I recently ended up in Minneapolis, Minnesota for almost a week due to another work trip (here are some tips on How To Work And Travel At The Same Time) and I would have probably never decided to visit what turned out to be a very pretty city if it weren’t for this opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised with how many amazing restaurants they had, how clean it was, and how gorgeous all the buildings were – especially at night when it all lights up. However, due to the tragedy a few years back with George Floyd, you do need to be vigilant when visiting Minneapolis now, especially in the Downtown area as policing in this area is rare after what had happened. It really is such a shame with the political and social dilemma in this beautiful city as there is so much potential and I really do hope that things improve for everyone there.
I had visited Minneapolis for 6 days, but since I had to space my itinerary out due to it being a work trip, I needed a little more time in this city. However, if you’re planning to visit with no other obligations in mind, 3 days in Minneapolis, Minnesota is all you need to explore the best spots.
When To Visit Minneapolis, Minnesota
Winters can be cold and snowy so the best time to visit Minneapolis would be the end of spring to early fall which is about May to early September. When I visited Minneapolis, it was the first week of August and it was quite hot. After it had rained for 2 days, the temperature immediately dropped and became a little chilly which made it a lot more comfortable. Just make sure to pack for both warm and cold weather to be safe!
How To Get To Minneapolis, Minnesota
Aside from taking a road trip if you’re coming from nearby cities or states, you’ll need to fly into the Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). Here are the Best Ways To Save Money On Flights For Your Next Vacation and the Top Websites To Get The Best Flight Deals.
How To Get Around Minneapolis, Minnesota
You can either rent a car, take public transportation, walk, or easily just take a rideshare like Lyft (I find it always cheaper than Uber and the app is much more user-friendly). For $50 CAD in ride credit, use my Lyft referral link.
For my trip to Minneapolis, I walked most of the time unless the areas I need to visit were not of a reasonable walking distance and it was very convenient to take Lyft or Uber when I needed it.
Where To Stay In Minneapolis, Minnesota
Most of my colleagues and I stayed at the Hilton Minneapolis and some of them stayed at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis which is in the Downtown West and Central Minneapolis area. But for a nicer and safer area, I would suggest staying near the Warehouse District or Gateway District as there are higher-end hotels, a little more to do, close to the Mississippi River, and many good restaurants are located there. For this particular itinerary, you’ll be moving from the airport area to Central Minneapolis, so you could consider staying at 2 different hotels to make things easier or find a hotel that is right in between both if you like to stay in one location.
After my work trip had ended, I extended my stay by a day and moved closer to the airport and stayed at the Four Points By Sheraton Mall of America Airport since I had planned to spend the entire day at the mall and surrounding areas which I’ll share in the itinerary below. I was also able to only pay $8 CAD for my trip for what was supposed to be a $180 CAD stay since I was able to redeem a free stay by using Hotels.com.
I usually prefer booking with Hotels.com since they have great prices (including secret prices if you’re a member) and the ability to redeem a free night’s stay after every 10 stays. I do advise always shopping around for the best prices and the type of accommodations with the amenities you prefer. Here are the Best Ways To Save Money On Hotels For Your Next Vacation.
Where To Eat In Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota has some of the best restaurants and I had such a great time trying the different cuisines they had. I’ve read that top chefs rank Minneapolis among the best food cities in the world and they weren’t wrong. I was so impressed with all the restaurants I’ve tried and there were still so many more I wanted to visit. Below are some of the top-rated restaurants in Minneapolis that you should visit!
Cheng Heng
Cuisine – Cambodian
Price Range – $
Why They’re Good – This family-owned restaurant has won many awards for the quality of its food from local magazines and newspapers for being one of the best restaurants in the Minneapolis St. Paul area. They offer a large menu of traditional Cambodian dishes along with Chinese classics. The service was extremely fast and personal as well – I asked for their most traditional dishes and in less than 5 minutes, it all came out piping hot and it was so tasty!
Cuisine – Japanese
Price Range – $$$-$$$$
Why They’re Good – With some of the freshest ingredients, they offer authentic sushi as well as high-grade Wagyu. Every dish we ordered was extremely fresh and delicious and it came out quite quickly as well. This stylish and contemporary restaurant was pretty hip and had a great ambience. It was my favorite restaurant I had tried in the Minneapolis area on this trip! It is a little pricey, but I highly recommend visiting this place. To guarantee a spot at this very popular restaurant, make reservations ahead of time!
Quang Restaurant
Cuisine – Vietnamese
Price Range – $
Why They’re Good – This Vietnamese restaurant has expanded from a small store to quite a large location today. It is bustling with visitors and it is very well-priced. They have some bakery items at the front and some of the largest baos I’ve ever eaten, and not to mention their coconut cake is a must-try! The pho soup base is also quite good and a little bit different from what we have in Toronto but you can’t go wrong as I find a lot of Vietnamese restaurants are quite similar and of great quality.
Cuisine – Native American
Price Range – $$-$$$
Why They’re Good – The first Indigenous cuisine I’ve ever tried and I was so excited to visit this restaurant. Here you can experience the true flavors of North America. They are very healthy and based on the traditional dishes and styles of cooking by the Native Americans. They do not fry their bread, nor have dairy products or sugar. You can take it a step further from farm-to-table to forest-to-table vibes here. We also got to see a traditional Native American dance performed by the owner’s son. It’s the first ever of its kind in Minneapolis so make sure you make reservations!
Meritage
Cuisine – French
Price Range – $$$-$$$$
Why They’re Good – Make sure to make reservations ahead of time at this high-end French restaurant. They have a seasonal menu that goes with the times and an oyster bar in a romantic and sophisticated atmosphere. They are an iconic destination in Downtown Minneapolis and even host events, educational seminars, memorable occasions, and more. They also give back to a few charities to support the community.
Cuisine – Thai
Price Range – $$
Why They’re Good – Serving traditional Thai food, their signature dishes are cooked from scratch and has both Thai recipes and American fusion innovations. Their food is high quality and even offer duck and soft shell crab in their curries!
Cuisine – American
Price Range – $-$$
Why They’re Good – Independent from anything to do with Gordon Ramsay despite their name, this American restaurant has both a takeaway cafeteria as well as a restaurant (but they charge 20% tip at the cafeteria and 15% tip at the restaurant which was a little confusing). They’re known for their lemon ricotta pancakes and have an award-winning weekend brunch where they occasionally have local musicians perform live on their stage.
Smack Shack
Cuisine – Seafood
Price Range – $$
Why They’re Good – With a wide range of seafood options, Smack Shack has a few convenient locations in Minneapolis including the airport. They serve sustainable seafood and they work with farms and fishermen who have been working the Maine waters for generations.
3 Day Itinerary To Visit The Best Places In Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis isn’t that large of a city so you can visit the best places in just a couple of days. Two days may even work depending on what you’d like to add to your personal itinerary. It may also be a great stopover as a part of a longer trip you have. Below are the best places to visit in Minneapolis, Minnesota that you’ll want to see during your short stay.
First Day In Minneapolis, Minnesota
1 – Coldwater Spring / Fort Snelling State Park
Time Spent – 1 hour
Interesting Facts – This historical landscape was a place where the First Nations camped, hunted, and gathered food and has been turned into a military encampment in 1820. You can still see the limestone springhouse along the river and it’s a great place to see wildlife and for photography.
2 – Hidden Falls Regional Park
Time Spent – 1 to 1.5 hours
Interesting Facts – There are 30 miles of trails for hiking, biking, fishing, as well as picnicking. Their Hidden Falls Trail takes just under 30 minutes to complete and there’s a great view of the waterfalls.
3 – Minnehaha Falls
Time Spent – 1 to 2 hours
Interesting Facts – Overlooking the Mississippi River and located within the Minnehaha Park, Minnehaha Falls is 53 feet tall overlooking the river and surrounded by limestone cliffs. Unfortunately, there was a drought going on when I visited and the falls were completely dry although it rained for 2 days, I thought there would only be a trickle and it wasn’t worth visiting at this time. They also have a seafood restaurant called Sea Salt and it faces the waterfall so you can relax and enjoy your food with beautiful views when there is water!
4 – Twin Cities Premium Outlets
Time Spent – 3 hours
Interesting Facts – I always find some of the best deals in premium outlets so I did not want to miss out on this. There are many popular stores that are largely discounted and I got a lot of great deals here. There is also free WiFi at multiple stores throughout this outdoor mall should you need it. However, the food isn’t the best here so if you’d like to visit a good restaurant, I suggest going elsewhere.
Second Day Minneapolis, Minnesota
1 – Midtown Global Market
Time Spent – 30 minutes to 1 hour
Interesting Facts – This internationally-themed market has food stalls and craft boutiques selling items from around the world. If you’re looking for locally-sourced groceries, and enjoy live performances and other activities, this is a great place to do so.
2 – Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Time Spent – Up to 1 hour
Interesting Facts – Opened in 1988, this garden showcases works from the Walker Art Center’s collections of modern and contemporary art in an urban park. It has more than 40 outdoor sculptures and artists from 10 different countries who created them, and some specifically for the park.
3 – Basilica Of Saint Mary
Time Spent – 10 to 25 minutes
Interesting Facts – The Basilica of Saint Mary was the first basilica established in the United States and is a Roman Catholic minor basilica built in 1871. I like seeing historical buildings so this may just be a quick photo-taking opportunity and a quick walk-through of the basilica if possible.
4 – Central/Downtown Minneapolis
Time Spent – 2 to 4 hours
Interesting Facts – If you like to take your time seeing everything, Downtown Minneapolis can take a few hours especially if you plan to eat here. It is full of good restaurants and bars, and museums that are free. Not to mention it’s also by the Mississippi River so you get great views of the water.
5 – Stone Arch Bridge / Mill Ruins Park
Time Spent – 10 to 15 minutes
Interesting Facts – I’m mostly only recommending these 2 places since you’ll pass them on the way to the Owamni Restaurant and makes for a nice view (when it’s not under construction). It is basically a railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls and it’s made entirely of stone. But the falls are quite small, and the bridge probably looks better at night time for sunset, to be honest.
6 – Como Park Zoo
Time Spent – 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Interesting Facts – This zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are free to visit and their mission is to inspire visitors to value the presence of living things in our lives. They are over 40 species of animals and multiple gardens including a Japanese-themed one with bonsai trees that was very peaceful.
Third Day In Minneapolis, Minnesota
On your last day in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I didn’t want to add too much to the itinerary as you’ll probably need to be heading to your next step or getting back home. If you do not have kids with you, it’s easy to get through the entire mall in a day or less. It’s also very close to the airport so you can easily fly out in the evening.
1 – Mall Of America
Time Spent – 1 Day
Interesting Facts – The largest mall in North America will likely take 1 entire day. It took me about 7 hours to get through the entire mall and I had taken my time and did not rush through malls like I normally do since I can browse quickly and don’t like to waste time (but I usually do spend a little more time at cosmetics and beauty stores). The stores are also much larger than a lot of the malls I’ve been to. Mall of America may even take 2 days if you have kids. There is Nickelodeon Universe which is like a mini Disney World type of theme park, Sea Life which is the largest aquarium in the state, escape rooms, arcades, and much more. There are also many restaurants to refuel after a long day at the mall.
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