Minneapolis and St. Paul are filed with iconic locations, here are some of our favorites:

Minneapolis

• Stone Arch Bridge
• Basilica of St. Mary
• Walker Art Center
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (home of the Spoonbridge and Cherry)
• Minnehaha Falls
• Minneapolis City Hall
• Mill City Museum
• Guthrie Theater
• Foshay Tower
• U.S. Bank Stadium
• Target Field
• Weisman Art Museum
• American Swedish Institute
• Gold Medal Flour Sign
• Capella Tower
• Skyline view from I-35W bridge
• Grain Belt Beer Sign
• Skyways
• First Avenue
• Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Music Mural
• Witch’s Hat Water Tower

St. Paul

• Minnesota State Capitol
• Landmark Center
• Cathedral of St. Paul
• Fort Snelling
• Marjorie McNeely Conservatory 
• Minnesota Historical Society
• Science Museum of Minnesota
• Xcel Energy Center
• James J. Hill House
• Union Depot
• Wabasha Street Caves

While there are none in the immediate area. The closest ones include:

• LTD Brewing
• Steel Toe Brewing
• Utepils Brewing
• LynLake Brewery

As you get closer and closer to Minneapolis and St. Paul, the number increases exponentially. Some of our favorites are:

• Surly Brewing Co.
• Lakes and Legends Brewing Company
• Lake Monster Brewing
• Indeed Brewing Company

Their menu even features seven whiskey flights in addition to a full bar’s worth of libations. And you won’t want to miss Hopkins’ beloved micro-brewery, LTD Brewing Co. Crafting small batch beers in a fun atmosphere, the brewery hosts weekly trivia nights during the week and live music on the weekends.

Get your shopping fix at local shops like Hopkins Antique Mall, Kiddywampus—a fun store for the kids with toys, games and special events—and Mill City Sound, a purveyor of vintage and contemporary records. The entertainment never stops at Hopkins’ downtown retro cinema, and across the street you’ll find Stages Theatre Company, which has been producing exciting shows for younger audiences for 25 years.

And during the summer months, visit the Hopkins Farmers’ Market for truly farm-fresh produce and a wide variety of free-range meat, poultry and eggs. The market takes over a parking lot off Ninth Avenue in downtown Hopkins and is open, rain or shine, from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays mid-June through October.

The city of Hopkins covers about 4 square miles, surrounded by the southwest suburbs of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Edina. Getting around is easy with access to major highways and ample bus routes courtesy of the Twin Cities’ public transportation authority, Metro Transit. Additionally, Hopkins is only a short 20-minute drive from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. And when it comes to finding a place to live, the list of options is consistently growing.

Bloomington-based Doran Companies recently constructed a 241-unit, luxurious apartment building within walking distance of downtown Hopkins. The Moline is offering new leases starting in August 2017, and you can choose from several floor plan options. Leasing for this fall, Marketplace & Main offers luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in a beautiful building overlooking Mainstreet.

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The true seller for this part of town is the mixing of cultures that takes place here. Over the past decade, the population of Brooklyn Park has changed rapidly. Growing African American, Asian and Hispanic groups have infused their cultures and cuisines into the city with superb ethnic restaurants and markets.

Find authentic Vietnamese and Thai cooking at Vietnam House Restaurant, MT Noodles, Thai Fusion and Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine. A chain of African marketplaces can be found along Brooklyn Boulevard with African Deli, Value Foods African Market and Mama Ti’s African Kitchen restaurant serving up traditional West African dishes and housemade ginger beer. For southern-inspired fare, stop at the Cajun Deli or Crazy Cajun, two locally-owned eateries that know how to cook up Creole-style seafood boils and po-boys. Hungry for classic diner food? Fat Nat’s Eggs, Wagner’s Drive-In, Fat Chance Sandwich Shop and Gramsky’s Sandwiches fix up hearty plates of American favorites.

Once one of the nation’s top potato growing regions, Brooklyn Park is now filled with local businesses and restaurants, but the city hasn’t forgotten its humble roots. Eidem Homestead, a ten-acre historical farm, takes visitors back in time to the turn of the 20th century. The restored Victorian house, barn and farm animals act as a portal back to simpler times with wringer washing machines and old-fashioned Norwegian traditions.

For more modern fun, the Brooklyn Park’s Community Activity Center features an indoor skating rink and racquetball and wallyball courts, while Brunswick Zone XL offers bowling, billiards and arcade games. The area is also home to dozens of parks and trails. Two golf courses, the nine-hole Brookland Golf Park and the 18-hole Edinburgh Golf Course, and two sports parks, Zane Sports Park and Noble Sports Park, provide ample ways for Brooklyn Park residents to stay active and enjoy the outdoors in their neighborhood.

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Downtown East Commons, or, the Commons, in downtown Minneapolis adds 4.2 more acres of sprawling Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass to Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s already impressive 6,804 acres of green space blanketing the city and its suburbs.

A view of U.S. Bank Stadium from the Great Lawn.

Neighboring U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, Downtown East Commons trades in the steel girders, asphalt sidewalks, towering skyscrapers and other manmade works of art for the creations of the greatest artist on the planet, Mother Earth. Divided into two separate pieces, the eastern portion—also known as the Great Lawn— features plenty of open, green space to serve as ground zero for game day festivities and massive amounts of people during the football season, as well as a jungle gym and water jets for the little ones—or anyone—to run through, while the western piece serves as the quieter sibling featuring a spread of trees and shrubbery for a more natural aesthetic, along with the Edition apartments complex. All throughout both sections, visitors will find nearly 200 trees, including honeylocusts, oaks, pines and more, as well as native flowers such as hydrangeas, grey owl juniper and redtwigged dogwood, making it the perfect lunchtime hangout and office getaway.

 

 

 

 

If you’re thinking about move to the Twin Cities, we’d be happy to have you. A great place to start beginning your plan to move here would be the relocation guide. Inside, you’ll find resources on healthcare, education options, the business community and more.

But if you want something more focused, some of our favorite neighborhoods include:

•Lowertown in St. Paul
•Cathedral Hill in St. Paul
•North Loop in Minneapolis
•Uptown in Minneapolis
•Edina
•Excelsior
•Grand Avenue in St. Paul
•Linden Hills in Minneapolis
•St. Louis Park
•Richfield

Each of these areas boast a myriad of things to do and see, from award-winning restaurants to parks and green spaces that make it easy to get out and explore.

For restaurant recommendations, it’s tough to go wrong here. “Eat Street” in Minneapolis has been affectionately named for all the delicious eateries lining it—Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, My Huong Kitchen and Icehouse, just to name a few. For a complete guide, head over to our restaurant page for more options.

For schools, the Minnesota Department of Education has a fantastic website that allows you to look at statistics from every school district in the state. Some of these stats include student/teacher ratio, graduation rate and proficiency scores in reading, math and science to get you started.

If you’d like even more information, you can always purchase one of our many guides for an in-depth look.

The Commons Hotel is smack-dab in the heart of the University of Minnesota campus, so there’s always a buzz in the air.

Gopher Football: If you’re a college football fan, you’re in luck. The Gophers take on Middle Tennessee State Saturday, Sept. 16, and Maryland Saturday, Sept. 30.

Metro Transit Light Rail: Just outside the hotel, you’ll have access to Metro Transit’s Green Line, which will transport you to downtown Minneapolis or downtown St. Paul depending on which direction you’re headed. Each city is full of activities and sights to see. Downtown St. Paul is home to the Capitol, historic Landmark Center, Wabasha Street Caves, Xcel Energy Center, Science Museum and more. Taking it to downtown Minneapolis will put you on the doorsteps of Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Center, home to the Timberwolves and other events, an extremely active nightlife and a variety of award-winning restaurants.

You could also take the Green Line to downtown Minneapolis, and then hop on the Blue Line which will give you a one-way ticket to the Mall of America. The best part of all this? A ticket will only cost you a couple bucks. Plus, you can get off at any of the stops along the route to get out and explore if you choose to do so.

Another option is the Weisman Art Museum which is truly in walking distance from the Commons Hotel. Designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry, the museum’s permanent collection includes more than 25,000 works of art, and is truly one of the most uniquely designed buildings in the Twin Cities.

The Twin Cities are home to plenty of attractions that are fun for all ages, and a few things come to mind that might be perfect for visitors in their “Golden Years” stage of life.

Visiting in the spring and early summer is a wonderful time to experience the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Located in the southwest suburb of Chanhassen, the arboretum boasts thousands of luscious plantings and blooming flowers. And it’s not just locals that are loving the arb; USA Today just ranked it No. 1 in its 2017 Readers’ Choice 10 Best Botanical Gardens!

While in Chanhassen, be sure to catch a show at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres for a truly remarkable theater-going experience. Enjoy dinner and libations during a performance of Grease (on stage now through October), Sister Act (through February), or purchase tickets for one of the many musical performances the stage hosts.

If you enjoy admiring priceless works of art, don’t miss the Minneapolis Institute of Art, lovingly referred to as “Mia” by locals. Mia is located in Minneapolis, just south of the downtown district, and is the home of more than 50,000 pieces spanning 20,000 years. The best part? The museum is free all day, everyday.

Next to the Mall of America, St. Paul’s Grand Avenue is one of our favorite shopping and dining destinations. When the weather gets warmer and the days longer, Grand Ave is the perfect spot to peruse local boutiques and enjoy outdoor dining at Salut Bar Americain, Moscow on the Hill, WA Frost (which has one of the best patios in town) and more.

For hotel accommodations, I recommend the historic Saint Paul Hotel located in the heart of the city. The hotel has seen many guests in its hundred-year history, including Charles Lindberg, John F. Kennedy and Lawrence Welk, who played at the hotel on Saturday nights in the 1930s. In addition to its exciting past, the Saint Paul Hotel offers luxurious accommodations walking distance from dining and entertainment in downtown St. Paul.

Minnehaha Regional Park features a towering 53-foot waterfall amongst 167 sprawling green acres just outside the city limits, and admission to the park is completely free, and the Chain of Lakes (Brownie, Calhoun, Cedar, Isles and Harriet) are a favorite for locals, are within walking distance of each other, and are a great spot for taking pictures. 

The brand new home for the Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium, offers 90-minute tours exploring the state-of-the-art facility.

For dining, Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge is a restaurant you can’t pass up. Their kitschy and tropical decor, location right on the banks of the Mississippi River and island vibe make it an oasis in the heart of the city.