Charlie & Rachel: October 25, 2025
Things To Do
Walk the Stone Arch Bridge from downtown Minneapolis to Saint Anthony Main
The Stone Arch Bridge is one of the great landmarks of Minneapolis. It bridges downtown Minneapolis (behind the world-famous Guthrie Theater) and Saint Anthony Main; a fun Mississippi River-front neighborhood with great coffee shops, restaurants, a movie theater, shops, and even a spa (Watershed Spa). The Stone Arch Bridge is under construction, but it's slated to be completed in Fall 2025. Even if it's not yet open, you can walk the Central Avenue or Hennepin Avenue bridges to explore Saint Anthony Main, and even Northeast Minneapolis which is also known for restaurants, shops, bars, and breweries.
Eat/drink/shop the North Loop neighborhood
The North Loop neighborhood is home to some of the best bars and restaurants in Minneapolis, including some of Charlie + Rachel's personal favs: Bar La Grassa (homemade pasta--try the soft-scrambled egg lobster bruschetta!), Rise Bagel Co. (woman-owned + delicious bagels), Bellecour Bakery (delicious pastries and coffee semi-hidden inside kitchen shop Cooks of Crocus Hill), Crisp & Green (the best seasonal salads for a quick lunch), Cobble Social House cocktail bar (Rachel followed strangers down a dark alley one night but wound up here with impeccable cocktails...win!), and Cuzzy's (quintessential dive bar next to Twins Field perfect for last-call or an easy afternoon drink). There are also dozens of great shops and even more restaurants, bars, breweries, and distilleries if none of the above strike your fancy. World-famous Acme Comedy Club is also here and is known for being a late-night locale for the biggest comedians to do random pop-ins when they happen to be in town.
Check out some of our favorite lakes and parks
Lake of the Isles is probably our favorite local lake to walk (2.5 mi. loop), but it's also part of the famous Minneapolis Chain of Lakes and connects to Lake Bde Maka Ska (3 mi. loop) and Cedar Lake (1.5 mi. loop). We got engaged at the Lake Harriet (2.8 mi. loop) Bandshell, so it holds a special place in our history. (See the header photo!) These are all a quick drive/Uber/Lyft from any of the hotels we've mentioned. We love hiking, but when we want to stay in the city, the lakes are a great option. A little further out from downtown Minneapolis, Minnehaha Falls is the site of one of our early dates and our first photo together with a beautiful waterfall and walking trail. (See the above photo!) (Note: Our lakes are not even close to the beautiful lakes you have in Okoboji, but we still think they're pretty great.)
Golf Theodore Wirth Golf Course
Weather-permitting, hit up one of the nearby public golf courses. Charlie has golfed his entire life and loves it. Rachel...has taken lessons for years.
See some art
Being nerds, we love good art, and Minneapolis has a ton of it! You can visit the Minneapolis Sculptural Garden and see the singular "Spoonbridge and Cherry" and pop into the Walker Art Center, our awesome modern art museum. If you're looking for a bit more Renaissance or Impressionism (or literally any other period), check out the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The Weisman Art Museum is on the University of Minnesota campus, close to our venue, and just across the river from the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Minneapolis hotel where we have one of our room blocks. The building itself is worth a look.