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Minneapolis New Year's Eve route inspiration

Minneapolis New Year's Eve

Steakhouses, First Avenue and a frozen waterfall

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3 days through Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront, Minnehaha Falls.

Minneapolis New Year's Eve is a 3-day curated route with 2 destinations and 14 places to eat, see, and do. Preview stops and timing, then plan it in TripsCircle.

  1. 1
    Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront on the Minneapolis New Year's Eve route

    Destination 01

    Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront

    8 places

    Two nights downtown for the riverfront skyline, steak dinners and a midnight show.

    • Stone Arch Bridge near Downtown Minneapolis & the RiverfrontPhoto: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0

      Stone Arch Bridge

      1883 stone railroad bridge, now a walkway over St. Anthony Falls, with the classic view of the skyline and the Gold Medal Flour sign.

      Tip Cross at dusk on Dec 30 or 31, when the mills and towers light up.

      SeeMill DistrictFree45 minDusk

    • First Avenue

      Downtown music club since 1970, famous from Prince's Purple Rain, with silver stars of past performers on its outside walls.

      Tip Its New Year's Eve show sells out; buy tickets when they go on sale.

      DrinkDowntown West$$4 hr10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

    • IDS Center

      The city's tallest tower, with the glass-roofed Crystal Court; its 50th floor hosts a ticketed New Year's Eve Crystal Ball.

      Tip The Crystal Court is a warm skyway crossroads even if you skip the party.

      SeeDowntown$$$3 hrMidnight

    • Murray's

      Family-run supper club on Sixth Street since 1946, known for the Silver Butter Knife Steak carved for two.

      Tip Reserve early for Dec 31 and order the steak for two.

      EatDowntown$$$$2 hrDinner

    • Manny's Steakhouse

      Big-portion steakhouse since 1988, now on the ground floor of the 1929 Foshay Tower.

      Tip Go early, then take the elevator to the Foshay's 30th-floor deck if it's open.

      EatDowntown$$$$2 hrDinner

    • Spoon and Stable

      Gavin Kaysen's restaurant in a former horse stable in the North Loop, open since 2014.

      Tip Book weeks out; it often runs a set menu on Dec 31.

      EatNorth Loop$$$$2.5 hrDinner

    • Brit's Pub

      British pub on Nicollet Mall with a rooftop lawn-bowling green and a long-running New Year's Eve party.

      Tip Its party is ticketed; buy ahead if you want in after 9 p.m.

      DrinkDowntown$$2 hrLate evening
    • Foshay Tower near Downtown Minneapolis & the RiverfrontPhoto: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Foshay Tower

      1929 Art Deco obelisk modeled on the Washington Monument, now the W Minneapolis hotel with an open-air observation deck.

      Tip Skyway access means no coat between the hotel and dinner downtown.

      StayDowntown$$$
  2. 2
    Minnehaha Falls on the Minneapolis New Year's Eve route

    Destination 02

    Minnehaha Falls

    6 places

    A slow Jan 1: a frozen 53-foot waterfall, river bluffs, a lake loop and a diner.

    • Minnehaha Falls near Minnehaha FallsPhoto: Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0

      Minnehaha Falls

      53-foot waterfall in Minnehaha Regional Park that freezes into columns of blue ice most winters.

      Tip Take the stairs to the base and look from behind the ice curtain; stay off the frozen creek.

      OutdoorsMinnehahaFree75 minLate morning

    • Hi-Lo Diner

      Diner in a restored 1957 dining car on East Lake Street, known for hi-top doughnuts and big breakfasts.

      Tip Go before the falls; it fills by late morning.

      EatLongfellow$$60 minMorning

    • Fort Snelling State Park

      Park at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, with trails on Pike Island and through river-bottom woods.

      Tip Minnesota state parks typically host guided First Day Hikes on Jan 1; a vehicle permit is needed.

      Outdoors$2 hrMidday
    • Lake Nokomis near Minnehaha FallsPhoto: Joe Passe · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Lake Nokomis

      Lake on the Grand Rounds with a 2.7-mile loop path, popular for winter walks and ice fishing.

      Tip The path is plowed; walk the loop in the afternoon sun.

      OutdoorsNokomisFree60 minAfternoon

    • Minneapolis Institute of Art

      Free encyclopedic art museum with period rooms and collections from ancient China to modern America.

      Tip Check holiday hours; it is a warm stop on the way back downtown.

      SeeWhittierFree2 hrAfternoon

    • Mississippi Gorge Regional Park

      Wooded bluffs along West River Parkway north of Minnehaha, the only true gorge on the Mississippi.

      Tip Walk north from the falls along the parkway trail for river views through bare trees.

      OutdoorsLongfellowFree60 minMidday

The moments that shape this trip.

Planning Minneapolis New Year's Eve.

Minneapolis has no big public countdown or midnight fireworks downtown, so New Year's Eve here is a night indoors with the city's institutions: a Silver Butter Knife steak at Murray's or a big dinner at Manny's in the Foshay, Gavin Kaysen's Spoon and Stable in the North Loop, then a show at First Avenue, the club Prince made famous, or a ticketed party 50 floors up in the IDS Center. Before dinner, walk the Stone Arch Bridge for the skyline over the Mississippi and the Gold Medal Flour sign. On Jan 1, drive south to Minnehaha Falls, usually frozen into a wall of blue ice by New Year's, then walk the river bluffs or join a First Day Hike at Fort Snelling State Park, and warm up at the Hi-Lo Diner.

Good for Friends who like live music and steak dinners and don't mind real winter.

When to go

Arrive Dec 30 and leave Jan 2. There is no free public New Year's Eve event downtown; plan on ticketed shows and parties, which sell out by mid-December. First Avenue books a New Year's Eve concert every year, and the IDS Center's 50th floor has hosted a Crystal Ball party for more than 20 years. Dec 31 is cold: highs typically in the 20s F, lows around 10 F, and subzero nights happen. Minnehaha Falls is normally frozen solid by late December. On Jan 1, many restaurants are closed or open late; parks are open, and Minnesota state parks typically run First Day Hikes.

Getting around

Fly into Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP); the METRO Blue Line light rail reaches downtown in about 25 minutes and stops at 46th Street and 50th Street-Minnehaha Park for the falls. The skyway system links most downtown hotels, restaurants and the IDS Center indoors, so you can cross downtown without going outside. Metro Transit often extends service on New Year's Eve; check its site. Rideshare surges after midnight, and street parking rules tighten when snow emergencies are declared.

Tips for your crew

  • Use the skyways on Dec 31; you can walk from the Foshay to the IDS Center and Murray's without a coat.
  • Wear boots with traction for Minnehaha Falls; the paths down to the base are packed ice.
  • Book First Avenue tickets and steakhouse tables as soon as they go on sale in the fall.

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