Minneapolis, MN Road Trips

Minneapolis was destined to be a center of commerce due to its location at the Falls of St. Anthony, which was named by the French explorer Fr. Louis Hennepin in 1680. St. Anthony Falls is by far the largest source of water power on the Mississippi River. The falls were harnessed to power lumber mills in the 1840s and later for flour milling. By 1870, Minneapolis on the west bank and St. Anthony on the east bank formed the largest flour producing center in the world. In 1872, Minneapolis absorbed its older neighbor. Most of the old St Anthony township is now known as Northeast Minneapolis. A small part of the old township comprises most of the current suburb of St. Anthony. The name "Minneapolis", meaning "The City of Lakes" is a blend of the Dakota word mní (meaning "water") and the Ancient Greek word polis (meaning "city"). This refers to the city's 22 natural lakes. The local jewels are the "Chain of Lakes": Cedar, Isles, Bde Maka Ska (formerly known as Lake Calhoun), Harriet, and Nokomis—each 3–4 miles around. The city's excellent parks department maintains walking and biking paths around the lakes, offering residents a place to exercise or stroll. The Lake Harriet Bandshell is a popular summertime event host often featuring the renowned Minnesota Orchestra. Don't miss a ride on the restored trolley between Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. The city has done an excellent job fostering developed neighborhoods, each with a distinctive feel.

The museums, natural parks and waterfronts, malls, shopping districts, and dining zones should give you several options no matter what your age. The major fine art museum in town is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Whittier, which covers 5,000 years of art and has a particularly strong collection of Asian art. Not too far away is the Walker Art Center near Loring Park, one of the big five modern art museums in the U.S. Another (mostly) contemporary art museum is the Weisman Art Museum on the U of M East Bank campus; it tends to be more known for its Frank Gehry-designed building than any of the art collections inside. The Museum of Russian Art, housed in a former church in Southwest Minneapolis, opened in 2005; its focus is on 20th-century Russian art which means there is also a strong collection of Soviet art. For history buffs, there's the Mill City Museum near the Downtown riverfront, housed in the former Washburn "A" Mill. The museum chronicles the development of the flour milling industry in Minneapolis; the city was the world's leading producer of flour around the turn of the 20th century. Down in Whittier near the MIA is the Hennepin History Museum, a somewhat low-key museum with permanent and rotating exhibits covering the history of Minneapolis and Hennepin County. They also have an archival library (free and open to the public) covering local history. Large theaters are clustered in Downtown, the West Bank, and Uptown, with smaller venues dotting the rest of the city.

Minneapolis on the surface seems like a pretty but rather quiet tourist destination. If you properly do your research though, there is plenty to do. Minneapolis has beautiful lakes and riverfronts that the local residents work hard to keep clean. It is also easy with a car, the proper permits, and necessary equipment to go camping as close as twenty miles east on the St. Croix River, or as far as seven hours north on the Canadian border. And it can be delightfully cheap. Biking. An old freight train railway has been converted into the Midtown Greenway, which cuts through the middle of South Minneapolis beginning on the West Bank and crossing west all the way to the Bde Maka Ska area and meeting up with the, Kenworth Trail which in turn connects with the, Cedar Lake Trail. Walk, bike, drive, swim or paddle around the chain of lakes running north to south along the western side of Minneapolis. Some are connected by lagoons and creeks which eventually spill into the Mississippi River at the famed Minnehaha Falls, inspiration of Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha". These are all part of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds, a 40-mile loop around the city begun over a century ago during the nation's first grand movement to toss the "Keep Off the Grass!" signs into the dustbin of history. Each of the Chain of Lakes has a walking path and a one-way biking/skating path. At least one path is kept clear even during snowy winter month, and it is possible to use the paths almost every day of the year.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Don't miss Nicollet Avenue's Eat Street for a variety of ethnic fare; it is particularly heavy on Southeast Asian options. Options include Quang and Jasmine Deli for Vietnamese and the Black Forest Inn for German cuisine. The Vietnamese restaurants are incredibly cheap ($5-10 per person) and have received consistently exuberant reviews since their openings. The Dinkytown and Stadium Village areas near the University of Minnesota have great offerings mostly catering to the collegiate crowd. Plenty of Americanized Chinese and cheap burgers-and-fries joints. Midtown is home to the Midtown Global Market, operating on the first floor of what used to be a large Sears store. It is now home to a variety of cafes and restaurants from all around the world. Favorites like Holy Land Deli and Bakery, Andy's Garage, and several restaurants from around the city have opened satellite locations here. Mercado Central is another indoor market featuring several Mexican eateries. Outside of the markets, plenty of Mexican and other Latin restaurants dot the Lake Street strip. Northeast contains a wide variety of establishments. Old Saint Anthony is home to decades-old Eastern European mainstays like Kramarczuk's Deli. Closer to Central and Lowry you can find well-regarded Middle Eastern eateries like Holy Land and Crescent Moon and Mexican restaurants such as Taco Riendo and Adelita's. Food trucks have also become very popular throughout the twin cities. On weekends during the summers (approx.

See the Districts articles for more listings. Minneapolis has one of the most vibrant and independent music scenes in the country. The city is probably most famous for its purple pop wonder, Prince, but also has bands such as Soul Asylum, The Replacements, The Jayhawks, Atmosphere and Hüsker Dü. Several clubs in town play host to shows by local bands and your chances of finding a good one are better than average. Downtown is home to the internationally renowned First Avenue. First Avenue is famous as setting for the film Purple Rain and for the silver stars that cover the outside of the building. The venue is split into three: the Mainroom which hosts national and international touring bands (usually of the punk, indie, and hip-hop variety), the smaller 7th Street Entry which hosts local and less-known touring bands, and the Record Room a small dance lounge primarily used for DJ's and smaller dance nights. Also in the area are the Fine Line Music Cafe, the Dakota Jazz Club, Grumpy's, Lee's Liquor Lounge, Skyway Theater, and Bunkers. The West Bank contains the Cabooze, a biker bar featuring mostly classic rock-type music. Other venues include the Nomad, the Red Sea, and in the nearby Seward neighborhood, the Hexagon Bar. Northeast has some venues scattered around like the Terminal Bar and the 331 Club. In nearby Dinkytown, don't miss the elegantly decorated Varsity Theater and college band favorite, the Kitty Cat Klub. The nightlife in general can be vibrant in several areas.

See the Districts articles for more listings. There is a good variety of hotels. Downtown hosts many independent and international hotel chains from the mid-range to the high-end. The University of Minnesota campus, not too far from downtown, has many mid-range options. South Minneapolis has limited options but they are also close to downtown. Travelers getting by without a car will want to avoid staying in a hotel outside the city.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP IATA) is located 10 miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis. The airport contains two terminals: Terminal 1-Lindbergh and Terminal 2-Humphrey, with most flights arriving at Terminal 1. There is no airside connection between the terminals, transferring between the two requires use of the metro, which is free between the two stations. Ensure you know which terminal you are arriving at/departing from, as transferring between the two can be time consuming. The METRO Blue Line light rail operates service between the airport and downtown, the Mall of America, and parts of South Minneapolis, and offers connections to buses to other parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The trains are convenient, fast, and clean. Fare is $2 regardless of time or day. This fare includes a transfer to any local bus or train for 2.5 hours after purchase. The light rail has stations at both terminals. Interstate Highways 35W and 94 are the main arteries into town. Both will take you to the edges of downtown. I-35W runs north and south (for the most part) and I-94 east and west; both interstates will connect you to the I-494/694 beltway around the metro area. I-394 runs west from downtown to I-494, where it becomes US Hwy 12. Keep an eye on which lane you're in, as freeway interchanges come up fast, and traffic back-ups will occur at any time, day or night; the morning (7-9AM) and evening (3-7PM) rush hours are predictably congested. Daily long distance inter-city train service is available at Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul. See Saint Paul.

The city streets have a grid system that's helpful if you learn it. Minneapolis is divided into quadrants: North, South, Northeast and Southeast. Hennepin Avenue forms the divider between streets labeled N and S near downtown. This division continues through the smaller portion of Minneapolis east of the Mississippi, dividing it into Northeast (NE) and Southeast (SE). Further west of downtown, this division lies along Linden Avenue, just north of the I-394 freeway. In North, Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis, all roads carry N, NE, or SE prefixes on street signs. In South Minneapolis, the north-south avenues are marked S. The east-west streets are marked with W or E, depending if you are west or east of Nicollet Avenue. Even though street signs show these directions before the names, most locals read the addresses with them at the end. Thus "York Avenue South" appears on signs as "S York Ave" and "N 33rd Ave" is called "33rd Avenue North". Minneapolis is one of few cities to use multi-colored street signs. Blue signs indicate major roads which are "Snow Emergency Routes," the first to be plowed during heavy snow storms. Rust-colored signs indicate roads that run primarily east-west. Light green signs indicate roads primarily north-south. Dark green signs indicate scenic parkways that ring the city and the lakes. Metro Transit, ☏ +1 612 373-3333. Operator of the public transit system in the Twin Cities. Single-ride fares (including unlimited transfers for 2.5 hours) for local and limited-stop services (including the Metro Light Rail) are $2 for all days and times.

Dial 911 for emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies. As with any major American city, keep your eyes open and your wits about you, particularly at night. Crime is relatively low in most parts of Minneapolis that you're likely to visit, but is not unknown. Violent crimes have occurred in all parts of the city. As in all other cities, these crimes receive a disproportionate amount of attention from local media. These tragic events are typically not random so they will probably not impact your visit. You are more likely to be a victim of crimes of opportunity. When traveling, do not leave any items that can be quickly converted to cash in plain view in cars or unattended at restaurants and other public areas. These crimes can and do occur in all areas. When you take in the great park system or travel to the unique urban shopping destinations ensure that all valuables remain with you or are secured out-of-view in your vehicle. Also if you are going to secure your valuables in a vehicle, make sure you store them prior to arriving at your destination.