Minnesota and its citizens know how to enjoy winter. They embrace the cold weather, ice and snow with enthusiasm and creativity.

Here are some ways to enjoy the best of what Minnesota has to offer in the wintertime:

Saint Paul Winter Carnival

Started in 1886, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival is the nation’s oldest on-going winter celebration. Dubbed “The Coolest Celebration on Earth,” the Carnival includes a royal coronation, a day and a night parade, kids day, art exhibit and ice sculpture-carving competition. Arguably the most popular event is the ice carving competition where participants get 48 hours to create a frozen masterpiece out of 20- to 300-pound blocks of ice. There is also a snow-sculpting contest. The 10-day Carnival is staged from late January to early February.

Snow Skiing

While Minnesota doesn’t carry the prestige of Colorado, Utah or New Hampshire for a snow skiing getaway, it does have several excellent family-oriented ski resorts where you can downhill ski, snowboard or go tubing. Some options include Wild Mountain Ski, Snowboard and Tubing Area in Taylors Falls; Mount Kato Ski Area in Mankato; Buck Hill Ski Area in Burnsville; Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort in Biwabik; Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington; Chester Bowl Ski Area in Duluth; Buena Vista Ski Area in Bemidji; and Andes Tower Hills Ski Area in Kensington.

Snowmobiling

Gentleman and ladies, start your snowmobiles! Minnesota has more than 22,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, most of which are maintained by local snowmobile club volunteers. Recently, Minnesota was named “Best Trails State” in the nation by the American Trails Association. One of the state’s more popular snowmobiling areas is Brainerd Lakes, which has a 1,200-mile network of trails. The 110-mile Paul Bunyan Trail to Bemidji passes through small towns where you stop for lunch or dinner, refuel and spend the night in a hotel. There are 15 towns along the route, which ranges from sometimes flat and open to occasionally hilly. Another top trail is the Tomahawk Trail in Ely, an 85-mile trail that is somewhat remote with no towns and few roads.

Cross Country Skiing

There’s more than one way to get around in the snow and cross-country skiing is a popular way in Minnesota. Most of the more than 2,400 kilometers of groomed trails in more than 100 ski areas are located on public land. The largest cross-country ski area in the state is the Gunflint Trail, which covers more than 100 square miles. Located in the northeastern part of the state near Duluth, the Gunflint Trail Nordic System has more than 200 km of marked, groomed and tracked cross-country ski trails through Laurentian Highlands terrain. There are also lighted trails for night skiing. The series of trails include the Old Logging Camp Trail, Big Foot Trail and Red Pine Trail. Another popular trail is the North Shore Trail.

Minnesota Wild Hockey Game

A member of the National Hockey League, the Minnesota Wild’s regular season runs from early October to April. The Wild play their games at the Xcel Energy Center St. Paul, a state-of-the-art 18,000-seat arena set on six acres in downtown St. Paul. Members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, the Wild play lots of games with other conference members, including the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. For a bite to eat, the Headwaters Bar and Restaurant offers buffet style servings in the Saint Paul Club level, and the restaurant includes a cigar lounge and a fireplace.