Car Rental Minneapolis - Exploring Minneapolis

The ideal way to explore the myriad parks, gardens, rivers and other attractions in and around the Minneapolis area is by car. Driving here is easy, due to the distinct lack of congestion.

America’s largest shopping mall, the Mall of America, in nearby Bloomington, draws tourists and locals in from miles around to its huge collection of stores. The mall also houses a university, an amusement park (Camp Snoopy), and, if you want to get married, a wedding chapel.

Minneapolis’ twin city and the state capital, St Paul, is on the opposite bank of the Mississippi, a short drive away. The city, with its 19th century architecture and more sedate lifestyle, is more mature than Minneapolis. Museums include the Minnesota Museum of Art; the Science Museum of Minnesota; and the Gibbs Farm Museum, containing structures from the 1800s. In front of the City Hall and County Courthouse (1931) stands the large onyx statue, Vision of Peace.

The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary (open daily April to October), inside Theodore Wirth Park on Glenwood Avenue, is the nation's oldest public wildflower garden, and is criss-crossed by hiking and bicycle trails. Guided tours are available.

Minnehaha Parkway at Hiawatha Avenue, on the Mississippi River, is the site of the famed Minnehaha Falls, the ‘laughing water’ Longfellow celebrated in his poem, Song of Hiawatha. Other attractions include miles of jogging and bicycle trails, picnic facilities, and a historic frame house that was the first house built west of the Mississippi. The park is open daily from 06:00 to 20:00.

St Paul's Como Park (open April to September) is one of the busiest and most beautiful parks in the Twin Cities, and is best known for its free zoo and its flower conservatory, which includes a Japanese garden. There's also a golf course, ski trails and footpaths, and there are paddleboats, canoes, bikes and skates for rent.