Are there coupons to use in Minneapolis?

We are coming to Minneapolis in June for our 50th wedding anniversary with our family of 14 and was wondering if you have any coupons to use in this great city? - Gloria, Alexandria, Minn.

There are ways to get deals, but you'll have to work for them.

First, request a visitors kit from Meet Minneapolis, and check to see what coupons are offered in that.

Then, sign up to receive daily deal offerings from Groupon.com, which offers coupons for heavily discounted restaurant meals and occasionally tickets and lodgings.

Recent deals in Minneapolis included $20 for $50 worth of Spanish tapas at Solera, a popular restaurant near the theaters on Hennepin Avenue, and $10 for admission to Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America (usually $21).

Restaurant.com operates the same way: You get a "gift certificate'' at a 50 to 60 percent discount. It offers them for many restaurants, but it helps to be familiar with those offered; many are mediocre or in the suburbs.

The Happenings Entertainment books don't offer as many deals as they once did, but serious sightseers will have no problem justifying their expense. They're all 40 percent off now, so the Twin Cities book costs $21.

Deals include 2-for-1 admission to the Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum, 50 percent off tickets to the Walker Art Center and Minnesota Opera, a free child's admission to Underwater Adventures and 2-for-1 entrees at such restaurants as Erte, Rudolph's Bar-B-Que and Kikugawa at St. Anthony Main.

If you're a member of Minnesota Public Radio, you're entitled to discounts around town: 15 percent off at such restaurants as Brit's Pub on Nicollet Mall and Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery on the West Bank, and 20 percent off an item at the Bibelot shops.

If you're a member of public television, a museum, an orchestra or other non-profit arts organization, you may be eligible for discounts — be sure to check. The MemberCard, offered at many public radio and TV stations with a $120 contribution, has hundreds of 2-for-1 deals at inns and restaurants.

The Star Tribune offers half-price deals, and so do local radio stations. TC Ticket Insider offers half-price theater tickets.

And wherever you go, leaf through brochures and fliers; often, a coupon for a restaurant can be found in a rack right outside its door.

If you're going to the Mall of America, it sells a coupon book for $12.50. But first, check to see if it offers discounts on things you want to buy.

For more about visiting Minneapolis in summer, see On the river in Minneapolis, Minneapolis' Chain of Lakes and Biking in Minneapolis.