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Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway

Would you like to see the best of Minnesota’s transportation, recreation, nature, art and history? It sounds like a week’s worth of touring, right? Wrong! The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway has it all in one interconnected series of parks, lakes, streams and greenways. Walk, bike, paddle or drive around Minneapolis while remaining connected to the natural world.

When I drive visitors from the airport who have never been to the Twin Cities, I like to show them the Grand Rounds. More than anywhere else, this route shows Minnesota’s relationship with nature and with our historical heritage. It demonstrates how people and nature can blend and how refreshing, energizing and uplifting that mix can be.

The Grand Rounds is so unique and beautiful that it has been designated a national drive. The route’s seven diverse districts include Minnehaha Falls and Creek, the Mississippi River, the Chain of Lakes, Theodore Wirth Park, Victory Memorial Parkway, Saint Anthony Parkway and Ridge Parkway.

Your options here are endless. Drive your grandchild around and point out all of the sights. With older grandkids, we recommend that you hike, bike or even canoe—if you’re feeling up to it. Better yet, why not do all three?

For more kinds of fun, take your grandchild on a trolley ride and skate the lakes during winter. You can also visit the Longfellow House, the visitor center for the Mississippi National Riverway, the historic buildings of Nicollet Island and the old Mill City Museum. Let’s not forget swimming, golfing, bird watching, smelling the spring flowers, tobogganing and skiing, as well as visiting the gardens, veterans’ memorials, natural springs and side trails for adventure and exploration.

There are many possibilities, so you can choose the section that fits your mood, is most appropriate for the weather conditions and is the distance that you want to cover. Return time and again for different experiences. You can build upon each and every visit. Confirming how special this is, in 2015, the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul tied for first place on The Trust for Public Land’s 4th annual ParkScore® Index.

Bonding and bridging:

In the U.S., nothing quite matches Minneapolis’s balance between city life and the outdoors. We should be proud of this great city and of this great state, which places such an emphasis on nature and the environment.