Amanda & Chris
Things To Do in the Twin Cities
Mill City Museum
One of our favorite museums! Built into the ruins of what was once the world's largest flour mill, Mill City Museum is located on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. You can learn about the intertwined histories of the flour industry, the river, and the city of Minneapolis. Be sure to check out the surrounding area - including Mill Ruins Park, the Guthrie Theater, and the Stone Arch Bridge.
Minnesota Science Museum
A Minnesota institution and serious wedding-venue contender! The Science Museum was founded in 1907 and is currently located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. It offers 370,000 square feet of space, including a 10,000-square-foot temporary exhibit gallery, five permanent galleries, 10 acres of outdoor exhibits, and an Imax Convertible Dome Omnitheater.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The MIA is a fine art museum located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis. The institute doesn't charge an entrance fee, except for special exhibitions, and allows photography of its permanent collection. Here are the current exhibitions: https://new.artsmia.org/exhibitions/
Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
The Walker Art Center is a modern and contemporary art museum located in the Lowry Hill neighborhood in Minneapolis. The museum's permanent collection includes over 13,000 modern and contemporary art pieces including books, costumes, drawing, media works, painting, photography, prints, and sculpture. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is an 11-acre park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, located near the Walker Art Center. It is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the country. Don't forget to snap a pic in front of the Spoonbridge and Cherry!
Paisley Park
Located in the suburb of Chanhassen, Minnesota, Paisley Park is Prince’s 65,000 square-foot recording and production complex. Iconic albums recorded at Paisley Park include Lovesexy, Batman, Diamonds & Pearls, The Gold Experience, The Black Album, Sign O’ The Times and Emancipation through to more recent releases such as PLECTRUMELECTRUM, ART OFFICIAL AGE and HITNRUN Phase 1 & 2. Prince would often open Paisley Park’s doors for spontaneous performance events, inviting the public into the Sound Stage or NPG Music Club rooms for marathon sets of live music. Many other notable musicians have spent time recording at Paisley Park, including Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion and R.E.M. In addition, artists such as Neil Young, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughn utilized the Sound Stage for tour preparations and rehearsals.
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
The Como Zoo and Conservatory are located in Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a division of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. Its attractions include the zoo, the conservatory, an amusement park, a carousel, Lake Como, a golf course, a pool and more. Como Park is a free park and while no admission fee is charged for the zoo or conservatory, voluntary donations of $3 per adult and $2 child are suggested.
Minnesota Orchestra
Home of the wonderful Minnesota Orchestra - see them if you can.
Minnehaha Falls
One of Minneapolis' oldest and most popular parks, featuring a 53-foot waterfall, limestone bluffs, and river overlooks
Stone Arch Bridge
One of our favorite places to go for a bike ride or a walk - the Stone Arch Bridge is a former railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire length of the Mississippi River. Located between the 3rd Avenue Bridge and the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, the Stone Arch Bridge was built in 1883 by railroad tycoon James J. Hill for his Great Northern Railway. The structure is now used as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. It is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as a part of the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District. It is also a very pretty spot for pictures!
Bike, Canoe, or Kayak around Bde Maka Ska
Bde Maka Ska / Lake Calhoun, the largest lake in Minneapolis, joins the Lake of the Isles through a long channel and is the biggest lake of five that make up the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled by bike and walking trails, it is popular for many outdoor activities like canoeing, fishing, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, and of course, biking.
Midtown Global Market
One of Amanda's favorites - Midtown Global Market is an internationally-themed public market with great food, cultural experiences and unique gifts.
Tattersall Distilling
Another one of our favorites - craft spirits distillery with tours & tastings in an industrial-chic cocktail room with live music. For a Scandinavian experience, order something with Aquavit!
Surly Brewing Co.
One of the best, if not THE best, breweries in Minneapolis. They also have amazing food and are accessible by car, bike, or light rail.
Dangerous Man Brewing Company
Small craft brewery & taproom in a former bank featuring various beers, communal tables & events. Home to our favorite stout! The peanut butter porter is another fan favorite.
Eat a Juicy Lucy
For a true Minnesota dining experience, head to Matt's Bar or the 5-8 Club for a Juicy Lucy (or a Jucy Lucy, depending on whose side you're on). A Juicy Lucy is a cheeseburger that has the cheese inside the meat patty instead of on top, resulting in a melted core of cheese within the patty. The burger is prepared by putting cheese between two patties of meat, then sealing both patties around the cheese to create a single patty with a cheese core. As the burger cooks, the cheese inside melts. This has the effect of keeping the meat near the center of the burger very juicy. It also separates the cheese from the bun, resulting in a slightly different texture than the usual cheeseburger. Normal burger toppings such as condiments, onions and pickles can also be added.
Hell's Kitchen
This is a great brunch location, but you'll want reservations. Almost everything is housemade, including their raved-about peanut butter which they now send throughout the world.
The Happy Gnome
St. Paul's Finest Gastropub
J. Selby's
A good option for breakfast & brunch with vegan offerings.
Pajarito
Hip spot for elevated Mexican fare & craft cocktails near the St. Paul College Club.
Revival
Great southern food, but they often busy and do not take reservations.
Octo fishbar
Casual-chic pick for global seafood, plus drinks.
Bike Ground Rounds Scenic Byway System
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is part of the Federal Highway Administration's National Scenic Byways Program. The Grand Rounds is one of the country's longest continuous systems of public urban parkways and has been the preeminent urban parkway system for more than a century. The Grand Rounds encompasses natural features, including lakes, creeks, woodlands, riverbanks, and wetlands, as well as constructed features, like canals, lagoons, greenways and parks, playgrounds, parkways, trails, golf courses, athletic fields, picnic grounds, gardens, and bridges.
St. Paul Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is one of the most distinctive cathedrals in the United States, it sits on Cathedral Hill overlooking downtown St. Paul and features a distinctive copper-clad dome. It is the third largest completed church in the United States, and the fourth tallest.
State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office of the Governor. The building also includes a chamber for the Minnesota Supreme Court, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Minnesota Judicial Center. The building is set in a landscaped campus. Various monuments are to its sides and front. Behind, a bridge spans University Avenue, and in front others were later added over the sunken roadway of Interstate 94, thus preserving the sight lines. Set near the crest of a hill, from the Capitol steps a panoramic view of downtown Saint Paul is presented.
Mill City Farmer's Market (Saturday morning)
This farmer's market runs from 8:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday mornings near downtown Minneapolis.
NE Farmer's Market (Saturday Morning)
This market runs on Saturdays from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (Rain or shine!). Grab some carbs before heading to a local brewery!
St. Paul Farmer's Market (Saturday or Sunday morning)
The market runs from 6:00am-1:00pm on Saturdays and from 8:00am-1:00pm on Sundays.
Peace Coffee
Peace Coffee is one of our favorite coffee shops. It is a cozy, sustainability-focused cafe with free wifi and is accessible via light rail. We recommend their lattes or their alchemy series pourovers.
Caribou Coffee
This appears to be the closest Caribou Coffee to Courtyard by Marriott MSP. All Caribous are great (think Minnesota's version of Starbucks). Chris recommends the turtle mocha.
Mary Tyler Moore House
In 1995, Entertainment Weekly said that "TV's most famous bachelorette pad" was Mary's apartment. The fictitious address was 119 North Weatherly, but the exterior establish shots were of a real house in Minneapolis at 2104 Kenwood Parkway. In the real house, an unfinished attic occupied the space behind the window recreated on the interior studio set of Mary's apartment. Once fans of the series discovered where exterior shots had been taken, the house became a popular tourist destination. According to Moore, the woman who lived in the house "was overwhelmed by the people showing up and asking if Mary was around." To discourage crews from filming additional footage of the house, the owners placed an "Impeach Nixon" sign beneath the window where Mary supposedly lived. The house continued to attract 30 tour buses a day more than a decade after production ended.
Target Field
Home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field is a baseball park in the historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis.
U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium is an enclosed stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The stadium opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings.
TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Opened in 2009, it is the home field of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the temporary home of Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium also served as the temporary home of the Minnesota Vikings for the 2014 and 2015 seasons during the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Mall of America
Opened in 1992, it is the largest mall in the United States in terms of total floor area, and the twelfth largest in the world. MOA includes Nickelodeon Universe amusement park (formerly Camp Snoopy), Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, Hard Rock Cafe, Lego Store, restaurants, shopping, food courts, and mini-golf. Out of town guests will like that the Mall of America is accessible via light rail, and everyone likes that Minnesota does not charge sales tax on clothing.