Life in the Twin Cities
The Arts
Music lovers enjoy performances by the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis, and the Grammy-award winning St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Ordway theater. The Ordway is also home to the Minnesota Opera Company and hosts touring Broadway musicals. Popular, jazz, and country music are also abundant, with nationally known artists performing at such venues as the Target Center, the Historic State Theater, Northrop Auditorium, the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, and at the newly-remodeled River Centre in St. Paul. Dance thrives in the Twin Cities as well, particularly during Northrop Auditorium's annual Northrop Dance Series at the University of Minnesota. Professional theater is very prominent in the Twin Cities and caters to almost any preference. The Guthrie Theater offers classic plays, the Southern Theater produces experimental works, and the Children's Theater is recognized as one of the nation's best. Other regionally and nationally renowned theaters include The Mixed Blood Theater, The Jungle Theater, the Theatre De La Jeune Lune and the Brave New Workshop Theater. Patrons of visual art enjoy the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and the University's own Weisman Museum. Minneapolis' 35 museums have something for everyone. Museums of natural science in the Twin Cities include the Children's Museum, the Bell Natural History Museum, the new Science Museum, the Minnesota Zoological Gardens, the Como Zoo and Conservatory.
Sports
The Twin Cities is rich in major league sports with baseball (Twins), football (Vikings), men's basketball (Timberwolves), women's basketball (Lynx), soccer (Thunder), and since winter 2000-2001, hockey (The Wild). For those who love baseball but prefer an outdoor ballpark, the St. Paul Saints play to sell-out crowds at Midway Field in the Northern Baseball League. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers host Big Ten intercollegiate sports including football, baseball, basketball, track and field, men's hockey and the 1999 National Champion Gopher women's hockey team.
The Outdoors
Minnesota is called "the land of 10,000 lakes" for a reason (although there are actually 15,291 lakes of over 10 acres in the State). More than 100 lakes and 300 parks are featured within the Twin Cities metropolitan area. With the Mississippi River winding through the cities, the natural beauty is breathtaking. Residents and visitors flock to the lakes and rivers to swim, canoe, sail, wind surf and fish in the fabulous spring, summer and fall weather. In the winter the parks are alive with ice skating, cross country and downhill skiing. The parks and lakes have extensive walking and bike paths that also accommodate roller-bladers.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota is a favorite for camping and backpacking. Explore Minnesota organizes many group outdoor activities throughout the state.
Minneapolis has an annual outdoor summer festival, the Aquatennial, which includes numerous events including a parade, a race, and unique competitions such as the milk-carton boat races. Not to be outdone, St. Paul hosts a winter festival, the St. Paul Winter Carnival, which features parades, cultural celebrations, and a crowd favorite? the ice and snow sculpting competitions.
What's Happening in the Cities
For current events, you can check out the cities two mainstream newspapers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star Tribune. For a slightly different take, visit the City Pages, a free weekly paper which also publishes an insightful annual list, "The Best of the Twin Cities." Or if you prefer a more humorous take on things, we even have our own local edition of The Onion. WCCO television's "Channel 4000" is also a great place for up-to-the-minute news. The University of Minnesota's student paper is The Daily.
For more information about the Twin Cities, visit the College of Liberal Art's Twin Cities' Guide or the University's Why Minneapolis page.