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Minnehaha Regional Park

4801 S Minnehaha Park Dr, Minneapolis, MN 55417 · Minneapolis, MN

Why you should go…

Longfellow made Minnehaha Falls famous, and it still stops first-time visitors in their tracks: a 53-foot cascade minutes from downtown, wrapped in 167 acres of gardens, bluffs and riverside trails. Rent a bike, grab fried fish at the seasonal Sea Salt Eatery and follow the creek down to the Mississippi. In deep winter the falls freeze into a glittering ice curtain worth the cold.

  • #waterfall
  • #park
  • #biking
  • #hiking
  • #picnic

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Minnehaha Regional Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Historic

    Historic Fort Snelling

    Under $25

    Restored 1820s stone fort at the Mississippi–Minnesota confluence, where costumed interpreters unpack centuries of layered history.

    2.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Midtown Global Market

    Free

    A global food hall in a historic Sears building, 40+ vendors serving everything from tamales to injera.

    3.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Museums
    Local Gem

    American Swedish Institute

    Under $25

    A turreted 1908 castle-mansion turned Nordic culture hub, with craft workshops, exhibitions, and the celebrated New Nordic café FIKA.

    3.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    Free

    Weisman Art Museum

    Free

    Frank Gehry's crumpled stainless-steel landmark on the Mississippi bluff, 20,000+ artworks and always-free admission at the U of M.

    4.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Minneapolis Institute of Art

    Free

    One of America's great free art museums, 90,000 works spanning 5,000 years, from Monet to samurai armor.

    4.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Photo Op

    Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

    Under $25

    1,100+ acres of U of M gardens, forest, and prairie, Three-Mile Drive, seasonal blooms, and the breeding grounds of the Honeycrisp apple.

    20 mi awayMore like this