Visit Historic Fort Snelling, which was built near the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, and will be celebrating its 200^th birthday in 2020. Over U.S. Holiday weekends, May 25-27, or July 4, 2019, visitors can explore the grounds and engage with the many historical stories, cannon firings, blacksmithing demonstrations and activities. Experience the military dress parades and visit the stone barracks to learn more about the daily life of the U.S. Soldiers and the role of the military in the growth of our nation.

Learn about Native American history and the fort’s role in U.S. expansion, as well as the African Americans at Fort Snelling including Dred and Harriet Scott whose struggle to gain freedom from slavery helped ignite the Civil War (1861-1865).

Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo credit: Visit Minneapolis

Ten minutes away, Minnehaha Falls (meaning Waterfall in Dakota) at Minnehaha Regional Park overlooks the Mississippi River and is one of Minneapolis’ oldest and popular parks. The Dakota people considered the Falls an important place where all could gather in peace. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem “The Song of Hiawatha” transformed the Falls into an icon, as it became known around the world.  The poem depicts the fictitious brave Hiawatha and the princess Minnehaha, and a bronze statue of the two is located at the top of the Falls.

Near the falls is a historic marker, commemorating a June 1964 trip to the site by President Lyndon B. Johnson and above the Falls is a sculpture of Taoyateduta, the Dakota Chief known as Little Crow.

The new Minneapolis restaurant by Chef Sean Sherman, slated to open in late 2019, is called The Sioux Chef: An Indigenous Kitchen, which will feature Minnesota and Dakota territories Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota cultures.

Chef Sherman is committed to revitalizing Native American Cuisine and currently runs Tatanka Truck, a food truck serving exclusively First People’s cuisine or pre-contact Native American Fare (before contact with the settlers).  He has won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Best American Cookbook for his book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen which he co-wrote with Beth Dooley.

On your visit to the region, be sure to include

• Native American Tours Our People Our Stories (OPOS); Tours include sacred native sites, American Indian art and history
• Native American Burial Mounds found in Bloomington, Eagan, St. Paul, and around Lake Minnetonka where the city of Mound was named for the bumps and rises that marked the Native American burial sites
• Eagle viewing (U.S. National Bird) at the 14,000-acre (5,666 ha) Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, in Bloomington, just minutes from Mall of America® and MSP International Airport
• Native American Pow Wows or Wacipis (annual festivals filled with tradition and dancing; the annual Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Wacipi holds the largest Pow Wow in Minnesota and in the region

To learn more, visit MSPBGateway.com or contact:

Meet Minneapolis:
612.767.8116
www.minneapolis.org

Visit Saint Paul:
651.265.4904 | 800.627.6101
www.visitsaintpaul.com

The Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau:
952.278.8506 | 866.435.7425
www.bloomingtonmn.org

Minneapolis Repeats as Nation’s Best Park System

Minneapolis has the best park system in the United States, according to The Trust for Public Land’s 7th annual ParkScore® index. “Minneapolis will always be a great city in a park. From quality of life, to safe recreational space, to tourism—our parks are critical to who we are as a city. I’m thrilled that our park system continues to earn accolades. We have world class parks and the world is taking notice,” added Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Since 2015, Minneapolis and Saint Paul have taken the top two spots on the ParkScore® index.

Photo courtesy of Visit St. Paul

Visit Saint Paul’s Summit Avenue for Victorian Architecture

Don’t miss iconic Summit Avenue to see some of the capital of Minnesota’s best historical and architecture sights. Summit Avenue is the longest stretch of Victorian-style architecture in the country and is home to the Cathedral of Saint Paul – the third largest completed church in the United States. It’s also home to the James J. Hill House – former home of the former railroad magnate which you can takes tours of — as well as the childhood home of literary genius F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Photo by Paisley Park, courtesy of Bloomington CVB

Bloomington’s Paisley Park

Paisley Park, Prince’s extraordinary private estate and production compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, located just 15 minutes from Bloomington, provides Prince fans the unprecedented opportunity to tour the production studio and creative oasis of one of the greatest and most beloved music artists of all time. To see the location and to book tickets for the variety of tours available, click here.  

Contact

Meet Minneapolis:
612.767.8116
www.minneapolis.org

Visit Saint Paul:
651.265.4904 | 800.627.6101
www.visitsaintpaul.com

The Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau:
952.278.8506 | 866.435.7425
www.bloomingtonmn.org

Feature Image: Mike Krivit Photography, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis