There’s no doubt about it, living in Grand Forks is pretty cool – literally. In the winter, temperatures get pretty frosty. But life doesn’t stop when the thermometer dips below zero, you just put on a few more layers and presto! spending time outside becomes a breeze (again literally… it’s definitely windy).

We are a pair of siblings growing up in Grand Forks and we’re here to share some of the fun winter activities in Grand Forks in we like to do. Whether cozying up inside, bundling up outside, or becoming community explorers, there are so many ways to have fun during the snowy season.

1. Volunteering for local nonprofits
   Volunteering at nonprofits helps them and gives you something to do. We like to volunteer at Journey Home Animal Rescue. You can go visit the dogs and cats waiting to be adopted. Reading books to the animals is one of our favorite things and brought instruments and sang Christmas carols to the dogs and cats. The cats seemed to really like it and many even meowed along! Looking for a place to volunteer? Check out the #gfiscooler list of cool places to volunteer.
2. Watching a movie.  Cuddling up with your family and making hot chocolate is the best way to relax when it’s below zero. Watching Christmas movies reminds us of being with our family and getting awesome Christmas presents. We also have some great movie theaters like the River Cinema 15 and AMC Classic Grand Forks 10 if you’re craving popcorn or a slushie.
3. Grabbing a hot drink or a coffee at local coffee shops.  We have several amazing coffee shops and little cafés. Our favorite coffee shop to visit is the Urban Stampede in downtown Grand Forks! They have yummy baked goods, Italian sodas, and our parents love their coffee. The Urban is fun because you can sit at the bar and watch the baristas make your drinks right in front of you! They also have board games to play while you enjoy your treats.
4. Going to the library and checking out some books. We love Grand Forks Public! There are a bunch of good books at the library, so if you are bookworms like we are, then this is something you should definitely do when it’s cold! There is also a pirate-themed kids’ section upstairs. They have a brand new slide and our little brother, Rocco, likes to watch the fish in the fish tank. You can even press a button and watch a tiny diver go down to the bottom of the tank. Our library is awesome!
5. Playing music with your family.  Pick up an instrument, and start playing!  Did you know that music is one of the only things that stimulates your entire brain?  If you can’t play an instrument, sing! If you can’t sing, dance! If you can’t dance, try! Our whole family loves to spend time making music together. Mairi plays ukulele and trumpet, Jonas plays ukulele, violin, and otomatone, and our parents play several instruments including guitar, ukulele, and autoharp. There are lots of good places to take music lessons in Grand Forks!
6. Winter Festivals.  Our city doesn’t just think about summer. We’ve got some cool festivals and winter activities in Grand Forks, too! We like Greenway Ski Days a lot because there’s free ice skating, skiing, sledding, and hot cocoa. We can even watch local kids build sleds out of cardboard (more like sculptures than sleds) and compete in a cardboard sled race. We also really like Feast of Nations because it shows off all sorts of different cultures and foods and ends in a big dance.
7. Make blanket forts! Blanket forts are a nice way to have your own little cozy space! You can read stories and play games in your blanket fort (and you can even make rules like “No grownups allowed!). If you have pets, you can bring them in the fort with you to cuddle and take a nap. Don’t forget your flashlight!
8. Bundle up and build a snowman. When the snow is good snowman snow (slightly wet and easily packable), we love to go outside and build snow families (or “snowfam” if you’re cool). You can collect items year-round like rocks and sticks and keep them ready for snow people building in the wintertime! You can even put food coloring in water bottles and color the snow like a rainbow! If you want to see someone else’s snow art, you can visit Lincoln Park and see snow sculptures by local artist, Adam Kemp.
9. Playing games with your family.  Break out the ol’ Scrabble board and beat your parents at a round! We have a ton of board games we enjoy playing with our family. Jonas especially likes playing Nintendo Switch games, even though it’s hard to beat Mom in Mario Kart! Mairi’s favorite game to play is Bananagrams, which is like Scrabble but banana-themed.
10. Fill a bucket with boiling water, throw it in the air and watch it freeze immediately! It’s really neat to see and it’s so satisfying when it falls in a cool wave. Make sure that once you fling the water, you step aside so it doesn’t fall on you, just to be safe! It’s also really fun to blow bubbles when it’s really cold because you can watch them freeze instantly. *REMINDER* This only works when it is around (or below) -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whew! Even we forget sometimes how many fun winter activities there are to do in Grand Forks. We hope you had fun exploring this list and we’ll see you next month for more things we love to do in greater Grand Forks!