Hi, I'm James. And I'm Laurent. And today, we're in Minneapolis. When people think of Minnesota,
they probably think of endless winters, year-round. But they would be wrong. Because
Minneapolis also has great summers. Every year, more than 30 million people visit the Twin Cities.
Because there are tons of activities, for the entire family. And in this video,
we'll show you our Top 10 favorite things to do in Minneapolis. So, let's go!
Number 1 on our list, is the Mall of America. When I think of the Twin Cities, Mall of America
is the 1st thing that comes to mind. It's located in Bloomington, just a short light rail hop from
the airport. Since opening 30 years ago, Mall of America has been the largest mall in the US,
with 500 stores. And it receives more than 40 million visitors every year. What we like about
Mall of America, is that, in addition to all the big brand stores you'll find at any other mall,
you can also find tons of local stores you won't find anywhere else.
There's even a wedding chapel, that offers same-day weddings.
And while parents are busy shopping, or getting married, there's Nickelodeon Universe,
a huge amusement park for kids of all ages, right in the middle of the mall,
with rides ranging from merry-go-rounds, for the little ones, to roller coasters, for teenagers.
Another thing we love at Mall of America is SeaLife. It's the biggest aquarium in Minnesota.
And the coolest thing is the huge tunnel, where sharks and turtles swim right over your head.
But there's plenty of other fish, of all sizes and colors. And even sea anemones,
that you can pet. And we also love the seahorses and the jellyfish. So cool!
And Number 2 on our list, is the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The MIA is 1 1/2 mile,
due south of downtown. And it's free, for everybody, all the time. It's so great to
have such a premier museum being free. The MIA is huge. And has lots of different sections,
including a very large Asian section. You'll have to decide what you want to focus on,
if you don't want to spend the whole day at the museum. Our favorite section is the impressionist
section. It has works by every impressionist and post-impressionist artist you can think of: Monet,
Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir. And it moves to modern painters, like Gauguin, and Matisse, and Picasso.
And it also has sculptures, by Rodin, and others. And if you follow our channel,
you know that we are huge Frank Lloyd Wright fans. And the MIA also has a decorative arts section,
with prairie style furniture that we love. But the MIA has a lot more art, that we didn't have time
to cover in this video. And you'll definitely find something that you like.
And Number 3 on our list, is the Chain of Lakes. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.
And a few of them are in Minneapolis. Like the name indicates, the Chain of Lakes
is a series of lakes, that are connected with each other, by a network of rivers and channels.
Even though you're right in the city, it feels like you're in the middle of the woods.
And you can rent kayaks and paddle boats. But even if you don't want to get on the water,
it's part of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byways, which is a network of walking and biking trails,
that run along the lakes, and other parks throughout the city. The largest lake is called
Bde Maka Ska. And it's large enough that you can sail there. But our favorite lake, is the Lake of
the Isles. It's quieter, and has the best views of the downtown buildings reflecting in the water.
And we love taking a peek, at all the historic homes along the lake.
And Number 4 on our list, is the Sculpture Garden. It's just one mile, southwest of
downtown. The Sculpture Garden is absolutely free. And it's a great place to hang out,
and look at all the funky sculptures. It's home to the Spoonbridge and Cherry,
one of the most photographed places in Minneapolis. But we also like the big
blue rooster. And our favorite sculpture is the Arikidea. It's articulated, and actually moves,
when you step on the wooden plate. But there's 40 different sculptures. And definitely a few
you'll enjoy. And even if you don't like any of them, you can still admire the beautiful flowers.
And right next to the Sculpture Garden, is the Irene Hickson Whitney Bridge,
a pedestrian bridge, that offers great views of the city skyline. It's everybody's favorite spot
for Instagram pictures. Because of the interesting shapes and colorful beams.
And Number 5 on our list, is the Walker Art Center. It's the modern art museum of Minneapolis.
And it's right next to the Sculpture Garden. Modern art can be hit-or-miss. And when it's bad,
it can be really bad. But the Walker Art Center features good modern art, and has some really cool
stuff. The collections rotates a lot. And the art we're showing here, may or may not be on display,
by the time you watch this video. When we were there to shoot this video, there was a temporary
exhibition called: 'The paradox of stillness'. There were some really intriguing puppets,
that caught our attention. We also loved the rotating carwash brooms, which were not still at all.
The building's rooftop also has great views of the Sculpture Garden below,
and downtown in the background. And it also has a mini-golf, where every hole is its own piece of art.
It was so much fun! It's a great way to mix art, with a fun activity for the kids.
And Number 6 on our list, is the skyway system. To be perfectly honest,
we're not big fans of downtown Minneapolis. Unless you're in town for a concert or sporting event,
it's not nearly as vibrant as New York or Chicago. And there's no particular reason to hang around
the core downtown. Just a few highlights you can see in half an hour. But one thing that's truly
unique about the Twin Cities is the skyway system. Believe it or not, winters can sometimes be cold
in Minnesota. I think brutal is the technical term. And in both Minneapolis and St Paul,
all the downtown buildings are connected by public bridgeways. So that you
never have to go outside. Downtown is really organized on two levels: The street level,
like any other city. And the skyway level, on the 2nd floor. It's a maze in there. And you
can walk 10-miles, without having to go outside. But luckily, there are lots of maps everywhere,
showing you where you are. It's its own little universe, with restaurants and stores. And some
of the buildings have quite spectacular lobbies, with gardens and art, kind like a public museum.
And Number 7 on our list, is the Minnehaha Park. It's conveniently located, right along the light rail,
on your way to the airport and Mall of America. And it's one of the many parks,
that forms the Grand Rounds Scenic Byways. The main reason to visit the Minnehaha Park,
is to go see the Minnehaha Falls. A little creek, called the Minnehaha Creek, runs through the park,
on its way to the Mississippi River, at the end of the park. And it flows through
a 50-foot waterfall, in the middle of the park. The falls are known to be the most photographed
site in Minnesota. But let's face it, even though it's a nice site, 50 feet ain't no Niagara Falls!
But in addition to the waterfalls, some of the other interesting things to see in the Minnehaha Park,
are several historic buildings. One of them is John Stevens' House. The first house built in
Minneapolis. The house was initially built at St Anthony Falls. But it was moved several times,
and eventually ended up at the Minnehaha Park. There's also the Longfellow House,
named after poet Henry Longfellow. He actually never lived in this house.
But it's called Longfellow, because it's a replica of his house in Cambridge, MA.
But the quaintest one, was the Princess Depot. It's an abandoned train station,
that was restored in 2001. And we absolutely love the woodwork, and all the original interior.
And Number 8 on our list, is the American Swedish Institute. More than 300,000 Swedish
immigrants settled in Minnesota. More than any other state in the US. The American Swedish Institute
is a big mansion, that was built in 1908, by Swedish immigrant Swan Turnblad.
He was the owner of the largest Swedish newspaper in Minneapolis. And built this 33-room house,
that at the time of the construction, cost $1.5 million. That would be the equivalent
to $43 million, in today's dollars. He only lived there for 20 years, and eventually
donated the building to the American Swedish Institute. You can visit the opulent mansion,
with all the woodwork, and a huge stained-glass window, that depicts the Battle of Visby,
with the Danes. But the most unique feature of the house, are the 11 tile stoves. They are called
'Kakelugn'. They were never really used, because by 1908, houses already had central heating.
But each of them is different. And some of them are very intricate. In the new wing of the building,
you can have lunch at the Fika restaurant. It offers small plates of Swedish cuisine,
like salmon, and meatballs. Meatballs, like Ikea? Certainly less industrial than Ikea!
And Number 9 on our list, is the Stone Arch Bridge. Minneapolis is on the bank of the Mississippi River.
And even though it's only 500-miles from its source, the river is already pretty wide in Minneapolis.
The Stone Arch Bridge is a pedestrian bridge, that connects downtown, on the west bank,
to Marcy- Holmes, on the east bank. The bridge was built in 1883, by the Minneapolis
Union Railway. And after it stopped being used by the railway, it was converted to a pedestrian
bridge, in the 90's. The bridge is 2,000-feet long. So, it's less than a mile roundtrip,
if you want to go to the other side and back. The bridge is always full of runners, and bikers,
and roller skaters. And from the other side, you have a completely different view of downtown.
The best view is in the morning, when you have the sun in your back. And from the bridge,
you can also see the St Anthony Falls. Although the natural falls, were replaced by a concrete apron,
when they built the locks on the river. The best view of the arches, reflecting in the water,
is from the Lower Trail, on the Marcy-Holmes side. It's too bad that the riverfront is so industrial.
If it wasn't, we would have put the Stone Arch Bridge much higher in our ranking.
And Number 10 on our list, is the Midtown Global Market. Since the Swedes, there have been
many more waves of immigrants in Minneapolis. And it's actually a pretty international city.
And the Global Market is the place, where you can find foods and crafts, from all parts of the world.
It's just 2-miles, south of downtown. And it's not too far from the American Swedish Institute.
So, you can combine the two visits, if you want. The Global Market has a central food court, where you
can find cuisine from Asia, or Latin America, or Africa. But it also has grocery stores, where you
can buy many exotic foods, to bring back home. But the Global Market is not just about food.
There's also clothing and crafts, from different countries. And even though it's not the kind of
stuff we would ever buy for ourselves, we still enjoy the rainbow of colors, and all the variety.
So, we hope you enjoyed this video. If you did, like and comment below.
And tell us in the comments, if there are other things about Minneapolis,
that should have been on our list. We'd love to hear about them. And if you want
to subscribe to our channel, we're going to put a link right here. And if you want
to watch our other videos, we're going to put one right here, and another one right there.
Bye! Bye!