Visit Minneapolis: Home of the Late, Legendary Musician Prince, the Metropolis City Offers Unique and Exciting Travel Experiences
By Kitty J. Pope
A metropolis city bisected by the Mississippi River, Minneapolis is the perfect blend of natural beauty and urban sophistication. A must-visit landmark in the beautiful city is Paisley Park, a museum dedicated to showcasing the life of the late musical icon that the world knows as Prince. Just to visit this jewel of a museum is a darn good reason enough to go to Minneapolis, a city bursting with flavor, adventure, culture and a vibrant nightlife. Minneapolis is also home to other cultural landmarks like the Walker Art Center, a contemporary art museum and the famed adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. A visit to Minneapolis must include shopping at the trendy Mall of America, one of the city’s top tourist attractions touted as the largest mall on the continent where millions of people from around the world visit each year.
In the city of Minneapolis, 98 per cent of residents live within a 10-minute walk from one of the quality parks.
Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes with over 22 lakes and lagoons in Minneapolis alone. The city has a rich lake culture with 13 lakes that are at least five acres. With breathtaking waterfalls, a chain of lakes, nice parks, and a host of biking and running trails, each lake and park retains its own personality and offers different attractions. In Minneapolis, there are about 180 parks and you’re never too far away from one of them when in the city, so there is no excuse not to get outdoors to enjoy nature’s beauty. Minnehaha Regional Park, one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks has a majestic 53-foot waterfall, limestone bluffs, and river overlooks where you can enjoy biking, disc golf, wading pool, gardens, historical sites, and more.
There are tours to accommodate everyone’s curiosity. You can take in the city on one of Minneapolis walking tours, boat tours, and/or sightseeing tours to explore the local culture, food, landmarks, and the natural beauty of Minnesota. For some people, the best part of travel is immersing in different communities to get a taste of the cultures. If this is you, you must check out the Taste Twin Cities Food Tour offering a variety of walking tours that explore the Mill District along the Mississippi River, downtown, and Noreast. During the tours, you get to learn the area’s history and get a sample of its culture and various types of cuisine.
You can choose to do a hop-on-and-off trolley ride through the downtown district to enjoy spending as much time as you like in different trendy areas. The Minneapolis Trolley Tours provides nine stops throughout downtown where you can visit some of the most popular tourism spots. Or take a 90-minute tour of the Warehouse District that is the home of the Target Field where the Minnesota Twins play. You can explore parts of the LEED-certified ballpark and the many works of art and memorabilia in the Target Field District. To learn something about the state’s black cultural heritage, visit the Minnesota African American Museum and Gallery (maahmg.org), a place that preserves, records and celebrates the history, art and culture of Blacks in Minnesota through exhibitions, programs and events. For more information on this adorable city, visit (minneapolis.org).
When deciding where to stay, you’ll say “Bingo” if you choose to lay your head at the Elliot Park Hotel, a charming boutique hotel centrally located in historic Elliot Park in the downtown district. The upscale, yet casual elegance of this hotel will make you feel right at home in a tranquil relaxing environment. Upon entering this Marriott Autograph Collection property, your mood will be lifted by the friendly staff, the soft candlelight and the crackling wood-fired oven. The mellow amber, bright copper and rich wood tone colors and the stylish, modern Scandinavian decor help to set the warm and soothing tone of this excellent hotel.
You can sleep like royalty in one of the spaciously designed hotel rooms and suites like the Deluxe King or Queen, Executive or Penthouse Suite each with a large separate bath and large walk-in shower. The Elliot Park Hotel boasts technological advancements, first- class amenities and even an onsite restaurant, the Tavola Italian Kitchen and Bar. Ranked as a top Italian eatery in downtown Minneapolis, here you can enjoy delectable farm-to-table specialties made with fresh local ingredients. Tavola is a warm and welcoming spot for intimate dining, a lively group gathering or a shared family-style meal. (www.elliotparkhotel.com)
(Editor Kitty J. Pope at Paisley Park, pictured with Purple Piano)
No tour of Minneapolis is complete without visiting Paisley Park, the former sanctuary of the famed late musician Prince Rogers Nelson, known to the world simply by his first name Prince. Highly regarded as one the multi-talented musicians of all times, the Minnesota-born and raised icon, set the world on fire with his music when he was alive. One of the best-selling artists of all time, with more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Prince is still drawing people from around the world to Paisley Park, the place where he made his home and music studio. Prince fans and visitors alike come to Paisley Park year-round for tours, events, festivals and concerts. For some devoted fans, coming to Paisley Park is like a pilgrimage where they experience the mystic and grandeur of the Purple One’s former dwelling place turned interactive museum.
Located in the charming suburb of Chanhassen, MN, just 20-min southwest of Minneapolis, Paisley Park is a museum that allows you a peek into the life of the musical genius for a celebration of his contributions to art, music, fashion, and culture. Here you can see artifacts from Prince’s personal archives, such as his iconic wardrobe, awards, musical instruments, artwork, motorcycles, rare music, and all types of video recordings. Inspired by the vision of Prince, Paisley Park officially opened its doors in 1987 to serve as the late icon’s sanctuary where he did everything. More than 35 years later, Paisley Park has remained a place for guests to experience the rich history of the musical genius, and how he made music, film and video and entertained.
Fulfilling Prince’s vision of opening his sanctuary to the public, Paisley Park has continued to draw devoted fans, music lovers, curious tourists and noted artists from all around the world. The mystical, magical aura that surrounded Prince as a musician and performing artist, still seems to be present in the museum, and most visitors leave upbeat and inspired after a tour. Many people get a sense of why Prince once said, “Paisley Park is in your heart,” after exploring and experiencing the love, awe and wonder of what it was like for one of the most influential artists of all times to create, produce, and perform inside this private sanctuary and production complex. 
The beloved Prince died on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57, but his fans claim to feel his love, creativity and spirit through his music even today. Still somewhat an enigma, he left quite a legacy, and wіll аlwаyѕ be remembered аѕ one of the most multi-talented visionary аrtіѕtѕ whose lustrous career spanned nearly 40 years. With a style of music that incorporated elements of funk, pop, rock and R&B, his artistic influence that defies categorization, stretched way beyond music. Prince Rogers Nelson not only left an undeniable mark on Minnesota, but also on the entire world through creative artistry. A forward, high thinker and philanthropist, with a philosophy based on justice, oneness and love, his legacy and spiritual energies live on within the hearts of his fans and the many people who were influenced in some way by one of the most uniquely creative, multi-talented performers and musicians the world has ever seen. 
In the music world, Prince, the recipient of many prestigious awards, was definitely the GOAT when it comes to his versatility and range of abilities and performances. Observations of the music and legacy of the late icon take place all year culminating in a Celebration during his birthday month in June. This year’s Celebrations include a conference on June 16th and 17th by International Institute for Prince Studies (internationalcentre4princestudies.com) and Celebration 2024 on June 20th-24th by Paisley Park (PaisleyPark.com)
AD Tourism Editor Kitty J. Pope with mural artist Maggie Keane in Atlanta at revealing of new Prince mural.
