About Minneapolis MN
Minneapolis is the bigger city in the famous Minnesota ‘Twin Cities’ metropolitan region, which is the 16th biggest of its kind in the United States. This metropolitan region comprises of Minneapolis and Saint Paul that is the capital of the state of Minnesota. Minneapolis also serves as the county seat of Hennepin County, and is situated on the shores of the Mississippi River close to its convergence with the Minnesota River. Minneapolis is highly noted for having an abundance of water including 13 different lakes, the Mississippi River, wetlands, creeks and waterfalls. The city and its suburbs form a key business hub in between Chicago and Seattle. Minneapolis is ranked as the 10th highest concentration of Fortune 500 business establishments in the United States. It is as well regarded as a global city by being a crucial link to global economy, and boasts of strengths in business, medicine, manufacturing, education, culture and research fields. Minneapolis also has one of the biggest LGBT communities in the country.
The native Amerindian Dakota Sioux tribe was the only inhabitants of the future site for the city when French explorers made their way here in the late 17th century. In the early 19th century, the United States purchased the territory from France, and began establishing outposts here. Minneapolis developed around the Saint Anthony Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the Mississippi River. The Saint Anthony Falls became the source of the city’s hydroelectricity power for its early industries. Minneapolis utilized hydropower with very exceptional results and was referred to as the ‘greatest direct drive water power hub the world had ever seen.’ The hard red spring wheat that is grown in the city became very valuable thanks to a number of innovations by the milling industry in Minneapolis. Also, the Minnesota patent flour was acknowledged as the best in the globe at the latter end of the 19th century. Today, Minneapolis has the distinction of being the 2nd biggest economy in the American Midwest, 2nd to Chicago.
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Top attractions
Minneapolis is a leading cultural hub in the Midwest region of the US, and draws numerous creatives and audiences for its theaters, visual arts centers and performing arts venues. The city is home to the Walker Art Center, which is ranked among the 5 biggest modern art museums in the nation. There is as well the Minneapolis Institute of Art that has the distinction of been the biggest art museum in Minneapolis, and possesses 100,000 pieces in its permanent collection. The city is home to the Weisman Art Museum, another world class art museum.
On the other hand, Minneapolis has been a key theatrical performances hub ever since the mid 20th century. It is only 2nd to New York City in the context of live theater per capita. Minneapolis is the home base of numerous theater companies as well as troupes too. Some of the most prominent of which include Mixed Blood. The Illusion, Mu Performing Arts, Brave New Workshop, Minnesota Dance Theater, Skewed Vision, Bedlam Theatre to name but a few. It is important to note that Minneapolis was the native home of the popular recording artist Prince who lived most of his life here. Moreover, the Minnesota Orchestra whose base is Orchestra Hall plays classical and pop music in the city, and bagged an Grammy Award in 2014. Minneapolis boasts of 4 different opera companies, the most notable of which are the Minnesota Opera and the Mill City Summer Opera.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art houses an impressive collection of works of art, which have been sourced from a variety of foreign nations and presented in diverse styles. Some of which include paintings by some of Europe’s most famous masters like Rubens and Rembrandt. This Minneapolis museum showcases a number of sculptures, drawings, textiles and prints and visitors can access admission into it at no cost at all.
Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater was first opened to the public in 1963, when it hosted a ‘Hamlet’ performance that was directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie its founder. Nowadays, this Minneapolis theater hosts both classical and contemporary productions, but has still retained its commitment to showcasing Shakespeare plays. In the 2000s, a new addition to the Guthrie Theater was constructed on the banks of the Mississippi River. The exterior of this building showcases big images of past performances that the theater hosted.
Weisman Art Museum
Weisman Art Museum is situated within the University of Minnesota campus, and serves as an impressive architectural landmark for this city. Essentially, it is housed in a visually striking building, which integrates a ‘hard to define’ shape. As for its collection, Weisman Art Museum concentrates on exhibiting American Modernism, ancient Mibres pottery from the US Southwest and conventional Korean furniture.
Mill City Museum
This is yet another of Minneapolis’ top cultural attraction and is built on the site of the Washburn A Mill. The Mill City Museum chronicles the history of Minneapolis as a flour milling global powerhouse. The mill itself was constructed in the late 19th century, and was the biggest of its kind at that particular epoch. After a destructive inferno that occurred in 1991, the building was reduced to ruins, on which the Mill City Museum was eventually built. The new facility comes complete with an exquisite 8 story glass façade too. The various exhibits on show here narrate the city’s former standing as a global leader in flour production in the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden showcases some fascinating sculptures owned by the Walker Art Center. It is located in a beautiful 19 acre urban green space within the city. One of the most acclaimed pieces on show here is the spoonbridge and cherry, which was created by Claes Oldenburg. Yet another key attraction of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the Cowles Pavilion & Regis Promenade. This garden underwent a major renovation in 2017 in an effort to support sustainable initiatives. Some of the most notable are storm water management and natural habitat restoration.
Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center is devoted to showcase contemporary works or art, and is a key Minneapolis center for both visual and performing arts. This venue, from time to time, also hosts film viewings. The Walker Art Center was established by timber baron Thomas Walker and was first opened to the public in 1927, displaying a personal artwork collection donated by Walker. It is now housed in an award winning building, which was constructed in 1971. The Walker Art Center welcomes over 700,000 visitors on an annual basis, and without doubt ranks among the most trendiest hot spots in the City of Minneapolis. It is comprised of many exhibition galleries, terraces, a cinema, lounges and onsite restaurants. This leading Minneapolis attraction also showcases sculptures, like it was earlier noted, in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden that is situated opposite to the museum.
Chain of Lakes Regional Park
This is a leading outdoor recreational park in the City of Minneapolis, and is composed of 5 different shorelines, which are connected by pedestrian trails and green spaces. Some of the exciting activities visitors to the Chain of Lakes Park can engage in are boating, hiking and even exploring the Lyndale Park Rose Center. It as well hosts live music performances at the Lake Harriet Bandshell all through the year. This Minneapolis park is among 7 districts, which are situated along the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway that connects parks, natural spaces along with water bodies.