Things to do in Minneapolis

Landmark · Downtown

Around 9.5 miles of enclosed second-floor bridges connecting roughly 80 blocks — the largest continuous skyway network in the world.

Local tip: It is privately owned property on public land, so hours vary by building and much of it closes evenings and weekends. The winter shortcut that works at 8am on a Tuesday will not work at 8pm on a Saturday.

Nature · South Minneapolis

A 16-metre waterfall inside the city limits, dropping into a limestone gorge that runs down to the Mississippi.

Local tip: Go in January when the falls freeze into a hollow ice column you can walk behind — that is the version locals turn out for, not the summer one.

Culture · Lowry Hill

One of the strongest contemporary art collections in the US, beside a sculpture garden containing Claes Oldenburg's Spoonbridge and Cherry.

Local tip: The garden is free and open year round, and it is at its best under snow. The Walker itself has free evenings on a regular schedule — check before paying.

Food · Lake Street, Phillips

A former Sears warehouse turned into a market hall of dozens of independent, largely immigrant-owned food stalls and shops.

Local tip: East African, Mexican, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Scandinavian counters within thirty metres of each other. It is also the fastest correction available to anyone who arrived expecting a monocultural city.

Nature · Southwest Minneapolis and the river

A roughly 50-mile scenic byway of parkways, lakes and river bluffs — the spine of a park system repeatedly ranked at or near the top in the US.

Local tip: The lake loops are ploughed and used all winter, and the walking and cycling paths are separated. In February people cross-country ski and fat-bike them; in summer the Bde Maka Ska loop is the city's front garden.

Neighborhood · Nordeast

Old Polish and Ukrainian parish blocks and grain-era warehouses turned into the highest concentration of artist studios and breweries in the state.

Local tip: Art-A-Whirl on the third weekend of May opens hundreds of studios at once and is the single best day of the year to understand the neighbourhood. The rest of the year, go on a first Thursday.