Theater
Lakes
Lake Calhoun
Lake Calhoun has a large public beach and boat rentals (http://www.thetinfish.com...) and lessons, and a snack bar that resembles a real restaurant more every summer.
Lake of the Isles
Lake of the Isles has bird sanctuaries on its officially off-limits islands, and a public skating rink with warming house are groomed in the winter months. Check the newspaper; you may get lucky and catch a world-class speed-skating competition here. Its shores also feature some of the best climbing trees in the city, particularly for those who carry a short rope ladder in their pack.
Lake Harriet
Lake Harriet also has boat rentals near its bandshell (http://www.minneapolispar...).
Cedar Lake
Cedar Lake has a shady public swimming beach.
Film
Head to Uptown for some independent film:
Uptown Theatre
One screen. Films often run for a week or two. Afterwards they sometimes move down to the multi-screen Lagoon Cinema.
Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
Heritage streetcar line running along a one-mile track between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun, which used to be part of a much longer streetcar line that ran all the way to Lake Como in Saint Paul, hence the name. Currently operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, which also operates a heritage streetcar line in Excelsior, near Lake Minnetonka. Its fleet includes two streetcars from the 1900s built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company and one PCC streetcar from the 1940s built by the St. Louis Car Company. Streetcars begin and end their journey at Linden Hills Station located at 42nd and Queen on the west side of Lake Harriet. There is also a second much less used stop on near the east side of Lake Calhoun at 36th Street and Richfield Road.