Historic Minneapolis Riverfront Private Walking Tour
- Live Guide
- Instant Confirmation
- Private Tour
- E-Ticket
- 2 hr
On your 2-hour fully narrated experience you’ll stroll along, and across, the Mississippi River in the footsteps of people like railroad tycoon James J Hill, once the richest man in Minnesota. He made his fortune as the river rushed through the heartland, tumbled down a magnificent waterfall, and powered dozens of mills as a rapidly thriving community grew up around it. Your tour guide will delight you with stories of epic rivalries, world domination, quiet hidden corners, boom town brothels, and European explorers as you traverse 350 years of recorded history. Once the flour-milling capital of the world, modern-day Minneapolis thrives on its founding principles of hard work, innovation, and ingenuity. See how historic structures are repurposed for modern use, while retaining the charm and flair of past golden ages. This is the Minneapolis we bring you back to: the Minneapolis of sawdust, extreme wealth, immigrants, brewers, and nature. This is the best sightseeing experience in town!
Itinerary Details
Operated by: Twin Cities Sightseeing Tours
Stop At:
The country’s largest regional theater, offering a breathtaking view of our tour area from the Endless Bridge
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By:
Once housed the world’s largest and most technologically advanced flour mill in the world, now a history on the founding and growth of Minneapolis.
Stop At: Mill Ruins Park
Celebrates and documents the history of 19th-century flour mills long since abandoned and excavated in the past 25 years.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At:
Discover why it’s been the Minneapolis area’s lifeline for over 10,000 years.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At:
Cross the river via this historic and unique bridge, while taking in the best view of the city.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: St. Anthony Falls
First documented in 1680, the falls powered mills and generated wealth for the Twin Cities.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At:
Stroll the oldest street in Minneapolis, passing by the city’s oldest tavern and over a warren of caves and tunnels.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At:
Location of what was the first permanent bridge over the Mississippi River, we take the current elegant and stylish bridge back toward downtown.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Nicollet Island
Before it became a Victorian oasis in the middle of “Big Muddy”, the island was revered by the Sioux and Ojibwe.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By:
The third building for this purpose stands on the site of the former Minneapolis Great Northern Depot and the Pacific sawmill.
Pass By:
In the 19th century, “Bridge Square” was the commercial hub and government seat of the growing city; the original Downtown Minneapolis.
Stop At:
The Milwaukee Road railway depot bustled with activity for over 70 years; today it remains one of the last surviving long-span, truss-roofed sheds in the country.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At:
An Art Deco treasure in an unexpected location, the opulent lobby remains unchanged since its 1933 opening.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At:
St Anthony Falls’ power was harnessed for industry here at the nation’s first commercial hydroelectric generation station.
Duration: 5 minutes
