We're so excited to see everybody and share our corner of the world -- "the cities" with you! Here are some things we recommend. We've left the comments open, so chime in with your own recommendations or questions!
Food
One of our favorite casual farm-to-table places, and it often makes the various "Best of..." lists.
At the first place we lived together, we were able to walk to this food-truck-turned-brick-and-mortar establishment! Tasty & different -- a lot of fun. Be warned, though, they don't take reservations and are usually hopping. Plan to get a drink at the bar before you're seated.
The Twin Cities are home to the Juicy Lucy... and a debate about where that particular meal originated. Both Matt's Bar and Blue Door have skin in the game, so take your pick. (Matt's Bar is generally accepted as the winner, but some locals have very strong opinions.)
Other recommendations
Outdoors
Minnesota is "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" for a reason! The "Chain of Lakes" refers to Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska (Lake Calhoun until recently), and Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Good for strolling, sitting, or water adventures.
Minnehaha Falls is a popular location for a quick in-town hike.
Minneapolis sprung up to support the milling industry, and you can walk around the old Mill ruins by the river in Minneapolis. They're right by the Stone Arch Bridge, which is another Minneapolis icon. The Guthrie is right there as well, and if there are not events renting out the space, you can go up and get a better view of the city and the river. This is where we usually take out-of-towners.
A state park in the cities! It's tucked down on the riverbed in St. Paul and has lots of trails, as well as some historical components. Check out their website ahead of time, as some paths get closed for flooding in the spring.
Indoors
As the Mill Ruins (see Outdoors) are right outside the Mill City Museum, this pairs nicely. This is a smaller museum focused on the unique history of Minneapolis as a milling town.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is our main art museum, and free! It's also right by the Walker, which is a contemporary art museum. The Walker also is home to a sculpture garden -- this is where you'll find the Cherry on the Spoon!
Over in St. Paul, there's a big park that includes a lake, a zoo, park grounds, and a conservatory. While plenty of the park is outdoors, we've put it on the indoors list because the Conservatory is quite nice on a rainy day, and the zoo can also be a mostly inside outing.
Shopping
You wouldn't be a Twin Cities tourist without going to the Mall of America!
Grand Ave is a cutesy street in St. Paul with lots of shops.
Tickets Needed
While this will make some readers feel a little old, we are, admittedly, a little too young to have been really into Prince. Which is why we were pleasantly surprised when we really enjoyed touring Paisley Park! It's definitely a must-see for a fan, and it's a good time for everybody else.
Our renowned local theater is the Guthrie. It's good theater, and the building itself is some nifty architecture.
The Minnesota Twins have a relatively new stadium, and a game is a lot of fun. They do have home games on the wedding weekend. While we love them dearly, the Twins are not usually doing well enough to make tickets hard to come by, even last minute.
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