Water Works Named One of 10 Best New Attractions by USA Today

Via a December 31 e-announcement from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board:

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is pleased to announce Water Works was named a winner in the 2021 USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best New Attraction. After a panel of USA Today travel experts chose 20 top new attractions, USA Today readers voted Water Works into the top 10 to win the award.

Water Works was created in Mill Ruins Park, overlooking the Mississippi River, St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. Water Works brings significant new historic, cultural and recreational amenities to one of the most visited and iconic areas in Minneapolis. The new park amenities were made possible due to the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s $18.1 million RiverFirst Capital Campaign and its partnership with the MPRB. 

“Water Works has been a wonderful success so far and I’m pleased to see so many people out enjoying the new riverfront space,” says Al Bangoura, Superintendent of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “I’d like to thank the Minneapolis Park Foundation and its supporters, who appreciate the shared benefit of thoughtfully designed riverfront parks.”

"Water Works is located at one of the most culturally and spiritually significant locations on the Mississippi River and the design honors our region's history and our promise,” adds Tom Evers, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation.” This recognition is shared with countless people who helped bring the site into reality. I hope everyone who visits Minneapolis has a chance to visit and connect to the stories Water Works has to offer and gains a deeper connection to the people who live here."

Water Works Pavilion is two-story park pavilion and visitor center is located at 425 West River Parkway. The second floor of the building hosts Owamni by The Sioux Chef, a new all-season restaurant from partners Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson offering dine-in and take-out Indigenous cuisine. Owamni was recently named Restaurant of the Year by the Star Tribune.