USA - Minneapolis & St Paul
Minneapolis and St Paul are known collectively as the Twin Cities, although calling them twins is stretching things a little. They may sit alongside each other on the Mississippi River and share the same metropolitan area, but they have distinctly different personalities.
Minneapolis is the younger, livelier and more modern of the two, while St Paul is older, more traditional and considerably more dignified. Fortunately, you can enjoy both without having to travel very far.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is the city most visitors probably associate with the Twin Cities, and it has plenty to offer. It grew enormously during the great milling boom, using the power of the Mississippi River and St Anthony Falls to become one of America's major flour-producing centres. The remains of that industrial past are still very much part of the city.
The Mill City Museum is particularly interesting, built into the ruins of what was once the world's largest flour mill. It tells the story of Minneapolis's extraordinary milling industry and the rather less glamorous side of it, including the catastrophic mill explosion of 1878. The museum also provides some excellent views over the Mississippi.
Nearby is the Stone Arch Bridge, another Minneapolis landmark. This magnificent former railway bridge crosses the Mississippi and provides one of the best walks in the city, with splendid views of the river, the falls and the downtown skyline. It is a particularly good place to appreciate just how much the river shaped Minneapolis.
Minneapolis also has plenty of green space, and Minnehaha Falls is one of the city's real pleasures. The waterfall is surprisingly impressive considering you are still within the city, and the surrounding park provides a welcome escape from the concrete and traffic.
Then there is the city's rather more modern and artistic side. Minneapolis has a strong reputation for music and the arts and, of course, was home to the late, great Prince. His influence is still visible around the city, particularly at First Avenue, the legendary music venue associated with him and countless other musicians.
And now for the spoon...
You cannot come to Minneapolis without visiting the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, because this is where one of America's more gloriously bonkers pieces of public art resides.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Spoonbridge and Cherry.Yes, it really is exactly what it sounds like: an enormous silver spoon, balanced across a pool, with a gigantic bright red cherry sitting on the end. Created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, it has become one of the defining symbols of Minneapolis. The sculpture is 52 feet long and the cherry weighs around 1,200 pounds — so this is not somebody simply dropping their dessert in the garden.
The sculpture is part of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which contains more than 60 works across 11 acres and is free to visit.
It sounds ridiculous, looks ridiculous and is actually rather wonderful. In winter, when the spoon and cherry are covered in snow, it apparently becomes something resembling an enormous ice-cream sundae. I can't think of a better excuse for including it in a travel guide.
And frankly, if you have travelled thousands of miles to Minneapolis, you are going to want a photograph of yourself standing beside a gigantic cherry on a spoon. It would be rude not to.
And then there is the Mall of America, just outside Minneapolis in Bloomington, which is less a shopping centre and more a small country that happens to sell things. It is absolutely enormous, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and even an indoor theme park, Nickelodeon Universe, sitting right in the middle of it all.
You can quite easily spend an entire day here and still not see everything.
Whether you actually need to buy anything is another matter, but wandering around this gigantic monument to American consumerism is an experience in itself.
Even if, like me, shopping isn't your thing, it is worth visiting simply to appreciate the sheer scale of the place — although be warned, once you've walked around it, you may never want to see another shopping centre again!
St Paul
Cross the Mississippi and you reach St Paul, Minnesota's state capital and, to my mind, the more attractive of the two cities.
St Paul has retained much more of its historic character. Where Minneapolis can feel like a modern American city, St Paul has grand old buildings, leafy streets and a distinctly European feel in places. It is slower and more sedate, which may or may not be an advantage depending on your tolerance for modern American city life.Dominating the skyline is the magnificent Cathedral of Saint Paul, sitting high on a hill overlooking the city. It is an imposing building inside and out and well worth visiting, even if churches aren't normally your thing.
The Minnesota State Capitol is another impressive building, with its grand architecture and enormous dome. St Paul also has a particularly attractive historic district around Summit Avenue, lined with some seriously impressive Victorian and Gilded Age houses.
For something completely different, head to Como Park, a huge green space containing gardens, a zoo and the beautiful Como Conservatory. It is one of those places that makes you forget you are in the middle of a major American metropolitan area.
The Mississippi River
The river is really the thread that ties the two cities together. The Mississippi here isn't the enormous, almost mythical waterway that it becomes further south, but it is still an important and attractive feature of the Twin Cities.The river provided the power that created Minneapolis, the route along which much of its early commerce travelled and the natural divide between the two cities. Today it provides walking trails, parks, bridges and some excellent viewpoints.
The contrast between the old industrial riverfront and the modern city beyond it is particularly interesting. Minneapolis has done a good job of turning many of its former industrial areas into places where people actually want to spend time.
So, which one is best?
That's difficult.
Minneapolis is livelier, more modern and has more of the big-city attractions. It has the riverfront, museums, music, modern architecture and, of course, the utterly magnificent Spoonbridge and Cherry.
St Paul is more historic, elegant and relaxed. If Minneapolis is the energetic younger sibling, St Paul is the older one who has learned to behave properly.
The good news is that you don't have to choose. The two cities are close enough to combine easily, and together they make a surprisingly interesting destination.
The Twin Cities may not have the instant recognition of New York, Chicago or San Francisco, but that's probably part of their charm. They are not constantly shouting, LOOK AT ME, I'M A TOURIST ATTRACTION! Instead, they quietly get on with being two very different cities sharing one patch of the Mississippi.
And then, just when you think Minneapolis is taking itself far too seriously, you turn a corner and find a giant cherry balanced on a spoon.
Perfect.
Prices quoted correct as at June 2026
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