Minneapolis and St. Paul
Known as Minnesota’s Twin cities, downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are separated by 10 miles, but the cities blend together. Adding to their interconnectedness is the area’s new Metro light rail.
In Minneapolis, don’t-miss museums include the internationally renowned Walker Art Center, which specializes in contemporary art, and the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. At the Wiseman Art Museum, the Frank Gehry-designed building overlooking the Mississippi River draws as many accolades as the art inside. And the Minneapolis Institute of Arts houses an encyclopedic collection. Theater lovers will enjoy the Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater, the city’s best-known regional theater. Its royal blue exterior and amber-glass, cantilevered lobby deliver a stunning backdrop for architectural and backstage tours.
Minnesota’s four major sports teams compete in Minneapolis: the Twins play at downtown’s Target Field; the NBA Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx hoop it up at the Target Center; and the NFL Vikings’ new stadium will officially open in July 2016.
In contrast, St. Paul was founded as a trading and transportation center and named capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849. The city features 104 landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But its iconic landmark remains the Cathedral of St. Paul, modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in Rome. Last year, the $3.4 million restoration of the cathedral’s E.M. Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner pipe organs was completed.
Other historic buildings include the Minnesota State Capitol, which is undergoing a renovation set to be completed in 2017. The Victorian Alexander Ramsey House offers a glimpse into family and servant life in the 1870s. And gangster tours highlight the sites of nightclubs, kidnappings and gun battles associated with the city’s lawlessness of the 1930s and the likes of John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson and the Barker gang.
Omaha and Lincoln
Old Market serves as the epicenter of all things eclectic and artsy in Omaha. Historic brick streets are lined with boutiques, restaurants and nightlife. Just north of the Old Market, a defunct mattress-factory-turned-art-complex thrives with cutting-edge creations. Hot Shops Art Center, “Home to all that is Molten,” houses more than 80 artists in its warehouse-style buildings.
Big-city entertainment allows for plenty of choices. Jazz aficionados flock to the Holland Performing Arts Center’s annual 1200 Club event, where a nightclub setting showcases bluesy harmonicists to funky trombonists and jazz piano greats. The historic Orpheum Theater and Omaha Community Playhouse offer hit shows. The Omaha Symphony offers six concert series, and Midtown Crossing hosts a summer jazz festival.
In nearby Lincoln, “Go Big Red!” isn’t simply a chant — it’s an obsession. On football game days, groups can catch the pregame March of the Band strutting down Stadium Drive. Three hours before kickoff, the party at Husker Nation Pavilion on Ed Weir Track includes music, food and autograph sessions, while a giant screen shows nonstop football. The Pinnacle Bank Arena opened last year and plays host to men’s Big 10 basketball games, numerous concerts and major events.
A college vibe extends to the up-and-coming Haymarket area. Visitors can watch art in progress at the Burkholder Project’s working studios or take home Nebraska’s splendor from the hometown photographer Michael Forsberg Gallery. Crescent Moon Coffee offers live music Friday and Saturday nights, and Ivanna Cone tempts with scrumptious flavors of small-batch ice cream.
