Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul show real America in all its glory

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul are crying out to be explored. Away from the tourist traps and crowds of other US destinations, this is real America in all its glory and should be next on your bucket list.

The USA’s beautiful midwest is an overlooked corner of the country — often skipped by those looking for the hustle and bustle of New York, the playgrounds of California and Las Vegas or the sandy beaches of Florida.

But the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul are crying out to be explored. Away from the tourist traps and crowds of other US destinations, this is real America in all its glory and should be next on your bucket list.

Known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minneapolis and St Paul are the key to the Midwest. With a new direct Aer Lingus flight connection from Dublin, it is the perfect jumping ground to explore the beauty of Northern American nature. Kayaking, camping and log cabins — outdoorsy holidaying as it should be.

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Side-by-side in central Minnesota, Minneapolis and St Paul are cities with a wealth of culture, food and entertainment on your doorstep.

Perhaps most striking about these neighbouring cities is how quiet they both are. This is far from populous Manhattan. This is the place for wandering the city at leisure, admiring street art, outdoor dining and happening upon your next favourite music venue or bar.

Of course, one cannot talk about Minneapolis’ renowned music scene without mentioning its most famous son. Prince is a big part of the city’s attractive cultural scene.

The world-famous Paisley Park, Prince’s former home and award-winning recording studio is a short distance outside the city centre. The Purple Rain performer’s personal sanctuary is open to the public with intimate tours through the property. This is a must-see experience, attracting superfans and casual music fans alike.

The $75 Paisley Experience grants you access to Prince’s recording studios, personal rooms, offices and the iconic musician’s home concert venue. When I visited, the amazing Jessica was our tour guide.

Prince enthusiast Jessica had been a groupie back in the 90s when Prince lived there, and she gave incredible insight into what the venue was like in its heyday, reminiscing on her time following the star from huge concerts in the city to intimate gigs at his home arena.

Now a museum, Paisley Park is packed to the rafters with original artefacts, from Prince’s personal vehicles and fashions to furniture untouched since Prince lived there.

Elsewhere in the city is First Avenue, the historic music venue where the Purple Rain movie was filmed. A stop here is the perfect photo-op for a selfie with the countless stars painted on the outside of the arena emblazoned with the names of hundreds of famous artists who have graced its stage. From U2 to Sinead O’Connor, there are a few Irish legends to spot too.

The Guthrie Theatre is another of the city’s must-see venues. Even if you can’t manage to catch a performance, it’s well worth popping in to see the incredible views across the city’s old industrial quarter and the Mississippi River from The Endless Bridge viewing platform — which extends 178 feet from the face of the building and hovers 55 feet above the parkway below.

The Guthrie was founded by Tyrone Guthrie, one of the Twin Cities’ most prominent Irishmen.

There is a huge connection with Ireland here in Minneapolis and St Paul. You can hear endless tales of Irish immigrants and the impressive stories of the Irish who built St Paul with the incredible Cynthia Schriner Smith. She and her husband run CynCity Tours, with a rake of different walking and bus tours.

The most popular is the Gangsterland Walking Tour, with enthralling stories transporting tourists back into the age of Prohibition and St Paul’s fascinating history of crime and corruption.

Other ones to explore include an F. Scott Fitzgerald tour — the famed writer was born here — and the Ghosts and Gables tour.

Speaking of gangsters — if St Paul’s Prohibition tales excite you then I cannot recommend a visit to the Wabasha Street Caves highly enough.

This is one of the city’s most unique experiences. The amazingly dramatic Edward showed us around these caves, carved into the side of a cliff on the outskirts of the city.

Once a mine and then a mushroom grow-house, these secret caves were famed as a speakeasy and casino. This fascinating tour transports visitors into Gangsterland, telling tales of an unsolved shooting, mystery bullet holes and murder mysteries. A 45-minute tour is just $11 and, as I pointed out to Edward, is worth so, so much more.

Meanwhile, the Mall of America has to be on every shopaholic’s bucket list. The USA’s biggest shopping centre is just 15km from the centre of Minneapolis and is well worth a visit to appreciate its sheer size.

Come here with empty suitcases — Minnesota has no sales tax on clothes or shoes. That means a trip to Nordstrom, Macys or the other 500-plus stores at has no nasty surprises at the till to shock unsuspecting Irish shoppers.

With more than 520 shops and 60 restaurants, this is a playground for shopaholic adults and fun-seeking kids alike.

The Mall of America is home to Nickelodeon Universe (yes, a full theme park inside the mall), the LEGO Store, Sea Life Aquarium, the see-it-to-believe-it FlyOver America experience, a comedy club, mini-golf and a myriad of other attractions for the whole family.

It’s no surprise that visitors need more than one day to do it. There are scores of hotels in the surrounding area catering to Mall of America tourists.

I stayed at the Radisson Blu, which has a handy internal entrance to the mammoth mall. It was perfect for what I needed — all the comfort you can expect from a well-known chain and a gorgeous restaurant to boot.

As for restaurants, Minnesota is also a wealth of local cuisine.

Try Spoon and Stable for a luxury-cum-casual dining and cocktail experience, go for traditional local walleye and cheese curds at Twin Cities Grill or try some traditional Hmong food at Diane’s Place — Minnesota is home to the largest Hmong population outside Asia.

Fact file:

●Aer Lingus operates 4 flights weekly direct from Dublin to Minneapolis-St. Paul, with fares starting from €259 each way including taxes and charge.

Customers travelling with Aer Lingus can benefit from clearing US pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports – meaning you land as local in the US.

Flying with Aer Lingus, travellers enjoy 23kg complimentary baggage, meals and soft drinks on board plus the very latest inflight entertainment system boasting latest blockbusters, box sets and more. See here for more

●Mall of America offers tax-free shopping on clothing and shoes and is situated in Bloomington, Minnesota. At 5.6 million square feet, it is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America with up to 520 world-class retail stores and restaurants; Nickelodeon Universe, a 7-acre indoor theme park with 28 rides and attractions; Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium; FlyOver America; Crayola Experience; The Escape Game and so much more. It hosts over 400 annual events.

The Mall opened in 1992 and is located minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and adjacent to MSP International Airport. There are two hotels connected to the Mall: Radisson Blu Mall of America and J.W. Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America.

For more information, see here. To book a trip to the Mall of America, contact Tour America here.

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