Best Attractions In Minneapolis St. Paul
By Greg Weekes
Through various activities, including riverfront walking tours and an educational ride in a converted freight elevator, visitors to the Mill City Museum learn about Minneapolis' past life as the “Flour Milling Capital of the World.” Built into the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, the facility also houses relics and regional artworks that document the city's once-thriving mill district, which began forming along the banks of the Mississippi River in the late 19th century.
While you're exploring the Minneapolis riverfront, make a pit stop at the Guthrie Theater . Founded in 1963 by English director Sir Tyrone Guthrie, this AAA GEM attraction encompasses three stages where both classical productions and contemporary works are presented. Also an architectural showstopper, the ultramodern building features the 178-foot-long cantilevered “Endless Bridge” and a 9th-floor observation area offering stunning views of the Mississippi River, the Stone Arch Bridge and St. Anthony Falls.
Raised in St. Paul, noted architect Cass Gilbert designed many eye-catching structures in his hometown, including the Minnesota State Capitol . Completed in 1905, this AAA GEM attraction is best known for its impressive, unsupported marble dome. At the dome's base, proudly guarding the main entrance, is Daniel Chester French's and Edward Clark Potter's gilded quadriga sculpture, the “Progress of the State.”
Another St. Paul standout, the Courthouse/City Hall , showcases Art Deco design throughout its 21 stories in everything from exotic wood finishes to Moderne artworks. Dominating the first floor of this AAA GEM attraction is “Vision of Peace,” a 60-ton, 36-foot-high onyx carving that depicts a Native American peace pipe ceremony as seen through the eyes of Swedish artist Carl Milles. The imposing rotating monument resides in Memorial Hall, a fittingly grand space decked out in black Belgian marble and gold mirrors.
Augmenting the 1915 neoclassical home of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) are two striking additions—Japanese architect Kenzo Tange's 1974 Minimalist wing and the 2006 Target Wing, designed by Michael Graves. But you'll have to step inside this AAA GEM attraction to discover such diverse holdings as Ch'ing dynasty silk textiles, European decorative arts and contemporary paintings. Since the institute's founding, the permanent collection has multiplied tenfold, from 800 pieces to about 80,000.
Like the MIA, the Walker Art Center has greatly expanded its exhibition space in recent years. A dramatic 2005 addition, an off-kilter, aluminum-paneled tower that juts out toward busy Hennepin Avenue, has become one of Minneapolis' most distinctive architectural features. The state's preeminent modern art gallery, this cultural institution boasts works by such artists as Willem de Kooning, Carmen Herrera and Andy Warhol.
Next door is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden , a collaboration between the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. Connected to Loring Park by a multihued steel walkway (the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge), the 11-acre green space is best known as the home of “Spoonbridge and Cherry.” As the creators of the iconic 7,000-pound sculpture once remarked, the colossal eating utensil cradling a glossy red sphere “turns into a mouthful of ice cream sundae” on snowy days.
When snow days are a thing of the past, many families head to Minnehaha Park , a woodsy haven centering on a 53-foot-tall waterfall. Crisscrossed by recreational trails, the striking 193-acre site in southeast Minneapolis attracts hikers and bicyclists and is complemented by perennial and annual gardens and sculpture.
St. Paul's Como Park Zoo and Conservatory attracts a diverse bunch. The zoo traces its origins to a fenced-in deer pasture established by the city in 1897, but its latest exhibition space, the Polar Bear Odyssey, is a state-of-the-art habitat providing visitors with an insightful peek into the lives of these burly fur balls. For kids there's an old-fashioned carousel, built in 1914, and Como Town, a small amusement park. The park has baseball, softball and soccer fields; an 18-hole, par 70 golf course; and Como Lake, which offers boating and fishing and is encircled by nearly 2 miles of paved paths. Those interested in all things green head to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, known for its Sunken Garden and expansive bonsai collection.
When the Minnesota Children's Museum opened in Minneapolis in 1981, it drew 65,000 visitors in its first year. The museum's growing popularity and wealth of fun things to do spurred two subsequent moves to larger digs. Currently in its third incarnation in downtown St. Paul, this AAA GEM attraction features permanent galleries, temporary exhibition areas and more wide-eyed kids than you can count.
The perfect counterpart to the Minnesota Children's Museum, the Science Museum of Minnesota is another downtown St. Paul GEM attraction boasting an abundance of interactive exhibits. Built into the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, this 370,000-square-foot facility educates visitors about fossils, our planet's water resources, tornadoes, DNA and more.
Operated by the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum , a AAA GEM attraction in Chaska, comprises 1,137 acres designed to inspire. Weekend horticulturalists can gather ideas for an Eastern-influenced backyard in the Japanese Garden, a tranquil space accented by granite snow lanterns and a stone waterfall. Also check out the rose gardens; the Ornamental Grass Collection, containing more than 200 ornamental and native species; and the formal Griggs/Burke Annual Garden, which showcases a different color scheme each year.
If blowing your paycheck at Bloomie's or Nordstrom isn't your idea of a good time, there's still plenty in store for you at the Mall of America , a sprawling AAA GEM attraction that covers approximately 96 acres in Bloomington . More than 10,000 undersea creatures reside at the SEA LIFE at Mall of America , while a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea (SpongeBob SquarePants) reigns supreme at Nickelodeon Universe , a 7-acre amusement park at the center of the mall. MOA also has several other family-friendly attractions, including a mirror maze and an 18-hole miniature golf course.
At the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley , you'll lose more than a few stare-offs with both spotted and scaly predators, from Amur leopards to Komodo dragons. One of the first zoos to organize animals by environment rather than by species, the AAA GEM attraction features six themed areas, including the Medtronic Minnesota Trail and Russia's Grizzly Coast. Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll hear moos and oinks aplenty, and perhaps spy a playful otter or two doing the backstroke.
See all the AAA recommended attractions for this destination.