We’ve rounded up the latest free events, activities and crafts going on at various locations in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area and also nationwide this weekend (10/12-10/14). Please leave a comment if you know of any others and we’ll add them to this list.
Your turn: What other free weekend events and activities do you know of?
Nationwide Events
American Girl Store
Girls ages 8 and up can enjoy various crafts, cooking classes and tours at the American Girl Store. At the Mall of America location, this weekend’s free events include:
- American Girl Historical Character Scavenger Hunt: Friday from 5-7pm
- Caroline’s Bonnet Craft: Friday from 5-7pm
Barnes & Noble
Check your local Barnes & Noble for events. Most stores have storytimes once or twice per week.
Also, celebrate Pottermore at select locations this weekend with a Halloween party, costume contest, scavenger hunt, and more.
Cabela’s
Cabela’s offers various samples and demonstrations each weekend. Events vary by location, so check for details at your local store.
This weekend, the Rogers, MN Cabela’s is hosting:
- Taste Testing Rotisserie Chicken and Grilled Wings: Saturday from 11am-4pm
- How to Layer with Wind Shear Microfleece: Saturday at 1pm
- Sampling Some Great Wind and Willows Dips: Saturday and Sunday from 11am-3pm
Guitar Center
Guitar Center offers a free recording workshop every Saturday from 10-11am. Find a Guitar Center location near you.
- Working with Audio in Pro Tools 10 is the topic for this Saturday’s workshop
Home Depot
Home Depot offers free workshops for adults to help you improve your DIY skills. Dates and times vary by location, so check the Home Depot website for details. Topics this month include:
- Safety & Security (Fire, Outdoor Lighting)
- Weatherize Your Home
- Crown Moulding
Lakeshore Learning
Every Saturday, Lakeshore Learning offers a free craft for kids from 11am-3pm. Find a Lakeshore Learning Store near you.
- It’s a Hoot! Puppet craft this Saturday
Lowe’s
Twice per month Lowe’s offers kids an opportunity to build their own project. The project is offered Saturdays at 10am. Be sure to sign up in advance online.
- Make a Ghoul Bus this Saturday
Michaels
Michaels often offers free make-and-take craft events over the weekend. This weekend’s free events include:
- Elegant Earrings (adults only): Saturday from 1-3pm (this may or may not be free)
Target
Target sponsors free and reduced-priced admission opportunities at museums and cultural events nationwide. Select your city to find participating venues and their next scheduled discount day. In the Twin Cities area:
- The Walker Art Center is free every Thursday night as a part of Target Free Thursday Nights
- The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is free every second Sunday as a part of Target Family Day
Toys R Us
Toys R Us has a Nickelodeon Activity Day event going on this Saturday from 11am-1pm (Central). Design your own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask, help solve an exciting SpongeBob mystery, and more.
Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma stores offer various special events and cooking classes, some of which are free to attend.
- This Sunday’s class is Hearty & Healthy Vegetarian Dishes. Times for this one-hour class vary by location and reservations are recommended. Contact your local Williams-Sonoma for more information.
Twin Cities Events
Friday, 10/12
- Where the Wild Things Are with Abrakadoodle (Eagan Library): 2-3pm
- Teen Read-a-Thon (Hayden Heights Library – St. Paul): 3-5pm (15 minutes of reading = $1 off fines)
- American Girl Historical Character Scavenger Hunt (Mall of America): 5-7pm
- Caroline’s Bonnet Craft (Mall of America): 5-7pm
- Nut Goodie Tasting Celebration (Izzy’s Ice Cream – St. Paul): 5-8pm (I think this is free)
- Education Panel: Hunger in Minnesota (Hilton DoubleTree Hotel – St. Louis Park): 6-7pm
- Saint Paul Art Crawl: 6-10pm
- Cultural Conversations: Mexican Music in Minnesota (El Nuevo Rodeo – Minneapolis): 7-8:30pm
- Parents’ Night Out: RV Movie Night: The Lorax (Brooklyn United Methodist Church – Brooklyn Center): 7-9pm
Saturday, 10/13
- Apple Fest 2012 (Afton Apple Orchard) (some activities require payment)
- Stillwater Harvest Fest
- Walk Tall for Life! 2.6K Walk & Exercise Clinic (Southdale Center – Edina): 7-11am
- Fourth Annual “Library Love” Festival & BNSF Railway “Library Love” 3K Fun Run (Hamline Midway Library – St. Paul): 9am
- Girl Scouts Centennial Day of Service (Brooklyn Park): 9am-3pm
- Free Family Flick: Zathura (Theatres at Mall of America): 10am
- Make a Ghoul Bus (Lowe’s): 10am
- The Author’s Studio: Julie Kramer, Mystery Writer (Edina Art Center): 10am
- Internet Searching for Your Ancestors (Watertown Library): 10-11am
- Working with Audio in Pro Tools 10 (Guitar Center): 10-11am
- Northbrook Animal Hospital Open House (Brooklyn Park): 10am-1pm
- Fire Department Open House (Hopkins): 10am-2pm
- Pumpkin Fun Saturday (Barten Pumpkins – New Prague): 10am-2pm
- Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo (Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis): 10am-3pm
- Harvest Fest Weekend (Como Park Zoo and Conservatory – St. Paul): 10am-4pm
- Hot Rod Car Show (Studio Bricolage – St. Paul): 10am-4pm
- Linder’s Fall Festival (St. Paul): 10am-4pm
- Twin Cities Book Festival (MN State Fairgrounds): 10am-5pm
- How to Get Free Publicity for Your Business (Southdale Library – Edina): 10:30am-12pm
- How to Write a Business Plan (Cottage Grove Library): 10:30am-12pm
- Ninja Day with Author Barbara DaCosta (Washburn Library – Minneapolis): 10:30am-12pm
- Stage Make-Up (Northtown Library – Blaine): 10:30am-12pm
- Volunteer Opportunities Open House (Lowry Nature Center – Victoria): 10:30am-12pm
- Prairie Seed Collection – Crow-Hassan Park Reserve (Hanover): 10:30am-1:30pm
- Harry Potter Halloween Party (Barnes & Noble – Apple Valley): 11am
- Ticket to Brasil (Apple Valley Library): 11-11:45am
- Nickelodeon Activity Day (Toys R Us): 11am-1pm
- Citywide Open House (Eden Prairie City Center and Fire Station #1): 11am-2pm
- It’s a Hoot! Puppet Craft (Lakeshore Learning): 11am-3pm
- Sampling Some Great Wind and Willows Dips (Cabela’s – Rogers): 11am-3pm
- Steele Fitness Open House (Minneapolis): 11am-4pm
- Taste Testing Rotisserie Chicken and Grilled Wings (Cabela’s – Rogers): 11am-4pm
- Taste of Kowalski’s (select Kowalski’s locations): 11am-5pm
- Saturday Live!: The Laras (Central Library – St. Paul): 11:15am-12pm
- Worst. Movie. Ever: The Green Slime (Highland Park Library – St. Paul): 11:30am-1:30pm
- Feast of Fall (Whole Foods Market Lake Calhoun – Minneapolis): 12-3pm
- Fire Department Annual Open House (Plymouth): 12-3pm
- Wonders of Water Festival (Eastman Nature Center – Dayton/Maple Grove): 12-3pm
- Saint Paul Art Crawl: 12-8pm
- How to Layer with Wind Shear Microfleece (Cabela’s – Rogers): 1pm
- Kelly Barnhill, Author of Iron Hearted Violet (Wild Rumpus – Minneapolis): 1pm
- Elegant Earrings (Michaels): 1-3pm
- Hallow-Green Free Costume Exchange Party (Totally Kids – Minneapolis): 1-3pm
- Make This: Anime and Manga Drawings (Nokomis Library – Minneapolis): 1-3pm
- Macaroni Kid Family Fun Day & Costume Swap (Anoka Middle School for Arts): 1-3:30pm (drop off costume through 10/12 at select locations, otherwise costumes are $5 each)
- St. Anthony Fire Station Open House: 1-4pm
- Super Simple Sumi-e (Merriam Park Library – St. Paul): 1-4pm
- Paint It Green: Rock Painting and Assemblages (Minneapolis Central Library): 1:30-2:30pm
- Beauty of Scrapbooking (Augsburg Park Library – Minneapolis): 2pm
- Harry Potter Halloween Party and Costume Contest (Barnes & Noble – Maplewood Mall): 2pm
- Hosmer World Music Concert Series Presents Chinese Flautist Zhang Ying (Hosmer Library – Minneapolis): 2pm (can I just say I love that they used the word “flautist”?)
- Meet Mary Casanova, Author of Frozen (Barnes & Noble – Roseville): 2pm
- Bringing Local History to Life: Fashion Trends (Rum River Library – Anoka): 2-3pm
- Library Laboratory: Make Green Cleaning Products (Sumner Library – Minneapolis): 2-3:30pm
- Make This: Jewelry (Hopkins Library): 2-4pm
- Making It: Hands-On Teen Art – Bronze Charms (Maplewood Library): 2-4pm
- Teen Read Month: Anime Music Videos (Southdale Library – Edina): 2-4pm
- Learn to Knit (Rosemount Library): 2:30-4pm
- Exp-AIR-iment (Hayden Heights Library – St. Paul): 2:30-4:30pm
- Master Gardener: Growing Herbs in Minnesota (Southeast Library – Minneapolis): 3pm
- Hyland’s Not-So-Scary Trick-or-Treat Trail! (Hyland Lake Park Reserve – Bloomington): 5-8pm
- Sheila O’Connor, Author of Keeping Safe the Stars (Wild Rumpus – Minneapolis): 7pm
Sunday, 10/14
- Apple Fest 2012 (Afton Apple Orchard)
- Stillwater Harvest Fest
- Harvest Fest Weekend (Como Park Zoo and Conservatory – St. Paul): 10am-4pm
- Sampling Some Great Wind and Willows Dips (Cabela’s – Rogers): 11am-3pm
- Target Family Day (Minneapolis Institute of Arts): 11am-5pm
- Ultimate Cake Decorating Competition (Mall of America): 11am-5pm
- One Sky One World Kite Flying Day (Twin Cities Harvest Festival – Brooklyn Park): 12-4pm
- Saint Paul Art Crawl: 12-5pm
- Free Family Fun Day: Story Walking – Leaves (Carl Kroening Interpretive Center – Minneapolis): 1-3pm
- Eastman Nature Center Grand Re-Opening (Dayton/Maple Grove): 1-4pm
- Fire Station Open House (Brooklyn Park): 1-4pm
- Hosmer World Film Series: Another Man’s Garden (Hosmer Library – Minneapolis): 1:30pm
- Trick and Spilled Blood at the Library (Central Library – St. Paul): 2-3pm
- Apple Cidering (Richardson Nature Center – Bloomington): 3-4pm
- Nathen Cantwell Art Exhibition Reception (Republic at Seven Corners – Minneapolis): 6:30-10:30pm
About Laura Wales
