What to do with kids in Minneapolis–St. Paul over Christmas break, from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. We read the holiday hours posted by two museums, zoos and play places: none of them opens on Christmas Day. Plus ten dated outings on Christmas Eve and the days in between.
Dec 24 · Dec 25 · Jan 1
Holiday hours from each place’s own page, side by side. Many are standing rules (“closed Christmas Day”) that hold year to year, but a quick check that morning is worth it.
“Not posted” means the place’s own page doesn’t say. Call or check the morning of.
Day by day
Pick a day to see what’s on. Many places close early on Dec 24 and Dec 31, so check each card’s times.
Mall of America · Bloomington, MN
Good to know: Intimate setting with Santa movies and photos. MOA posts sensory-friendly resources.
Southdale Center · 10 Southdale Center, Edina, MN 55435
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot). Pet photo nights on 2 evenings (Dec 6, Dec 13).
Ridgedale Center · 12401 Wayzata Boulevard, Minnetonka, MN 55305
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot). Pet photo nights on 7 evenings (Nov 23, Nov 24, Dec 1, Dec 7, Dec 8, Dec 14…).
Maplewood Mall · 3001 White Bear Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55109
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot).
Burnsville Center · 1178 Burnsville Center, Burnsville, MN 55306-6218
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot).
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum · 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318
Good to know: Closed Thanksgiving night and on Dec. 24 and 25.
CHS Field · Downtown St. Paul, MN
Good to know: GLOW opens Nov. 19, 2026 and runs select dates through Jan. 3, 2027.
Viking Lakes · 2685 Vikings Cir, Eagan, MN 55121
Sibley Park · Mankato, MN
Good to know: Tune to 90.1 FM for the light tunnel. Santa is in Friday through Sunday until Dec 20, and live reindeer are there nightly.
Mall of America · Bloomington
Good to know: The display benefits the Mall of America Community Foundation. It is closed Thanksgiving Day.
Hennepin County Library – Ridgedale · 12601 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
Good to know: An hour of New Year's stories, songs and dancing that ends with a 3-2-1 at noon. Kids from birth through preschool are the intended crowd, and the Friends of the Hennepin County Library cover it. No registration is listed.
Hennepin County Library – Eden Prairie · 565 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Good to know: A short half hour, which suits little kids. Stories, music and an activity lead into the countdown, and kids of any age can come with a caregiver.
Hennepin County Library – Maple Plain · 5184 Main St. E., Maple Plain, MN 55359
Good to know: For children and their caregivers: New Year’s stories, songs and dancing, then a countdown to noon. Sponsored by the Friends of the Hennepin County Library.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum · 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318
Good to know: Closed Thanksgiving night and on Dec. 24 and 25.
CHS Field · Downtown St. Paul, MN
Good to know: GLOW opens Nov. 19, 2026 and runs select dates through Jan. 3, 2027.
Viking Lakes · 2685 Vikings Cir, Eagan, MN 55121
Mall of America · Bloomington
Good to know: The display benefits the Mall of America Community Foundation. It is closed Thanksgiving Day.
If it snows
Every hill here depends on snow, so check the park’s status page the morning you go. Tubing hills set height minimums, listed on each card. The full list is on sledding hills and snow tubing near Twin Cities.
2026–27 regular hours: Wednesday–Friday 4–9 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Winter break: Dec 19–23 and Dec 26–Jan 3, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Dec 24, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; Dec 25 closed. The page banner says “Closed. See you soon.”
At least 36 inches tall, or age 4. One person per tube.
Lift ticket. Reservations are strongly encouraged, up to 14 days ahead, and the park caps tubes. Group reservations are blocked Dec 19, 2026–Jan 3, 2027, plus Jan 18 and Feb 15, 2027. Chalet hours are not the same as tubing hours.
Official page ↗The park calls the hill perfect for youth
Bring your own sled. The snow-sports map does not state a price for the sledding hill.
Official page ↗
Rainy-day backup
These don’t post holiday hours yet, so check before you go. More on our indoor play page.
Keep planning
November: things to do in Twin CitiesEvery dated listing for the month, by weekDecember: things to do in Twin CitiesEvery dated listing for the month, by week
Free things to do in Twin CitiesFree days, free events and places that never charge
Free museum days in Twin CitiesFree days, Museums on Us and EBT discounts, with who gets inIndoor play in Twin CitiesIndoor playgrounds, toddler times, museums and classes, with prices
Library storytimes in Twin CitiesStorytimes for ages 0–6, by day and branch
Ice skating in Twin CitiesHoliday and indoor rinks, skate aids and pricesSledding in Twin CitiesSledding hills and snow tubing, with height rules
Thanksgiving weekend in Twin CitiesParades, turkey trots and what’s open on Thursday
Noon Year’s Eve in Twin CitiesKid-friendly countdowns, home by nap
Christmas parades in Twin CitiesParades and tree lightings with dates and start timesChristmas trains in Twin CitiesPolar Express, Santa and lights trains with datesThe Nutcracker in Twin CitiesBallet and touring shows, sensory-friendly flagged
Christmas markets in Twin CitiesChristkindlmarkts and winter wonderlands with hours
Christmas tree farms in Twin CitiesChoose-and-cut farms, wagon rides and kid notesTree lighting in Twin CitiesDates, times and what the organizer posts for kidsBirthday party places in Twin CitiesStarting prices, ages and what’s included
Youth soccer and basketball in Twin CitiesSoccer and basketball for kids under 6, with sign-up dates
More things to do with kids in Minneapolis–St. Paul this weekDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every ThursdayGood questions
Of the two places we checked, none posts Christmas Day hours as open; Science Museum of Minnesota and Bell Museum are closed. A park or a drive past the lights is the easy plan.
On the calendar: The Santa Experience at Mall of America, Santa Photos at Southdale Center, Santa Photos at Ridgedale Center and Santa Photos at Maplewood Mall.
None of the places that post New Year’s Day hours says it’s open.
On the calendar for Jan 1: Northern Lights, GLOW Holiday Festival, Magic of Lights at Viking Lakes and Festival of Trees. Check each one’s own page before you go, since holiday hours can change.
Elm Creek snow tubing and Elm Creek sledding hill. All of them need snow, so check the park’s status page first. The full list, with height rules, is on sledding hills and snow tubing near Twin Cities.
Northern Lights, GLOW Holiday Festival, Magic of Lights at Viking Lakes, Kiwanis Holiday Lights and Festival of Trees. Check each one’s calendar for the exact nights; some close on certain days.
The month’s dated listings are on the December page, and rink dates and skate aids are on the ice skating page.
Choose-and-cut farms within about 40 miles, with wagon rides, Santa, cocoa and kid notes, are on the Christmas tree farms page.
Dates, times and what each organizer posts for kids are on the tree lighting page.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 21, 2026, and we recheck them in early December and again the week before Christmas. How we choose and check.
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