Sights in Minnesota
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Bob Dylan Way
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Dylan's Birthplace
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Farmers Market
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Landmark Center
Downtown's turreted 1902 Landmark Center used to be the federal courthouse, where gangsters such as Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis were tried; plaques by the various rooms show who was brought to justice here. In addition to the city's visitor center, the building also contains a couple of small museums. On the 2nd floor the Schubert Club Museum has a brilliant collection of old pianos and harpsichords – some tickled by Mozart, Beethoven and the like – as well as old manuscripts and letters from famous composers. The club plays free chamber music concerts Thursdays at noon from October to April. A free wood-turning museum (it's a decorative form of woodworking) is also on the 2nd…
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Maritime Visitors Center
Check the computer screens inside to learn what time the big ships will be sailing through port. The first-rate center also has exhibits on Great Lakes shipping and shipwrecks.
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B
Mississippi River Visitors Center
The National Park Service visitor center occupies an alcove in the science museum's lobby. Definitely stop by to pick up trail maps and see what sort of free ranger-guided walks and bike rides are going on. Most take place at 10am on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday in summer. In winter, the center hosts ice-fishing and snowshoeing jaunts.
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MTM Statue
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C
Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is the pedestrian-friendly portion of Nicollet Ave in the heart of downtown, dense with stores, bars and restaurants. It's perhaps most famous as the spot where Mary Tyler Moore threw her hat into the air during the show's opening sequence. A cheesy MTM statue depicts our girl doing just that. A farmers market takes over the mall on Thursdays from May to November.
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Visitors Center
The visitors center displays Paul's toothbrush.
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underground mine
The underground mine, which is available for touring; wear warm clothes.
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Viewpoint
The viewpoint, north of town overlooks the 3-mile Hull-Rust Mahoning Mine.
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Enger Park
For a spectacular view of the city and harbor, climb the rock tower in Enger Park, located a couple miles southwest by the golf course.
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D
James J Hill House
Tour the palatial stone mansion of railroad magnate Hill. It's a Gilded Age beauty, with five floors and 22 fireplaces.
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Children's Theatre Company
The local Children's Theatre Company is so good it won a Tony award for 'outstanding regional theater.'
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Ironworld Discovery Center
Chisholm has Ironworld Discovery Center, a theme park featuring open-pit mine tours and area ethnic displays.
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F
Mill City Farmer's Market
On Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, the Mill City Farmer's Market takes place in the Mill City museum's attached train shed.
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Hibbing Public Library
The Hibbing Public Library has well-done Dylan displays and a free walking tour map that takes you past various sites.
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Great Lakes Aquarium
One of the country's few freshwater aquariums, the highlights here include the daily stingray feedings at 2pm, and the otter tanks.
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Leif Erikson Park
This is a lakefront sweet spot with a rose garden, replica of Leif's Viking ship and free outdoor movies each Friday night in summer. Take the Lakewalk from Canal Park (about 1½ miles) and you can say you hiked the Superior Trail , which traverses this stretch.
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G
Weisman Art Museum
The Weisman, which occupies a swooping silver structure by architect Frank Gehry, is a uni (and city) highlight. It was in expansion mode at the time of writing, set to reopen with double the space and five new galleries for American art, ceramics and works on paper.
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Walker Art Center
The first-class center has a strong permanent collection of 20th-century art and photography, including big-name US painters and great US pop art.
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Minnesota Zoo
Minnesota Zoo in suburban Apple Valley, which is 20 miles south of town. It has naturalistic habitats for its 400-plus species, with an emphasis on cold-climate creatures. Parking is $5.
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Minnesota Children's Museum
The Minnesota Children's Museum has the usual gamut of hands-on activities, as well as a giant anthill to burrow through, and the 'One World' intercultural community where kids can shop and vote.
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Science Museum of Minnesota
Has the usual hands-on kids' exhibits and Omnimax theater ($5 extra). Adults will be entertained by the wacky quackery of the 4th floor's 'questionable medical devices.'
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Fort Snelling
East of the mall, Fort Snelling is the state's oldest structure, established in 1820 as a frontier outpost in the remote Northwest Territory. Guides in period dress show restored buildings and reenact pioneer life.
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