We piled off the bus in the small National Park located inside the city of Saint Paul. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a part of the National Park Service. The recreation area encompass a 72 miles of shore line and 54,000 acres. Many people use the recreation area to canoe and kayak, fish, bird watch, and bike.
Part of the recreation area was closed off for the TBEX attendees and was the site of the closing party hosted by Visit Saint Paul. They brought in some of the most popular food trucks and craft breweries in the city.
The food was absolutely delicious.
Deep fried bacon mac and cheese, chipotle mac and cheese, hot dogs, smoothies, pulled pork grilled cheese, and lots of other cheese flavored foods.
Booths passing out as much craft beer as you could ever want dotted the fenced off area for the party. I’m not much of a beer fan, but I did try one from the Sidhe Brewing Company. I think it was called a pale ale, and it was a little bitter for my taste, but all in all, not bad. I tried the one from Sidhe because they had the most colorful logo and I’m a sucker for colorful stuff.
After the food and beer, we were taken down to a paddle boat waiting at the dock. Many people thought the front of the boat was the best place to be as they continued to crowd the small area at the front of the boat. I preferred being in the back of the boat where the paddle was. The view of the city skyline from back there was just perfect.
One the way back to the dock, I climbed up the the very crowded rooftop. I hung out halfway up the stairs for a bit and captured a few more beautiful shots before descending back down to where the paddle was.
The best time to take the Padelford Cruise is right as the sun is setting. The sky is the right color and the city lights are all lit up. It is gorgeous!
Next time you find yourself going to the Twin Cities, I would highly recommend searching out some of the local food trucks, craft breweries, and riding the Paddle Boat at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Many thanks to Visit Saint Paul for providing the food, beer, and the boat ride. All thoughts and opinions are my own 🙂
