The 50 best boutiques in Minneapolis (2024)

Incredible, huge, three-story, free art museum with ongoing exhibits as well as various rotating and traveling special exhibits that have a fee (however, those exhibits usually offer free days as well). I have spent many hours over many days over many years and yet I STILL haven't seen everything even in the ongoing exhibits. You should make a reservation for tickets for special events but usually you can walk-in and still get a ticket, even for those. They have a fun, free Family Day event the second weekend of every month with fun activities and a take-home tote. You can also get a free or paid membership (different levels have different benefits). Definitely donate if you can as well, to help support the museum. There is a gift shop as well as a couple restaurants on site. They offer a free coat check and self-service lockers, which is great for winter when you don't want to lug your coat around. The museum is located on the bus route and there is free on-street and some paid parking lots available. Sometimes they offer free shuttles as well. The museum is accessible with ramps and elevators and offer free wheelchairs for use (which was so helpful when I was there while on crutches). We love the fun, family-friendly Rock the Cradle event they host with the Children's Theatre Company in March and the beautiful Art in Bloom event in the spring.

An incredible experience, and FREE!? My only regret is only leaving myself an hour to explore. There's two floors of beautiful art. You could spend a whole day immersed, easily.

One of the greatest museums in Minnesota. The admission is free, you pay only if you want to go to the special exhibitions (that change from time to time). Special attention o the historical exhibitions from Asia, Pacific Islands and Africa. Plan ahead to start the for at least 4 hours to see most of the things. The restrooms have changing stations. Some times it is difficult to find parking spots close to the main building

It’s been years since I’ve been to the art museum. And having worked and lived abroad in China for more than 10 years, I was curious to revisit the Chinese collection in the Asia exhibition hall. My goodness! I spent half a day and didn’t even get see everything. Need not to mention the other halls in the entire museum. 3 floors worth of pieces from all over the world. You will find something that will excite you. Seriously, I could spend days here. Anyway, admission is free but a donation is highly recommended. There is paid parking next door but if you come early, there’s free street parking. Without a doubt, I shall have to visit again!

Blessing that this museum is free entry (except for special exhibitions) and delivers a high quality experience nonetheless. Some really cool exhibits across European, Asian, African and American art that can take up multiple days to fully explore. Worth a visit while you’re in Minneapolis!

I have always loved the MIA since I was a small child. It's a place for all-ages. It has new galleries pretty frequently.There is a nice sensory-friendly area on the first floor for young children and families. It's a bit more quiet and less brightly lit. There are plenty of seats, bathrooms, and fun things to touch and / or play with; i.e., a chessboard, books, and the wall is textured.My favorite part of the whole trip was visiting the area of photographs entitled: The last safe abortion. The importance of Roe V Wade is highlighted in this piece, which recognizes and honors abortion work in this large photographic body of work from the Midwest. The visual storytelling of this piece shows people answering phones, holding training sessions, scheduling appointments, and handling logistics.Another fun exhibit is The Staff Art Show. I enjoyed the diverse variety of artwork in its different forms in this area. From everything to a mirror, to zines, and objects that the artist's children have discarded, there is something for everyone.The newest exhibit is In Our Hands Native Photography 1890 to now. The exhibit is visually attractive, and worth exploring. It was a bit crowded, because it's newer, but it was enjoyable.

What a gem in the heart of Minneapolis. This art institute is great for families. There is plenty of room and art for everyone. They even display local children’s artwork. They offer a family center just for kids and a cafe with goodies! Plus, it’s FREE!! Check our calendar for kids events.

Absolutely insanely amazing... Literally filled with wonders. The Mia is huge and has an INCREDIBLE amount of wonderful art. I was there 3 hours and didn't even get through one floor. I think I spent two hours just in the Asia exhibits and I didn't even see everything in there. Time flies by when there's so much to get immersed in. I think it would take me days to truly appreciate all of the art.If you like to sketch, definitely bring your materials! I had a blast :DAnd Mia is completely free!!! (Although everyone should make a donation to this wonderful place). I would put this at the top of the to-do list when in the Twin Cities. Hopefully I'm back in Minneapolis soon so I can designate a few full days to the Mia:)The facilities were very clean and there is plenty of room to social distance even with a good amount of people visiting (I was there on a Wednesday 11am-2pm). Lovely staff as well and they do have a self-service coat check with lockers. As of 4/27/22, masks are optional although many guests still masking when I was there:)Very accessible by bus too!

Spent a day at MIA and was very impressed by the beautiful art on display. Works by many masters are on display as well as regional artists. Too much to see for a one day visit. Will definitely be back to finish our exploration. We went on a Saturday and we never felt rushed or crowded. Entry was free, but we did pay to see the Latin America exhibition.

Even if there were a reasonable entry fee I'd have given this museum five stars. The fact that it was free was icing on the cake.Lots of exhibits from various periods and geographies made for an excellent family friendly cultural experience.

I've been to quite a few art museums, and I think this one is the most underrated one. Solid collection all the way around, including really good Native American art and Japanese art collections. It's also free, so anyone can enjoy it. If you're bored in the Twin Cities, this is one of the best places to visit to curb that boredom.

We visited the "In Our Hands" exhibit and it was so lovely. Thrilled to have been able to take in this stunning collection of Native art. The curation was top notch and gave us a wonderful spectrum of media, stories, and emotions. Grateful to have been able to spend time amongst these pieces!

I have lived in a Minneapolis suburb for a lot of my life but have never visited. I was driving right past on a weekday after a meeting had ended sooner than expected, there was a parking spot right in front, and so I decided to take a quick tour.Beautiful museum with a number of really interesting pieces. Easily worth a visit and worth more than the little time I afforded it.

This is honestly one of my most fav places to go to when I just need that feeling of reconnecting to the past. I feel more in one with our past history than I do today, so a lot like nature. I feel this has become an escape for me with my daughter. Just be very careful not to TOUCH anything. I was admiring the wood to one of the openings to an entrance and was tempted to lightly graze my fingers across it, and I did get redirected, but I understood. Highly recommend for kids and adults.

What I love about this free museum is it never seems busy, just because there is so much to explore and people spread out. There's so much more there than just typical paintings on the wall. You have Period Rooms start up to immerse you into the culture and settings that created those pieces. There is furniture and important functional and artistic designs to lamps and kitchen gadgets even.The arrangement by region is wonderful and let's you step through worlds. Definitely a spot to both come with others or alone.

MIA is a beautiful museum that is free to the public. It has a parking ramp for easy parking ($7 for the first two hours and an additional $1/hr after the initial two hrs) if you don't want the hassle of finding street parking. The building is shared with Children's Theater, which is a great place to catch a show if you have young ones. MIA has multiple floors to explore (stairs and elevators to choose from) with multiple restrooms (that are clean) on each floor for convenience. They also have a little cafe with tables and a little shop on the first floor. In my opinion, this museum is far superior in content than The Walker.

Such a great collection! What a welcoming place for tourists, the community and world. Experiencing the building's architecture is worth a visit alone. The admission was free! How fortunate we are to have not only these works to enjoy, but that they're incorporated into the preservation of historic architecture. It's so accessible and easily located.

Amazing art and cultural exhibits. Take a walk through history but make sure you have plenty of time. It has a way of mesmerizing you while the hours just disappear.

Amazing place and so much amazing art to see. If anyone plans on going make it an all day trip. My family and I were there 3 hours and didn't get to see everything cause we ran out of time. From what I understand it's free to enter, but have to pay for special events, it's worth it. We went to see the Chinese Ritual Bronzes.

Amazing museum with tons space to wander. Art from all over the world and through the centuries. Got lost a few times and had to back track a bit. They are open till 9 some nights which is unusual for a museum and I wholeheartedly approve. Go wander and have fun!! Best of all it’s free!

This was a neat museum and a nice way to spend a few hours, especially that it was free. The galleries are well put together with enough information about the pieces to learn about them. The hidden office of the museum curator that disappeared was super wild.

Amazing experience, a large museum with a amazing array of art! There’s something for everyone, but art lovers will especially enjoy it. Another plus is that it’s completely free, only fee you might have to pay is for parking.

I enjoyed visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) and free admission makes my experience even better. The exhibits and artwork were interesting to look at and there was so much stuff to see. The prairie school-themed exhibit was especially my favorite out of all exhibits. But all exhibits were great.

Really enjoyed visiting this MIA. It was a mix of an art museum and historical museum. Very unique the way they displayed various statues, sculptures, artifacts, & mediums of artwork. I liked the themed rooms from different regions. There is a cute cafe inside of the building as well. FREE admission as well!!! We went on a Saturday when there were no special exhibits being showcased, which is the only time there would be an entrance fee. Family friendly place. There’s even a children’s section in it. I would highly recommend coming here if you’re new to Minneapolis and looking for a staple spot to come visit!

MIA is such an amazing museum. There is SO much to look at. My favorite artist is Georgia O’Keeffe and one thing on my tiny bucket list was to see a real Georgia O’Keeffe painting in person, and I discovered from their website that they had 1 on display. Well, they, in fact, have 3!!! I was so excited. I think they may have 4, but my son took me, and we found 3 on the 3rd floor. There is SO much to see, and it took us like 2 hours to just look around the 3rd floor, so we determined that we would do 1 floor at a time in order to see everything on each floor and take it all in. There is on street parking or there is a little pay parking lot across the street which is what we did. It is free admission to look at the general displays. If there is a special exhibit, then there would be an admission cost.

Amazing I enjoy it a lot. You will love it if you are an art enthusiast. Closest museum I’ve been to compared to the louvre in Paris. Definitely a must if you are staying in Boston.

An absolutely amazing art museum and a must see of Minneapolis. I visited on a Sunday morning which had significantly less crowds than I was expecting. Entry was quick and easy, the entrance was for free (which I’m not sure if it’s a recurring thing). It was very easy to navigate around the museum due to the signage and provided maps. I especially like that there is a list of must sees on the back of the map for those who only have a short amount of time to visit like I did. The layout is easy to navigate and separated in distinct periods that makes sense, nothing detracts from the pieces themselves, and it's overall an amazing experience. I can't wait to revisit with plenty of time to thoroughly explore all the exhibits.