Dad's Eye View: 52 Family Adventures in the Twin Cities

“The dad’s eye view is a little above and behind the kids’: above, so you can scan the horizon for danger and excitement; behind, because adventures are best led by the kids.” So says writer and amateur photographer Michael Hartford, who has followed his twin boys and their mother up historic water towers, down secret streets, and through Twin Cities landmarks, both lauded and little-known, with vintage camera in hand. over the years, the destinations have changed, from zoos to markets to museums, but the point has remained the same: to play and learn and explore together.

In Dad’s Eye View, Hartford describes fi fty-two of his family’s favorite Twin Cities spots—one for each week of the year—and dares other dads (and moms) to explore them with gusto. Shoot sparks at the Bakken Museum, track foxes along the Mississippi River gorge, climb ropes at French Regional Park, and measure your success not by the time it takes you to get in and out but by the number of questions your kids ask: How many books are in this library? Why were mills built here? Seek out adventure and savor it, with Dad’s Eye View along for inspiration

 Michael Hartford is a Java web developer at Lawson Software in St. Paul. He is also a published short story author, blogger, Cub Scout pack leader, and collector of vintage cameras.

Savvy dad Michael Hartford describes top spots to play, learn, and explore as a family in the Twin Cities, from celebrated landmarks to inconspicuous gems.