Your Minneapolis CME conference.

Minneapolis after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Minneapolis time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk around a lake, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or the Mill City Museum by the river. Leave time for getting there and for the weather, which changes a good deal with the season.

Travel, accommodation and admission are arranged separately. Your conference follows your own schedule on your phone or laptop; the city is the setting you chose for it.

Lakes, falls or the arts?

Meet Minneapolis says the city has 22 lakes within its limits, and the park board describes 102 miles of Grand Rounds biking and walking paths. At Bde Maka Ska, the park board lists a walking path, a biking path and a pavilion with an eatery. Seasonal rentals include canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, pedal boats and bikes through a rental operator, and 32nd Street Beach is one of three beaches the lake has to offer. The beach has a playground for younger children. Meet Minneapolis also points to the rose gardens at Lake Harriet.

Minnehaha Regional Park, home of Minnehaha Falls, is described by the park board as one of the first state parks in the United States. It has walking and biking paths, a garden, a disc golf course and a picnic area, and the Longfellow House and the John H. Stevens House are nearby.

The park board oversees 185 park properties and 7,059 acres of parkland and water, including 22 lakes and 55 miles of parkways. Meet Minneapolis counts 200 miles of walking, biking and cross-country ski trails, and it names Loring Park, Theodore Wirth Park and Gold Medal Park, which has nearly 300 mature trees on 7.5 acres. With that much choice, pick one place before you set out instead of trying to see several.

The Walker Art Center is at 725 Vineland Place in the Lowry Hill neighborhood, across from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, home of Spoonbridge and Cherry. The garden is open daily into the evening, so it fits an afternoon after study. The Walker’s own galleries are open Wednesday to Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday, with late hours on Thursday.

Stone Arch Bridge and St. Anthony Falls

The Stone Arch Bridge is at 100 Portland Avenue and crosses the Mississippi at St. Anthony Falls. James J. Hill’s Great Northern Railroad built it in 1883 to carry trains into downtown; it now carries walkers and cyclists, and the park board describes it as a National Civil Engineering Landmark with a panoramic view of the falls. It connects Father Hennepin Bluff Park on the East Bank with Mill Ruins Park on the West Bank.

Because the bridge, Mill Ruins Park and the Mill City Museum are all in the same part of the riverfront, they work as one outing after study. The park board notes that the bridge was repaired in 2024 and 2025.

Theodore Wirth Regional Park

Theodore Wirth Regional Park lies west of downtown and has Wirth Lake with a beach and fishing pier, a five-acre quaking bog with a boardwalk open all year, and the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. The Trailhead has lockers, restrooms, showers and bike rental and repair.

Meet Minneapolis lists fall hiking and mountain biking on the Wirth Lake, Skyline and Bottineau Way trails, a beginner loop along Wirth Lake, and more than 20 miles of cross-country ski trails in winter. The Brownie Lake Loop is not for beginners, so check a trail’s rating before you choose one.

Mills, bridges and the skyway

The Mill City Museum is at 704 South 2nd Street, built into the ruins of a former flour mill. The museum describes how the city’s flour-milling industry grew quickly after the city was founded on the Mississippi’s west bank. Check the museum’s hours page before you go.

If the weather turns, Meet Minneapolis says the downtown skyway connects more than 150 buildings across more than 10 miles of enclosed, elevated walkways, launched in 1963.

When to visit Minneapolis

Meet Minneapolis describes four distinct seasons. Spring, April through May, is variable, and flowers and trees are in bloom by May. Summer, June through August, reaches the mid-80s°F and brings festivals and lakeside activities. Fall, September through late November, brings vibrant leaves, crisp air, warm coffee shops and bustling breweries, according to the city’s fall page, while its trip-planning page says summer is short and the list of things to do is long.

Winter, late November through March, is cold. The tourism board mentions skating and snowshoeing, and the skyways are there when you want to stay indoors. Check the forecast before you plan outdoor time.

Getting to Minneapolis and your study setting

Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is the arrival point shown in this guide. Its website has a ground transportation page under its directions menu. Choose your accommodation and ground transport with both your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.