Minneapolis and St. Paul- 3 days in mid July or August
 

I will be visiting the Minneapolis- St. Paul area this summer and have the following questions:

1. I will not have a car with me. Will I still be able to get to the attractions?

2. Are there any guided tours that you would
recommend?

3. What attractions do you recommend I see? In addition, I wouldn't mind seeing a Twins game. If I go to a night game, would it be possible to get a taxi back to my hotel?

4. Am I better off with a hotel in Minneapolis or one in St. Paul? Are there certain hotels that you would recommend?

5. Are there any neighborhoods I should avoid for safety reasons?

6. Is three days adequate?

Thanks so much for your help!

If you don't have a car, you will be limited in what you can get to. If you stay in downtown Minneapolis, though, your options will grow because you can get most places through the bus system and the light rail train (which runs from the Mall of America through the airport to downtown Mpls).

I have no idea if you can catch a taxi after a Twins game, but again if you stay in downtown Mpls you can catch the train from the Metrodome to just a few blocks from almost any hotel (or just walk from the Dome itself - downtown isn't that big).

Can't think of any guided tours, although there have to be some. The only one I've heard of takes people on a tour of the Mpls Mississippi riverfront using Segways (www.humanonastick.com)- those sound like fun!

Attractions that either are in or near downtown Mpls or reachable by train or bus are: Mall of America, the Uptown neighborhood and chain of lakes, the Mill City Museum, probably downtown St. Paul where the history and science museums are. If you like theater, there are several great theaters in Mpls and I can give you recommendations.

I would recommend the Graves hotel (formerly the Meridian). It's in the heart of the action in Mpls and is only 2 blocks off the light rail train line.

And, of course, as a resident of this lovely town, I don't think 3 days is adequate, but it's a good start.

I forgot to mention. If you like art, then the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center (modern art) and the Weisman Museum are probably all accessible via bus or taxi. The Walker is on the edge of downtown - walkable on a nice day. For that matter, so is the Weisman - it's just in the opposite direction.

Three days is a very nice intro to Minneapolis. I visit pretty often and like to stay at the Millenium right in downtown Minneapolis.

From there it is easy to catch buses (and the fabulous light rail now) to many places. If you are a "walker" its a real nice stroll to the Walker Art Museum, the Sculpture Garden the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River, the Warehouse District, the Basillica, the Target Center, etc.

One thing I always do is take the bus to one of the bike rental shops and bike the lakes. What a treat! You can spend the whole day biking, stop for lunch, rent a canoe, listen to concerts at the band shell. Fun!

From the Millenium you are right on the strip where all the restaurants and shopping is.

There is a great Spa, dont forget to schedule a massage....

There is a trolley tour of Mpls. that starts from the Convention Center in the downtown area. It gives you a nice overview and some history of the area. I agree with the other posters; stay in Mpls. close to the light rail line and you can get to a Twins game, see the Mississippi River (stroll on the stone arch bridge) and shop at Mall of America if you want to.