"Not Always The Great White North" Top 5 Page for this destination Minneapolis by lkdahl

Minneapolis Travel Guide: 1,028 reviews and 1,444 photos

Minneapolis Skyline from Lake Calhoun - Minneapolis

Well it's home

I find much of my freetime at home, thinking about being somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I love living in Minneapolis-St. Paul but I also love traveling to new places.

Minneapolis and Minnesota in general are known for a few things, lakes(over 15,000), the Mall of America, headwaters of the Mississippi river, hockey and mostly for it's harsh winters.

Minneapolis-St. Paul has about 3 million residents living within the metro area. The two cities are commonly known as the Twin Cities. As the name states, Minneapolis and St. Paul are very similar and there population is about equal, around 400,000 residents each.

There are differences though, for instance Minneapolis is the more lively and happening town where downtown is extremely active night and day. Uptown attracts the young and the hip and there is always something going on. Minneapolis is also the home to the University of Minnesota with it's 40,000+ student body. Downtown is a bustling business hub with many financial institutions and is the home of the Twins, Vikings and Timberwolves sports teams.

St. Paul is more traditional, being the capital of Minnesota, there are a lot of classic government style buildings, and the imposing and exquiste St. Paul Catherdal that overlooks the capital building and downtown. Summit Avenue is a beautiful street with many old mansions that date back to the late 1800. St. Paul is more family orientated and is always ranked #1 for being the "best city to raise a family in the US".

Best Movies about Minnesota or Minnesotans

Downtown from the Sculture Garden

1) Fargo
2) Miracle
3) Grumpy Old Men
4) The Mighty Ducks
5) Purple Rain

Well known celebrities from Minnesota

Calhoun Square - Uptown at Lake St. & Hennepin Ave

Bob Dylan - Musician
Jessica Lange - Actress
John Madden - MNF sports announcer
Kevin McHale - Hall of Fame NBA player
Judy Garland - Actress
Charles Lindbergh - Pioneering aviator
Prince - Musician
Garrison Keillor - Author, NPR personality
Craig Kilborn - Late nite TV host
F. Scott Fitzgerald - Author
Charles Schultz - Creator of the Peanuts
Winona Ryder - Actress
Josh Hartnett - Actor
Coen Brothers - Filmmakers

Pros and Cons

Pros:lots of lakes, parks, outdoor activities
Cons:cold as heck in winter

Intro Updated Sep 3, 2007
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Reviews (34)

The Twins at Target Field Sports & Outdoors (4)

After years of political wrangling, threats by the owner to move or contract the team, Minnesota and Minneapolis openned... more travel advice

City of Interstate Highways Transportation (3)

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The Basilica of St. Mary Things to Do (14)

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Loring Park - Urban Park in the Hear of Downtown - Minneapolis

Loring Park - Urban Park in the Hear of... Things to Do (14)

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Travelogues (1)

Written Apr 15, 2005

5 photos

St. Patrick's Day at the Local Pub

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Comments (12)

SLLiew May 5, 2008 at 7:36 AM Report Abuse

Great page of Mnneapolis. Hope to visit one day.
St_Vincent Oct 29, 2007 at 2:24 PM Report Abuse

Seems like St Patrick's day is celebrated in similar fashion around the world. Thanks for the ATM tip for Vegas. Cheers, Clive
zuriga Oct 15, 2007 at 6:25 PM Report Abuse

My son and granddaughter live in Mpls. He is a fan of the Big Wu. :-)
caffeine_induced78 Aug 7, 2005 at 8:52 PM Report Abuse

If I ever feel like barhopping in the Twin Cities I now know who I will ask for advice. Great page full of useful advice. Well done!
msp_ssa Apr 6, 2005 at 10:43 PM Report Abuse

Yeah, I thought Rick Steves was a little boring at first too, but after watching him awhile he seems genuine and I like his down to earth people approach to travel.
magictravelers Feb 4, 2005 at 11:15 AM Report Abuse

Too bad I never met you when I lived in Minneapolis. You see to be a fun (crazy is more like it) guy, who would have shown me a lot I never saw Cheers from Barcelona
cazz38 Feb 3, 2005 at 2:12 PM Report Abuse

This looks like a great place to live Luke exellent tips.
Redlats Jan 19, 2005 at 7:24 PM Report Abuse

Hey Luke, great page on your home town. I still think the M of A is a tourist trap though.
flyingkiwi Jan 10, 2005 at 9:31 PM Report Abuse

I'm gonna bookmark this page and come back to it. So much to read & it looks great (but nothing about the Vikes?)! It deserves my time. - Mark
nichole_521 Dec 12, 2004 at 9:29 PM Report Abuse

Great Minneapolis page Luke. It is a great city to visit.