sponsoring an employee art show. There are a lot of talented employees. One piece that stood out was a jet made from pennies. Impressive.
If you want some down time, check out the observation tower in Concourse D of the Lindbergh Terminal. You can see planes at the state’s air national guard hangar, as well as watch planes land ad take off.
During my walks, I noticed people walking on treadmills. They were actually charging stations. People could create energy to charge their devices by walking on the treadmills. Ingenious!
The four hours actually passed quickly as I enjoyed my airport sightseeing tour. I’m not sure I really want another layover THAT long. Again, we prefer 1-2 hours. But, remember, if you have a long layover, take advantage of the time and create your own adventures. Enjoy and safe travels.
