Planner’s Travel Series
About the series: Welcome to our ongoing travel series. These are all posts written by planning students and professionals about what to do in a given city when looking for Brunch, a Brew, or a good idea on a Budget. To cap it all off, we include a fun planning fact!
By Rachel Auerbach
About the visit: Minneapolis holds a special place in my heart. I first experienced the magic of the Twin Cities while attending Macalester College in St. Paul, and briefly lived across the river in Minneapolis after graduating. Although I haven’t lived there in several years, visiting friends in Minneapolis this summer felt like coming home. Minneapolis’s unique food, lively arts scene, and accessible multimodal transit system make it well worth a visit, especially since APA’s National Planning Conference will be held there this spring. It was tough to choose, but here are some of my favorite places to visit in Minneapolis (with a few St. Paul spots sprinkled in for fun!).
Brunch
On my most recent visit to Minneapolis, I tried out Savory Bakehouse, a tiny bakery entirely owned and operated by a local couple. The bakery has limited hours and is only open Friday through Sunday, but if you can squeeze in a visit it will be worth it. With a menu that changes weekly based on what produce is in season, Savory Bakehouse offers an impressive selection of both sweet and savory baked goods. Since there is no seating available at the bakery, I recommend walking, biking, or taking the bus less than a mile east and enjoying your treats on a bench overlooking the Mississippi River.
If you’re craving something other than baked goods, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the Midtown Global Market, a lively food hall with a variety of food from around the world. Celebrating the Twin Cities’ diverse and global community, Midtown Global Market boasts many unique flavors and dishes. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a music or dance performance in the market during your visit.
Brew
This was a tough decision, because there are so many fun bars and breweries in the Twin Cities (see the ”Land of 10,000 Drinks” map). After much deliberation, I decided that I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend the Groveland Tap, a homey neighborhood dive bar across the river in St. Paul. The Tap, as locals lovingly call it, is known for its crispy, salty, and perfectly squeaky fried cheese curds– once you’ve tried them you can never go back. They also have an excellent selection of burgers and beer, and great happy hour deals almost every day of the week.
Alternatively, if you’re feeling extra adventurous and want a truly unique experience, rent a kayak using the Mississippi River Paddle Share program (think bike share, but for kayaks) and grab a drink at one of the bars accessible via the river.
Budget
One of my favorite (free!) summertime activities in the Twin Cities is spending a day at the lake. Bde Maka Ska, the largest of Minneapolis’s lakes, is part of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park and has several swimming beaches as well as trails for walking, running, or biking. In 2018, after a long legal battle, the Department of Natural Resources changed the lake’s official name to Bde Maka Ska to honor the area’s indigenous Dakota residents who originally named the lake. Wear lots of sunscreen, bring a good book, and get ready for a day of swimming, people-watching, and sunshine. Kayaks, canoes, bikes, and paddleboards are available to rent, and if you need a bite to eat, there are several cafes and restaurants nearby.
Fun Planning Fact
If you find yourself visiting the Twin Cities during the frigid winter months, you may experience the vast network of skyways running throughout the city. Minneapolis has the largest contiguous skyway system in the world, with skyways connecting 80 city blocks using 9.5 miles of climate-controlled covered bridges. The skyways connect restaurants, offices, apartment buildings, entertainment venues, sports stadiums, and other destinations, allowing residents and visitors to move throughout the city without having to deal with harsh weather.
Featured Image: The Stone Arch Bridge, a historic railroad (now pedestrian) bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis (Photo Credit: East Isles Neighborhood Association)
About the Author: Rachel is a third-year master’s student in the dual degree City and Regional Planning and Public Health programs at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. At UNC, she studies the intersections of health equity and the built environment. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places by bike, attempting to keep her sourdough starter alive, and hanging out with other people’s dogs.