Stand on the Stone Arch Bridge at dusk and the Mississippi runs beneath you in two directions at once: the tailrace of the old Pillsbury A Mill on one bank, the excavated stonework of the flour mills on the other, and the downtown skyline stacked up behind it. That single view explains Minneapolis better than any history book — a milling city built on the only natural waterfall on the river, now a city of lakes, theaters and bike trails.
Minneapolis suits travellers who like their cities walkable and watery, who will trade a checklist of monuments for a long afternoon on a lake path or an evening in a small theater. It rewards a bit of research: the parks, the riverfront and the arts institutions are spread across distinct neighbourhoods, and knowing which ones sit near each other saves you a lot of criss-crossing.
This guide covers the museums, theaters, parks, lakes and sports venues worth building a trip around, followed by a one-day plan that strings the best of them together.
Top things to do in Minneapolis
1. Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The major fine art museum in the city, in the Whittier neighbourhood, covering 5,000 years of art with a particularly strong collection of Asian art. If you want one museum that justifies a whole afternoon, this is it.
Pair it with the Hennepin History Museum, which is nearby in Whittier, and check whether its archival library is open — it is free and open to the public and covers local history.
2. Walker Art Center
Near Loring Park, the Walker is one of the big five modern art museums in the United States. Come here if contemporary work is what you came for rather than old masters.
It sits close to downtown, so it combines easily with an evening at the Guthrie Theater or a walk along the riverfront.
3. Guthrie Theater
The regional theater for the state of Minnesota, producing high-quality work with local talent while also bringing in artists from the wider professional theater circuit. Large theaters cluster downtown, on the West Bank and in Uptown, but the Guthrie is the anchor.
Book ahead rather than turning up on the night, and if you want to sample the smaller end of the scene, look at what Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Jungle Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater and Theater in the Round are staging during your stay.
4. Mill City Museum
Housed in the former Washburn "A" Mill near the downtown riverfront, the museum chronicles the development of the flour milling industry in Minneapolis, which was the world's leading producer of flour around the turn of the 20th century.
Combine it with Mill Ruins Park directly next to it, by St. Anthony Falls, where excavations of the early stoneworks are on view. The site saw several explosions and fires in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the ruins are the record of them.
5. Mill Ruins Park
A downtown archaeological site at the location of former flour mills and other industrial buildings, with a canal that ran through the area restored. It is the most direct way to see the industrial foundations the city was built on.
Walk it as part of the riverfront rather than as a separate stop — the park, the museum and the falls are all in the same place.
6. Boom Island Park
In Northeast Minneapolis just north of Nicollet Island, most easily reached from the Stone Arch Bridge. It offers fishing on side channels, some of the most distinctive skyline views in the country, and a look at the century-old remains of the brickworks and water-power tailrace tunnels of the Pillsbury A Mill.
Go late in the day for the skyline, and cross the river afterwards to the Mill Ruins Park and Mill City Museum side.
7. Chain of Lakes
A chain of lakes running north to south along the western side of the city, each with a walking path and a one-way biking and skating path. Some are connected by lagoons and creeks that eventually spill into the Mississippi at Minnehaha Falls.
At least one path is kept clear even in snowy winter months, so the paths are usable almost every day of the year. The lakes are linked by the Grand Rounds, a 40-mile loop around the city begun over a century ago.
8. Bde Maka Ska
Formerly known as Lake Calhoun, with several public beaches including volleyball nets on the south beaches, plus rowboat and canoe rentals and sailboat lessons. The surface conditions make it the most popular lake in the city among sailboarders.
It is connected by lagoon to Lake of the Isles and, by extension, to Cedar Lake, so you can paddle between them rather than driving.
9. Lake of the Isles
Has bird sanctuaries on its islands and a public skating rink in the winter months. It is the quietest link in the chain and the easiest to fold into a walk or ride.
In winter, plan around the skating rink; in summer, treat it as the middle leg of a route between Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska.
10. Cedar Lake
Has three public beaches and is reachable by canoe, rowboat or kayak through its connecting lagoon to Lake of the Isles. It is the northern end of the Southwest Minneapolis group of lakes.
The Midtown Greenway begins on the West Bank and crosses west to the Bde Maka Ska area, where it meets the Kenworth Trail and, in turn, the Cedar Lake Trail — a good way to arrive by bike.
11. Lake Harriet
Offers boat rentals and several public swimming beaches. A short tributary connects it to Minnehaha Creek at its southeast corner, though the creek is not navigable directly from any of the lakes.
Use it as a swimming stop on a lake-to-lake ride rather than a destination in itself.
12. Lake Nokomis
In South Minneapolis, with several beaches and public boat access for canoes, kayaks and sailboats. Minnehaha Creek runs through it on its way from Lake Minnetonka in the far western suburbs to the Mississippi.
Come here if you want the lake experience with easier parking and fewer crowds than the western chain.
13. Minnehaha Falls
Where the chain of lakes' connecting lagoons and creeks eventually spill into the Mississippi, and the inspiration for Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha". It is the natural endpoint of the water system that runs across the city.
Combine it with a walk or ride along Minnehaha Creek, which passes through Lake Nokomis on its way.
14. Midtown Greenway
An old freight train railway converted into a bike route that cuts through the middle of South Minneapolis, beginning on the West Bank and crossing west all the way to the Bde Maka Ska area.
It meets the Kenworth Trail, which in turn connects with the Cedar Lake Trail — the simplest car-free way to link the river with the lakes.
15. Weisman Art Museum
A mostly contemporary art museum on the U of M East Bank campus, better known for its Frank Gehry-designed building than for the collections inside. Worth the trip if architecture is your interest.
It sits on the East Bank campus in Southeast Minneapolis, so pair it with a look at the university area rather than crossing town for it alone.
16. Museum of Russian Art
Housed in a former church in Southwest Minneapolis and opened in 2005, its focus is 20th-century Russian art, which means there is also a strong collection of Soviet art.
It is in Southwest Minneapolis, so it fits naturally into a day built around the western lakes.
17. Hennepin History Museum
A somewhat low-key museum in Whittier near the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, with permanent and rotating exhibits covering the history of Minneapolis and Hennepin County.
Its archival library is free and open to the public, which makes it a useful stop if you want to dig into local history rather than just skim it.
18. George Floyd Square
A public art installation in South Minneapolis memorialising George Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer in 2020. It is a place to visit with attention and quiet.
It is in South Minneapolis, so plan it as its own stop rather than tacking it onto a downtown itinerary.
19. Target Field and Target Center
Target Field is home to the Minnesota Twins and Target Center to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, both in Downtown Minneapolis. Catching a game is one of the easiest ways to spend an evening in the city.
Both are downtown, so either pairs well with a pre-game walk along the riverfront.
20. U.S. Bank Stadium
Home of the Minnesota Vikings, also in Downtown Minneapolis, occupying the site of the team's former home, the Metrodome. The Minnesota Golden Gophers play college sports nearby at Huntington Bank Stadium, where the Vikings played while U.S. Bank Stadium was being built.
If you want hockey, note that the Minnesota Wild play next door in Saint Paul at the Xcel Energy Center rather than in Minneapolis.
21. First Avenue
The nightclub where Prince played. The Twin Cities have a broad local music scene — punk, folk, club, jazz, classical, house, reggae and hip-hop among them — and this is the best-known room in it.
Check listings before you go. In summer, Minneapolis Park and Rec sponsors music in the parks, with a variety of local groups and a family-friendly atmosphere.
22. Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater
On Lake Street, offering family-friendly shows on Saturday mornings and a variety of other puppet shows through the year. It also hosts the Mayday Parade on the first Sunday in May, a good way to see the community feel of the city.
If your visit lands in early May, build the day around the parade; otherwise take a Saturday morning show.
23. Tower Hill Park
In Southeast Minneapolis, home to the Witch's Hat, the Prospect Park neighbourhood's 1914 water tower. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers perhaps the best view in the city — but only on the one day per year that its observation deck is open.
Check the date before planning around the deck; the park itself is worth the trip regardless.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Whittier, where the Asian art collection alone can absorb a couple of hours. If you have time left before lunch, walk to the Hennepin History Museum nearby for the Minneapolis and Hennepin County exhibits.
Afternoon. Head to the downtown riverfront and spend the middle of the day at the Mill City Museum in the former Washburn "A" Mill, then walk straight out into Mill Ruins Park to see the excavated stoneworks and the restored canal by St. Anthony Falls. Cross to Boom Island Park for the skyline views and the remains of the Pillsbury A Mill brickworks and tailrace tunnels.
Evening. Take in a production at the Guthrie Theater, or if the schedule does not suit, catch a game at Target Field or Target Center, both downtown. Finish with music at First Avenue.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to use the lake paths?
At least one path in the Chain of Lakes is kept clear even during snowy winter months, so it is possible to use the paths almost every day of the year. Summer gives you swimming beaches, boat rentals and sailboat lessons; winter gives you skating on Lake of the Isles.
Do I need a car to get around?
Not for the riverfront and downtown sights, which sit close together, and the Midtown Greenway links the West Bank to the Bde Maka Ska area by bike. Public transport in the city is provided by Metro Transit, and the international airport serving the Twin Cities is on the city limits towards the south.
Where can I see theater beyond the big stages?
Beyond the Guthrie Theater, the Twin Cities have a nationally regarded scene for new work through organisations like The Playwrights' Center, and companies including Mixed Blood Theatre Company, Jungle Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater and Theater in the Round. Lake Street's Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater offers family-friendly shows on Saturday mornings.
Can I combine the lakes and the river in one route?
Yes. The Chain of Lakes runs north to south along the western side of the city, and its lagoons and creeks eventually spill into the Mississippi at Minnehaha Falls. The Midtown Greenway begins on the West Bank and crosses west to the Bde Maka Ska area, meeting the Kenworth Trail and then the Cedar Lake Trail.
Pick the two or three places above that match your interests, check what is on at the theaters and the clubs for your dates, and start mapping your days around the riverfront and the lakes.