Brooklyn Park, MN

Brooklyn Park was established as a distinct village in 1953 and incorporated as a city in 1969. A significant portion of the city still consists of undeveloped land and farms. As such, Brooklyn Park proudly hosts the Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze every autumn, drawing visitors from all over the metro.

The popular tourist destination Eidem Homestead offers a living piece of the town's history to families and school field trips. This 1900s working farm includes a beautifully restored Victorian style house, outbuildings, farm animals, a garden pump and a wringing washing machine. Come make your own apple cider in the autumn or fragrant pomander balls in the holiday season.

Get ready for a slew of hidden gems and hole-in-the-wall surprises with Brooklyn Park's range of ethnic restaurants. Start your food adventures near the center of the city, where a number of popular bars and restaurants have collected along 85th Avenue North.

Visit Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine when you're in the mood for well made sushi and top-notch Thai food. Diners watching their wallet should make a point to come by during the lunch hour for prices even more reasonable than usual. Shut your eyes and pick your meal, because regulars swear by almost every item on the menu. On a cold day, warm up with the coconut curry noodle soup, and always save room for the mango sticky rice.

For another memorable experience, check out Fiesta Cancun. Even Minneapolis residents make the trek north for this authentic Mexican fare, so stop by during happy hour to take advantage of the huge, cheap tap beers and $5 perfectly crafted margaritas. Try the shrimp tacos, chicken mole or fiesta burrito. Those looking to take their meal with them can get their seafood fix at the Cajun Deli. Order to go, and dig in to the best shrimp and crawfish that Minnesota has to offer.

When you just want pizza and a good beer, hit up Broadway Bar and Pizza. Looking for an exciting night on the town? Make the 30-minute trip to downtown Minneapolis and avail yourself of more music, bars and entertainment than you know what to do with. Start at the nationally acclaimed music venue First Avenue, or dance with a diverse crowd at The Front Cafe's free weekly dance nights. For a fun alternative to the nightclub scene, get giggly at Acme Comedy Club (free open mic nights every Monday), or catch a breathtaking show at the Guthrie.

Get your bike out if you want to explore the city sans car. Bikers are a common sight in Brooklyn Park and especially Minneapolis, which was voted the best biking city in the USA by the online news source Bicycling. Metro transit also provides limited transportation around the city of Brooklyn Park and to surrounding suburbs, as well as convenient transport to downtown Minneapolis. Invest in a refillable GoTo card so you never have to scramble for change — just swipe your card as you board the bus.

Once downtown, you can take a bus or train anywhere you need to go. Taxis are also safe, extremely common and easy to hail. Here in the city, you can also register with Uber to avail yourself of a classier ride with the added convenience of ordering and paying from your smartphone; just be aware that Uber doesn't service Brooklyn Park.

If you want to keep your car as a transportation option, you'll enjoy plenty of available street parking. Notable roadways linking Brooklyn Park to surrounding neighborhoods and the Twin Cities include Interstate 94, Interstate 694, Highway 169, Highway10 and Country Road 81.

With 60 parks totalling almost 1,700 acres, green spaces are one of Brooklyn Park's greatest assets. Play tennis at Willowston Park, grill out at Norwood Park while the kids enjoy the playground, or hike, bike, fish and picnic at the scenic Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. Make your dog's day when you bring her to the neighborhood's biggest park, Brookdale, which is actually an off-leash dog park. Remember to register for a Brooklyn Park pet license and skip the $3 entrance fee.

Stay within your budget in Brooklyn Park, where the cost of living is about two percent lower than the average cost of living in Minneapolis. A one-bedroom apartment here rents for $700, versus the $900 median rent in Minneapolis.

Pay $4 for a beer at a local bar and just $1.75 to visit surrounding neighborhoods or even to get all the way to Minneapolis's city center via public transportation. Use that one ticket to ride unlimited Metro Transit buses and trains for a full two-and-a-half hours. If you want to stick with your car, gas prices prove reasonable in Brooklyn Park, averaging 6 percent lower than the national average.

A variety of niche retail stores lie scattered throughout Brooklyn Park just waiting to be discovered. Visit Diva's Ave Boutique on Zane Avenue North to browse fashionable and affordable women's apparel for all body shapes and sizes. You can even preview the current selection online.

Handy with a needle and thread or a pair of knitting needles? SR Harris Fabric on Zealand Avenue North offers tons of outdoor- and indoor-fabric options, zippers, elastics, threads and high-quality wool at extremely reasonable prices. Bring your own scissors, and get ready for a treasure hunt in this overflowing store.

Neighborhood grocery stores include Golden Lion Supermarket, Safari Grocery and Festival Foods in the east, Aldi near the center, and Cub Foods in the south and north. Zane Sports Park also hosts a popular farmers market every Wednesday from June to October.