We are Arboretum members and love their walkable gardens, and the drivable loop. This place is huge, and has interactive exhibits for kids, and a hedge maze. A freakin' hedge maze. This is a close activity to our home in Chanhassen.
Downtown Excelsior offers a lot of restaurants and shopping right on Lake Minnetonka, including outdoor dock-dining. With some planning you could even arrange a boat ride through a charter service. We go on a lot of dates here.
Quintessential for a trip to the Twin Cities.
We used to live right around the corner.
There are many wineries, breweries, and distilleries in the Twin Cities about a 20 or 30 minute drive from our home (closer depending on where you might be staying). There are even a couple of breweries less than a mile from our home. Last fall Jeff and his family went to Schram's in Waconia and it was a fun time with perfect autumn views.