Home Sightseeing Themes Rates / FAQ Client Feedback About Us Contact The Twin Cities Minnesota Mississippi River Lake Superior Our Water - "Minne" Links

See the still youthful and slender Mississippi River; scenic city lakes; waterfalls; beautiful homes in elegant, forested neighborhoods; impressive buildings both old and new; two energized downtowns; great cathedrals; sports stadiums; and many more surprises along the way. It all makes a sightseeing tour of the Twin Cities a photogenic must see. At Twin Cities Tours we offer customized, private tours for one to 50 people.

Your guide is a lifetime resident with a thorough knowledge of the area, its history, architecture and lore. Each tour begins with a conversation to determine your particular interests and then is designed accordingly. The following is a list of sightseeing themes to select from.

Sightseeing Themes

Two City Tour

This is our basic tour which includes the majority of major attractions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. It includes both downtown areas, the Mississippi River, Minneapolis Lakes Area, University of Minnesota, Minnehaha Falls, St. Paul Cathedral, Summit Avenue Victorian-era mansions, sports stadiums, and much more. (Suggested length: 3-4 hours. Three hours is moving right along; four allows more time for entering the Cathedral, walking across the Stone Arch Bridge, visiting Minnehaha Falls, photography, etc., at a much more relaxed pace.)

Hidden Neighborhoods and Treasures

The tour guide's favorite, as well as of local residents who have usually seen many of the Two-City Tour attractions. It is also enjoyed by more ventursome visitors who are weary of the "30 strangers and a microphone" bus tours. It is is bit of a Lewis and Clark Expedition with surprises around each bend in the river and down each road less travelled. It includes secluded neighborhoods and other attractions off the beaten trail.(4 hours; Works best on a weekday.)

Architecture

James J. Hill Mansion Ranges from a five mile parade of Victorian-era mansions along Saint Paul's Summit Avenue to modern museums, skyscrapers, WPA buildings, churches and public sculpture. Many great architects, styles and eras are represented here including works of internationally-acclaimed architects Phillip Johnson, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Gray Purcell, Emmanuel Masqueray, Cesar Pelli, Frank Gehry, Jean Nuveau, Jacques Herzon, Pierre de Meuron and more. Plus local architects like Cass Gilbert (the State Capitol, the Woolworth building in NYC), Clarence Johnston (several Summit Avenue mansions), and Harry "Wild" Jones, a featured architect on the Hidden Treasures tour.

Regarding residential architecture, a common reaction is amazement at the many, unduplicated, yet aesthetically beautiful variations of styles and unparalleled Camelot neighborhoods. One guest's reaction typified many others: "If when I die heaven does not look like this, I will be sadly disappointed!" You will even see the Twin Cities' smallest house, and the strangest! (4 hours)

Childrens Tours

Got youngsters? Even our tours can get a bit tedious if you're a kid! So to include them in the fun,we blend the Two City Tour with a serving of cool attractions for children: like the home of Mr. Little Guy; and the world's greatest children's book store, where chickens and cats without tails run around, white rats entertain in the mystery section, and a little door inside the adult door just to get in and out of the place -- oh, and books! We'll run off some steam by skipping across the Mississippi River on the Stone Arch Bridge. (Pssst! There is also much for Mom and Dad to enjoy along the way, but we try not make too big of a fuss about it.) (3-4)

Mississippi River through the Twin Cities

The passage of the Mississippi River through the two cities is really its last youthful adventure, especially as it cascades over St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis. By the time it leaves Saint Paul, 13 miles downstream, it has become a young adult on its grand adventure to become the Old Man River of St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. On this tour we focus on the great river as it passes through the Twin Cities. In addition St. Anthony Falls, you'll also see Minnehaha Falls, the three uppermost locks on the river, Nicollet Island, sacred sites, and all of the activity born of and dependent on the Mighty Mississippi. (3-4 hours)

Mississippi River Bluff Area

This is a trip southeasterly out of the Twin Cities, following the Mighty Mississippi River through perhaps its most beautiful scenery along its long sojourn to the Gulf of Mexico. It is referred to as the Bluff Country. It was carved out of the sandstone eons ago by glacial melt, leaving forested hills (bluffs) surrounding picture postcard valleys with winding roads, streams and red barns. The main feature is the river itself, but we also drive in and around the Bluff Area including some stunning views from high up where the eagles soar. Especially stunning in autumn.(9 hours)

For more on the Mississippi River

Corporate guests

How to overcome their terror of WINTER? Yes, it is difficult to recruit people to come here...but, it is even more difficult to get them to leave!! The beauty of the area and its quality of life trumps all other concerns. We've seen many a corporate guest or recruit do a 180 while driving around the city lakes, parkways, Uptown, and so on. We are often engaged by local companies to show their guests all that there is to love about this area, as well as to tour through potential neighborhoods where they might chose to live in the case of relocation. Importantly, we are not glad-smiling realtors, meaning zero pressure while exploring real estate options. (2-plus hours, depending on the geographical breadth of guest needs and scope of interests.

Read what our corporate clients say

Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Mary Tyler Moore show was set in the Twin Cities in the Seventies. See were Mary lived, worked and hung out. This tour is combined with the Two City Tour.

Lake Minnetonka

Located 20 minutes west of Minneapolis, this lake is considered by many the most beautiful in Minnesota (and we have 12,292 of them!). It has one hundred miles of shoreline (we don't see it all) surrounded by beautiful mansions hidden in a vast forest and strung along georgeous bays and peninsulas. You'll see sailboats galore and quaint villages well worth a bit of shopping, cappucinno, or a meal as time permits. (3-4 hours. 4 allows time to lunch.)

Stillwater

Located 30 minutes east of St. Paul, it is the oldest town in Minnesota, an old lumbering town nestled in the very scenic St. Croix River Valley. Among the riverside cliff dwellings are several photogenic, painted lady, Victorian-era houses. The town itself offers the classic mainstreet, with lots of interesting shops, many of them with antiques and used books. You will want to include time for some shopping, a cappuccino in a brick-walled coffee shop, or a walleye and wild rice meal (typical Minnesota food) in a restaurant overlooking the luscious scenery of the valley and Wisconsin on the other side. This is an excellent autumn drive.(3-4 hours)

Swedish Immigrant / Vilhelm Moberg Trail

The great Swedish immigration of the 1850s and beyond, particularly into the Minnesota area, was immortalized in famed Swedish author, Vilhelm Moberg's, four-novel series: The Emigrants, Unto a New Land, The Settlers, and The Last Letter Home. This tour takes you along the "Moberg Trail;" through the forests, farms and towns around Lake Ki Chi Saga (now Chisago Lakes) mentioned in the books. Towns include Stillwater, Marine, Scandia, Taylor's Falls, Center City and Lindstrom. Sites include Nya Duvemåla (New Dove House) where the main characters, Karl Oskar Nilsson, his wife Kristina and children, struggled to survive. Kristina's beloved astrakhan apple trees still grow here. Nearby is the cemetery where they were buried. You will see statues of Kristina and Karl Oskar, and of Moberg himself, along with his writing desk, and the rooming house where he stayed in 1948 while doing research. You'll also want to take a picture of Linström's Vålkommen till Lindström coffee pot water tower! (6-8 hours)

Lake Superior

Anyone who considers Superior a lake, is mistaken. It is a sea! It is a three-hour drive out of the Twin Cities to reach the port of Duluth. It is a stunning site which we landlubbers never quite get over, as it presents a world port and ocean-like view into the otherwise landlocked epicenter of the North American continent. Duluth is a gateway to a different world...to the whole world! In Canal Park you can feed Jonathan Livingston Seagull (or perhaps a cousin) while watching the oceanliners heading in and out of the harbor beneath the Lift Bridge. But the main attraction is Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Time permitting, we take you up along the beautiful, pristine shoreline as far as Split Rock Lighthouse. (8-10 hours. 10 hours gets you up the coast as far as Split Rock Lighthouse...It's worth it.)

For more on Lake Superior

Click to contact us with questions or to make a reservation