5 top Minnesota travel tips from the locals
From top places to eat and favourite cultural institutions to where the locals go to escape into nature, here are the experiences that the locals recommend in Minnesota
1: Take a trip to Paisley Park
“I’m 54 now, so when Paisley Park [was completed], I would have been 14 or so…. I genuinely love his music, but I used to avoid it. I don’t know why; I just did.
But then Vogue hired me to photograph Prince’s clothing. It didn’t work out because of legal issues [around his estate], so I ended up shooting different homes Prince lived in while he was growing up.
I also took a tour of Paisley Park soon after [the museum] opened, and I thought it was fantastic — super interesting.
Prince was from another planet, and he organized his world that way. The fact that he did it in a building that looks like an office park in Chanhassen is crazy. Nothing about it makes sense, you know? It’s just bonkers in the best way. It feels real.”
– Alec Soth, photographer
2: Escape to Cedar Lake
“I live in the western part of Minneapolis. The Cedar Lake Regional Trail is very close to our house; I can ride a 25-mile loop, crossing only a couple of surface roads, because of the bike trail system that’s there. I love that.
I love walking around Cedar Lake, too. It’s far less busy than the other big lakes in the area, and so beautiful. I try to walk this three-mile loop around it as much as I can, because once it gets quite cold, I’m done being outside until it warms up again. What can I say? I’m a Miami boy.”
– Joseph Haj, Artistic Director
3: Eat at Porzanza
“I love Porzana. It’s my favourite restaurant from chef Daniel del Prado. It’s just got a vibe to it. You know that you’ll always have good drinks and good food there. It specializes in Argentinian steak, but even the veggies — like the broccoli — are so good. And they have these Argentinian [cheese rolls] that are gluten free. I can eat those all day. They come in a small bowl and they’re just amazing.
The drinks are great. Every time I go there, I ask the bartenders how they’re able to use their glasses and not break them. The stemware is so nice. It’s so delicate. If I go to a place that doesn’t have craft drinks, I’m fine; I’m like a Tito’s [vodka] and soda girl, but I do appreciate a good cocktail.”
– Diane Moua, chef
4: Check out the farmers markets
“I would recommend hitting up one of our farmers markets and getting something really good to make at home.
As an athlete, I like to know what I’m eating the night before [a race] and make sure it’s not going to disrupt my stomach 12 hours later. Why not get some great Minnesota Grown basil and make your own quick pasta meal?
We go to the Saint Paul Farmers Market when we can, and the one in Mill City is awesome as well. You should really check out your neighborhood and see if there’s something happening because we have small ones that just kind of pop up in parking lots here or there.”
– Carrie Tollefson, Olympian
5: Watch the wildlife
“The magic of Minnesota is you’re not very far away from a natural environment that gives you a subtle experience of what’s real. Coyotes run through our backyard, and if you pay attention, you realise there’s shifts with different animals during the day.
We’ll get up in the morning, and it’s the dawn patrol — a small sparrow hawk flying through our backyard on its morning route. A couple hours later, a brown hawk comes through, and he’s after the bigger birds — particularly the robins and the doves. Then later on in the afternoon, the eagle comes by, and everybody else has to watch out.
When I first came here, I lived out by Elk River, and it was very interesting, because the first thing you do when you meet people is say ‘what do you guys do for entertainment?’ And they were like, ‘Oh, we watch the eagles,’ or ‘we watch the deer.’ I get it now.”
– Jimmy Longoria, Painter
