Beautiful historical building with grey photo opportunities and a few small but exquisite museums…read moreinside! I walked into this center while attending a conference in the Saint Paul hotel across the street. I was so pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the inside is, how nice the two museums (a musical instrument museum, with amazingly beautiful old pianos, and a woodwork museum with a great collection of carved wood items) are, and how friendly and helpful the staff/volunteers were inside the center. And all of that is free to the visitors! What a wonderful opportunity to see the region's history and culture , and meet some friendly locals! I can't recommend this place enough!

Gorgeous historical building with a variety of exhibits and restored courtrooms. The woodwork…read morethroughout the building was all hand-carved, as was the stonework. A wonderful space in which to wander!

Very fun in a nice small park downtown. We are Peanuts fans and enjoyed the display. If you bring a…read morepicnic lunch you could enjoy it in the park.

Gotta check these out in you're in the area. I want to say the Peanuts creator was from the area so…read morethey're here as a tribute to him.

At the last Minnesota Wild game that I attended, I had parked at Infor Commons. I exited the…read morebuilding and needed to cut across a park to get to Xcel Energy Center. I came to realize that I was walking through Rice Park. This public park has a fountain that was fairly frozen when I was there in March. I'm sure that it's beautiful when it's warmer and there's water coming out of the fountain. There's also a bandstand. I was thrilled to see sculptures of Peanuts cartoon characters. I quickly cut through this park to get to the game, but took my time to stroll through the park after the game was over. Rice Park is one of the venues of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. I have never been to it, but I did see on Fox 9 Good Day that an ice palace was built here for the occasion. The park's location is cool. It's bordered by the Landmark Center to the north, the Saint Paul Hotel to the east, the George Latimer Central Library to the south, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to the west. I basically stood in the park to admire the other sites as the tourist that I can be. There is a sign that details the history of this park. It is named after Minnesota Senator Henry Mower Rice. He donated the land to the city in 1849 along with Saint Paul banker John Irvine. The land was first used by settlers to dry laundry or graze animals. The park's first major renovation occurred in 1965 renovation that was initiated by the Women's Institute of Saint Paul. A statue of a girl created by Wisconsin artist Alonzo Hauser was added as a centerpiece to the park. It's a nicely maintained park. I enjoyed looking at all the Peanuts statues. They are fitting tributes to Charles M. Schulz, who hailed from Minneapolis. I hope to return when it's warmer and enjoy the park more. It was a pleasant surprise finding this park and strolling through it. (104)

Rice park is an adorable spot right in the heart of the city. Featuring the peanuts characters,…read moreplenty of benches and lights, it is a breath of fresh air! Very well decorated and a popular spot for events. Currently hosting the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship events including s'more's, plenty of hockey games, and more family fun in the park.

Today the James J. Hill house was the starting point for the Summit Avenue Walking Tour by the…read moreMinnesota Historical Society. Thoroughly informative and enjoyable. Josef was knowledgeable and a charming storyteller. The tour lasts 90 minutes and covers 1.5 miles of walking. One of the highlights was seeing the park where F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up playing baseball and the Commodore Hotel behind it where he and Zelda were often socializing. We saw multiple Victorian era architectural styles including Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Tudor Revival. Lots of historical stories, an enjoyable walk, highly recommend!

Very cute historical house. The tour was really informative and you got to see parts of the house…read morethat you can't see by walking through yourself. The kitchen and boiler room were especially cool to see.

Cool view with a lot of history. great view of the city either day or night but like why couldn't…read moreit just be open to the public? You would think you would be able to go up for an even better view but nope. But even from the vantage point not too bad of a view of Minneapolis.

This water tower has quite a lot of history if you google it. The park itself isn't much to visit…read moreand surround the tower is pretty run down. I rode my bike up here just to check it out, wasn't worth it.

For a newbie in this area, trying to figure out where Landmark Plaza starts and ends was a…read morechallenge. There really isn't an official sign that says that you are here. My touristy impression is that Landmark Plaza is the small park in front of the historic Landmark Center. The plaza connects to both Hamm Memorial Park and Rice Park. It also has a few bronze Peanuts statues. I had parked at Infor Commons. When I had stepped out of the building and crossed the street (jaywalking across a one-way street is easy), I was at Landmark Plaza. It's cute. I can see it being a small greenspace to take a break and people-watch when it's warmer. I'd guess that Rice Park has more people there when the weather is nice, so hanging out at Landmark Plaza is a good alternative. Landmark Center is pretty cool. I learned that it used to be a post office and court house. It's now a cultural centre for music, theatre, exhibitions, dance, and more. It was nice discovering Landmark Plaza on my way to a Minnesota Wild game. I enjoy such discoveries and learning about them. (105)

This is a small pocket park that looks like a walk through. It was previously the Orpheum Theatre…read moreand later a state bank. It is a half an acre and features a couple of Peanuts statues, including one of Lucy and Linus leaning on a low wall, one with Charlie Brown sitting with a dog on his lap, and another depict Schroeder playing the piano while Lucy is leaning on it, swooning all over him. If you look closely, you will see small interpretive plaques embedded in the tops of the seat walls. It is near the Landmark Center, where it gets its name from. There is paved and cobblestone walkways that are starting to break off and come apart, along with some benches to sit. You add a little green space and that is basically all the plaza has to offer. You will find metered street parking around the perimeter of the plaza. Be sure to check the meters' enforcement hours. You may not have to pay depending on when you are there. It is a decent place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city or walk your pooch. I will admit though that this is not a destination spot and will probably be visited by people that are passing by the plaza on the way somewhere else or just wanting to take a quick break of the hustle and bustle of the city.

We took our granddaughter to the Mn History Center thinking that it would be fun. We were right…read more The exhibits are interactive enough to keep her entertained and informative enough to keep our attention. My favorite exhibit was a reenactment of the 1965 Fridley Tornado with radio coverage from WCCO's Boone and Erickson. You get to sit in a "basement" and feel what they felt...it was a lot of fun.

- Minnesota History Center…read more The Minnesota History Center was an interesting and worthwhile stop, especially for anyone who enjoys learning about state and regional history. Most of the main exhibits were located on the third floor, and I believe there were around five in total during my visit. The exhibits appealed to a wide range of ages, with some sections designed for children, others for young adults, and plenty of material that adults would appreciate as well. The museum covers a broad range of Minnesota history, including major weather events, the Greatest Generation, and different decades from the 1920s through the modern era. There was a good balance of historical information, artifacts, and interactive displays. Some of the more memorable items included a pair of the first original water skis ever invented and the steering wheel from the USS Minnesota. There were many other artifacts throughout the museum that helped connect Minnesota's history to larger events in American history. Overall, there is a lot to see and learn here. I would highly recommend the Minnesota History Center to anyone interested in history or wanting to better understand the people, events, and innovations that shaped the state.

Bravo! My new motto is to bring trains back. My family visits Union Depot regularly for local…read moreevents such as the Saint Paul Art Crawl, local craft shows, to get steps in the winter and last year took the North Pole Express for the experience. I'm proud to announce that this year we finally booked a 6-hour train ride from Saint Paul to Sturtevant which is near Milwaukee, WI. We had a wedding to attend and rather than drive 5-hours, we decided to add another hour on the train and be hands free and comfortable. It was the best decision ever! Showing up to the depot 30 minutes before departure vs. 2-hours at an airport was the biggest flex. The depot is also very sanitary and has great security. There's even security in the women's bathroom so big kudos there. Depending on the time of your departure, shops and coffee might not be open but again, this is not a travel spot you need to be at hours in advance so that wasn't a knock for us. The Borealis Amtrak was the train we took and adored it. Was it super updated and high end? No. Did it have an upper and lower deck? Yes. Was the leg room out of this world with feet resters and chairs that reclined basically all the way down? Yes. Was there great overhead space for luggage and only 2 seats per aisle with no middle row ever? Yes. Was there a snack cafe? Yes. Did we see fall foliage out the windows? Yes. Did we play on electronics the entire ride? No. We looked out the window for 6-hours watching nature, seeing tons of deer, bodies of water, etc. If you're even considering a short trip to Rochester, etc. DO IT! This is the greatest adventure ever and it's affordable. Staff is beyond friendly and helpful especially for us as first timers. As I am pregnant, they even let us move into the family line and board first. We also saw a huge catering service towards the elderly population where they escort those who need extra time before the family line and encourage them to sit downstairs to avoid the stairs as there is no elevator. My husband and I look to book a longer trip in the near future in one of the sleeper trains going to see the mountains. I cannot vote for this more. Enjoy!! Toot toot!!!

Union Depot is a hub for transportation. Gateway to the Twin Cities where you can get on Amtrak,…read moreand several bus lines. The building itself is historic and beautiful well worth the visit just for the art and architectur. You can visit some truly unique business, grab hot snacks from the fun vending machines, or get a great meal at 1881 Eating House. Start you skywalk here and come back for cocktails.

Looks great! Has a nice sign out in front. However, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Birthplace is not a…read moremuseum; there's no admittance whatsoever. One simply stands on the sidewalk and views it, or perhaps takes a snapshot.

Absolutely beautiful Sunday Morning Walk after Mass at the St Paul Catholic Cathedral. Summit is…read morelined with amazing architecture and history. This area is so worth the time to stop and explore. Amazing feeling to be Standing in front of a jewel that was home to this incredible author.

Love that they turned the old swing bridge into a park. I remember my grandparents driving across…read morewhen I was a child. I was always excited to pay the man in the booth the toll fee. The light show at night is pretty cool .

A very scenic and historical park that's not too well known. Easy parking and there are heated…read morerestrooms. If you like to read about where you are there are a few interpretation points. Catch some great views of the ol' Mississippi and look for the climb up lookout point. If dad gets bored with the whole thing he could head over to the ah 'gentlemen's' club at the corner of the highway turn.