MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
The‘ City of Lakes’ lives up to its moniker with plenty of waterfront green space, but it’ s also a top-notch destination for art, shopping and global cuisine, writes Stacy Brooks images: Lane Pelovsky / Gemma Weston / BakkenMuseum / Courtesy Of Meet Minneapolis; alamy; fika cafe; awl images
DAY 1
Arrive at the Four Seasons, conveniently located on the border of Downtown and the North Loop neighborhoods in the RBC Gateway Tower, the city’ s newest skyscraper. Minneapolis got its start as a milling town, and the hotel is only two blocks from the Mississippi River. Take a dip in the yearround rooftop hot tub and then grab a meal at one of the hotel’ s Mediterranean-inspired restaurants. At Mara, guests can linger over a leisurely lunch of hummus with housemade pita and lobster bucatini, while Socca Cafe is ideal for a quick bite— try the Caprese sandwich or a slice of Sicilian pizza.
After lunch, start sightseeing at the Mill City Museum, which interprets Minneapolis’ history in an unexpected setting: the repurposed ruins of a flour mill. The Washburn A Mill was the world’ s largest flour mill when it was completed in 1880, but it was reduced to its limestone walls by a fire in 1991 and incorporated into a modern museum building in 2003. Interactive exhibits teach visitors about the Mississippi River-powered milling industry that put Minneapolis on the map and how Minnesota-based General Mills helped make cereal a breakfast staple. Don’ t miss the Flour Tower, a multimedia show held in a giant elevator that travels through time( or up eight floors) to recreate the mill’ s heyday with historic films and special effects. From the museum’ s rooftop observation deck, take in panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the Stone Arch Bridge, a historic railway bridge that’ s been converted to carry cyclists and pedestrians.
For dinner, continue along the riverfront to the James Beard Award-winning restaurant Owamni, which has garnered acclaim for its decolonized approach to Indigenous cuisine. That means all its ingredients are native to the Americas— there’ s no wheat flour, cane sugar or dairy on the menu. Instead, diners can savor sturgeon tacos, bison ribeye and pecan flan with maple caramel. The dining room boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Owámniyomni( also known as St. Anthony Falls), a place of cultural significance to the area’ s Dakota people.
Wrap up the evening with a show at the nearby Guthrie Theater, which produces classic and contemporary plays. The Guthrie is especially known for its Shakespeare productions, its annual adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and world-class sets and costumes. Theater buffs can sign up for a backstage tour. The building itself is a work of art, too. Ride the elevator up to the protruding, glass-floored Amber Box, which gives visitors 360-degree views of the neighborhood. Sip an intermission drink on the Endless Bridge open-air terrace, which cantilevers five stories over an adjacent parkway.
DAY 2
Head to northeast Minneapolis for brunch at Diane’ s Place, a Hmong American restaurant by Chef Diane Moua. Minnesota is home to more than 66,000 Hmong people, an ethnic group with roots in China who immigrated to the United States from Laos after the Vietnam War. fall 2025 • 19