Leisure Travel in Minneapolis

Travel Tips and Day Trips in Minneapolis

Minnesota is a vibrant combination of a major industrial city and the pristine outdoors. This major hub has history, art, food, music, high fashion, and rugged mountains--all within a short distance. Here are some of the best things to do in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Sports and Family Activities

For the sports fan or the athletic family, there are countless events and activities to take advantage of during your trip.

Sports Games

The most famous sports teams from Minnesota are, of course, the Vikings and the Timberwolves. The U.S. Bank Stadium and the Target Center are both great places to watch a game or to take a tour of during the offseason. Some of the sports gems, though, also include the Minnesota Wild, a highly successful hockey team, and the Minnesota Twins, Minneapolis’s home baseball team with three World Series championships.

Science Museum of Minnesota

This museum has a new exhibit dedicated entirely to the science of sports. Throw a football, watch a playback video, and analyze your technique to understand how the human body works during a game. Shoot some hoops and then compare how your dunk jump rates against other museum visitors and some of the top NBA players.

Day trips from Minneapolis

Because Minneapolis balances a concrete jungle and a nearby nature reserve, there’s an adventure for everyone within a day’s drive.

Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park has something for everyone. From golf courses to rec centers to ATV paths, this gorgeous park holds activities to please everyone. Summer camps here also mean fun things for children too. It’s only a 20-minute drive outside downtown Minneapolis, so you can rent a car here to drive around the gorgeous, historic Eidem Homestead acreage.

Mall of America

America’s biggest mall offers so much more than just shopping. It has an indoor theme park, a Hard Rock Cafe, and a Lego store. It’s only a short drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but you could spend all day here exploring arcades, mirror mazes, and art galleries before dining on fine sushi and browsing books at a huge Barnes and Noble.

A Day at the Lake

With so many lakes, there’s always a water activity close by, no matter the season. If you visit during warmer weather, enjoy kayaking, swimming, and jet skis. If you visit when the lakes have already iced over, try cross-country skiing or hockey. Naturally, fishing is a year-round option.

St. Paul

Minneapolis’s next door neighbor and “twin city” also has some amazing attractions. The famous St. Paul’s Cathedral towers next to Como Park Zoo, both historic places. You can take a free tour of the Summit Brewing Company before heading on over to learn about the mighty train industry at Union Depot.

Stone Arch Bridge Festival

This annual festival has been going for 25 years and won’t be stopping anytime soon. It’s become a major attraction every June with its concerts, car shows, street performers, food carts, art galleries, and more.

Luxury Car Rental

Whether you’re looking to impress or you just want to travel in comfort, a luxury car rental is the best way to arrive at your destination.

With locations at all the significant destinations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolis, Avis has exactly what you need for car rentals in Minneapolis. We’ll make the deal even better with our Best Rate Guarantee to make sure you get the best rental car deal possible. And because we know this city’s busy, we’ll make it easier with time-saving fuel plans and prepaid rental reservations that you can pick up at our MSP car rental location.

Bonus Tip: Before you rent a vehicle from Avis, check out our comprehensive list of Car Rental Hotel Partners to get the best hotel and car rental deals for your vacation.

Places to See and Things to Do in Minneapolis