Minneapolis

The city runs on water. Thirteen lakes sit inside the city limits, and Minneapolis is “abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks, and waterfalls.” Saint Anthony Falls, once 50 to 60 feet tall by Father Hennepin's 1680 estimate and 35 feet today, was the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi, and it is the reason the whole city exists on this bend of the river. In 1869 a tunnel dug under the riverbed breached the falls’ limestone cap and nearly took the falls out; the city patched it with a dike, and the concrete apron you see below the falls today went in during the 1950s.

The mill era matters because the buildings survived. By 1884 the city's flour production was the most valuable in the world, and by 1899 Minneapolis outsold every other lumber market in the world. The Washburn A Mill was destroyed twice, most spectacularly in the 1878 Great Mill Disaster, rebuilt in 1880, and operated until 1965; a 1991 fire took what was left. The Minnesota Historical Society stabilized the ruins and built the Mill City Museum inside them, which opened in 2003 — a working museum literally inside the shell of the mill.

The other thing that will surprise a visitor: Minneapolis is easily one of the great music and theater cities in the middle of the country. Prince played the First Avenue nightclub. The Guthrie Theater, first opened in 1963 and re-opened in Jean Nouvel's 2006 building on the river, is a national-tier repertory theater with three stages and a 178-foot cantilevered bridge that walks out over the Mississippi to nowhere. The Walker Art Center is one of the country's top contemporary art museums, next door to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Spoonbridge and Cherry.

Saint Anthony Falls Historic District is the anchor and everything is walkable from one parking lot. Start at the Stone Arch Bridge, an 1883 James J. Hill–commissioned arched stone railroad bridge, built with Sauk Rapids granite and Mankato/Iowa magnesium limestone, converted to a pedestrian and bicycle crossing and on the National Register since 1971 as part of the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District. From the middle of the bridge you can see the falls, the mill ruins, and the Minneapolis skyline in one frame. Then step into the Mill City Museum, opened in 2003 inside the Washburn A Mill ruins on the Mississippi. The Flour Tower ride takes you up nine floors to an observation deck overlooking Saint Anthony Falls.

The Twin Cities food scene is genuinely national-tier for a mid-sized metro. The North Loop is the current center of gravity for downtown-side sit-down restaurants; Northeast is where the breweries and neighborhood spots concentrate; Uptown has the older lakeside institutions.

For something specifically Minneapolis, look for the Juicy Lucy — a cheese-stuffed burger locally claimed by both Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club. Matt's Bar's own site says the “Jucy Lucy” was created at the bar shortly after it opened in 1954, and the 5-8 Club's site calls the club the Twin Cities home of the Juicy Lucy.

42 breweries within 10 miles of Minneapolis, 11 of them brewpubs with a kitchen.

Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)

• Minnesota's Largest Candy StoreRoadside attraction / tourist stopJordanabout 31 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Free

  When you can see it

  Seasonal — not open all year

  Nearest road

  US-169

  Vast candy and odd soda barn; cash only

  • Open seasonally, not all year

  Read on the page we checked

These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.

Two days is the minimum to see the Saint Anthony Falls district, the Walker/Sculpture Garden, the Guthrie, and the Chain of Lakes. Three days is where a real Minneapolis visit lives.

Best season is late May through early October. The Skyway system links downtown buildings by enclosed second-level bridges; Meet Minneapolis describes it as composed of over 10 miles of pathways connecting around 80 city blocks. Each skyway is owned by the buildings it connects, so opening and closing times are not uniform; check before planning an evening around it.

The Mill City Museum charges admission; members are free. Adult admission is $15^*; seniors ages 65 and up, veterans, active military and college students pay $12^*, ages 5–17 pay $8^*, and ages 4 and under are free. Tickets are bought at the museum on arrival; it does not sell advance tickets online or by phone. Confirm current rates at mnhs.org/millcity before the visit.

Chain of Lakes parking includes pay lots: the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board's pages for Lake Harriet Park and Bde Maka Ska Park each list a pay parking lot, and its parking page says pay parking is enforced in pay lots and on-street meters daily, including holidays. The board also says there are many free lots and parkway bays across the park system; check its parking page and interactive parking map for the lot you plan to use.

*Fees subject to change, please check mnhs.org for updated information.

Mill City Museum

Address

704 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Hours

Wed–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; closed Mon and Tue

Price

$15 adults; $12 seniors 65+, veterans, active military and college students; $8 ages 5–17; free age 4 and under. Tickets are sold on site only — no advance sales online or by phone.^*

Link

mnhs.org/millcity

*Fees subject to change, please check mnhs.org for updated information.

We checked opening hours, operating status, seasonal opening and fees on 2026-10-15. These change without notice — confirm with minneapolis.org, mnhs.org, walkerart.org, mallofamerica.com, minneapolisparks.org, chisagolakes.org and mlb.com the week you travel.

Straight-line distance from Minneapolis, not drive time.

• Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) — 7 miles
• Saint Paul Downtown Holman Field (STP) — 10 miles
• New Richmond Regional (RNH) — 37 miles