Q for the hive mind: What’s your favorite thing about Downtown Minneapolis?
Is it the world-class museums? The award-winning restaurants? Our gleaming stadiums, groomed riverside trails, or the blessed Skyway network that lets you wander for miles with nary a scarf in winter?
Those are just a few of the reasons we fell in love with Minneapolis when we first visited in fall 2017 as part of a 16-month, 40-state, 229-city search for a new hometown. But it wasn’t just the marquee sights that lured us in; it was the independently owned shops, inspiring bars and restaurants, quirky art galleries, diverse farmers markets, and beautiful greenspaces.
No matter how many to-dos we crammed into a day, the list of things we wanted to experience never grew any shorter. And to this day, every time we drive over the bridge and see that epic skyline glittering in the sun, we know we made the right decision moving here.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve explored Downtown, it’s high time you revisit. We teamed up with the Minneapolis Downtown Council to put together a What’s New Downtown guide spanning the North Loop, Loring Park, St. Anthony Main, East Town, and the Central Business District. It features more than a dozen new and notable spots, with such highlights as…
🍷 Wine on tap at AxeBridge Wine Company
🖼 Inspiring rotating art exhibitions at Gamut Gallery
🌱 Chef Gerald Klass’ tasty plant-based “nuggetz” and cauliflower “wingz” at B.A.D. Wingz, his Soul Bowl side hustle in the ever-evolving Graze Provisions + Libations food hall
🇳🇬 Natural skincare products from SJC Body Love and handmade Nigerian clothing and accessories by TiAngy Designs, both for sale at the new Sistah Co-Op in the IDS Center Skyway
📚 Free Saturday pop-ups with gallery tours and hands-on activities at the Minnesota Center For Book Arts
🛍 Antique rugs, handwoven baskets, and other delightful home goods at J. Atelier
🎨 Freshly painted murals from the Juxtaposition Arts crew at the Farmers Market Annex
🤤 An outstanding Turkish-inflected menu at Cardamom, the fab new restaurant from Daniel Del Prado and Shawn McKenzie at Walker Art Center
🍸 Rand Tower Club, the swanky new restaurant and bar (complete with retractable roof!) at the Art Deco-glamorous Rand Tower Hotel
📸 Goofy-fun #GuthrieSelfie stations outside the Guthrie Theater
🍽 The Sioux Chef’s Owamni, which dish by dish is stripping away colonial influence and reclaiming Indigenous food
🎼 The Movies & Music series at the Minnesota Orchestra, where you can see the musicians live score such films as Black Panther and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Check out Minnevangelist’s full #mymplsdt guide here, complete with photos by the fabulous Carly Mac. Each featured spot is a reminder that the character, spirit, and resiliency of Downtown Minneapolis aren’t just found in its buildings and streets—it’s in the people who make them come alive.
