Twin Cities Highlights Tour

Today we will experience a sampling of what makes the Twin Cities fantastic. During the three-hour tour, our guide will provide commentary on the downtowns of Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding areas. A short stop will be made at Minnehaha Park to see Minnesota’s oldest tourist attraction. This is where the twenty-two mile Minnehaha Creek, which flows from Lake Minnetonka through the western suburbs of Minneapolis and into the city, dives over the falls and into the Mississippi River. The fifty-three foot falls have been immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha” and are visited by thousands of tourists and locals every year. Our next destination is St. Paul, Minnesota’s charming historic capital city. Magnificent Art Deco and Victorian reminders of the past nestle next to sleek skyscrapers, giving this Capital City an Old World charm. While in St. Paul we will explore Rice Park, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Landmark Center, Children’s Museum, Mickey’s Diner, The Fitzgerald Theater, Minnesota History Center and the Minnesota State Capitol, considered the second most beautiful capitol building in the United States, after Utah. We will see the magnificent Cathedral of St. Paul, the fourth largest cathedral in the United States with seating for 3,000 people. Built in the Classical Renaissance style of architecture, the Cathedral dome is modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. We will drive along Summit Avenue, one of the longest stretches of virtually uninterrupted Victorian architecture in the United States. This monumental boulevard of homes, churches, synagogues and schools attracts tourists and natives alike who stroll past its architectural curiosities and landmarks. Streets like Summit Avenue were not uncommon in the 19th century, but in most American cities, these thoroughfares have completely lost their character to progress, except in St. Paul. Some homes to note along Summit Avenue are the James J. Hill House, the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Governor’s Mansion. Minneapolis is filled with exciting attractions, events, restaurants, clubs, shopping, culture, sports, recreation and entertainment that is unsurpassed in the Midwest. The excitement will start when we first glimpse the Minneapolis skyline, an ever-changing scene of contemporary skyscrapers in a dazzling variety of colors, shapes and sizes that heralds the city’s dynamic growth and vibrant, thriving lifestyle. While in Minneapolis we will explore the famous Nicollet Mall, Skyway network, Block “E”, theater district, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee Train Depot, Orchestra Hall, the television home of Mary Tyler Moore and St. Anthony Falls, the birthplace of Minneapolis. The Twin Cities Highlights Tour is offered the following times and locations: Twin Cities A.M. Tour: 3 1/4 hour tour (1/2 hour allotted for food and beverage stop in downtown Minneapolis) 10:30AM: Departure from Mall of America (North Arrival / Departure Facility) 11:30AM: Departure from Crowne Plaza Riverfront (Kellogg Street entrance) 11:35AM: Departure from the Saint Paul Hotel (Market Street entrance) Twin Cities P.M. Tour: 2 3/4 hour tour 12:45PM: Departure from the Marriott City Center / Radisson Plaza (7th Street-Marriott side) 1:00PM: Departure from the Hyatt Regency / Millennium Hotel (Nicollet Mall-Hyatt side) 1:05PM: Departure from the Hilton (11th Street entrance) 2:00PM: Departure from Mall of America (North Arrival / Departure Facility) Price: Adult $32.00; Senior (55+) $30.00; Child (6-12) $22.00