Covering life, work, and play in the Historic Mill District and Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront neighborhoods. Have an opinion, local news or events to share? Contact us.
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The Nice Ride Minnesota program has 65 bike share stations - and counting. It is an easy, accessible option for both downtown residents and visitors who'd like to take a spin around our neighborhood (or the entire 43 miles of dedicated bicycle lanes and over 80 miles of off-street bicycle paths in Minneapolis).
Railroad History Tour - Guided tour of railroad landmarks, including the Stone Arch Bridge, Milwaukee Road Depot and Minneapolis Eastern Railway engine house and trestle.
Minneapolis Riverfront Walking Tours - Walk the Minneapolis riverfront and learn about its dramatic past and bright future.
Historic Main Street Walking Tour - A guided stroll along Main Street in St. Anthony. Learn about life in the village, changes along Main Street throughout the years, and the area landmarks. Tour begins and ends at Pracna.
Engineering the Falls: Walking Tour by History Player William De La Barre - Visit the Minneapolis Riverfront, the west side milling district and the Stone Arch Bridge, and hear about the many ways the falls has changed over the years.
Women's Work: Walking Tour with History Player Eva Valesh - A costumed actor portraying labor writer Eva Valesh will lead a walking tour, highlighting the factories whose working conditions were exposed by Valesh in a series of articles in 1888 and 1889. This tour also examines the jobs available to women in the 19th and early 20th century, and some of the key events in women's labor history in Minneapolis.
Reservations required, call 612-341-7555 http://www.millcitymuseum.org/
"Greening the Riverfront" is a series of programs exploring our relationship with nature, past, present and future. One program featured three Tuesday night tours - the second one was:
July 20: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory
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The U of M's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory on Hennepin Island is a unique research facility developing solutions to problems related to the environment, renewable energy and health. During our tour we learned how this research is being applied around the world, and were allowed to view some of the current projects up close.
Learn more at http://www.safl.umn.edu/aboutus/aboutus.html
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Located at 225 Portland Avenue, Mill District City Apartments is now pre-leasing for fall 2010 occupancy. Take a video tour.
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One of the many cool things to do at the Mill City Museum is enjoy an outdoor concert. This summer (July and August) there are seven Thursday night concerts, with a different genre each night. The $5 entry fee is a bargain!
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http://www.millcitymuseum.org/
"Greening the Riverfront" is a series of programs exploring our relationship with nature, past, present and future. One of the programs featured three Tuesday night tours - the first one was:
July 6: Pillsbury A Mill
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This was a very interesting presentation. We learned about the history of the Pillsbury A Mill and surrounding structures, as well as future development plans (East Bank Mills), and how the water power tunnel systems are proposed to play a part in these plans.
See www.millcitymuseum.org for details.
At the end of the Stone Arch Bridge (on the Main Street side) is Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. At 7pm on Monday and Wednesday nights from June thru August you can enjoy a variety of live music - jazz, folk, country, big band, etc. Visit www.minneapolisparks.org for the full list of dates, artists and genre. It's a relaxing way to spend a few hours on a warm summer night, and the view of downtown is a wonderful bonus. The 2010 Series kicked off on Memorial Day. We were out for a stroll that night and walked by as the band was performing. It was a picture-perfect scene - people of all ages sitting on blankets and folding chairs, picnic baskets, kids playing, etc. And the music sounded great, too!
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The staff at Dunn Bros' historic Freight House location (201 3rd Avenue S) not only mix up great drinks, they also know their coffee beans. We rely on William (pictured above on the right) to keep us informed on new beans to try. We drink a lot of coffee, and all our beans come from Dunn Bros. The building is so cool - it's a great place to hang out with a book, the paper, to study or chat.
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Even if you don't have plans to see a show, it would be a shame to pass up a chance to tour the Guthrie. We really enjoyed the 10am Saturday morning Backstage ($10 adults). It was amazing to see how the sets are created, the costume shop, etc. But you don't have to pay to see the Guthrie - it was built for the public's enjoyment. A ride up the escalator will take you to the Endless Bridge, which juts out 178 feet toward the Mississippi and offers incredible views. There are unique finds at gift shop, too.
http://www.guthrietheater.org/visit/guthrie_tours
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What a perk for Mill City residents! There's fun and funky produce every week - like the Japanese Salad Turnip, otherwise known as "Hakurei", along with regular veggie staples. All food groups are represented - in addition to produce, there are cheeses, meat and fish, breads and grains, coffee beans and tea, sweets, and other specialty items. Food vendors offer a number of breakfast and lunch options that you can enjoy while sitting on the Guthrie steps - take in the the weekly entertainment or just people watch. We have connected with some great local artist there.
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If you're lucky you'll get to see the weaver from Peru - it's a real treat to watch this talented artisan practicing his craft.
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It's been years since we visited this art festival, so we were surprised at how much it's grown. Along with the usual jewelery, ceramics and paintings, there were a number of unique items - such as resin furniture and spun copper bonsai trees. We ordered 3 custom size gallery wrapped pictures from Leon and Tracy of Whispering Impressions. They do meticulous work, and the pictures turned out perfect. We will definitely make this art festival an annual must-do.
Mill City Times | 35W Bridge Memorial | Mill District Block Party | Mill City Media
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 8:46PM