Tag
Minneapolis MN
The Como Park Conservatory is a tropical paradise on the frozen Minnesota prairie. Substantially larger than most midwest conservatories, it houses a Fern Room, Palm House, Sunken Garden, Orchid and Tropical houses, along with many outdoor gardens. The venerable collection… Continue Reading →
Claes Oldenburg (Coosje van Bruggen)’s iconic sculpture “Spoon Bridge” appears on nearly every piece of tourism advertising for Minneapolis. The piece, along with many others, is housed in a sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center. The Walker not only… Continue Reading →
Inspired by traditional markets like Cleveland’s West Side Market or Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the midwest is now getting our own international shopping markets. Joining the Milwaukee Public Market, Minneapolis’s Midtown Global Market delivers on its international promise. Housed in a… Continue Reading →
Minneapolis’s Hunt & Gather calls itself an “antique store,” but the title doesn’t do it justice. The location, once seen, is never forgotten. One of their specialties is old sign letters. The front of the store is crusted (for lack… Continue Reading →
The University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum is a short drive from Minneapolis. With its more rural location, the Arboretum has the opportunity to spread and sprawl in a highly satisfactory manner. At over 1100 acres, plan to spend at least… Continue Reading →
The American Swedish Institute is likely the most ornate house in the midwest open to the public. The original owners, the Turnblad family, made their fortune with a Swedish language newspaper. The mansion has every feature de rigueur to the… Continue Reading →
Update 2023: During the protests of 2020, Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore was burned to the ground. Whether they rebuild is still up in the air. A new location, about 2 miles east of the old location is now open! We’re excited… Continue Reading →
What better way to spend an hour or two than browsing a bookstore, especially if it is packed wall-to-wall with murder, mystery and deceit? Once Upon a Crime is a cozy bookstore that, despite its size, is loaded with excellent… Continue Reading →
Clinging to the banks of the Mississippi, the Frederick R Weisman Art Museum looks like it landed, rather than was built. One of famed architect Frank Gehry’s designs, the museum is a convoluted, twisting silver mass reminiscent of one of… Continue Reading →
Housed in an old warehouse, Architectural Antiques hosts a vast array of salvaged architectural features. Many of the most graceful details on historic architecture end up in dumpsters – lighting fixtures, glass doorknobs, stained glass windows, wood paneling and more…. Continue Reading →
Update: The Bell Museum has closed it its old location. It has been rebuilt as a new, shiny, interactive and thoroughly repugnant shadow of itself. It has the charm and warmth of a Chucky Cheese restaurant. I do not recommend… Continue Reading →
The Wild Rumpus Bookstore in Minneapolis is a magical, addictive space. The books run from board books for infants to a vast array of YA literature. Every book a child (and adult) could desire is here – from the Little… Continue Reading →
Come for the architecture, stay for the electric shocks! No wait, maybe it’s the other way around? The Bakken Museum’s focus is on electricity, its history and properties. Founded by Earl Bakken, inventor of the first battery operated pace-maker, the… Continue Reading →