Minneapolis gets two Nutcrackers this December, and both of them are on Hennepin Avenue. The touring NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet plays the Orpheum on December 4 and 5, and Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy, the Minnesota holiday tradition with a live 44-piece orchestra, returns to the State Theatre from December 12 to 20. If you’re bringing the family in from out of town, or turning the ballet into a grown-up date weekend, the question is where to sleep afterwards. Our answer is a hundred-year-old mansion in Loring Park, a walk of under a mile from either theatre, with a hot tub in the garden and a speakeasy under the stairs.
The two Nutcrackers on Hennepin Avenue, December 2026
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet — Orpheum Theatre, December 4–5
The touring production from Talmi Productions bills itself as the largest Nutcracker in North America: international dancers, acrobatics, towering puppets and the full Tchaikovsky score. There are three performances at the Orpheum: Friday, December 4 at 7 PM, and Saturday, December 5 at 1 PM and 5 PM. Ticket purchases are limited to eight per order, and the show sells add-ons like a lobby photo with a ballerina, so families tend to arrive early.
Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy — State Theatre, December 12–20
This is the one Minnesotans grew up on. Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy returns to the State Theatre with Houlton’s original choreography, a cast of local student and professional dancers with guest artists, and a 44-piece live orchestra. Six performances over two weekends: Saturday, December 12 at 2 PM and 7 PM; Sunday, December 13 at 3 PM; Saturday, December 19 at 2 PM and 7 PM; and Sunday, December 20 at 3 PM. It’s an all-ages show with a recommended age of 3 and up, every child needs a purchased ticket, and orders are capped at eight tickets. The State Theatre box office is at 805 Hennepin Avenue, open weekdays from noon to 5 PM.
Both theatres sit on the same few blocks of Hennepin Avenue, which means the same weekend plan works for either: check in Friday, walk to the show, and sleep in on Sunday. If you’re also eyeing a straight play for the holidays, our guide to A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie covers the other big December ticket in town.
Why a Loring Park mansion beats a downtown hotel for the ballet
300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, a National Register house from 1906 and the finest Georgian architecture in Minnesota, and it sits on the quiet side of Loring Park. From the front gate you walk up Hennepin Avenue, past the Basilica, to the theatre district: under a mile, and all of it on lit city sidewalks. No ramp, no rideshare surge after the curtain, no circling the block in December.
After the show, the house does the things a hotel can’t. The four-season hot tub is in the garden under the stars, and there is nothing quite like sitting in hot water while snow lands on the hedges. Downstairs, Gertrude’s Cistern is a speakeasy with a haunted video lounge and heated reclining seats, which is where the grown-ups end up once the sugar-plum fairies have worn off.
Which room for a Nutcracker weekend
For a couple making a date of it, the Georgian Room is the classic pick: a big king bed, a fireplace and a chandelier that looks like it wandered in from Act Two. The Crystal Mansion and the Grand Edwardian are the other two showpiece rooms in the main house. Families and groups spread out well in the Carriage House, where the Hayloft has room to breathe, and the Estate Rooms are the budget-friendly option (they are the only rooms with a shared bath, so read the page first). Children are welcome; pets are not, and the two Great Danes who live here already have that covered.
Practical details for December
Check-in is at 3 PM and check-out at 10 AM, with early or late options for a small fee. Breakfast isn’t served on site, but there is complimentary coffee in the common area, and every room has its own climate control, which matters more in December than you’d think. Guest parking is available if you drive in, though you won’t need the car once you’re here. The full list of house rules is on our FAQ page.
Book direct and you’ll also receive our guest vouchers: a $20 dining voucher for the Pillsbury Club, the members-style club inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion a short drive south, and a $20 voucher for Minneapolis Trolley Tours, both per stay. If you want to make the whole weekend feel like the ballet, the trolley’s Holiday Light Ride boards at the Pillsbury mansion and runs on December evenings; we wrote up how three generations can do it together.
If the December dates fill before you get to them, the same walk up Hennepin works for everything else on the avenue this season; our November lineup is a good place to start. The theatres’ own parking page is worth a look if someone in your party is driving in separately, and Metro Transit’s trip planner handles the rest.
Book the mansion for Nutcracker weekend
Two Nutcrackers, two December weekends, and one house a walk away from both. December weekends at 300 Clifton go early, particularly the ones with snow in the forecast. Check availability and book direct at 300 Clifton, and we’ll have the hot tub warm when the curtain comes down.