The best things to do in Minneapolis

The big sights

1. 01

   Stone Arch Bridge and St Anthony Falls

   Landmark

   

   The only major waterfall on the whole length of the Mississippi is the reason Minneapolis exists, and the best view of it is from a curving granite railway bridge built in the 1880s and now given over to walkers and cyclists. Water thunders over the spillway on one side; the downtown skyline stacks up on the other.

   Old mill ruins and riverside parks line both banks, so it is easy to turn the crossing into a loop of an hour or so. Come at golden hour for photographs.

2. 02

   Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

   Landmark

   A giant spoon with a bright red cherry balanced on its tip has become the unofficial emblem of the city. Spoonbridge and Cherry, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, is the centrepiece of this big open-air gallery beside the Walker Art Center, where dozens of works are scattered across lawns and gravel walks.

   It is playful, uncrowded and easy to enjoy with children, and a footbridge leads across the road to Loring Park and on towards downtown.

3. 03

   Minnehaha Falls

   Nature

   

   In a wooded park on the south side of the city, Minnehaha Creek drops over a limestone ledge into a leafy gorge just before it joins the Mississippi. The waterfall was made famous by Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha and has been a favourite Sunday outing ever since.

   Paths follow the creek down to the river, and in the depths of winter the whole cascade freezes into a wall of blue ice.

   Tip: The light rail from downtown stops a short walk from the falls.

4. 04

   Mall of America

   Activity

   

   In suburban Bloomington, near the airport, stands the largest shopping mall in the United States: hundreds of shops on several levels, wrapped around a full indoor theme park with roller coasters under a glass roof. There is an aquarium in the basement and enough restaurants to feed a small town.

   Shoppers can lose a whole day here. Families love that the weather outside is irrelevant.

   Tip: The Blue Line light rail runs from downtown and the airport straight to the mall.

Museums and theatre

For its size, Minneapolis has an outstanding cultural life.

1. 05

   Walker Art Center

   Museum

   

   One of the leading museums of modern and contemporary art in the country, the Walker is bold, brainy and rarely dull. Its galleries mix painting and sculpture with film, design and performance, and the building itself, part brick block, part crumpled metal box, makes a statement on the edge of downtown.

   Combine it with the Sculpture Garden across the way, and finish on the terraces for the view of the skyline.

2. 06

   Minneapolis Institute of Art

   Museum

   

   Known to everyone as Mia, this is the big, traditional counterpart to the Walker: a grand columned building south of downtown holding art from around the world and across five thousand years. The Asian collections are especially admired, with whole reconstructed rooms from China and Japan, and there are Rembrandts, Van Goghs and Monets to find upstairs.

   It is large enough to lose a day in. Pick two or three departments and take your time.

3. 07

   Mill City Museum

   Museum

   

   Built inside the burnt-out shell of what was once the largest flour mill in the world, this museum tells how wheat, water and railways made Minneapolis. A ride in a goods lift carries you up through recreated factory floors, and an observation deck at the top looks straight down on the falls and the Stone Arch Bridge.

   The ruined courtyard, open to the sky, is one of the most atmospheric spaces in the city.

4. 08

   Guthrie Theater

   Landmark

   

   The Guthrie is among the most respected regional theatres in America, and its home on the riverfront, a dark blue block designed by Jean Nouvel, is worth visiting even if you never see a play. A long cantilevered walkway, the Endless Bridge, pokes out high above the Mississippi and is open to the public.

   Walk to the end for a framed view of the falls, then stay for a drink in the bar.

Lakes and neighbourhoods

1. 09

   Chain of Lakes

   Nature

   

   A string of lakes runs through the south-west of the city, joined by parkland and ringed with separate paths for walkers and cyclists. Bde Maka Ska is the biggest and busiest, with beaches and boat hire; Lake Harriet has a bandstand and summer concerts; Lake of the Isles is the quiet, pretty one, lined with grand houses.

   Hire a bike or a kayak and do what the locals do. In winter the same lakes turn into ice rinks and cross-country ski tracks.

2. 10

   North Loop

   Neighbourhood

   The old warehouse district on the north-west edge of downtown is now the most fashionable part of Minneapolis. Brick buildings that once stored farm machinery hold independent boutiques, coffee roasters, cocktail bars and many of the restaurants that have earned the city its food reputation.

   It is compact and walkable, with the Twins' baseball stadium at one end. Book dinner here at least once.

3. 11

   Northeast Minneapolis

   Neighbourhood

   Across the river, Northeast is an old immigrant quarter of church spires and corner bars that has filled up with artists and brewers. Former factories now house hundreds of studios, taprooms occupy garages and workshops, and Polish and Ukrainian delis still trade alongside them.

   Come for a low-key evening of beer and live music. It is the least polished part of the city and all the better for it.

Eat, drink and music

1. 12

   The Juicy Lucy

   Food

   

   Minneapolis's gift to the hamburger is to put the cheese inside the meat rather than on top, so that it melts into a molten core while the patty cooks. Two old south-side bars each claim to have invented it, they spell it differently, and locals take sides with great seriousness.

   Order one, with fried onions, at a formica table. It is not subtle and it is very good.

   Tip: Let it cool for a minute before the first bite. The cheese in the middle is scalding.

2. 13

   First Avenue

   Nightlife

   

   A curved black building in the middle of downtown, once a bus station, is one of the most storied rock clubs in America. Prince made it his home stage and filmed much of Purple Rain inside, and the outside walls are covered with hundreds of silver stars naming the acts who have played here.

   Gigs run most nights, in the main room and the smaller side room next door. Even without a ticket, find Prince's star, the gold one.

Day trips

1. 14

   St Paul

   Day trip

   

   The other Twin City, and the state capital, is a short ride east by light rail and has a quite different character: older, hillier and quieter. Its landmarks face each other across the centre, the white marble dome of the Minnesota State Capitol and the huge copper-domed Cathedral of Saint Paul.

   From the cathedral, Summit Avenue runs west for miles past Victorian mansions built by railway and timber barons. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born nearby and wrote here.

2. 15

   Paisley Park

   Museum

   In the suburb of Chanhassen, south-west of the city, stands the white studio complex where Prince lived, recorded and threw late-night parties. Since his death it has been open as a museum, and guided tours lead through the studios, the soundstage and rooms of instruments, costumes and awards.

   For fans it is a pilgrimage. For everyone else it is a fascinating look inside a very private creative world.

   Tip: Visits are by timed tour only and need booking ahead.

3. 16

   Stillwater

   Day trip

   

   On the St Croix River, which forms the border with Wisconsin, Stillwater is a handsome old lumber town within easy reach of the Twin Cities. Its main street of brick shopfronts is full of antique dealers, bookshops and cafés, a historic lift bridge spans the river, and paddle steamers and pleasure boats cruise below the bluffs in summer.

Where to stay in Minneapolis

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  ★★★★

  Rand Tower Hotel, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel

  Minneapolis

  Pets allowed · Parking

  From £140 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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  ★★★★

  Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis Mill District

  Minneapolis

  Parking

  From £163 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

• 

  ★★★★★

  Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis

  Minneapolis

  Adults only · Spa · Rooftop pool

  From £372 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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  ★★★★

  Radisson Blu Mall of America

  Bloomington

  Pool · Parking

  From £125 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 08:22

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  ★★★★

  InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront

  St. Paul

  Pets allowed · Parking

  From £112 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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  ★★★★★

  W Minneapolis-The Foshay

  Minneapolis

  Spa · Parking

  From £191 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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  ★★★★

  Omni Viking Lakes Hotel

  Eagan

  Spa · Pool · Pets allowed

  From £171 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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  ★★★★

  Courtyard Minneapolis St. Paul/Roseville

  Roseville, Minneapolis

  Pool · Parking

  From £138 a night, taxes incl.2 adults · checked 14 Nov, 01:22

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