Things to see and do in Minnesota

Attractions in Minnesota

Explore the Superior Natural forest

Canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (www.bwca.cc) in the Superior Natural Forest.

Landmark Center

View the Landmark Center (www.landmarkcenter.org), which houses the Minnesota Museum of American Art (www.mmaa.org), once the Federal Court House. Its distinguished history includes the trials of several famous 1930s gangsters such as John Dillinger and 'Machine Gun' Kelly. Take the Gangster Tour to visit well known haunts.

Minnehaha Falls

Visit Minnehaha Falls, made famous in Longfellow's poem, The Song of Hiawatha.

Mississippi River Visitor Center

Stop by the Mississippi River Visitor Center a collaboration between the National Park Service and the Science Museum. The Great River Road that runs south from the Twin Cities to the Iowa border offers magnificent views of the river and the many bird species, including the American Bald Eagle that migrate along this route.

Play at Spirit Mountain

Play at Spirit Mountain (www.spiritmt.com), a year-round holiday and outdoor recreation centre close to Duluth.

Shop at the Mall of America

The Mall of America (www.mallofamerica.com) is the largest entertainment and retail complex in the USA. Attractions at the Mall include Camp Snoopy (the largest indoor theme park in the USA), the LEGO Imagination Center and Underwater Adventures, a 5.4-million-litre (1.2-million-gallon) walk-through aquarium.

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Visit the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (www.mnhs.org/places/sites/srl). It preserves one of the most scenic lighthouses in the USA, built after 29 ships carrying iron ore on Lake Superior were shipwrecked in a single storm in 1905.

St Louis County Heritage & Arts Center

Tour the St Louis County Heritage & Arts Center, known locally as The Depot (www.duluthdepot.org). This former Union Railroad Depot houses exhibits by four different museums, and is home to five performing arts organisations.

Stay in one of Mississippi's resorts

Stay at one of the major resort areas such as the towns of Bemidji, Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Grand Rapids and the Lake Mille Lacs area.

Take a road trip down North Shore Drive

Travel the spectacular North Shore Drive (www.lakesuperiordrive.com) (US Highway 61) following the north shore of Lake Superior for 240km (150 miles) from Duluth to the Canadian border. It was designated an 'All American Road' for its unique, scenic beauty.

Take in a Broadway show

The Twin Cities offer more theatres than any other US metropolitan area outside New York City, with more than 100 theatre companies. Broadway shows and theatrical events are performed at the restored Historic Orpheum Theatre, Historic State Theatre and the Historic Pantages Theatre in the Hennepin Theater District (www.hennepintheaterdistrict.org) in downtown Minneapolis.

Walker Art Center

Tour the Walker Art Center (www.walkerart.org) and enjoy contemporary art exhibitions, concerts and lectures. The centre also features an impressive Outdoor Sculpture Garden, the largest of its kind in the USA. It is open year round.

Winter sports

Enjoy winter sports offered in abundance due to the state's strategic northern location. Skiing, ice-skating, sledding, ice fishing, dog sledding and snowmobiling are all available.

Tourist offices

Minnesota Touriam Office