World Country Guide

Introduction

Minneapolis and St Paul adjoin each other on either side of the Mississippi River and have a metropolitan area population of nearly 3 million. They are known as the Twin Cities and began as frontier towns, with German, Irish and Scandinavian immigrants. Minneapolis is a modern city with fine theatres, nightclubs, stores, a year-round sports programme and a distinguished symphony orchestra. The city is also the site of one of the world’s largest universities, the University of Minnesota.
Nicollet Mall is a downtown shopping promenade that includes the 51-storey IDS (Investors Diversified Services) Center, which towers over the downtown area, Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Construction on the new Lake Street Center started in July 2004. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts exhibits major art masterpieces from Europe, the Orient and the Americas. The Walker Art Center stages contemporary art exhibitions, concerts and lectures, and also features an Outdoor Sculpture Garden, which is the largest of its kind in the USA. It is open all year round and is one of the State’s top tourist attractions.
Other highlights include the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum; Valleyfair amusement park; and Minnesota Zoo. Minnehaha Falls was made famous in Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The Target Center, HHH Metrodome, St Anthony Falls, St Anthony Main and the ‘Mississippi Mile’, a riverside recreational park, are all notable attractions in downtown Minneapolis. Mississippi River steamboat excursions are also popular.
The Hennepin Avenue Theater District and the Warehouse District offer evening entertainment.
Older and perhaps more dignified than Minneapolis, as befits a State capital, the city has abundant parks and lakes. The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts offers drama, concerts and art galleries. The Science Museum features the William L McKnight Omnitheater. The Landmark Center now houses the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Its distinguished history includes the trials of several famous gangsters in the 1930s, when it was the Federal Court House.
The new Landmark Plaza hosts a number of festivals and concerts, as well as a farmer’s market in August; a bronze statue of cartoonist Charles Shultz honours the cartoonist.
Bloomington, 15 minutes from Minneapolis and St Paul, is home to the Mall of America. The largest entertainment and retail complex in the USA, it attracts 42 million visitors each year (see Social Profile section). The Mall is poised to grow even further, with plans for hotels, new shops, restaurants and entertainment attractions and a fitness and spa facility planned for the future. Attractions at the Mall include Camp Snoopy (the largest indoor theme park in the USA), the LEGO Imagination Center and Underwater Adventures, a 5.4 million-litre (1.2 million gallons) walk-through aquarium. Stillwater is a charming, historic town on the St Croix River, 48km (30 miles) northwest of the city.
This scenic port at the western tip of Lake Superior receives ships from all over the world (via the St Lawrence Seaway). Attractions include harbour and lake cruises; Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center; the St Louis Country’s Heritage & Arts Center, known locally as The Depot; and the Skyline Parkway, high above the city. Spirit Mountain is a year-round holiday and outdoor recreation centre, 11km (7 miles) south of Duluth.
The spectacular North Shore Drive (US Highway 61) follows the north shore of Lake Superior for 240km (150 miles) from Duluth to the Canadian border and was recently designated an ‘All American Road’ for its unique, scenic beauty. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park preserves one of the most scenically-situated lighthouses in the USA, about 43km (27 miles) north of Two Harbors. The North Woods region embraces vast wilderness and lakes. Major resort areas include the towns of Bemidji, Brainerd, Detroit Lakes and Grand Rapids, as well as the Lake Mille Lacs area.
The Mississippi River begins in Minnesota, travelling over 1000km (600 miles) within the State. The new Mississippi River Visitor Center is a collaboration between the National Park Service and the Science Museum. The Great River Road that runs south from the Twin Cities to the Iowa border offers magnificent views of the river and the many bird species, including the American Bald Eagle, that travel this route on their migrations.