The ‘City of Lakes’ lives up to its moniker with plenty of waterfront green space, but it’s also a top-notch destination for art, shopping and global cuisine. The Spoonbridge and Cherry artwork at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a symbol of the city while Theodore Wirth Regional Park is a seasonal show-stopper with its striking display of fall colors. Save time for a visit to Paisley Park, the working studio of favorite son and global music icon, Prince. With chic art, copious parkland and a food scene shaped by diverse flavors, Minneapolis is a city that welcomes you warmly.
Stone Arch Bridge
DAY 1
Arrive at the Four Seasons, conveniently located on the border of Downtown and the North Loop neighborhoods in the RBC Gateway Tower, the city’s newest skyscraper. Minneapolis got its start as a milling town, and the hotel is only two blocks from the Mississippi River. Take a dip in the year-round rooftop hot tub and then grab a meal at one of the hotel’s Mediterranean-inspired restaurants. At Mara, guests can linger over a leisurely lunch of hummus with house made pita and lobster bucatini, while Socca Cafe is ideal for a quick bite — try the Caprese sandwich or a slice of Sicilian pizza.
After lunch, start sightseeing at the Mill City Museum, which interprets Minneapolis’ history in an unexpected setting: the repurposed ruins of a flour mill. The Washburn A Mill was the world’s largest flour mill when it was completed in 1880, but it was reduced to its limestone walls by a fire in 1991 and incorporated into a modern museum building in 2003. Interactive exhibits teach visitors about the Mississippi River-powered milling industry that put Minneapolis on the map and how Minnesota-based General Mills helped make cereal a breakfast staple. Don’t miss the Flour Tower, a multimedia show held in a giant elevator that travels through time (or up eight floors) to recreate the mill’s heyday with historic films and special effects. From the museum’s rooftop observation deck, take in panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the Stone Arch Bridge, a historic railway bridge that’s been converted to carry cyclists and pedestrians.
Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota
For dinner, continue along the riverfront to the James Beard Award-winning restaurant Owamni, which has garnered acclaim for its decolonized approach to Indigenous cuisine. That means all its ingredients are native to the Americas — there’s no wheat flour, cane sugar or dairy on the menu. Instead, diners can savor sturgeon tacos, bison ribeye and pecan flan with maple caramel. The dining room boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Owámniyomni (also known as St. Anthony Falls), a place of cultural significance to the area’s Dakota people.
Wrap up the evening with a show at the nearby Guthrie Theater, which produces classic and contemporary plays. The Guthrie is especially known for its Shakespeare productions, its annual adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and world-class sets and costumes. Theater buffs can sign up for a backstage tour. The building itself is a work of art, too. Ride the elevator up to the protruding, glass-floored Amber Box, which gives visitors 360-degree views of the neighborhood. Sip an intermission drink on the Endless Bridge open-air terrace, which cantilevers five stories over an adjacent parkway.
Chicken Noodle Soup at Diane’s Place
DAY 2
Head to northeast Minneapolis for brunch at Diane’s Place, a Hmong American restaurant by Chef Diane Moua. Minnesota is home to more than 66,000 Hmong people, an ethnic group with roots in China who immigrated to the United States from Laos after the Vietnam War. The menu at Diane’s Place includes traditional dishes like Hmong sausage with sticky rice and papaya noodle salad, as well as pastries that meld chef Moua’s French training with Asian flavors, like the coconut pandan croissant and green scallion danish with garlic butter.
Once the city’s industrial core, northeast Minneapolis is now a vibrant arts district, where some factories and warehouses have been transformed into studio spaces and galleries. The Northrup King Building — originally a seed factory but now home to more than 350 artists — hosts weekly ‘Open Saturdays’. Visitors can explore the complex, chat with artists and purchase ceramics, jewelry, paintings, photography and textiles. The nearby Casket Arts Building, Holland Arts East and West Buildings, and California Building also host occasional open studio hours and special events. Mojo Coffee Gallery functions as both a cafe and gallery, with lattes, homemade cinnamon rolls and works from over 50 artists.
Boom Island on the Mississippi River
Next, check out the buzzy North Loop neighborhood, which takes its name from the streetcar line that ran through the area when it was a factory and warehouse district. Historic industrial buildings now house upscale boutiques and restaurants. Spend the afternoon perusing local retailers like chic kids’ boutique Pacifier; Queen Anna House of Fashion, which specializes in small, independent and emerging designers; and MartinPatrick3, an expansive store stocked with luxury apparel, home furnishings and fragrances. Bookworms should check out James and Mary Laurie Booksellers, which offers shelves filled with more than 120,000 volumes (including rare first editions), as well as a gallery of antiquarian maps and thousands of classical and jazz vinyl records.
Stay in the North Loop for dinner and splurge on a tasting menu. Chef Gavin Kaysen’s Demi is an intimate dining theater, seating 20 diners at a U-shaped counter that surrounds the open kitchen. Depending on the evening, the tasting menu may be seven or eleven courses that highlight Midwestern ingredients and French techniques.
Another North Loop staple is Kado no Mise, chef Shigeyuki Furukawa’s omakase restaurant. Meals feature traditional Edomae sushi (a style that originated in chef Furukawa’s native Tokyo) and elegant, seasonal dishes like fava beans with sea bream roe. Stop by Gori Gori Peku, the restaurant’s stylish bar tucked into a second floor alcove, for an excellent selection of premium Japanese whiskey and sake.
Similar to Kado no Mise, many of the North Loop’s fine-dining establishments have adjacent or basement speakeasy-style bars with a completely different vibe from the dining rooms — swing by for a nightcap. Maison Margaux’s subterranean Salon Rouge evokes the Paris catacombs, with a French focused wine list. Beneath Argentinian steakhouse Porzana, Flora Room is a jungle of greenery, with a fruit-forward cocktail menu to match the lush setting.
Spoonbridge and Cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
DAY 3
Start the final day with a walk through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Located southeast of downtown in the Lowry Hill neighborhood, the largest urban sculpture park in the United States boasts more than 60 works of art across 11 acres. The whimsical Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen has become the de facto symbol of the city — the gigantic utensil is over 50 feet long and weighs 7,000 pounds. Other notable sculptures include Katharina Fritsch’s Hahn/Cock, a giant electric-blue rooster, and a version of Robert Indiana’s LOVE in rusted steel, a reference to northern Minnesota’s iron mines. The pedestrian bridge over the adjacent highway combines art and architecture — walk the length of the 375-foot span to read a poem by John Ashbery about movement and place.
Minnesota is home to more Scandinavian Americans than any other state, and visitors can learn about that heritage by continuing south to the American Swedish Institute in the Phillips neighborhood. The Institute incorporates the imposing, castle-like Turnblad Mansion built by a Swedish newspaper magnate in 1908 and an airy, modern cultural center. Take a self-guided tour to admire the historic furnishings and rotating art installations. Stop by FIKA, the museum’s New Nordic cafe, for a cardamom bun or salmon smörgåsar (sandwich) on Danish rye bread.
Minneapolis’ nickname is the ‘City of Lakes’ for good reason: there are 22 within the city. The five largest form the Chain of Lakes in the southwest of the city, with 15 miles of paved shoreline paths. Each has its own character. Bde Maka Ska (‘White Earth Lake’ in the Dakota language) is the most developed, with three beaches, boat rentals and sports facilities. Lake of the Isles offers sedate walking paths and Cedar Lake and Brownie Lake are off-the-beaten path options for canoeing and kayaking.
Meanwhile, the three-mile path that skirts Lake Harriet is perfect for an afternoon stroll. Stop by the Bread & Pickle, a snack bar near the picturesque bandshell, for truffle popcorn and craft beer. Don’t overlook the public gardens just off the walking path on the north end of the lake. The Lyndale Park Rose Garden features more than 100 rose varieties and the Lyndale Park Peace Garden is a serene Japanese-style landscape. Catch the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line, connecting Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska. These 100-year-old streetcars bear vintage advertisements.
After exploring the Chain of Lakes, head to the Linden Hills neighborhood, west of Lake Harriet. The charming business district has a small-town feel, with independent bookstores, boutiques and restaurants including Martina and Colita, both specializing in modern Mexican fare. Sebastian Joe’s is a must for dessert — the family-run scoop shop has been crafting ice cream since 1984 with a rotating line-up of unique flavors. However, crowd-favorite Nicollet Avenue Pothole — a combination of chocolate, caramel, fudge, toffee and sea salt — is always on the menu. The name references the deterioration of local roads due to harsh winter weather, but it’s also a reminder that even the difficult aspects of life in Minneapolis can have a sweet side.
By Stacy Brooks
