Minneapolis – The Cultural and Industrial Capital of Minnesota
Minneapolis is one of the most important and central cities in the Midwest and the Great Plains. It's the largest city on the Mississippi River (and the largest metropolitan area in the Great Plains north of Texas). Minneapolis is a classic American northern city with a large downtown, industrial history, plenty of quality museums, and big parks. It's the largest city in Minnesota and forms a large urban continuum with its neighbor Saint Paul, the state capital.
- The heart of the city is St. Anthony Falls, the engine of the city's growth and the fuel that powered the flour mills upon which the city grew
- The city birthed the American icon Pillsbury, based on those same flour mills
- Minneapolis is a tough city weather-wise, with a cold and dry winter and plenty of water surrounding it. The cold northern character of the city made it a settlement hub for Scandinavian and German immigrants
How many days do you need for a trip to Minneapolis?
For a trip to Minneapolis, you need between a full day and two, depending on how many museums you wish to visit and the weather conditions.
It's highly recommended to find accommodations in Minneapolis or the Twin Cities metropolitan area during your stay in the city.
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8 Must-See and Do Things in Minneapolis
- Scenic view of St. Anthony Falls from Stone Arch Bridge
- Observation deck at Guthrie Theater (with views of the Mississippi River, the falls, and Stone Arch Bridge)
- The economic engine of the city at Mill City Museum
- Contemporary art at the Walker Art Center and stunning sculptures at the nearby Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
- Art from European masters at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Groundbreaking modern architecture at Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus
- Boundary-breaking cuisine at Midtown Global Market
- Shopping and entertainment at Nickelodeon Universe, Mall of America
Click here to purchase online tickets for SEA LIFE at Mall of America…
Click here to purchase tickets for Minnesota Timberwolves games online…
What is Minneapolis?
The twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are a conglomerate of two cities that merged into a large metropolis. The Twin Cities Metro is home to nearly four million residents, almost two-thirds of the population of the state of Minnesota (whose size is slightly less than that of Romania). Minneapolis and Saint Paul are situated along the Mississippi River, with Minneapolis being considered the largest of the cities on the main river route in the US, with nearly half a million inhabitants living within its boundaries.
Minneapolis is located along the route of the great Mississippi River, in an area also filled with lakes, streams, and tributaries that flow into the drainage basin of the massive river. Due to the abundance of water bodies, Minneapolis got its name (based on a Native American word for water + polis as city in Greek) and its nickname as the city of lakes. This nickname extended to the local basketball team known as the Lakers, which later moved to Los Angeles and became a legendary part of sports history.
Minneapolis was founded in the mid-19th century as a transit station near St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. The falls powered many large industrial businesses such as sawmills, flour mills, and more. The city quickly grew into an industrial hub for processing agricultural produce in the vast area west of Chicago. The city's expansive flour industry gave rise to several major companies, the most notable being Pillsbury, the iconic dough giant that operated five flour mills in the city.
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When is the best time to visit Minneapolis?
- The best season to visit Minneapolis is the summer, from July to September. During these months, there are long sunny hours, and the weather is usually pleasant (it can be rainy too, but less so than in the late spring months).
- The spring months from mid-April to June are typically characterized by generally pleasant weather (it can still be really cold in April and May) but with lots of rain.
- During the fall season, the weather gets cloudy and cools down quickly, so September is still pleasant, but by October, it can already be quite cold.
- Winter in Minneapolis is extremely white and freezing. For those who love the atmosphere, it's a lot of fun, but you must bundle up properly, even if you're just stepping out of the car for a second. In January and February, the cities can experience extreme cold of several degrees below zero. The winter is very dry (if it snows once, it simply stays for a few months) and can also be sunny.
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Map of the main attractions in Minneapolis
Where to sleep in Minneapolis?
Accommodation in the Twin Cities and Minneapolis primarily relies on the hotel distribution typical of major American cities:
- City center hotels in towers
- Motels along highways and near the airport
In the metropolis, there are two downtowns about three kilometers apart, both in Minneapolis and in Saint Paul.
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Both downtowns are small in size and host a variety of major American hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt, Westin, etc., mostly offering urban hotels rated three or four stars. Minneapolis also features luxury hotels downtown, like the Canadian Four Seasons hotel near the city’s central library building. In downtown Saint Paul, there are fewer chain hotels, but prices are generally a bit more affordable.
In the Twin Cities metro area, there are several main clusters of motels:
- On the 494 corridor, south of the international airport, there's a stretch of motels and some business hotels. Every major American Inn chain is represented there. The hotels and motels near the airport are usually of high standard and it's very convenient to get from there to any place in the metro area, including the Mall of America which is right nearby.
- In the western part of the 494, the airport's hotel strip extends to the intersection with the central Highway 100. Further west, there's another cluster of excellent motels in the suburb Eden Prairie, near the Asia Mall at the intersection of the road with the 212.
- Two other good clusters of motels are located close to each other on the 394, a bit west of downtown Minneapolis, near the intersection with the 100 and the 169.
Map of accommodations in Minneapolis
How to plan a travel itinerary in Minneapolis?
The Minneapolis itinerary mainly focuses on the city's downtown and key sites in Midtown (south of downtown and the Mississippi River, heading towards the metropolitan international airport).
- The downtown tour starts at Saint Anthony Falls, the city’s industrial and settlement heart. Over the Mississippi River falls, the Stone Arch Bridge connects Father Hennepin Bluff Park on the north bank with Mill Ruins Park. There you’ll find the Mill City Museum next to the Guthrie Theater.
- From downtown, it’s worth moving to separate sites in Midtown. The closest one to downtown is the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden nearby.
- Further south is the Minneapolis Institute of Art, with an enormous collection of art pieces and historical artifacts.
- A short drive from the city center to Midtown brings you to Midtown Global Market, the city’s largest food stall market, and the Mall of America, the largest mall in the USA.
- If you want to see the architectural masterpiece by Frank Gehry, it's worth crossing the river to get to the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus.
Everything to See and Do in Minneapolis
Saint Anthony Falls
Saint Anthony Falls is the clearest symbol of the heart of Minneapolis. This wide, 15-meter high waterfall was the base for the settlement in the metropolis and the power source that drove the local economy. To this day, the waterfall is an integral part of Minneapolis's life fabric. In the past (and still today), the falls symbolized the legendary end of navigability on the wide and peaceful river (of course, with narrow and long steamboats) from its mouth in Louisiana to upriver in Minnesota.
Today's waterfall is engineered with a series of dams and doesn't resemble what it used to be, yet it's still quite impressive due to its central location. Nearby, there are small islands with some infrastructure facilities like a hydroelectric power station. However, you can take a little stroll in the Father Hennepin Bluff Park accessible via the Stone Arch Bridge from downtown Minneapolis.
Stone Arch Bridge
The Stone Arch Bridge is historic in Midwest terms. It was built in 1883 to serve as a rail line crossing from downtown Minneapolis to areas north of the river and was in use until 1978. In the 1990s, as part of the downtown modernization, the bridge was converted for tourist purposes into a pedestrian and bicycle path and underwent extensive renovation. It's the second oldest bridge still standing on the Mississippi River and the only stone-arch bridge on the river. The bridge's unique appearance and character have secured it a respected place in the heart of Minneapolis and as an integral part of the city's tourist route.
The bridge stretches from downtown Minneapolis, from Mill Ruins Park and Gold Medal Park, a green sequence of trails and trees along the riverbank and reaches the Father Hennepin Bluff Park. The main attraction of the bridge is the beautiful view of St. Anthony Falls.
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is situated next to the Mississippi River near the Mill City Museum, above the Stone Arch Bridge and St. Anthony Falls. The massive black structure was built in 1963 and has since loomed over the river with its somber presence, marking the gateway to downtown Minneapolis. In 2006, the building's interior underwent an extensive renovation, and today the theater serves the cultural side of the Twin Cities. The most interesting part of the building is the giant observation terrace, which extends over fifty meters. It stretches above the adjacent park and offers a stunning view of the river and St. Anthony Falls.
Mill City Museum
The Mill City Museum is the name of the unique site where the half-ruined Washburn “A” Mill stands. In this area at the heart of Minneapolis, on the banks of the Mississippi River, giant plants once operated that drove the city's economy based on the great waterfall of Saint Anthony Falls. Nowadays, the area has undergone gentrification, large public museums, and theaters have been built, and the factories and flour mills have been converted into fashionable loft apartments. The decision was made to keep the half-destroyed Washburn Mill building as a monument to the city's development, and they opened a museum on the lower floors telling the story of industrial growth in the city.
Address: 704 S 2nd St., Minneapolis
Click here for the current museum hours…
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is located next to the charming Loring Park at the southwestern edge of downtown Minneapolis. A highway, Route 94, separates the park from the museum and the sculpture garden. It's a city museum dedicated to contemporary art, opened in an impressive modern building based on the collection of Thomas Barlow Walker, a wealthy timber exporter and art aficionado. The museum's collection has more than 13,000 items and sculptures belonging to the modern and postmodern era, including paintings by German expressionist Franz Marc, Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper, and other notable American (and some European) artists.
An integral part of the museum is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, with dozens of modern sculptures of various sizes scattered over a green park with lawns, pathways, and tree-lined avenues. The sculpture garden is one of the most fun places to walk in Minneapolis (only on sunny and warm days… there are some of those in summer).
Address: 725 Vineland Pl., Minneapolis
For the museum's current opening hours, click here…
Click here for all the information about visiting the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden…
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, or the MIA, is a magnificent and large art museum located south of the city's downtown. The museum resides in the heart of the Whittier district in an impressive neoclassical building, near the intersection of I-35W and Highway 94. It opened in 1915 based on the collection of the city's Fine Arts Society and collections of its affluent members.
The museum houses more than 80,000 different items ranging from European masters, through decorative arts, archaeological artifacts, and more. The art collection includes works by Rembrandt van Rijn, Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, and others. The most famous masterpiece in the museum's collection is the spectacular painting by the Greek-Spanish Baroque giant El Greco, “Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple.”
Address: 2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis
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Weisman Art Museum
The Weisman Art Museum is, first and foremost, a stunningly beautiful building and one of the masterpieces of the Jewish-Canadian architectural giant, Frank Gehry. It is the art museum of the University of Minnesota, located on the west side of the campus near the Mississippi River. The building was inaugurated in 1993 and has since become one of the city's symbols. The museum's collection is based on the legacy of collector Frederick Weisman, whose main hobbies were modern art and Far Eastern furniture. While visiting the museum, you'll undoubtedly be captivated by the impressive building, but it's also worth going inside to see fascinating items that were the life's work of Weisman.
Address: 333 E River Pkwy, Minneapolis
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Midtown Global Market
The vibrant Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis is located in the southern wing of the historic Midtown Exchange building from 1927, south of downtown Minneapolis. It's a beloved market featuring over fifty stalls and restaurants offering dishes and foods of all kinds and from all cultures, reflecting America's rich cultural mosaic. The market is very popular among city residents and is one of the favorite hangout spots.
Address: 920 E Lake St., Minneapolis
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Click here for an afternoon guided tour of Minneapolis' most groundbreaking restaurants…
Mall of America
The Mall of America is one of the most famous malls in the USA, mainly due to its status as the largest mall in America. It's no surprise that this giant mall was built in the Twin Cities, where, due to weather conditions, much of the year you can't roam outside, and outings are limited to indoor spaces. The Mall of America has everything – stores, restaurants, a tram station, IKEA, and lots of entertainment options all under one roof.
The mall also hosts a not-so-big theme park, Nickelodeon Universe, which has rides suitable for toddlers to grown-ups, including roller coasters and carousels. The mall opened in 1992, just south of the international airport, and has since become one of the main attractions in the greater Twin Cities area. Inside the mall is also the SEA LIFE at Mall of America aquarium, a kind of boutique branch of the giant sea life theme park network.
Address: 60 E Broadway, Bloomington
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