Arts and Entertainment in the Twin Cities Gateway
Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota
The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down in the Gateway. If you’re looking for nightlife or a little culture, perhaps dinner and a live show – you’re sure to be well entertained. The Gateway is bursting with Twin Cities Entertainment right next to Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Inspired by the entertaining and dining options of The Great Depression and World War II eras, Crooners Supper Club gives the dinner-and-a-show tradition a modern spin while nodding to the past. Named “Best Jazz Club of the Twin Cities 2018” by City Pages plus “Great Jazz Venue 2018” by DownBeat, Crooners features singers that range from soloists to great bands. Crooner’s features three unique music venues that include the Main Stage, the Dunsmore Room – an intimate setting for smaller audiences and the Lakeside – and Concerts Under the Stars, a seasonal tent with performances on the shores of Moore Lake.
A sports bar vibe welcomes you to Ham Lake’s Maxx Bar & Grill, and the big screens will be tuned to Minnesota Vikings (or Wild or Timberwolves or Twins) games whenever possible. On Thursdays a deejay spins Top 40 dance tunes plus requests from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Live bands play a variety of music every Friday and Saturday night. When you’re not on the dance floor, fill up on nachos, soups, broasted chicken, burgers, pizza, pasta and a variety of hot treats.
Every Thursday it’s BBQ & Blues night at Moe’s American Grill in Mounds View: Enjoy ribs and brisket barbecue specials plus $5 Jack Daniels cocktails from 5 to 10 p.m. and live blues performances from 6:30 to 10 p.m. During cooler months, warm up in front of the raging stone fireplace or sipping a hot toddy at the bar. The menu offers soul-warming favorites like Grandma Moe’s meatloaf, beef stroganoff, an eclectic mix of hot sandwiches, Cajun chicken pasta and other mouth-watering favorites.
Old and new mix playfully at Serum’s Good Time Emporium. The circa-1885 building is filled with antiques from the 1890s while the kitchen cooks up more than a million of what’s billed as “the best wings west of Buffalo” each year alongside ribs, burgers, pizza, burritos and other bites. Karaoke is staged every Wednesday and a rotation of musicians play live every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night with no cover charge. Enjoy happy hour two-for-one specials every day from 4 to 6 p.m.
Enjoy “big city theatre with hometown charm” at Lyric Arts Main Stage Theatre in the heart of Historic Downtown Anoka. Lyric Arts is the only full-time, year-round theater in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. Take in a show (including musicals, dramas, comedies, and children’s productions) or a live music event that’s part of the “Music in the ‘Burbs” concert series. Well-known local artists performing a range of styles from bluegrass to rock to folk are featured in what’s billed as “an intimate evening of song.”
Experience a wide range of visual and literary arts programs from exhibitions to workshops at North Suburban Center for the Arts in Fridley. Visit the gallery, featuring a variety of exhibitions showcasing local visual artists. Listen to an author read from his or her works as part of the free reading series, held the second Friday evening of each month. Roll up your sleeves and get creative during weekly art sessions focused on fiber arts, drawing, painting and other media.
As if these local cultural treasures weren’t enough, you’ll be just minutes away from all the Twin Cities have to offer in arts and culture including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota History Center, the Minnesota Museum of American Art and the Walker Art Museum.