Minneapolis and St Paul, the Twin Cities on the upper course of the Mississippi, together form the largest city in Minnesota, but yet are very different from one another. While the larger city of Minneapolis is the quintessence of the glistening modern American city, the more spaciously laid out St Paul, built on terraces above the Mississippi, has preserved something of the character of an old frontier town (e.g. in Summit Ave.). Features common to both cities, however, are their extensive parks and their economic importance as centres of the electronics, printing and publishing industries.
Minneapolis is also the commercial centre of one of the largest farming areas in the United States and has one of the largest grain exchanges in the world.
St Paul, the older of the two cities, originated as a military post established at the junction of the Minnesota River with the Mississippi in 1807 that later became Fort Snelling. From 1823 it became a port of call for river boats. In 1840 fur traders and trappers established a settlement nearby, originally called Pig's Eye after the leader of the group, a Frenchman, but renamed St Paul in the following year. When Minnesota was incorporated as a town, St Paul was declared state capital.
The Classical Renaissance style Cathedral of St Paul began in 1906, with the first services held in 1915. The Shrine of Nations is of special interest.
Address: Cathedral of Saint Paul, 239 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102, United States
Phone: 1 (651) 228-1766, Fax: 1 (651) 228-9942
Como Park Conservatory in St Paul was built in 1915. It is a glass-domed botanical garden that features the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden, the Enchanted Garden and the Frog Pond Landscape. The Zoo has natural habitats for cats, polar bears, sea lions, diving birds, apes, African antelopes and giraffes.
The glass dome of the Como Park Conservatory in St Paul.
The grounds of the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.
Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 10am-6pm
October 1 to March 31: 10am-4pm
Tips: Admission is a suggested donation.
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Alexander Ramsey was the first governor of the Minnesota Territory. The Victorian home in St Paul was built in 1872 of native limestone and contains portraits, furnishings and personal belongings.
In the lobby of City Hall (1932) is a 36 ft high piece of sculpture by Carl Milles, weighing 60 tons, representing the Indian God of Peace.
The St Paul City Hall and the Courthouse are an example of Art Deco architecture with each of the 18 floors finished in a different wood from around the world.
Near the airport is Fort Snelling, which recalls the frontier days of around 1820.
Fort Snelling in St Paul is a restored limestone fort which was the northernmost military outpost of the United States in the early 19th century. There are 17 buildings on the grounds, which include the commandant's house, barracks, a sutler's house and hospital.
The Gibbs Museum in St Paul depicts a prosperous farm of the late 1800s. Exhibits include a turn-of-the-20th-century farmhouse, farm animals, tools from 1850 and a Dakota tepee.
The Goldstein Gallery of Design in St Paul exhibits clothing, textiles, decorative and graphic arts, with an emphasis on objects of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Address: Goldstein Gallery, 1985 Buford Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108-6134, United States
Phone: 1 (612) 624-7434, Fax: 1 (612) 624-2750
James J Hill was the founder of the Great Northern Railroad. Completed in 1891, the red sandstone residence in St Paul presents guided tours, educational programs, neighborhood tours, lectures, concerts, dramatic programs, and art exhibitions.
Hours:
10am-3:30pm; Sun:1pm-3:30pm; Closed: Mon, Tue
Always closed on: Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The Landmark Center is housed in the finely restored old Federal Courts Building of 1902, which now contains restaurants, galleries, function rooms and the department of contemporary American art of the Minnesota Museum of Art.
Hours:
8am-5pm; Sun:12pm-5pm; Thu:8am-8pm; Sat:10am-5pm
Parking: Pay
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
The Minnesota History Center and Museum, a short distance to the south of the State Capitol, are concerned with the history of the state.
Exhibits include hands-on experiences and multimedia presentations including a 24-ton boxcar, 700 items from the Historical Society's collections organized around themes, and a time-line of Minnesota from glacial age to the present day.
Exterior of the Minnesota History Center and Museum in St Paul.
The Minnesota Museum of American Art in St Paul features contemporary American art with displays that include paintings, sculpture, photographs and drawings.
Exhibits at the Museum of Musical Instruments in St Paul include 100 pianofortes, harpsichords, clavichords and organs, spanning more than 425 years, with a focus on 19th century pianofortes; a collection of musical manuscripts; and an Indonesian Gamelan - an iron gamelan with hanging gongs, various pot gongs, and metal-bar instruments.
Address: Schubert Club, 75 West Fifth Street, St Paul, MN 55102-1414, United States
Phone: 1 (651) 292-3267, Fax: 1 (651) 292-4317
The Science Museum of Minnesota in St Paul offers hands-on exhibits that allow visitors to touch a tornado, walk under a dinosaur, board a Mississippi River towboat, learn about the human body and participate in the Experiment Gallery.
Address: Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 West Kellogg Boulevard, St Paul, MN 55102-1208, United States
Phone: 1 (651) 221-9444, Fax: 1 (651) 221-4777
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Summit Avenue
Cathedral of St Paul, St Paul
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, St Paul
Fort Snelling, St Paul
State Capitol, St Paul
Science Museum of Minnesota, St Paul
Cathedral of St Paul, St Paul
Fort Snelling, St Paul
