Do you want to be socially distanced and safe during these unprecedented times, but also still be active outside? Look no further, because these Minneapolis walking tours are the best of both worlds.
Stay safe and socially distanced, enjoy being outside, being active, and learning about things that interest you, these walking tours are the new revolution during this pandemic.
Learn about a topic that interests you, or a new topic all together.
Below is a list of Minneapolis walking tours that take you around the city as you gain knowledge on some of the cities most interesting facts.
Let’s get walking!
Table of Contents
- 1. Food Tours
- Savor and Stroll
- Taste Twin Cities Food Tours
- Minneapolis Riverwalk
- 2. Segway Tours
- 3. Brewery Tours
- Twin Cities Brewery Tours: Brews ‘N Bites
- Hoppy Trolley
- Renee’s Limousines
- 4. Landmark Tours
- Minneapolis Landmark Bus Tour
- Disasters of the Mississippi Riverfront
- Minneapolis Walking Tour (Riverfront)
- The Malcolm Willey House
- 6. Factory Tours
- Mill City Museum
- Tattersall Distilling
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- 7. Boat Tours
- Paddle Bridge Guide Collective
1. Food Tours
Of course I am going to start with food, who do you think I am?
Let’s get started and take a look at some of the best food tours in Minneapolis.
Savor and Stroll
With two locations to choose from, either St. Paul or Historic Northeast Minneapolis food tour, these walking tours take you to six different restaurant and specialty store locations to sample some of their top menu options.
The tour in total is 1.5 miles long, and is done rain or shine. A little snow never hurt anyone!
Learn how the local establishments began and how the neighborhood and the restaurants in the Northeast have developed and thrived in the diverse ethnic community.
Of course, the food is the main item on the agenda, but Northeast Minneapolis is also quite a historic place in Minnesota.
Rich with history, architecture, and cultural sites, you will learn so much more than just food-related facts on this walking tour.
Learn about the important roles the river and falls played in the early settlement days, and the historic importance of Chute Square.
This tour is “full of food, facts, and fun.” Check out these takeout spots in Minneapolis if you’d like to build your own self-guided tour.
Taste Twin Cities Food Tours
With a multitude of tours to choose from, this is the top option for walking food tours in Minneapolis.
You and your group can choose from three different Minneapolis tours.
Do you want to book a tour last minute? Check this site for great tour options.
Minneapolis Riverwalk
Start in one of the cities most trendy neighborhoods. Stroll along the Mississippi, and cross the historic Stone Arch Bridge into Northeast Minneapolis.
Learn the area’s history and sample food from nearby restaurants, with ties to the food eaten in early Minneapolis times, including a “Minnesota-style” pizza being served since 1965.
Heart of Minneapolis
Go downtown and walk your way through the skyscrapers during this food adventure. Sample some of the newest and hottest restaurants in the city, and see why some of them are award-winning.
Learn about the cities rich history, while dining on locally-inspired, locally-sourced food and drinks.
Minneapolis Skyway
During the winter months, they even have a skyway tour! Stay nice and toasty while walking the corridors of the Minneapolis skyways, and sample some of the cities tastiest cuisines.
This has some of the same options as the Heart of Minneapolis tour, just indoors through the skyway to ensure no one is cold during the winter months of Minnesota!
See Related: 10 Best Minnesota Family Vacations
2. Segway Tours
Not technically a “walking tour”, this Segway adventure puts a whole new spin on walking tours. You can go a lot further a lot quicker on two wheels than two feet.
Debuting at the Minnesota State Fair in 2004, Human on a Stick launched the first Segway tour company in the U.S. Now providing Minneapolis and St. Paul with Segway tours for nearly 20 years, this company provides an unforgettable experience.
Human on a Stick: Segway Tours of Minneapolis presents their Magical History Tour, providing a three-hour Segway tour of Minneapolis covering both sides of the Mississippi River.
Each tour starts with a half-hour course on Segway Certified Training, to ensure a safe and confident tour.
Your guide will cover nearly a century’s worth of historical information on a six-mile adventure.
Stop at historic sites such as the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mill City Museum. And cruise through Gold Medal Park below the world-famous Guthrie Theater.
See Related: Best Things to do in Rochester, MN
3. Brewery Tours
Anyone who has been to, or lived in Minneapolis before, knows that the city is a huge spot for craft breweries and craft brew drinkers!
Let’s take a look at some of the best brewery tours in Minneapolis.
Need a cheap plane ticket to get to Minneapolis? Click here and book your ticket now.
Twin Cities Brewery Tours: Brews ‘N Bites
Put your taste buds at ease with this wonderful tour of three craft breweries in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.
Visit Urban Growler, Fulton Brewing, and Sisyphus and experience all of their delicious craft beer along with small sample bites to compliment the beers.
This company also offers private and corporate tours, so make sure to check out Twin Cities Brewery Tours to make the best of your brewery experience in Minneapolis!
Hoppy Trolley
Equipped with the knowledge of local beer experts, Hoppy Trolley surely does not disappoint. Led by a professional guide of microbreweries in the Twin Cities, this company prides itself on having the knowledge to answer all your beer-related questions.
On these tours, your guide will inform you about the history of the Twin Cities, its neighborhoods, and the growing reputation for brewing some of the nation’s best craft beer.
Choose from four different options including public, private, corporate, and distillery, and cider tours.
Public tours include a three-hour tasting that includes a facility tour of 56 Brewing.
Afterward, you will visit an additional two breweries in Minneapolis.
The private tour is customized to you and your group, you pick where to go and the tour bus goes. Corporate tours include team building activities, a private tour of a brewery, and a beer paired dinner.
Not a bad way to spend a night at the office! For non-beer drinkers, there is a distillery and cider tour that allows private tours of selected locations.
Renee’s Limousines
This may not be a walking tour… but who doesn’t love to ride in a limousine? Do you want to show up to your favorite brewery in style?
Want to have a fun night out on the town with your friends? Book a brewery tour with Renee’s Limousines and find out what everyone is talking about.
With over 20 breweries to choose from, this tour will surely quench every beer drinker’s thirst.
Brewery tours are customized to you and typically last between three to six hours. You will surely not be disappointed, as you ride in luxury from spot to spot.
This can be a great idea for all sorts of events such as birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and even corporate events.
Love breweries? Check out our brewery guides for other cities in Minnesota:
See Related: 13 Best Coffee Shops in Minnesota
4. Landmark Tours
As many people know, Minneapolis is a very historic town, and with that comes many historic sights to see.
Here is a list of landmark tours throughout Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Minneapolis Landmark Bus Tour
This may not be your typical “walking” tour, but a tour nonetheless, this bus tour brings you all over Minneapolis during its hour and a half duration.
There are too many to list, but a few stops along the way include the downtown Sculpture Garden, St. Anthony Falls, the IDS Building, and a few Prince landmarks.
The expert tour guide provides an unforgettable experience that brings you to some of Minneapolis’s greatest landmarks from the past, present, and future.
This is a great way to spend your weekend afternoon with friends or family.
Disasters of the Mississippi Riverfront
This landmark walking tour is provided by the Minnesota Historical Society. Looking at all the different terrible disasters that occurred along the riverfront, this interesting tour takes a look at the macabre side of the cities great history.
Minneapolis has had its fair share of floods, explosions, fires, and collapses, yet their legacies and the people taken with them have survived.
Minneapolis Walking Tour (Riverfront)
Although similar to the above-mentioned tour, this walking tour provides essential information on the longest river in the U.S., the Mississippi River, and some of its earliest industries.
Check out some of these top things to do along the Minneapolis riverwalk.
See Related: Best and Fun Things to do in Minnesota
The Malcolm Willey House
Breaking ground in 1934, this beautiful house was designed and built by the world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The house was technically finished and was lived in much throughout its life, although never reaching a fully completed interior.
Through a number of sales, the current owners bought the house in 2002 and did a complete restoration, true to Wright’s genius. This brought the conclusion to the house in which neither Wright nor the Willey’s saw it, in a completed form.
Now that the house is truly complete, the house is available for owner-led tours. (Disclaimer: The house is not handicapped accessible.) Occasionally the house is opened up for an open-house day.
Special events and private tours are accepted upon close consideration by the owners.
Highly encouraged, this Frank Lloyd Wright Minneapolis tour is truly something special. It’s not every day that you get to step into a house designed by one of the greatest architects of his time.
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6. Factory Tours
Do you ever wonder about those massive industrial buildings in downtown Minneapolis?
I’ve always wondered what they used to be like when they were moving with the hustle and bustle of the city when it was at the height of the industrial revolution.
Check out some of these factory tours in Minneapolis, these tours can answer all of your questions!
Mill City Museum
Minneapolis was built on flour milling, and both the Gold Medal Flour and Pillsbury companies used the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls for their operations.
When the Washburn A Mill exploded and killed many employees and devastated the area around the blast, Mill City Museum was built on the ruins of the mill in honor of the lost lives.
Group tours can be booked and a one-hour guided tour will take place. Experience all the mill was back then and the history surrounding it today.
Tattersall Distilling
Take a tour of one of the biggest distilleries in Minnesota. Tattersall is known for making their signature cocktails with the alcohol they distill in their factory.
Tours are not currently open due to COVID-19 but check back with their website for information on when they will be back open.
The massive distilling barrels are truly a sight to see with your own eyes!
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
I remember going here for a school project one time, and let me tell you, the sheer size of this place will leave you in awe.
Although not your typical “factory” this building is sort of run like a factory. Observe automated robots that move hundreds of millions of dollars in currency in a single day. Learn about how all of that currency makes it to your local banks.
This tour includes the history and structure of the Federal Reserve, techniques and tactics used to sustain a healthy economy, and banking services offered to financial institutions and the federal government.
Don’t forget to take home your shredded bag of U.S. currency as a souvenir from Minnesota!
See Related: Best Things to do in Lanesboro, Minnesota
7. Boat Tours
Are you sick of the land?
How about schedule a boat tour instead and change the regular scenery! Check out this awesome Minneapolis boat tour.
Paddle Bridge Guide Collective
With two tours to choose from, kayaking down the Mississippi may seem a bit daunting. But leave it to Paddle Bridge Guide Collective to ensure your safety, starting with a paddle skill introduction before entering the kayaks.
The Heart of Minneapolis Tour consists of a two-and-a-half hour out-and-back kayak ride with views of bridges and the skyline.
Each guide has a different story to tell but makes sure to lift the veil of history and ensures you see the histories written on the banks of the Mississippi.
So whatever tour is your type, make sure to stop and appreciate the rich historic city of Minneapolis.
Whether you live there or are just stopping in for a visit (as the Midwesterners like to say) check out what great information you can learn about Minneapolis and Minnesota as a whole.
Get out there and start exploring and learning by booking a Minneapolis walking tour today!
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