Shopping
IconicMall of America
No admission feeAmerica's biggest mall: 500+ stores plus an indoor Nickelodeon theme park, aquarium and mini golf, all under one roof.
Transit: reachable by public transit
City guide · Minnesota, USA
Things to do in Minneapolis–St. Paul
Twin cities, endless lakes, world-class culture
- Shopping
- Museums
- Sports & Outdoors
- Attractions
Start here
Three to see first in Minneapolis–St. Paul
Museums
Family FavoriteScience Museum of Minnesota
$25–$50Hands-on science playground on the Mississippi bluff with dinosaurs, a giant Omnitheater and endlessly pushable buttons.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Sports & Outdoors
IconicMinnehaha Regional Park
No admission feeA 53-foot waterfall tumbling through a leafy city park, Minneapolis's most photographed natural wonder.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Top picks
In Minneapolis–St. Paul
Filter by the kind of day you want. Tap a card to open the place, or a dot on the map to find it in the list.
Shopping
IconicMall of America
No admission feeAmerica's biggest mall: 500+ stores plus an indoor Nickelodeon theme park, aquarium and mini golf, all under one roof.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
Family FavoriteScience Museum of Minnesota
$25–$50Hands-on science playground on the Mississippi bluff with dinosaurs, a giant Omnitheater and endlessly pushable buttons.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Sports & Outdoors
IconicMinnehaha Regional Park
No admission feeA 53-foot waterfall tumbling through a leafy city park, Minneapolis's most photographed natural wonder.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
Rainy-Day PickMinneapolis Institute of Art
No admission feeOne of America's great free art museums, 90,000 works spanning 5,000 years, from Monet to samurai armor.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
IconicWalker Art Center & Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Under $25Cutting-edge contemporary art beside the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry in the free Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
History BuffMill City Museum
Under $25A museum built into the ruins of the world's largest flour mill, with an 8-story elevator show and rooftop river views.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
Family FavoriteComo Park Zoo & Conservatory
No admission feeSt. Paul's beloved free zoo and glass-domed Victorian conservatory, gorillas, orchids and polar bears, no ticket needed.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
IconicCathedral of Saint Paul
No admission feeOne of America's grandest domed churches, crowning a hill with sweeping views over downtown St. Paul.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Theater & Events
IconicGuthrie Theater
$25–$50World-class theater on the riverfront, wander its cantilevered Endless Bridge for free Mississippi views.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Nightlife
IconicFirst Avenue
$25–$50The legendary club where Prince filmed Purple Rain, still the Twin Cities' beating heart of live music.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Tours
Family FavoritePadelford Riverboats
Under $25Narrated paddlewheeler cruises on the Mississippi from Harriet Island, river lore, eagles and skyline views.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Eat & Drink
Foodie FavoriteMidtown Global Market
No admission feeA global food hall in a historic Sears building, 40+ vendors serving everything from tamales to injera.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Loading map…
Day trips
Day trips from Minneapolis–St. Paul
Attractions
Family FavoriteMinnesota Zoo
$25–$504,800+ animals plus the Treetop Trail, the world's longest elevated pedestrian loop, on 485 wooded acres.
Apple Valley, MNTransit: reachable by public transit
Tours
IconicPaisley Park
$50+Step inside Prince's private studio and home, recording studios, costumes, motorcycles and all that purple.
Chanhassen, MN
Sports & Outdoors
Photo OpMinnesota Landscape Arboretum
Under $251,100+ acres of U of M gardens, forest, and prairie, Three-Mile Drive, seasonal blooms, and the breeding grounds of the Honeycrisp apple.
Chaska, MN
Attractions
Family FavoriteValleyfair
$25–$50Minnesota's big amusement park since 1976, 40+ rides, eight coasters, and the included Superior Shores Waterpark on the Minnesota River.
Shakopee, MNTransit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
Local GemAllamakee County, Iowa
No admission feeDriftless-area river county in northeast Iowa, with Mississippi River bluffs and small-town charm.
Waukon, IA
Sightseeing
Local GemGreen County, Wisconsin
No admission feeWisconsin's Swiss heritage county, home to New Glarus, cheese factories, and 'eat. drink. yodel.' festivals.
Monroe, WI
Attractions
Family FavoriteAdventure Zone Duluth
Under $25An indoor family entertainment venue in Duluth's Canal Park, part of the Grandma's Restaurant Company family.
Duluth, MNTransit: reachable by public transit
Tours
IconicApostle Islands Cruises
$50+Narrated boat tours through the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, departing Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Bayfield, WI
Tours
Local GemCrystal Cave
Under $25Wisconsin's longest known cave, offering guided walking tours near Spring Valley.
Spring Valley, WI
Sightseeing
Local GemWhite Bear Lake
No admission feeA historic lake town in the northeast Twin Cities suburbs, built around White Bear Lake itself.
White Bear Lake, MN
Museums
History BuffGlensheen Mansion
$25–$50A 39-room Jacobean Revival lakeside estate in Duluth, open for tours since 1979.
Duluth, MNTransit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
Family FavoriteGreat Lakes Aquarium
Under $25A freshwater aquarium on Duluth's harbor featuring over 250 species from the Great Lakes region.
Duluth, MNTransit: reachable by public transit
Attractions in Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, St. Paul
- Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul
- Target Field, Minneapolis
- U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
- Nickelodeon Universe, Bloomington
- Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley
- Valleyfair, Shakopee
- Adventure Zone Duluth, Duluth
- Great Lakes Aquarium, Duluth
- Paul Bunyan Land, Brainerd
- Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Shakopee
- Minnesota Goose Garden, Sandstone
- Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Arnolds Park
Museums in Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul
- Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis
- Walker Art Center & Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis
- Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
- Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
- Bell Museum, St. Paul
- American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis
- Schubert Club, Saint Paul
- James J. Hill House, Saint Paul
- Minnesota History Center, Saint Paul
- The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA), Minneapolis
- Minnesota Children's Museum, Saint Paul
- Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul
- Twin City Model Railroad Museum, Saint Paul
- Goldstein Museum of Design, St. Paul
- The Works Museum, Bloomington
- Glensheen Mansion, Duluth
- History Center of Olmsted County, Rochester
- ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater
- Historic Mayowood, Rochester
- Judy Garland Museum, Grand Rapids
- SPAM Museum, Austin
- Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah
- Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona
- Runestone Museum, Alexandria
- Renville County Historical Museum, Morton
- Charles H. MacNider Art Museum, Mason City
- Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth
- Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum, Little Falls
- Polish Cultural Center & Museum, Winona
- Monroe County Local History Room and Museum, Sparta
- Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville
- Washington County Historical Society, Stillwater
- Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children, Owatonna
- Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, Little Falls
Sightseeing in Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Cathedral of Saint Paul, St. Paul
- Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis
- Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul
- Eagan, Eagan
- Spoonbridge and Cherry, Minneapolis
- The Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis
- Rice Park, Saint Paul
- Wicaḣapi (Indian Mounds Regional Park), Saint Paul
- Bruentrup Heritage Farm, Maplewood
- Allamakee County, Iowa, Waukon
- Green County, Wisconsin, Monroe
- White Bear Lake, White Bear Lake
- Hayward, Hayward
- St. Cloud, St. Cloud
- Winona, Winona
- Wabasha, Wabasha
- Washburn County, Spooner
- Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth
- Canal Park, Duluth
- Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend
- Jolly Green Giant Statue, Blue Earth
- Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial, Rochester
- Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, Darwin
- Wanda Gág House, New Ulm
Sports & Outdoors in Minneapolis–St. Paul
- Minnehaha Regional Park, Minneapolis
- Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, Minneapolis
- Loring Park, Minneapolis
- Mill Ruins Park, Minneapolis
- Tower Hill Park, Minneapolis
- Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis
- Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan
- Lyndale Park, Minneapolis
- Lake Hiawatha Park, Minneapolis
- Bohemian Flats Park, Minneapolis
- Windom Northeast Park, Minneapolis
- Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield
- Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, Coon Rapids
- Fish Lake Regional Park, Maple Grove
- Marydale Park, Saint Paul
- Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska
- Merrick State Park, Fountain City
- Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer
- Pattison State Park, Near Superior
- Kinnickinnic State Park, River Falls
- Perrot State Park, Trempealeau
- Amnicon Falls State Park, South Range
- Afton State Park, Hastings
- Banning State Park, Sandstone
- Beaver Creek Valley State Park, Caledonia
- Father Hennepin State Park, Isle
- Flandrau State Park, New Ulm
- Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, Preston
- Frontenac State Park, Frontenac
- Great River Bluffs State Park, Winona
- Jay Cooke State Park, Carlton
- Lake Shetek State Park, Currie
- Rice Lake State Park, Owatonna
- St. Croix State Park, Hinckley
- Pilot Knob State Park, Forest City
- Lake Wissota State Park, Chippewa Falls
- Willow River State Park, Hudson (about 5 miles north)
- Beeds Lake State Park, Hampton
- Noerenberg Memorial Gardens, Wayzata
- Brunet Island State Park, Cornell
More places in Minneapolis–St. Paul
More guides in Minnesota
Articles about Minneapolis–St. Paul
Nearby
More of Minnesota
Maps
Visitor maps for Minneapolis–St. Paul
Stories
Reading about Minneapolis–St. Paul
About
About Minneapolis–St. Paul
Minneapolis and St. Paul pack two skylines, the mighty Mississippi and a chain of sparkling city lakes into one endlessly explorable metro. Spend the morning at a world-class (and often free) museum, the afternoon under a waterfall or atop a paddlewheeler, and the evening where Prince made history. From America's biggest mall to its most storied music club, the Twin Cities punch far above their weight.
Visitor info
Nearest help
Hospital with an emergency room · 0.4 mi from the center
Hennepin County Medical Center
701 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Police · 0.0 mi from the center
Us Marshals Services
300 S 4th St Ste 402, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Fire station · 0.1 mi from the center
Fire Investigation
350 5th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
In an emergency, call 911.