Your Guide to the Twin Cities in June

Snag some nature at Afton State Park

Afton State Park is only 20 miles from downtown St. Paul, but it feels like you drove three hours north. Tucked along the St. Croix River in Washington County, this 1,600-acre park sits on a glacial moraine carved with deep ravines that drop 300 feet from the blufftops down to the water. There are over 20 miles of hiking trails winding through restored prairies, oak savannas, and wooded ravines, and the views from the bluffs overlooking the St. Croix are stunning. There's a swimming beach on the river and picnic areas, and no vehicle access to the beach or campground, which means the park feels genuinely remote despite being a 30-minute drive from either downtown.

Get Out of Town (At Least A Little)

There’s a reason that Grandma’s Marathon is the biggest marathon in Minnesota. My neighbor Michelle has run it many times and she says the big pull is the location and the parties. The marathon absolutely dominates the Twin Ports for the third weekend of June. Some of the biggest acts in Minnesota play at Bayfront Festival Park which is one of the most breathtaking places to see a live performance in Minnesota. With acts like Hippo Campus, Charlie Parr, The Music of Prince with members of the New Power Generation, and more, it’s worth going even if you don’t lace up your HOKAs. While you’re there, make sure to get a Cajun Finn “jean jacket style” from Northern Waters Smokehaus and grab a Bent Hop Golden IPA before you head back to the Twin Cities.

Bike camping

Not every camping trip in the Twin Cities has to start with a three-hour drive. There is plenty of camping within an hour’s drive of the Twin Cities. But why don’t you skip the car altogether? Three Rivers Park District provides amazing camping about 30 easy biking miles away from Minneapolis. Contributor Em Cassel enthusiastically supports Three Rivers because they have “pristine, gorgeous parks, well-appointed bathrooms, and freshly paved trails perfect for biking”.

Walk around in the woods

There's some really excellent hiking to do and sights to see within an hour drive of the Twin Cities. Willow River State Park might be in Wisconsin, but it's only a 45-minute drive from Northeast Minneapolis. There's an excellent 4-mile round-trip hike to the waterfall from the River Road Parking Lot and a quicker 1-mile round-trip from Willow Falls Parking lot. Whichever trail you pick, at the end of the hike you'll find multiple tiers of waterfalls cascading over three ledges nestled in a 200-foot gorge. Bonus: producer Adam saw a snake there once!

Celebrate Juneteenth

Though Juneteenth celebrations have certainly received more coverage since it became a federal holiday in 2021, the Twin Cities have been celebrating Juneteenth for decades and this year is no exception. Our favorite is the Soul of the Southside festival at the corner of East Lake and Minnehaha. iLLism, the celebrated hip-hop duo who helped launch the festival, have the Midas touch with events in the Twin Cities. Soul of the Southside is far from the only Juneteenth offering in the Twin Cities. The Northside Juneteenth celebration stretches out across the whole weekend and features appearances from celebrated Twin Cities icons including some of the radio royalty that work at KMOJ.

Enjoy park programming

Our parks are No. 1, and we don’t care what anyone else has to say. That’s because the parks host a seemingly endless list of free things to do (you pay in blood to the mosquitoes, though). You can enjoy live music in a park somewhere pretty much every day of summer (check here for Minneapolis, here for St. Paul). We loved seeing Kiss the Tiger perform at Lowertown Sounds at Mears Park; it’s a fantastic venue to get up close to your favorite local acts. If you want fresh air and a film, check out this year’s line-up of movies in the park for Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Watch women’s sports

I’m on the record as believing that the Lynx are the best ticket in Minnesota sports. The family and I went to the season opener and we had a great time. Lynx games attract a couple key demographics – people who love basketball, people comfortable going to downtown Minneapolis, and people who are comfortable with women kicking ass in a sports setting. These demographics point towards fun-loving, enthusiastic people who want to support a league on the rise. Come join us. We also highly encourage you to watch the Minnesota Aurora and the TC Gemini at TCO Stadium!

Minneapolis People’s Pride: June 17, 12-4 p.m. at Powderhorn Park. It’s billed as an alternative to what organizers critique as more corporate-backed celebrations. There are no big business sponsors and no cops acting as security. You’ll find people grilling food for free, lots of great art by local queer artists, the occasional clothing swap, and live music.

STP Pride: June 13-14 at Citizen Brewing with STP Pride at Dual Citizen Brewing. Two days of festivities, food, and fun.

TC Pride Festival: June 27-28 at Loring Park with three stages, 650+ vendors, and a Youth Night on Friday.

Pride Parade: June 28. It starts at 3rd & Hennepin at 11 a.m. and rolls down to Spruce.

Pride Weekend Stand Up: June 26-27 at Sisyphus Brewing featuring local queer comics. Hosted by Sam Schedler who you may know from social media.

Queer cinema at the Parkway: “The Watermelon Woman” is playing June 11 and “Kinky Boots” is playing June 25. Both nights will feature a pre-movie burlesque show!

Uproar Comedy: Their open mic nights at Bryant Lake Theater are a real IYKYK event. They feature POC and trans comics, and they will have all-queer headliners throughout June. Contributor Denzel Belin will be headlining June 15!

GRINDHOUSE: A Drag and Burlesque Tribute show to EXXXploitation Cinema and Quentin Tarantino films: June 6 at the Turf Club. Dance to DJ sets and see go-go dancers do their thing!

• June 2: JT Bates & Friends | Indeed Brewing
• June 4: Island of Discarded Women with Rep. Leigh Finke and Andra Suchy | First Ave
• June 5: Prince Celebration of Life 10th Year Anniversary Concert | The Armory
• June 6: Sing-Along to Prince | Downtown Minneapolis
• June 6: Cornbread Harris & Friends | Animales BBQ Co.
• June 7: Grand Old Day | St. Paul
• June 19-20: Twin Cities Jazz Festival | Lowertown
• June 29: BYO Craft All-Girls Meetup | Boom Island
• June 30: Tiny Desk on the Road | Location