1. 70 Twin Cities Living 2016-2017
SPORTS
Our seasons may change but our love of sports remains con-
stant. We’re one of the few metros in the country to have four
major professional sports teams (soon to be five, when we get
our Major League Soccer team in 2018), so it’s easy to be loud
and proud when it comes to state pride. By now it’s no secret
that the Twin Cities are home to some of the most breathtaking
stadiums, fields and venues in the country. With Target Center
and Target Field, the Xcel Energy Center, CHS Field, Mariucci
and Williams Arena, TCF Bank Stadium and now U.S. Bank
Stadium, there is a spot in the stands for every sports fan.
Baseball fans rejoice when the Twins take to Target Field in
the spring and summer months. With top-of-the-line ameni-
ties, fantastic ballpark snacks and a gorgeous view of the city,
what’s not to love? When it opened in 2010, ESPN gave the
ballpark its top honor: No.1 sports stadium. Since then Target
Field continues to knock expectations out of the park with
about 18,500 infield seats and more than 39,000 overall—you
won’t find a bad seat in the entire place.
If you still want more, head to CHS Field in Lowertown
St. Paul to see the St. Paul Saints rack up a win. From VIP
club, suite and skybox seating to classic bleacher seats, stand-
ing room only to their spacious grassy knoll, there is a spot for
everyone at this one-of-a-kind ballpark. Enjoy local eats and
drinks or get involved in the action between innings during
on-field promotions such as sumo wrestling, trivia tire races
and more.
From youth leagues to the NHL, if there is one sport that
resonates with Minnesota’s identity, it’s hockey. Remember
the Miracle on Ice hockey team? So do we. St. Paul native
Herb Brooks led a group of 20 men to victory against Russia
in the 1980 Olympics, which is regarded as the greatest upset
in sports history. Thirteen of the 20 players were born in this
great state and give residents a reason to boast.
In 2011, 2013 and 2015, MVPs Seimone Augustus, Maya
Moore and Sylvia Fowles led the Minnesota Lynx to three
WNBA Championship titles. The Lynx play at Target Center,
a city-owned facility that also hosts the NBA Timberwolves
play | culture
ENTERTAINMENT
FOR EVERYONE
There is no end in sight when it comes to entertainment in the Twin Cities.
From nationally ranked art exhibits to Tony Award-winning theater and
championship sports teams, we’ve got talent—and a lot of it.
PHOTOERICMILLER
University of Minnesota Football

2. www.visit-twincities.com 71
and major touring musicians. Though it
is currently in the midst of a major reno-
vation, Target Center remains open for
sports and music events.
If college sports are more your style,
we have just the team for you. At the
University of Minnesota, the Golden
Gophers go head-to-head with other teams
in the Big Ten in the Stadium Village
neighborhood. Home to the Gophers foot-
ball team, TCF Bank Stadium opened a
few years ago and the Minnesota Vikings
made a few appearances there as they
eagerly awaited their new digs. Making
headlines is the women’s hockey team, as
they’ve reached the Frozen Four 11 times
in the past 13 years, and have won their
conference tournament seven times. Men
or women, maroon or gold, field or arena,
the Minnesota Gophers bring the titles
home time and time again.
Joining the rest of our spectacular sports
venues is the most recent addition to the
Minneapolis skyline, U.S. Bank Stadium.
Open July 2016, the stadium features
95-feet-high pivoting glass doors that open
toward downtown Minneapolis, two of
the largest and highest-quality HD video
boards in the NFL and much, much
more. Head Coach Mike Zimmer enters
his third season in 2016-2017, and the
outlook is just a nice as the new stadium.
With a roster full of young talent and well-
seasoned players, fans and players look
forward to a new season in a new home.
Whether purple and gold run deep in your
veins or you just like to wear the colors, the
Vikings draw an exciting and lively crowd
to every game.
PERFORMING ARTS
Whether you have one free night a week
or seven, the Twin Cities have something
for everyone every night, or day, of the
week. With more than 30 performance
spaces, 75 working theater companies, 20
dance companies and two professional
orchestras, there’s sure to be a show for you
and your crew.
As the sun sets, bright lights illuminate
Hennepin Avenue as audiences line up for
another night of performing arts in down-
town Minneapolis. In 2011, Hennepin
Theatre Trust opened the New Century
Theatre, a black box theater that hosts
one-man shows, quirky comedies and
educational programs. The modern New
Century joins the theater district’s three
historic stages, the Orpheum, State and
Pantages theatres. Built between 1916 and
1921, the trust’s three main downtown
Minneapolis stages boast Art Deco and
Beaux Arts architectural features, separat-
ing them from the modern stages around
town. Today the theaters pack in 500,000
patrons annually, drawing in big-name
concerts, traveling Broadway shows and
well-known comedians.
Fans of dance should visit the Cowles
Center for Dance and the Performing
Arts, located on the corner of Sixth Street
and Hennepin. As one of the top five cit-
ies in the nation for dance, it’s no wonder
we created a new space for these talents.
The Cowles Center provides a stage for
groups such as the Minnesota Dance
Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, Zenon
Dance Co. and Cantus Vocal Ensemble.
On Hennepin Avenue
you’ll find the longest run-
ning original sketch com-
edy company in the nation.
Founded by Dudley Riggs,
the Brave New Workshop
has been “making it up as
[they] go since 1958,” and has
a reputation for nurturing
the talents of great comedi-
ans, including Minnesota
Senator Al Franken. They
also offer custom corporate
entertainment and training
along with unique event
spaces and improv classes.
But it is regional theater
that has really cemented the
Twin Cities reputation as
a theater town. Two of the
most widely known stages
here are the Guthrie Theater
and the Children’s Theatre
Co.: Both have earned
regional Tony Awards. The
Guthrie has remained a
nationally recognized home
for quality performance
since 1963, when Sir Tyrone
Guthrie chose to create his
dream theater in this city. The theater’s
Jean Nouvel-designed home, a three-stage
architectural wonder, is open to the public
and provides stunning views of the Stone
Arch Bridge from its Endless Bridge
overlooking the Mississippi River. But of
course, it’s what’s on the stages here that
really impresses. A typical season at the
Guthrie consists of a delightful mix of
modern and classic performances, led by
an experienced cast of brilliant performers.
Every performance at the Children’s
Theatre Co. is dedicated to enriching the
lives of children and the children in all
of us. Since 1965 the highly acclaimed
theater welcomed more than 11 million
people and created over 200 new plays.
This impressive complex features two
distinct performance spaces: the 747-seat
UnitedHealth Group Main Stage and
the Cargill Stage, a 298-seat flexible stag-
ing area. Not to mention it was the first
theater for young people to win the Tony
Award for Outstanding Regional Theater.
PHOTOCOURTESYOFJAMESSEWELLBALLET
James Sewell Ballet

3. 72 Twin Cities Living 2016-2017
Attendees can look forward to classics like
Pinocchio and Cinderella, as well as newer
productions such as A Year with Frog and
Toad and Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in
Play! during their 2016-2017 season.
The Ordway Center for the Performing
Arts finds its home in St. Paul, and is rec-
ognized as one of the nation’s leading non-
profit performing arts centers. Bringing
in old favorites and new Tony Award
winners each season, the Ordway stage
is also home to the Schubert Club, The
Minnesota Opera and Saint Paul Chamber
Orchestra, the nation’s only full-time pro-
fessional chamber orchestra. A recent reno-
vation has replaced the McKnight Theatre
with a 1,100-seat concert hall and a 1,900-
seat music theater has also been added.
Since it opened in 1985, the Ordway has
attracted audiences from around the world
with its assortment of performances.
Another spot that has seen noteworthy
changes is Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall.
The hall is already a great stage for attend-
ees with amazing acoustics, but with an
expanded lobby area, modernized exterior
and adjacent Peavey Plaza, Orchestra Hall
is now one of the premier venues in the
nation. Acknowledged for its artistic excel-
lence and outstanding performance space,
the Grammy Award-winning Minnesota
Orchestra strives to inspire and provide
the community with timeless classics and
innovative pieces.
Small theaters such as Theatre in the
Round, Park Square Theatre and Jungle
Theater also showcase great performances.
Depending on where you settle, you may
find a talented troupe of performers in
your own neighborhood. Theatergoers
who live here are lucky enough to have
such an array of options, from theater that
entertains to theater that educates. The
History Theatre performers use theater to
illuminate moments in history while the
Mixed Blood Theatre promotes diversity
with their productions, even offering
some seats for free (first come, first serve).
Penumbra Theatre, the nation’s larg-
est African American theater, continues
to deliver thought-provoking perfor-
mances through the prism of the African
American experience.
Performances of all types find a voice, a
space and an audience in the Twin Cities.
Ballet enthusiasts can rejoice in the fact
that the area is home to many talented
performance groups, including The
Metropolitan Ballet, Ballet Minnesota and
the innovative James Sewell Ballet. Plus,
groups such as Zenon Dance Co., Ananya
Dance Theatre and Mu Performing Arts
offer their talents. The Ragamala Music
play | culture
ABOVEGEORGEHEINRICHPHOTOGRAPHYBELOWTODDBUCHANAN
1. GUTHRIE THEATER
Lauded as “a 21st century dream factory”
by TIME magazine, this Tony Award-
winning theater has established itself as a
center for theater performance, produc-
tion and education.
2. JUNGLE THEATER
An intimate 150-seat theater in
Minneapolis’ LynLake neighborhood, the
Jungle Theater is known for compelling
stage productions and masterful acting.
One of the region’s most dynamic venues,
the Jungle creates colorful productions of
classic and contemporary works.
Countdown CROWD PLEASERS
Orchestra Hall

4. www.visit-twincities.com 73
and Dance Theater, another well-regarded
company, dedicates itself to preserving
the South Indian classical dance form of
Bharatanatyam. For vocal talents, you can
listen for VocalEssense, the Bach Society
of Minnesota and the Magnum Chorum,
among others.
MUSEUMS
Spend a day in St. Paul at the Minnesota
Children’s Museum exploring the nation’s
best children’s museum, according to
Parents, Cookie and Nickelodeon Parents
Connect magazines. It is a hands-on para-
dise for toddlers to tweens, and its imagi-
native exhibits are always educational and
exciting. When you’re ready, travel next
door to the most popular museum in the
Upper Midwest, the Science Museum of
Minnesota. Here you will find a variety
of exhibits for all ages that teach visitors
about electricity, water power and biology,
among other topics.
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the
Weisman Art Museum is home to a col-
lection of early 20th-century American
art along with a diverse selection of con-
temporary art. Often called a modern art
museum, its stainless steel skin is a visual
playground and continues to draw crowds
time and again. This building is just one
example of how our museums are as beauti-
ful on the outside as they are on the inside.
Ever since the Walker Art Center re-
emerged from renovations 11 years ago, the
Minneapolis contemporary art museum
boasts twice as much gallery space as before.
Designed by Herzog and de Meuron, the
building’s modern exterior mirrors the art
on the gallery walls and Newsweek maga-
zine called the Walker Art Center “possibly
America’s best contemporary art museum.”
Adjacent to the museum is the Minneapolis
Sculpture Garden, where the iconic Spoon
and Cherry stands beneath the Minneapolis
skyline all year round.
At the Minneapolis Institute of Art,
also known as Mia, see everything from
intricate Native American beading and
Chinese ceramics to ancient Egyptian arti-
facts and Roman statues. The best part?
Admission is always free.
The diversity of museums makes the
Twin Cities a great place to enjoy art. In
fact, the area is home to North America’s
only nonprofit museum dedicated solely
to the preservation and presentation of
Russian art and artifacts from the 19th and
20th centuries. The Museum of Russian
Art sits in a renovated Spanish Colonial
Revival Church in southwest Minneapolis.
Even longtime residents find they
haven’t visited all our museums; there’s
PHOTOERICALOEKS
Weisman Art Museum
3. CHILDREN’S THEATRE CO.
The Twin Cities are home to theater for
all ages thanks to the Children’s Theatre
Co., a center that adapts classic literature
and storybooks into colorful and inspiring
stage productions.
4. BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP
The longest-running sketch-comedy the-
ater in the nation resides right here in
the Twin Cities. Shows feature hilarious
comedy scenes, satiric songs and ener-
getic casts—plus alumni that include Louis
Anderson and Al Franken.
5. AMES CENTER
Opened in 2009, the Ames Center has
two theaters: a 1,000-seat stage and
a smaller 150-seat black box theater.
Located in the suburb of Burnsville, the
center features theater performances,
cultural events and musical acts from
local and touring artists.

5. 74 Twin Cities Living 2016-2017
play | culture
always a new exhibit or hidden gem
to explore. The Bakken Library and
Museum, tucked along Lake Calhoun in
Minneapolis, is one such treasure. The
museum honors the inventor in all of us,
teaching about electricity and magnetism
in the name of local inventor Earl Bakken.
After settling in, you may want to edu-
cate yourself on our state history, so you
have a better understanding what makes
our state so great. The Minnesota History
Center and the Mill City Museum both
have great permanent and traveling exhib-
its that explore the area’s history. For those
who have true Swedish roots, we’ve got an
entire institute devoted to the history of
Minnesota’s Swedish-American popula-
tion at the recently renovated American
Swedish Institute.
With nearly 60 choices, residents are never
at a loss for museums and exhibits to explore.
LITERARY
Once you’ve arrived, take a look around.
It won’t be long before you catch us buried
deep within the pages of a juicy novel,
educational magazine or informative
newspaper. It’s no wonder why Minnesota
has long been known for our great authors
and dedicated readers. In fact, a 2015 study
by Central Connecticut State University
placed us second on its list of America’s
most literate cities.
The Hennepin County Library system
makes exercising our minds easy, with
more than 5 million books, CDs and
DVDs and 1,750 public computers. The
41-library system includes the stunning
353,000-square-foot Cesar Pelli-designed
Minneapolis Central Library, complete
with 38.5 miles of shelving. Home to the
largest library collection in the state, the
building houses special areas for kids
and teens, a New Americans Center,
and computers and wireless technol-
ogy throughout. The eye-catching
canopy roof projects over the entrances
at Hennepin and Nicollet avenues, while
a blend of transparent and translucent
glass showcases seasonal Minnesota
imagery, and an 18,560-square-foot
“green” roof grows sun- and drought-
resistant ground cover. This Minneapolis
landmark provides a dynamic gather-
ing place and inspires community-wide
learning and interaction.
As for authors, there are many whose
names you’ll recognize, past and present,
such as St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald
and crime author John Sanford. To find
the works of two more of the area’s great
authors, you can go to their own stores.
Humorist Garrison Keillor’s Common
Good Books on Grand and Snelling
avenues in St. Paul is a great place to
peruse. For 42 years Keillor was the
host of “A Prairie Home Companion,”
a beloved public radio variety show. He
left in 2016 to enjoy retirement in the
great state of Minnesota. Readers can
also find works by Native American
Minnesotans and other favorites at
Louise Erdrich’s Birchbark Books in
Minneapolis, as well as her own books,
such as The Round House.
Other beloved local authors, include
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gary Paulson, Leif
Enger, Neil Gaiman, Vince Flynn, Anne
Tyler, Nancy Carlson and Maude Hart
Lovelace. Stroll our bookstores to find titles
from all these literary talents. Local authors’
works display quite a range in style.
Book buffs can be found at any one of
our locally owned bookstores that shelve
unique and hard-to-find tales. Start on
University and Snelling in St. Paul at
Midway Used and Rare Books; travel into
Uptown and you’ll find Magers & Quinn
Booksellers; in Minneapolis James and
Mary Laurie Booksellers boast nearly
120,000 rare books, while Eat My Words
carries a variety of used books from cheap
paperbacks to collector’s items. And if
you’re really feeling adventurous, visit the
mystery novel haven Once Upon a Crime.
Celebrating the art of books, the
Minnesota Center for Book Arts turns
books into unique and meaningful
pieces of artwork. Keep your head in the
clouds and float away with a book at Red
Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. But if you’d
rather write the words than read them,
look no further than The Loft Literary
Center in Minneapolis.
Along with numerous outlets for brows-
ing and buying, the Twin Cities also offer
venues for reading and discussion. Talking
Volumes, the joint book club of Minnesota
Public Radio, the Star Tribune and The
Loft Literary Center, spotlights a different
book each month via articles, live broad-
casts with the author, lectures and much
more. You can also catch up with your
favorite authors through the Hennepin
County Library Pen Pals series, or be bold
and start your own book club and get to
know your new neighbors.
PHOTOPAULEMMEL
The daughter of an Ojibwe mother
and German American father, local
author Louise Erdrich is well known
for her ability to weave together
complex tales that explore Native
American themes. Erdrich was born
in Little Falls, Minn., in 1954, the
first of seven children in her family.
Throughout her childhood, Erdrich’s
mother and grandparents told sto-
ries of life on the Turtle Mountain
Ojibwe Reservation in northern North
Dakota—cultural influences that have
impacted her work greatly.
The author of 15 novels as well as
children’s books, essays and poetry,
Erdrich is lauded as one of the most
significant writers in Native American
literature. Her book, The Round
House, was the recipient of the 2012
National Book Award for fiction.
Erdrich enjoys living in Minneapolis
where she owns Birchbark Books, a
small independent bookstore in the
Kenwood neighborhood. In a world
where large, impersonal bookstores
rein king, Birchbark Books offers an
intimate and educational experience
for readers. In addition to books, the
store sells Native American art, jew-
elry and traditional medicine.
Distinctly Minnesotan:
LOUISE ERDRICH