3 Days In Minneapolis: A Complete Itinerary

If Minneapolis is not on your must-visit list, it should be! There’s a lot of fun things to do in and around this city that are unique to the area. It’s a beautiful city in its own right, and it’s also a great launching point to see some of Minnesota’s famous lakes and even the former home of one of Minnesota’s favorite sons. Here is the best itinerary to spend 3 days in Minneapolis and see the area’s top attractions.

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3 Days In Minneapolis: The Itinerary

Minneapolis Itinerary: Day 1

The first day of your Minneapolis 3-day itinerary will be spent in and around the city. You’ll see some popular tourist spots and enjoy a sweet local treat.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Walker Art Center

The Walker Art Center is one of the most-visited modern art museums in the country. It originated as the private collection of lumber baron Thomas Barlow Walker in the late 1800s. It’s worth checking out but if you’re getting museum’d out, it’s still worth going just to see the sculpture garden.

Just outside the Walker Art Center is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It was opened in the 1980s and it’s one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the United States. Take a fun stroll through the beautiful and whimsical pieces. The highlight and a well-known beloved symbol of the Twin Cities is a piece called “Spoonbride and Cherry” by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

Ice Cream at Sebastian Joe’s

Just a few minutes’ drive from the Walker Art Center is a local and family-run shop called Sebastian Joe’s. You’ll know you’re getting close when you see a line out the door trailing down the street. It’s a great place for breakfast with fantastic pastries and coffee but their real specialty is their ice cream. With creative flavors like “Nicollet Pothole” (Nicollet is a main road in Minneapolis), “Pavarotti”, and “Senior Mo-Mint,” how can you go wrong?

The line moves surprisingly quickly and this place is worth the wait! If you don’t feel like waiting, they offer pints and quarts to-go, ice cream cakes, and other ice cream specialties. You’ll also find their ice cream offered in a number of local restaurants (like Lord Fletcher’s on Lake Minnetonka).

Mall of America

You may be thinking that you’re a bit old to be hanging out at the mall, but this mall is like no other! The Mall of America is massive with 5.6 million square feet and 520 stores. Let that sink in for just a moment! This mall is the largest in the country and it’s impressive!

This shopping mecca has a tremendous amount of things for kids to do, or adults who want to channel their inner child. There is a large Lego Store, an aquarium (check tickets here), black-light mini golf, and a Crayola Experience store (see prices and tickets for Crayola Experience here). There’s even a Nickelodeon Universe, the largest indoor theme park in the country. If the weather isn’t great outside or just to say you did it, check out this mall.

If you like sushi, CRAVE American Kitchen and Sushi Bar is a great place for dinner. They have an eclectic menu filled with great American dishes like burgers, flatbreads, and salads as well as some creative sushi made with the freshest ingredients. Their adult beverages knock it out of the park as well!

Day 2 Itinerary

The second of your 3 days in Minneapolis will take you back in time to learn about the history of the area as well as one of Minneapolis’ most famous and beloved residents.

Mill City Museum

If you want to learn more about how Minneapolis got its start, the Mill City Museum is a great place to visit. Walk through the history of this thriving city and learn all about it’s milling industry background. There is a tour and many interactive exhibits fun for adults and kids alike including a water lab where you can learn how the river was used for the flour and logging industries, and even a baking lab.

The museum is located inside the ruins of the Washburn A. Mill, the largest flour mill in the area.

It was one of 24 mills along the Mississippi River at its time. This mill ground enough flour daily to make over 12 million loaves of bread. The mill exploded in 1878 causing damage to buildings in the area and all the way to the city of St. Paul. It was rebuilt a few years later following the implementation of safety measures.

Head up to the observation deck for some great views of the river as well as the ruins of the mill. You can see the Pillsbury sign on the other side of the river, one of the other large flour mills during Minneapolis’ milling heyday.

Stone Arch Bridge

The Mill City Museum looks out over the Stone Arch Bridge, another Minneapolis landmark. It’s the only bridge that spans the length of the mighty Mississippi River made entirely of stone. Walk over the bridge and you can imagine how this river powered the mills surrounding it.

Grab lunch at Kramarczuk Sausage Company, “the place where your wildest sandwich dreams can come true.” Not only can you get amazing sandwiches and 40 types of homemade sausages, but they offer a lot of traditional Eastern European foods like stuffed cabbage rolls, pierogi, stews, and more. It’s an affordable place for a great meal and they have a fantastic market as well.

Paisley Park

Next, head out to Paisley Park in Chanhassen, around 30 minutes from the Mill City Museum. It is the former home and studio of music legend, Prince. He made plans that when he passed away, it would be opened to the public for tours. No visit to Minneapolis would be complete without a visit to Paisley Park.

This homage to Prince takes you back to the height of his career in the 80s and 90s and showcases all that was important to him. This includes his car collection, private studio, his many awards and platinum record collection, hundreds of outfits, artwork, and special items from his movies.

There’s even an area where he threw concerts for fans. You might have followed him during the peak of his popularity, but taking this tour opens your eyes to what an incredible talent and creative genius he truly was. Unfortunately, they lock up your phone on the tour but this place is over-the-top Prince.

First Ave

Once you visit Paisley Park, head to First Ave to see where Prince got his start. First Ave & 7th Street Entry proudly proclaims that it’s your “downtown danceteria since 1970.” Lots of artists got their start here and there are 53 stars on the side of the building displaying some of the incredible talents that have played here.

It’s technically two clubs known as Mainroom and The Entry locally. This place is a Minneapolis landmark as it has been around forever. It’s also one of the longest-lived and best-known independent rock clubs in the entire country.

Prince’s first show here was on March 9th, 1981 and his star still shines brightly there. Enjoy the evening here or head to Spoon and Stable, famous local chef-owner Gavin Kaysen’s place. It’s a modern restaurant with incredible New American fare.

3 Days In Minneapolis: Last Day

The third day of your Minneapolis 3-day itinerary takes you to one of Minnesota’s most famous lakes, Lake Minnetonka. It’s around a 30-minute drive from Minneapolis and a must-see when you visit the area.

Lake Minnetonka

For your last day in the Minneapolis area, head straight to Lake Minnetonka. It’s the 9th largest in the state and only 15 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The area around this lake is one of the most affluent parts of the state.

Rent a boat and tour this incredible lake with its many channels and inlets. See how the other half lives viewing the monstrous mansions and check out the many boathouses on the water. Of course, you’ll want to go on a nice weather day and enjoying the Minnesota lakes should not be missed.

There are a number of restaurants along the lake that you can take your boat up to and Lord Fletcher’s is a popular one. It is a bit of an institution in this area and has a huge outdoor space overlooking the lake. There is often live music and a fun party atmosphere. It’s not fancy by any means but the food is fantastic. They are known for their walleye sandwich, a local fish and they carry Sebastian Joe’s ice cream for dessert, in case you didn’t make it there earlier during your trip.

For dinner, Wayzata is a great place to visit with lots of restaurants. If you like sushi, don’t miss Sushi Fix. Make sure to make a reservation, though, or you likely won’t get a seat. They offer some of the most creative sushi options around and ask about their off-menu items like the Frankenstein roll and Shiso Yummy.

The Best Minneapolis 3-Day Itinerary

There’s no shortage of fun to be found in and around Minneapolis. From famous residents to beautiful scenery and a foodie scene that can’t be beaten, Minneapolis is the place to be in the midwest.

The Author: Sam is a travel-obsessed animal lover with big plans to travel the world with her dog. When she’s not blogging about her travel adventures at My Flying Leap, you can find her volunteering with her pet-therapy cat and dog, on the top of a mountain, or enjoying a glass of bold red wine planning for her next trip.