"I prefer the Minneapple" reads many a bumper sticker in Minneapolis, Minn. Spend some time there and it's easy to see why.

Minneapolis is a clean, green and livable city, built on a chain of six lakes (there are 16 more within city limits), bisected by the Mississippi River, and with a world-famous park system. The city is home to world-class sports teams, a vibrant downtown (and funky uptown), wonderful shopping and more live-theater seats per capita than any other U.S. city besides New York. Both sophisticated and down-to-earth, Minneapolis has something special to offer every visitor. Before long you'll understand why travel expert Arthur Frommer named this city one of his five favorite places in the world to visit.

Getting There and Getting Around
Getting to and around Minneapolis is a snap. The Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is located in suburban Bloomington, just 12 miles from downtown. Nine commercial airlines and several charters offer 1,100 arrivals and departures each day, from 146 American cities and 18 international ones. In addition, Minneapolis is served by Greyhound (bus) and Amtrak (train). Minneapolis has nearly 80 car rental locations, most at the airport or downtown. The highway system is excellent and easy to navigate. Interstate 94 is a major east-west, coast-to-coast highway; Interstate 35 is a major north-south one. Public transit is excellent: More than 900 public buses run throughout the metro area.

Warm Weather Outdoor Fun
If you enjoy outdoor activities – playing or watching sports, or just strolling along a beach on a warm summer evening – then Minneapolis is a perfect vacation fit for you. You'll enjoy walking along the Mississippi River, canoeing or swimming in one of the city's many lakes. Lakes Calhoun, Harriet and Nokomis offer classes in sailing.

If you don't want to depend on the wind to determine your course, you can rent Roller-blades or a bicycle and make your journey around the lakes as speedy or deliberate as you like! Twenty miles of paved trails make it easy to bike, Roller-blade or hike the whole chain of lakes. Of course, you may want to take it easier and just stroll around one lake. Two to try include Lake Calhoun (3.1 miles around) and Lake Harriet (2.75 miles). Take it easier yet and cruise the lakes on the Queen of the Lakes Paddlewheeler; board at the Lake Harriet docks for a relaxing 45-minute tour.

After your cruise, stroll over to Lyndale Park, adjacent to the lake, for some quiet time in the Roberts Bird Sanctuary and adjoining Japanese Peace Garden, and the beautiful Lake Harriet Rose Garden. And there are free concerts nearly every night all summer long at the Lake Harriet band shell. Lie in the cool grass and listen to every kind of music imaginable, from pop to Bach.

Another outdoor area you won't want to miss is Minnehaha Park and Falls. The falls, made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his "Song of Hiawatha," are a definite highlight of the 171-acre park. If you want to escape the city's hustle and bustle, there's no better place to do it than this little island of tranquility. Bring a picnic lunch and just relax under a tree as you take in the natural beauty. And be sure to bring your camera – you'll want a picture of those legendary waterfalls!

Cold Weather Outdoor Fun
Visiting Minneapolis in the winter can be just as much fun as summertime! There are a number of ski areas, as well as skating on city lakes and snowshoeing in a number of parks. If you're in town at the end of January or the beginning of February, you'll want to go across the river to the St. Paul Winter Carnival, a 10-day extravaganza featuring ice sculptures, entertainment, sporting events and much more.

If you have children, check out the Holidazzle, an evening parade featuring lights, floats, musical entertainment, celebrity grand marshals and hundreds of costumed characters from children's stories. The parades are free and run down Nicollet Mall most evenings from the end of November through the end of December. And don't miss sledding down the hills in Theodore Wirth Park in north Minneapolis!

To warm up after the Holidazzle parade, duck into Dayton's store on 7th and Nicollet and head for the 8th floor auditorium. Each holiday season this Minneapolis landmark hosts a different display for kids.

If you need a day or two of adult time, sneak away to one of the area's many luxurious B&Bs. My personal favorite is the Rosewood Inn in Hastings, just minutes outside Minneapolis. Enjoy a heavenly breakfast in bed, and don't forget to light the fireplace. My favorite room is the Vermillion: red walls, a sitting area, two sided fireplace (to enjoy from the sitting area, bed or two-person Jacuzzi!) Hastings is a quaint river town with wonderful antique shopping. And pamper yourself with lunch at the Mississippi Belle!

Shopping and Other Indoor Sports
Minneapolis also has a great deal of indoor recreation to offer. The city is home to the Minnesota Twins (World Series champs in 1987 and 1991) and perennial football powerhouse Minnesota Vikings, as well as the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. The newest, and some say most exciting, team in the town is the WNBA's (Professional Women's Basketball Association) Minnesota Lynx.

If your favorite indoor sport is power shopping, you've come to the right place! Downtown's Nicollet Mall offers 12 blocks of wonderful shopping – everything from Saks Fifth Avenue to hometown hero Dayton's. Mary Tyler Moore strolled along Nicollet Mall in the opening credits of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the famous scene where she threw her beret into the air was filmed right in front of Dayton's. The "warehouse district" offers wonderful restaurants of every ethnicity imaginable, along with one-of-a-kind shops. Minneapolis is a city that loves to eat: Downtown alone offers nearly 300 restaurants.

Speaking of shopping, Minneapolis' most famous tourist destination is actually just about five minutes outside the city, in suburban Bloomington. The 4.2 million-square-foot Mall of America is more than just the country's largest indoor shopping center. Along with the requisite stores, theaters and restaurants, the Mall of America offers the largest indoor amusement park in the nation, the seven-acre Camp Snoopy; the Lego Imagination Center, a four-story Lego display; an 18-hole miniature golf course; several nightclubs; and a wedding chapel! You might want to reserve at least a day to spend at what locals call the "Mega-Mall." According to mall management, if a shopper spent just 10 minutes browsing at each store, it would take more than 86 hours to complete their visit (and that doesn't even include time out for lunch).

If you're looking for something a little funkier than downtown or the Mall of America, head uptown. Calhoun Square and the surrounding Hennepin-Lake area, just blocks from Lake Calhoun, contain everything from The Gap to Saint Sabrina's Parlor in Purgatory. After a 10-minute "chair massage" in Calhoun Square, you may feel so relaxed that you want to take a little break and have a bite to eat. Calhoun Square's Figlio restaurant offers trendy Italian fare, and their outdoor café boasts some of the city's best people watching.

Dining
Figlio is just one of Minneapolis' many outdoor eateries. The Whittier neighborhood's Black Forest Inn offers an intimate courtyard with vines overhead and a bubbling fountain. It's Greek To Me offers sumptuous, affordable Greek and American food in the center city. If vegetarian eating is up your alley, try the great food outside at the Mud Pie on Lyndale Avenue (try their guacamole enchiladas). If you want to eat inside, check out "Eat Street." This 17-block stretch, starting downtown and winding south through the Whittier neighborhood, offers a vast variety of ethnic dining, including Thai, German, Chinese, Vietnamese and Mexican, much of it authentically prepared by staff native to the cuisine.

Arts and Seasonal Activities
Interested in art? Minneapolis offers a large variety of museums and galleries. Two don't-misses are the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, with a permanent collection of more than 85,000 works of art, ranging from prehistoric to modern, and the Walker Art Center, which focuses on modern art. Adjacent to the Walker is its sculpture garden, a collaborative project with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The 11-acre Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the nation's largest urban sculpture garden, boasting more than 40 permanent works and a garden conservatory.

If you visit in July, your visit won't be complete without spending some time on Aquatennial activities. This 48-event, 10-day festival runs annually during the third week of July and includes one of the state's largest parades, a competitive milk carton boat race and a huge fireworks show. This great Minneapolis tradition offers many free and low-cost activities.

Music and Dancing
There are as many things to do in Minneapolis at night as during the day. After dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants mentioned above, or one of the great "Eat Street" restaurants, how about some live music? The Fine Line Music Café in downtown Minneapolis offers an eclectic variety, from acoustic rock to pop to disco. (Its Sunday gospel brunches are a Minneapolis tradition. Book ahead for this.) First Avenue/7th Street Entry in downtown Minneapolis is one of the city's top (and most well-established) dance clubs.

Minneapolis is truly a city for all seasons. Whether you like to get outside or prefer indoor sports, you're sure to find plenty to do.

Minneapolis' fraternal twin, just across the Mississippi River, is St. Paul. In Part Two of our series on the Twin Cities, we'll focus on the smaller twin. St. Paul is Minnesota's capital city and offers a special charm all its own.

Photos courtesy of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association.

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