Minneapolis tour
Description
Interesting places in Minneapolis are
Established in the late 1800s, this 17-acre park features six ancient burial mounds, the earliest of which date back between 1,500-2,000 years ago. These early mounds were created by the people of the Hopewell culture. As such, this site is the only distinctly Hopewell site in the state, and one of northernmost examples of this culture in the country. For centuries, Native Americans buried their dead here, including the Dakota peoples. The mounds rest on limestone rock that is 450 million years old. Originally there were at least 16 mounds at this location and 19 more nearby above what is now Carver's Cave but these have been lost to development over the years. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is the leading organization in the United States demonstrating finely crafted artworks of wood turning. The association was founded in 1986 and is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has over 15,000 members around the world. AAW holds an annual national symposium, and generously sponsors organizes activities for outreach to new members as well as educational activities.
Built to guard the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in the 1820s, Fort Snelling served a significant role in shaping early history of Minnesota as a territory and state. From here, the federal government—through the U.S. Army—was able to gain control of the lucrative fur trade and to establish formal relationships with the Native American tribes in the area. This part of Minnesota was, at the time, part of the Northwest Territory (comprised of what are now the Great Lake States as well as the northeastern portion of Minnesota). The fort is located on a bluff, affording it excellent views of the surrounding area. Historically, the junction of the rivers also has significant cultural meaning for Native Americans. It served as a gathering place and, for the Dakota, is the site of their creation story. It was also here that the Dakota were sent to live in an interment camp after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The fort, which is a National Historic Landmark, was an active military installation for over 120 years.
The F. Scott Fitzgerald House, also known as Summit Terrace, is part of a row house designed by William H. Wilcox and Clarence H. Johnson Sr. A National Historic Landmark, the F. Scott Fitzgerald House in St. Paul, Minnesota was home to the famous author’s parents Edward and Mollie, who moved back to the city while Fitzgerald was attending Princeton. Located in St. Paul’s Historic Hill District, this Victorian/Romanesque Revival style rowhouse is most closely associated with Fitzgerald’s literary fame and features similar environments to some of his later works. During the summer of 1919, F. Scott Fitzgerald rewrote the manuscript that would become This Side of Paradise, as well as other short stories during his stay at the home until 1920.
This little former depot was built in 1875 and was on the first railroad line that connected the Twin Cities to Chicago. It replaced an even smaller station. It was given the nickname "Princes" for its gingerbread canopy covering the area in front of the entrance. Tracks can still be seen embedded in the ground next to the depot. The Minnesota Transportation Museum owns and operates the depot, offering historical exhibits there periodically.
Located within Como Regional Park is the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, the latter of which is named the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. It was built in 1915 and the design is typical of conservatories built in the early 20th century. It features several gardens and rooms including a fern room, palm room, water garden, Japanese garden, and an impressive Bonsai tree collection. Visitors will see a wide array of tropical plants and flowers. When it was built, the conservatory replaced nine run-down greenhouses. In 2015 it was named after Marjorie McNeeley, a philanthropist who donated money to the conservatory as well as other cultural organizations. The park itself features many attractions and activities such as the zoo, fishing, picnicking, paddleboat rentals, an amusement park, a restaurant, and golf and mini golf.
The Minnehaha Falls Regional Park features 53-ft waterfalls and is nestled along the Minnehaha Creek. Home to the Longfellow House Hospitality Center and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, a 50 mile outdoor recreation loop, the falls were make popular through Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Song of Hiawatha (1853). In addition to hiking, biking, and walking trails, the park, features 4 outdoor picnic sites, a picnic shelter, and paved trails and is home to the John H. Stevens House, the Princess Depot, and an off-leash dog park.
The Minnesota Streetcar Museum focuses on the preservation of Minnesota's electric railway history by acquiring, restoring, maintaining, and operating a fleet of eight historic Minnesota streetcars on the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in Minneapolis and the Excelsior Streetcar Line in Excelsior. MSM also preserves artifacts, papers, and photographs that it uses to interpret Minnesota's electric railway history.
The Bakken Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the medical uses of electricity. It features a wide variety of hands-on exhibits that help educate visitors about the history of electricity and electromagnetism from 1200 A. D. to the present. This includes an exhibit on Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein, and a small theater recreating the laboratory of the mad scientist who created Frankenstein. The museum opened in 1975 and moved to the current location, the old West Winds mansion, a year later.
The Bell Museum of Natural History is a museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the campus of the University of Minnesota. On display are numerous animal specimens from all over the world. The museum is best-known for its dioramas which show caribou, timber wolves, bobcats, deer, moose, and a variety of birds from the wetlands. The museum also offers the Touch and See Discovery Room--a place where school groups and families can explore the natural world through interactive exhibits. The museum will move to a new location at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul campus in 2018.
This 9 foot monument was created by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson in 1906. "The hiker" is a representation of the American soldiers who fought in the Spanish- American War, the Philippine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion. The statue is named after the term the soldiers used calling themselves "hikers". "The hiker" was modeled after a photograph of Leonard Sefing, Jr., a veteran of the Spanish-American War was sent into a national contest. Many copies of this monument have been made but the original monument was unveiled on Memorial Day, 1906 at the University of Minnesota. It was placed here to honor the 218 University of Minnesota students who served in the Spanish-American War.
The Walker Art Center features contemporary visual and performing arts exhibits and programs. In 1988, the Center opened the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden next to the museum. Both the Center and the Sculpture Garden are known to art lovers around the world. The Center offers one of the leading collections of modern art and is known for its innovative approach to connecting art with visitors. The sculpture garden remains one of the largest in the nation and over 20,000 art lovers attended its most recent festival.
Established in 1883 as the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, this is the premiere fine art museum in Minnesota. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts maintains an extensive collection of over 80,000 objects from nearly every continent. The collection includes pieces as old as 40,000 years to modern works by Monet and other famous artists. The MIA has seven curatorial areas: Arts of Africa & the Americas; Contemporary Art; Decorative Arts, Textiles & Sculpture; Asian Art; Paintings; Photography and New Media; and Prints and Drawings. The museum receives around a half a million visitors per year.
Home to 20,000 works of art, the Weisman Art Museum opened in 1993 and features American Modernism, ceramics, Mimbres pottery, and the most complete collection of Korean furniture outside of Asia. Internationally acclaimed artist Frank Gehry designed the building and its addition, which was completed in 2011. American artists represented include Georgia O’Keeffe and Marsden Hartley.
Located in the ruins of what was once the largest flour mill in the world, the Mill City Museum commemorates the history of milling and the Riverfront. Exhibits present the history of the mill and the city's role as a center of flour production from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. The museum also preserves and interprets the history of the city and region with exhibits and programs that change throughout the year to make each visit unique and educational.