Regardless of what you enjoy doing, you’ll find plenty of activities to enjoy in Minneapolis. The largest city in Minnesota, Minneapolis is big enough to accommodate the art enthusiast, theater and music aficionado, the pro sports fan, outdoorsy type, and young adventurist.
Things To Do In Minneapolis
This list of 10 fun things to do in Minneapolis will get you started on a great experience.
The Mall of America
No trip to Minneapolis would be complete without a visit to the iconic Mall of America. This 96-acre structure houses more than 520 shops, at least 50 restaurants. And enough entertainment to keep you busy for a week. You may be particularly interested in the fact that Minnesota has no sales tax on clothing.
Here in the Mall of America, you can ride a roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe. Take a 10-minute simulated flight over the United States, visit the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, go miniature golfing, see a movie, and take in a comedy show. You can even get married in the Mall, at the Chapel of Love! Your kids can tap into their creativity at the Crayola Experience and Store. There, they can name and wrap their own crayon and watch their own artwork come to life in 4-D.
If you have a need for speed, you can visit SMAAASH. An entertainment center that features a multi-level go-kart track, simulated sports, virtual reality, and games, games, games. The triple-A in SMAAASH stands for “America’s Adrenaline Arena.”
Minnehaha Regional Park
For outdoor fun, visit this riverfront park, located just minutes away from downtown Minneapolis. There you can bike, picnic, play volleyball and disc golf, and wander through three impressive gardens. There’s even an off-leash dog park for the furry members of the family.
The centerpiece of this park is a 53-foot waterfall. Which you can watch from one of several viewing areas. While you’re there, grab a bite to eat at the Sea Salt Eatery, a seasonal restaurant. If you visit the falls in winter when the restaurant is closed, your visit won’t be wasted. The falls are even beautiful when they’re frozen.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Mia, as it’s known locally, boasts more than 90,000 pieces of art. As well as special exhibitions and events scheduled throughout the year. Plus, general admission to this fine art museum is free. Open Tuesday through Sunday year-round, this museum only closes four times a year. July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
The Minneapolis metropolitan area is home to more than 50 other museums. Enjoy viewing contemporary art, watch films, and be inspired by dance, music, and theater at the Walker Art Center. Learn about the history of flour milling with interactive displays at the Mill City Museum. And discover the city’s Swedish heritage at the American Swedish Institute. Other museums in Minneapolis include the Museum of Russian Art, the Wells Fargo History Museum, and the Somali Museum of Minnesota.
Minneapolis Riverwalk Food Tour
Some people say that anyone who hasn’t tried the cheese curds in Minnesota hasn’t really been to Minnesota. Fortunately, cheese curds are usually on the list of local fare you can try on this walking tour. Other foods that you may get a chance to enjoy on the tour are Thai spring rolls, gelato, pasta, craft beers, cheese bread, and dessert made by a local chef who was nominated for the James Beard award. The tour even offers tasty options for restricted diets. Such as nut-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free foods, as well as vegetarian and vegan fare.
Participants will work off some of those calories as they explore a farmer’s market. Walk by the Guthrie Theater, enjoy great views of the impressive St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. And see the Stone Arch Bridge, the only stone bridge that spans the Mississippi River.
Professional Sports
If you like professional sports, you’ll love Minneapolis. Depending on the time of year you visit this northern city, you may catch a Minnesota Vikings football game, a Minnesota Twins baseball game, a Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game, or a Minnesota Lynx basketball game. Several of the city’s stadiums are within walking distance of each other.
If you include the St. Paul-based Minnesota Wild, a professional ice hockey team. Minneapolis is one of just a handful of U.S. cities that have all four major sports teams. Minneapolis has the distinction of having the twelfth most championships among professional sports team in the United States.
If you enjoy college sports, you’ll want to visit the TCF Bank Stadium. Home of Golden Gopher football at the University of Minnesota. Because of its prime location on campus, the stadium is within walking distance of restaurants for just about every taste bud.
Live Music
What kinds of music do you like? Rock, soul, jazz, R&B, funk reggae? Or do you prefer Irish ballads, Nigerian drums, or music from Brazil or Mali? Whatever it is you like, you’ll find it performed live at one of Minneapolis’s many music venues. With two performing areas, First Avenue puts on more than 550 concerts a year. It also features the famed Star Wall, where you can find Prince’s star, as well as those of many other prominent musicians.
The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant offers live music seven nights a week. For local sounds, you can visit the Icehouse, and for music from distant lands, you may want to try The Cedar Cultural Center. The Varsity Theater, located near the University of Minnesota campus, hosts musicians, as well as actors and dancers. It even hosts private events, such as weddings, corporate parties, and conferences.
Minnesotans like to say that Prince stayed home in Minneapolis for a reason. The famed musician created what became known as the “Minnesota sound”. A combination of pop, rock, funk, and other musical genres. The city has been ranked among the best in the country for its music scene.
The Minnesota Zoo
The zoo is just one of many fun things to do in Minneapolis for kids. Depending on when you visit the zoo, you and your family may be able to hang out with kangaroos, ride camels, visit the butterfly garden, get up close with monk seals, watch sharks being fed, and see what it’s like to work on a farm. The zoo encourages kids to interact with nature with a couple of outdoor nature experiences.
This attraction is located within minutes of the Mall of America and is home to more than 4,300 animals. It features an amphitheater that has been voted the best outdoor music venue. You may also want to visit the zoo’s IMAX theater for some virtual fun.
Here’s a Video About I Love the Minnesota Zoo
Chain of Lakes
The Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park offers playgrounds, bike paths, boat rentals, cross-country ski trails, five beaches, walking paths, picnic areas, and places to play tennis, ice hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball. It’s a great place to picnic, to relax, and even to get married!
Walking paths here surround Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, and Lake Harriet. If you just enjoy walking and being surrounded by nature. This is the place for you. As you may know, Minnesota is nicknamed the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” The Minneapolis metropolitan area is home to 22 of them. In fact, the name Minneapolis means “city of lakes,” or “city of water.”
Guthrie Theater
This performing arts theater produces both classic and contemporary plays with the help of its full-time production staff. Lighting, costume, and set designers. As well as sound engineers, work year-round to make top-quality plays on three stages.
The Guthrie offers acting classes for children and adults. You can also take classes taught by professional artists in dancing, singing, and playwriting. For anyone who appreciates beautiful architecture. Guthrie’s building itself, with its three stages and great views of the Mississippi River, is the focus of regular tours.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
If you Google Minneapolis, you’re likely to see a picture of a giant spoon holding an enormous red cherry. This, called the Spoonbridge and Cherry, is perhaps the most iconic of the more than 40 sculptures in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
The sculpture garden is an 11-acre park that’s open 365 days of the year, and admission is free. It’s the largest urban sculpture garden in the United States. Strolling along the paths weaving around the sculptures is an excellent way of walking off lunch at one of Minneapolis’s many restaurants.
A trip to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden may include a stop at one of the many nearby destinations. Such as the Mall of America, a miniature golf course, and an outdoor concert series presented by the Sinfonia. A nonprofit organization that brings music to young children and their families, urban youth, and seniors living on limited budgets.
Enjoy Minneapolis Any Time of the Year
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport makes it easy for travelers to get to the city. Once they are there, they can use the city’s extensive light rail system to get around. Another public transit system, the Minneapolis Skyway, links together more than 80 downtown blocks, so if you visit the city in the winter months, you can stay warm and dry while shopping, dining, and enjoying live entertainment.
As you can see from this list of 10 fun things to do in Minneapolis, there’s always something to do in this twin city. From theater, art, and music to nature, sports and shopping, Minneapolis have something to offer everyone.
Leave a Reply