Minneapolis/South

South Minneapolis has several interesting neighborhoods. Midtown on Lake Street between Interstate 35W and Hiawatha Avenue is home to many Latino businesses. The Seward and West Bank neighborhoods also has several interesting bars, shops and restaurants. The corner of 48th and Chicago Avenue has several restaurants, an independent movie theater, and other shops.

Streets run east/west and generally have numbers that increase as you go further south. Nicollet Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis divides the streets. Append the direction at the end of streets such as E 27th Street to indicate east of Nicollet. Avenues are numbered from Nicollet Avenue (18, 19, ... 32) continuing east to the Mississippi River, where you reach Saint Paul. The first part of addresses on the avenues are based on the nearest cross street. For example, 4000 28th Avenue South is at the corner of 28th Avenue and 40th Street.

By car

• Interstate 35W runs along the western and northern edges of the district, separating it from Southwest and Downtown.
• Interstate 94 runs to the north of the district, running alongside Interstate 35W part of the way. Further east, it separates the West Bank and Seward neighborhoods.
• Minnesota State Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) runs through the district in a roughly northwest-southeast fashion. It connects the district with Downtown to the north and the airport and Fort Snelling to the south.

By METRO light rail

The Blue Line runs through South Minneapolis mostly along Hiawatha Avenue as it travels between Downtown Minneapolis, the airport, and the Mall of America. The Green Line runs between the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and has a stop on the West Bank.

By bus

• Route 2 begins at Franklin and Hennepin in the Wedge and travels along Franklin Avenue to 26th Avenue through the Phillips and Seward neighborhoods (connecting with the METRO Blue Line at Franklin and Hiawatha), then travels along Riverside Avenue through the West Bank to Cedar Avenue, finally turning on to the Washington Avenue Bridge to head to the U of M East Bank.
• Route 3 has a couple stops on the West Bank, one near 3rd and Cedar and another in the trench leading to the Washington Avenue Bridge. This route starts in Downtown Minneapolis and continues towards the East Bank and Saint Paul.
• Route 5 is a fairly frequent route running along Chicago Avenue through South Minneapolis, passing by the Midtown Exchange (Chicago-Lake Transit Center) along the way. The route begins in Brooklyn Center, runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown, and south of 60th Street shifts over to Portland Avenue and continues through Richfield and Bloomington, terminating at the Mall of America.
• Route 7 starts near Theodore Wirth Park in North Minneapolis and continues through Downtown. On the West Bank it passes through Seven Corners and then runs most the length of Riverside Avenue, continuing along 27th Avenue in Seward. At Lake Street in Longfellow it shifts over to Minnehaha Avenue and continues until 46th Street, connects with the METRO Blue Line at 46th and Hiawatha, and travels down 34th Avenue in the Nokomis area until its terminus near Highway 62.
• Route 9 starts in the west suburbs and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. It runs along Franklin Avenue through the Phillips neighborhood, connects with the METRO Blue Line at Franklin and Hiawatha. In Seward it runs down Minnehaha Avenue for three blocks, then along 25th Street to 36th Avenue, running down 36th Avenue through Longfellow until it reaches 34th Street. At 34th Street it runs east to 42nd Avenue, then south along 42nd Avenue to 42nd Street, then shifting back to Minnehaha Avenue which it runs down until 46th Street, finally terminating at the METRO Blue Line station at 46th and Hiawatha.
• Route 11 begins in Columbia Heights and runs through Northeast Minneapolis, Downtown, and the Whittier neighborhood. In south Minneapolis it serves the western edge of the Phillips, Powderhorn, and Nokomis areas, running along 4th Avenue from 28th Street down to 46th Street, then terminating at 46th and Nicollet.
• Route 14 comes from Robbinsdale and Golden Valley and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. In South Minneapolis it runs along Bloomington Avenue (through the Phillips, Powderhorn, and Nokomis areas), eventually terminating in Richfield near 66th and Cedar.
• Route 21 is a frequent-running (and frequently overcrowded) bus route running along Lake Street through South Minneapolis, passing through the heart of Midtown and connecting with the METRO Blue Line at Lake and Hiawatha. The route begins in Uptown and continues all the way to downtown Saint Paul via Marshall and Selby Avenues.
• Route 22 comes from Brooklyn Center and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. On the West Bank it passes through Seven Corners and then runs down Cedar Avenue through the Phillips and Powderhorn areas until 35th Street. The bus then runs east on 35th Street, south on 23rd Avenue, and east on 38th Street to meet up with the METRO Blue Line at 38th and Hiawatha. The bus then continues south on 28th Avenue through the Nokomis area until 58th Street, then meanders eastward to its terminus at the VA Medical Center, where it meets up with the Blue Line once again.
• Route 23 begins in Uptown and runs along the length of 38th Street through South Minneapolis, connecting with the METRO Blue Line at 38th and Hiawatha. Half the buses terminate at the Veterans Home in Minnehaha Park and the other half terminate in Saint Paul's Highland Park neighborhood.
• Route 46 runs mostly along 46th Street through South Minneapolis, briefly jogging over to 42nd Street between Cedar and 34th Avenues to avoid Lake Hiawatha, and connects with the METRO Blue Line at 46th and Hiawatha. The route begins in Edina, runs through Southwest Minneapolis, and continues all the way to the Highland Park neighborhood in Saint Paul.
• Route 67 begins at the Franklin Avenue METRO Blue Line station and runs east along Franklin Avenue through the Seward neighborhood before continuing on to Prospect Park and Saint Paul.

By bicycle

The Midtown Greenway is a paved, off road bike path that runs east/west through South Minneapolis (paralleling 28th Street) connecting the Mississippi River trails to Highway 169 in Hopkins, passing Lake Calhoun along the way. The Greenway intersects with the river trails at its easternmost point, the Hiawatha LRT trail (to downtown) at Hiawatha Avenue, and bicycle lanes at Park Avenue and Portland Avenue. The trail continues into Southwest Minneapolis, intersecting the Chain of Lakes paths via connector at Lake Calhoun, and the Cedar Lake Bikeway as well as the SW LRT Trail in Hopkins.
Bike racks are provided on the front of all city buses and inside light rail cars. The greenway and river bike paths are plowed in winter allowing year round use.

Museums

• American Swedish Institute

  phone: +1 612 871-4907
  address: 2600 Park Ave
  A mansion built for Swan and Christina Turnblad; Swan owned one of the largest Swedish language newspapers in the United States. In 1929 the house became a museum dedicated to Swedish-American history and culture.

Parks

Minnehaha Park

Nestled in the far southeastern corner of the city, Minnehaha Park is popular with city residents for picnics, weddings, and other festivities. It is the point where the Minnehaha Creek empties into the Mississippi River. The upper portion (above the Minnehaha Falls) is trimmed and well-maintained, while the portion below the falls is largely left in a natural state.

• Minnehaha FallsA 53-foot waterfall. The viewing area is just to the south of the larger park pavilion (the one housing Sea Salt Eatery). There is also a pedestrian bridge above the falls.

• Minnehaha Depot

  address: between Hiawatha Ave and Minnehaha Dr, north of 50th St
  A former Milwaukee Road railway depot built in 1875. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries this was how many Minneapolis residents reached Minnehaha Park.

• Longfellow House

  phone: +1 612 230-6520
  address: 4800 S Minnehaha Dr
  A 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1907 by Robert "Fish" Jones, a businessman who earned his nickname from an early investment in a fish market downtown. At various points in its history, the house has acted as a zoo, library, and during a state of disrepair, a haunted house. Today the house is open on summer weekends and acts as an information center for visitors of the Minneapolis park system.

• John H. Stevens House

  address: 4901 S Minnehaha Dr
  Constructed in 1850, the Stevens House was the first authorized house built on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Originally located near St. Anthony Falls where the city's main post office now sits, the house was moved several times but has occupied its current location in Minnehaha Park since 1896. Built by John H. Stevens, an early settler and later state legislator who was granted permission to build the house in exchange for providing ferry service across the river to the town of St. Anthony (later annexed into Minneapolis).

Film

• Parkway Theater

  phone: +1 612 822-3030
  address: 4814 Chicago Ave
  Old cinema adjacent and connected to Pepito's.

• Riverview Theater

  phone: +1 612 729-7369
  address: 3800 42nd Ave S
  Art deco neighborhood cinema showing second-run movies for cheap. Cash only.

• Trylon Microcinema

  phone: +1 612 424-5468
  address: 3258 Minnehaha Ave
  Trylon is a very small cinema (50 seats) screening classic and independent films six nights a week on a 20 foot screen. The cinema's owners, Take-Up Productions, also host occasional larger screenings at the nearby Riverview Theater, along with the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights.

Theater

• Mixed Blood Theatre

  phone: +1 612 338-0937
  address: 1501 S 4th St
  Diverse theater company in operation since the 1970s. The theater is in a former fire station, and in a somewhat hard-to-find location with Interstate 35W and the Washington Avenue trench cutting off direct access from the north and west.

• Southern Theater

  phone: +1 612 340-1725
  address: 1420 Washington Ave S

• Theatre in the Round

  phone: +1 612 333-3010
  address: 245 Cedar Ave
  The theater company has been around since the 1950s and at its current location since 1969. The stage is set up in the middle of the theater with seating surrounding it.

• Open Eye Figure Theatre

  phone: +1 612 874-6338
  address: 506 E 24th St

Music

• Cedar Cultural Center

  phone: +1 612 338-2674
  address: 416 Cedar Ave
  An intimate non-profit music venue hosting jazz, blues, folk, indie, and world music.

• Ted Mann Concert Hall

  phone: +1 612 626-1892
  address: 2128 S 4th St
  1,100 plus seat concert auditorium on the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus. Performances by the U of M's School of Music ensembles are hosted here.

Books

• Dreamhaven Books and Comics

  phone: +1 612 823-6161
  address: 2301 E 38th St
  New and used science fiction, fantasy, horror, film and art books, comics, an adults-only room. Mail order and in-store readings.

• Mayday Books

  phone: +1 612 333-4719
  address: 301 Cedar Ave
  Volunteer collectively-run radical bookstore selling left-wing literature.

• Nostalgia Zone

  phone: +1 612 822-2806
  address: 3535 E Lake St
  Best for hard to find old comics and independents. You can also sell comics here, and the dealers are great. The establishment is over 30 years old.

• Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction and Uncle Edgar's Mystery

  phone: +1 612 824-6347 (Uncle Hugo), +1 612 824-9984 (Uncle Edgar)
  address: 2864 Chicago Ave
  Uncle Hugo's dates back to 1974 while Uncle Edgar's dates back to 1980. Originally separate businesses, they have shared the same storefront since 1984. A treasure trove of used and new science fiction, fantasy, and mystery books. It is the oldest science fiction/fantasy book store in North America, and has a well-earned national reputation for its vast selection. The prices are reasonable and you can get an extra 10% off all purchases by buying a $4 discount card. If you're buying more than $40 worth of books, it pays for itself with the first purchase.

Record stores

• Dead Media

  phone: +1 612 222-1655
  address: 1828 E 35th St
  Used records, audio-cassettes, and books. Also hosts live music shows in the basement.

• Hymie's Vintage Records

  phone: +1 612 729-8890
  address: 3820 E Lake St

Other

Midtown

• Mercado Central

  address: 1515 E Lake St
  Latin American indoor market with many food options.

• Midtown Global Market

  phone: +1 612 872-4041
  address: 920 E Lake St
  The Midtown Global Market is located in what used to be a large Sears store, and is now home to a variety of cafes and restaurants from all around the world. The selection includes an American diner, Mexican tamales, a Middle Eastern deli and buffet, Nepali dumplings, and everything in between.

• Modern Times Cafe

  phone: +1 612 886-3882
  address: 3200 Chicago Ave
  Diner open for breakfast and lunch. Vegan and gluten-free options available.

• Pineda Tacos

  phone: +1 612 722-3580
  address: 2150 E Lake St

• Qoraxlow

  phone: +1 612 822-4480
  address: 1821 E Lake St
  Somali fare.

• Safari Restaurant

  phone: +1 612 353-5341
  address: 3010 4th Ave S
  Somali cuisine; a lot of stewed meat dishes, including goat meat. The restaurant owners also operate the Safari Express inside the Midtown Global Market, with a more limited menu but also offering some items not available at the full service restaurant, namely the camel burger.

• Taquería La Hacienda

  phone: +1 612 822-2715
  address: 334 E Lake St
  In addition to the location listed here, La Hacienda also has a stall at Mercado Central.

• Taquería Los Ocampo

  phone: +1 612 825-4978
  address: 809 E Lake St
  In addition to the standalone location listed here, Los Ocampo also has stalls at the Midtown Global Market and Lake Plaza.

West Bank and Seward

• Acadia Cafe

  phone: +1 612 874-8702
  address: 329 Cedar Ave
  Acadia's menu features 28 beers on tap and 40+ bottle brews plus a well-rounded selection of wine and mixed drinks. A full kitchen serves burgers, fries, appetizers, grilled and cold sandwiches, as well as desserts and a full espresso bar. The cabaret spirit of the old adjacent mini-theater space now fills the new cafe, as before with an eclectic mix of all original music, performed Wednesday through Sunday nights, but with no cover charge.

• Hard Times Cafe

  phone: +1 612 341-9261
  address: 1821 Riverside Ave
  This all-vegetarian cooperatively-owned diner is a haven for punks, anarchists, hippies, students, and anyone wanting mile-high nachos and wake-the-dead coffee. The entrees range from dirt-cheap to moderate, all in copious amounts, and the bathroom graffiti is art in and of itself. They're open 365 days a year, 22 hours a dayperfect for that pre- or post-bar hangover cure. No credit cards.

• Jewel of India

  phone: +1 612 339-0002
  address: 1427 Washington Ave S
  The local Indian population, largely consisting of students at the University of Minnesota, gather here to watch cricket matches through the middle of the night but go elsewhere to eat.

• Pizza Lucé

  phone: +1 612 332-2535
  address: 2200 E Franklin Ave

• Seward Cafe

  phone: +1 612 332-1011
  address: 2129 E Franklin Ave
  Collectively-run mostly-vegetarian cafe that has been in operation since the 1970s. It can get pretty busy on the weekends. Often open for live music events after hours.

• The Wienery

  phone: +1 612 746-4509
  address: 414 Cedar Ave
  Small, family owned diner that serves basic fare. It's where the punks, aging hippies and various harmless riff-raff go for breakfast or a lunch of fries, burgers, brats or hot dogs slathered with your choice of toppings. They also carry veggie dogs for the vegetarian in you. The fries are shredded right in front of you and come out oh so crisp! No credit cards.

Other areas

• 5-8 Club

  phone: +1 612 823-5858
  address: 5800 Cedar Ave
  One of the more popular places in town to get a Juicy Lucy. Has a rivalry with Matt's Bar.

• Fat Lorenzo's

  phone: +1 612 822-2040
  address: 5600 Cedar Ave
  Good service, good pizza. "Fat" is in the name of the place, so plan accordingly. A good first stop or last stop on your way to or from the airport. Beer and wine.

• Gandhi Mahal

  phone: +1 612 729-5222
  address: 3009 27th Ave S
  Northern Indian food, vegetarian friendly. Buffet available during lunch hours.

• The Howe

  phone: +1 612 729-3663
  address: 3675 Minnehaha Ave
  A sports bar and restaurant in the Longfellow neighborhood, located a few blocks east of the 38th Street LRT station. They have great wings, and American food. Features a dog-friendly back patio with a dog menu.

• Himalayan Restaurant

  phone: +1 612 332-0880
  address: 2910 E Lake St
  Nepalese, Tibetan, and Indian cuisine. Vegan options available.

• Jakeeno's

  phone: +1 612 825-6827
  address: 3555 Chicago Ave
  Jakeeno's offers good pizza and other pasta dishes. Try the potato and rosemary pizza. Jakeeno's is clean, friendly and family-run. Wine and beer served.

• Matt's Bar

  phone: +1 612 722-7072
  address: 3500 Cedar Ave
  Claims to have invented the Jucy Lucy (note the spelling difference).

• Midori's Floating World Cafe

  phone: +1 612 721-3011
  address: 2629 E Lake St
  A Japanese restaurant in the Longfellow neighborhood, located a few blocks east of the Lake Street LRT station. They have great sushi, and other Japanese food as well. Meal prices are higher at dinner, but pretty reasonable during lunch time. Sushi prices are actually pretty decent, especially when compared to other sushi joints in the city. Vegetarian and vegan friendly.

• Pepitos

  phone: +1 612 822-2104
  address: 4820 Chicago Ave
  There's a full bar, a kid-friendly menu and good food at reasonable prices. If you're traveling with a toddler and want decent food in a family-friendly restaurant, Pepitos has a good kid's menu with items for $4.95 each and the food comes fast. So you and yours can eat before your two year-old throws the entire bowl of chips at the adjoining booth. Connected to the Parkway Theater next door.

Alcohol

• Hexagon Bar

  phone: +1 612 722-3454
  address: 2600 27th Ave S
  Dive bar in the Seward neighborhood hosts free live shows Thursday through Saturday nights.

• Nomad World Pub

  phone: +1 612 338-6424
  address: 501 Cedar Ave
  Bar with a patio and a bocce ball court outside. Live music some nights. Of particular note is the Minneseries, a month-long Thursday night residency headlined by one local band with various openers each week, and no cover charge.

• Palmer's

  phone: +1 612 333-7625
  address: 500 Cedar Ave
  Tiny dive bar (actual dive, not a fashionable faux-dive) with cheap, stiff drinks, a mixed crowd, and a legendary 86'd board. Not for the faint of heart.

Coffee

• Angry Catfish Coffee Bar

  phone: +1 612 722-1538
  address: 4208 28th Ave S
  Coffee shop that's tied to a bicycle shop. Coffee beans are sourced from Intelligentsia in Chicago.

• Blue Moon Coffee Cafe

  phone: +1 612 721-9230
  address: 3822 E Lake St

• May Day Cafe

  phone: +1 612 729-5627
  address: 3440 Bloomington Ave
  A coffee shop near Powderhorn Park with a selection of baked goods, including a couple vegan options. The place is popular and quite small, so it gets crowded very often; don't be surprised if a complete stranger grabs a seat at your table.

• Peace Coffee Shop

  phone: +1 612 877-7760
  address: 3262 Minnehaha Ave
  Coffee shop operated by Peace Coffee, a locally-based brand of organic fair trade coffee, whose product can be found in markets around town.

• Precision Grind Coffee

  phone: +1 612 343-4255
  address: 2223 E Franklin Ave
  Free wi-fi.

• Courtyard Minneapolis

  phone: +1 612 333-4646
  address: 1500 Washington Ave S
  Mid-rise hotel on the West Bank right next to the Seven Corners intersection, and within easy reach of Downtown and the U of M.

• Sheraton Minneapolis Midtown Hotel

  phone: +1 612 821-7600
  address: 2901 Chicago Ave
  Located near the Midtown Exchange (formerly a large Sears store and warehouse, now home to a world bazaar-style marketplace, restaurants, office space, condos and apartments) near Lake and Chicago Avenues.

• East Lake Library

  phone: +1 612 543-8425
  address: 2727 E Lake St

• Franklin Library

  phone: +1 612 543-6925
  address: 1314 E Franklin Ave

• Hosmer Library

  phone: +1 612 543-6900
  address: 347 E 36th St

• Nokomis Library

  phone: +1 612 543-6800
  address: 5100 34th Ave S

• Roosevelt Library

  phone: +1 612 543-6700
  address: 4026 28th Ave S

• While Midtown now has the largest concentration of Mexican businesses in the Twin Cities, the oldest Mexican neighborhood in the area is on the West Side of Saint Paul, where the community dates back to the 1930s.