Constructed between 1881 and 1883 in Minneapolis, MN as a railroad bridge, the stone arch bridge…read morewas converted in 1994 as a pedestrian/cycle bridge crossing the Mississippi River. It provides some great views of the old time milling operations in the area, as well as St Anthony Falls. It consists of 23 stone arches spanning 2,100 feet, and is the only stone arched bridge still on the Mississippi. It is on the National Register of Historic Places (1971) and is considered a National Historic Engineering Landmark. The entry from downtown would be via Mills Ruins Park. On my visit during mid March, there was still a lot of snow on the ground from a large snowfall a couple days before, and there was a path cleared, though to get better views on the river, some waterproof boots would have been handy.

This former railroad bridge crosses the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in downtown…read moreMinneapolis. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi. This is the second oldest bridge on the river. It's now a pedestrian and bicycle bridge and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a great place to visit for a walk. You can start at the Guthrie Theater or Mill City Museum, then head across the bridge to get breathtaking views of the downtown skyline, and end up in the neighborhood of St Anthony Main which has cobblestone roads and cute small businesses. I got the chance to see it and walk across it on a snowy December afternoon. It was gorgeous and I'd love to come back when it's warmer.

When visiting Europe, taking a picture with a small, but significant statue is often a way to…read moreremember and record the visit (e.g. Manneken Pis in Brussels, LIttle Mermaid in Copenhagen). In the States, these small cultural icons tends to gravitate towards TV shows? This famous one depicts the end shot of the beginning sequence from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, where she throws her tam hat (always thought it was a beret, but learned that it's a tam, more appropriate for the Minneapolis weather) into the air, expressing her joy and independence (and the need to bundle up stylishly). Of course, my wife had to reproduce that scene (no tam, but a skull cap) and it was a fun thing to do (taking very little time). We had visited the statue many years before (just like we had with the Fonzie statue in Milwaukee), and was super glad that it's still very well maintained (polished, no graffiti, etc). MTM passed in 2017, and this statue is a nice tribute to her, and her ground breaking TV show.

I remember watching the Mary Tyler Moore Show with my mother when I was younger, so when I had the…read morechance to see the MTM Mary Tyler Moore Statue in person I took advantage of it. Located in downtown Minneapolis, where her famous opening credits hat toss took place, you might walk by it, if you weren't looking for it. The life size MTM Mary Tyler Moore Statue was very nice, it got the details right. There is a parking garage not too far away, if you're not able to find street parking. This little bit of nostalgia and TV history was fun to see. I highly recommend the MTM Mary Tyler Moore Statue!

Loved our weekend trip to this park! When we arrived, the parking lot was very busy and there were…read morevery few spots left, even though it's a pretty sizeable lot for a park. We quickly learned this was because there was a special event going on (the Sankofa celebration) inside the center, with vendor tables and a couple of food trucks and even some crafting activities. So we got to experience that on top of the rest of the park's great amenities! The center is sleek and modern inside. LOTS of toilets (single occupant, all-gender), lots of coat hangars, multiple water bottle refill stations. The ground level has some cool reptile/amphibians behind glass you can ogle, as well as interactive informational displays (great for kids and adults, imo). Downstairs they have the rental booth for gear and educational rooms (they had a falcon demo in one while we were there!). Beside the center is an awesome multilevel playground, very fun. As well as a splash pad (for non-winter months) and an elevated boardwalk. The most nearby attraction is obviously the dam, which has an impressive spillway that's mesmerizing to watch. You can even walk across it to go over the river to the park on the other side. Apparently this spot is popular with fishers (though I don't have much knowledge on that subject). There are also trails that can be explored. Paved routes good for all recreational uses, as well as further out hiking paths that are just dirt. It'd be great to come back out again sometime and explore more. Across the street it seemed there was even archery!

I'm really happy this park has been updated to such a lovely and unique park. I love the the…read morenatural material and wood playground. The new visitor center is very nice and cute.

- Mill City Museum…read more Mill City Museum was one of the highlights of my time in Minneapolis and is absolutely worth visiting. One important thing to know is that the museum closes around 4:30 p.m., so plan accordingly. I would recommend giving yourself at least 90 minutes to two hours. You could move through faster, but you would miss a lot of the history and displays. Admission was around $15, and it was completely worth the price. After purchasing a ticket, you receive a sticker with a scheduled time for the Flour Tower experience. When that time arrives, you report to the designated area on the first floor. While waiting, there is plenty to explore about the history of the mills, the surrounding area, and the enormous role Minneapolis played in the flour industry. I do not want to spoil the Flour Tower experience, but I will say this: it is absolutely worth doing. My advice is to sit in the front row near the middle. I happened to choose that seat by chance, and it ended up being the best seat in the house. The experience genuinely surprised me and became one of the first things I told friends and family about when I returned home. Afterward, you are taken to the top of the building, where there are excellent views of the surrounding area. You can see the Pillsbury Mill across the river, the Stone Arch Bridge, St. Anthony Falls, the lock and dam, the Guthrie Theater, nearby park areas, and portions of the historic mill ruins. Once you return to the first floor, you can also walk through and see the ruins up close. I spent about an hour and a half here and felt that was a good amount of time, although someone who enjoys reading every display could easily spend two hours or more. I highly recommend Mill City Museum, especially for anyone visiting Minneapolis for the first time. It is educational, creative, memorable, and one of those attractions that is much more impressive than you may expect going in.

Really loved this museum!! Especially the observation deck and the movie at the end . There was a…read morebread tasting and a fool proof recipe given. It was informative in terms of understanding the city culture and flour milling. Great gift shop too! I highly recommend.

Since it's prince week celebration in the city - it's fitting to post…read more I remember when this mural first was revealed- epic right in the heart of downtown I do like it but as a forever Prince fan since the 80s a couple of his images don't actually look like him!! Sorry

Such a great tribute to Prince in the city! Downtown has a many murals but this one is one of my…read morefavorites. Showcases some of the different phases of legacy. We love & miss Prince!

I went to the Guthrie Theater for the first time this week to see Waiting for Godot, and this was…read moredefinitely my first visit but not my last! Our show started at 7:30, and I would absolutely recommend arriving well before 7 if it's your first time. The Guthrie is an experience beyond just the show, and there's so much to explore before you even get to your seat. We had time to check out the Amber Room, step outside onto the balcony, take pictures, and just wander around the building. There's also a restaurant on site and a bar where you can grab drinks and snacks. I really appreciated that there was plenty of space throughout the lobby to sit and lounge before the performance rather than feeling like you needed to immediately head into the theater. The employees were incredibly friendly and even gave us recommendations for things to check out before the show. The building itself has a very modern feel, which was a fun change for me since I'm more accustomed to traditional theaters. I also really enjoyed the design of the theater and how the stage extended into the audience. It felt like there were good sightlines from a variety of angles and made the performance feel much more intimate. We happened to attend on an especially fun night because it was opening night and the kickoff to the new season. After the show, they completely transformed the downstairs lobby into a party! There was a DJ, photo booth, snacks, and drinks available for purchase. At one point it genuinely felt like we were in a club rather than a theater, and I loved it. Overall, such a fun first experience at the Guthrie. Come early, give yourself time to explore the building, and don't treat it as just a place to see a show--the venue itself is part of the experience. I'm already interested in coming back for another production!

I don't think I've ever seen a bad show at the Guthrie. I still find it hard to believe this…read morebuilding has been open for Twenty years. There are some things I miss about the place that disappeared over the years like some of the bars that you could just stop in at even if you weren't coming for a show. But I am sure Covid and other factors caused retrenchment. . I still think it's worth seeing the building for the views inside and out. More importantly, their plays are excellent . We saw Macbeth. Really well done show. You cannot beat the Guthrie for theater.

Back in 1973 a friend and I crashed the grand opening ceremony and I recall walking away with a…read moreglossy multi-page booklet, a complementary hard hat (not remotely useable) and various other minor swag. The Philip Johnson designed IDS center seemed glittery, glamorous, exotic and impressive. I will admit to being a bit awestruck. Over the years I have innumerable fond memories whether entering at street level, walking in on the skyway level, sitting out on a balcony overlooking the Crystal Court or very occasionally parking below and taking in the scenery from the long lost observation level. In fact, at the risk of TMI I proposed to my late wife in 1978 while seated at a corner window table at the then still newish restaurant Windows on Minnesota (another casualty of change). Back in the day my father used to describe the IDS tower by slowly raising his middle finger. He dismissed it as "the box that the Foshay Tower came in." Well... that was then and this is now. My most recent memories are of of a tired, sparse, neglected and lonely place. Maybe an homage to glories past but one that has decidedly seen better days. Perhaps it is inevitable that as downtown Mpls has changed and become significantly repurposed structures such as the once inspiring IDS have lapsed into a rather sad reality. A veritable shadow of itself. I'm left with some great memories however!

The IDS center is the center of downtown Minneapolis. It is the hub of the skyways everything you…read moreneed right downtown and the IDS is in the center of it very comfortable very inviting friendly environment. I love it.

As a Blaine resident I am not happy with this building. We tried getting a room for Girl Scouts…read moreyears ago but since we would do crafts and have snacks we were not allowed to be there even if we offered to vacuum and clean up. So much wasted space on the center. They could have forfeited 'the view' and built some multi-purpose rooms for the community on the second floor in the middle. Now I hear there is tens of thousands of dollars needed to up date rooms (lunch rooms and workout rooms being some of it) and space. I just don't think it was an efficient use of tax payers money.

This is so cool! The city easily could have demolished this whole area and created a new…read moreriverfront, but instead they chose to honor these 19th century ruins. Flour is what put Minneapolis on the map as an export, and these ruins were once mills that used the power of St Anthony Falls to run. Definitely worth a visit if you're into archaeology, city history, or just want a place to walk with a pleasant view.

Mill Ruins Park in downtown Minneapolis is so named because it still contains the remnants of the…read morefloor mills (powered by the Mississippi River) that made 19th century Minneapolis the 'Flour Milling Capitol of the World', opening in 2001. It overlooks the Mississippi River, has the Mill City Museum, and is the South gateway for the Stone Arch Pedestrian Bridge. I stopped by on a cold March afternoon, and had a chance to explore it a bit, making note of places I would look at more closely on a warmer (and less wet) day.

A striking, yet somber memorial to the 89 crew members that lost their lives…read more A memorial in Como Regional Park that hopefully makes one pause in their memories, as we are able to enjoy the beauty of the park.