Minneapolis River Walk: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Overview

Welcome to Minneapolis, the home of Nerf Balls, the singer and songwriter Prince, and, yes, Zubaz pants. On this self-guided audio tour, you'll stroll along the Mississippi River. Along the way, you’ll hear about:

• The history of the milling industry in Minneapolis
• The massive Washburn A Mill explosion of 1878
• The 35W Bridge collapse of 2007
• The secret history of "Funkytown"
• An ugly mansion with 86 TVs
• Cougar attacks
• The untimely death of Tiny Tim
• The hiring of a hitman in St. Paul
• ”Untalented but adventurous” German artists, to quote the author Jonathan Raban
• How long it takes a single drop of water to travel down the Mississippi – and how long it takes a person to make the same journey

This walking tour can be enjoyed on location or even virtually at home with VoiceMap's Continuous Play function which disables the GPS playback.

PHOTO CREDITS: Meet Minneapolis

City: Minneapolis-Saint Paul

Mon 26 May

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $8.99

Make a reservation

Mon 26 May

Starting at $8.99

Make a reservation

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What's Included

VoiceMap App for Android and iOS

Lifetime access to this tour in English

Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Additional Info

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

What To Expect

Open Book

The tour starts outside the Open Book Literary Center. Here you'll learn about how VoiceMap works, be introduced to the city and hear about the Open Book Literary Center, and all before the walk begins.

Guthrie Theater

You'll pass by the Guthrie Theatre and learn about its history and its role as one of Minnesota’s core cultural institutions.

Mill City Museum

The tour takes you past the Mill City Museum. As you walk, you'll learn a bit about the museum.

Mill Ruins Park

You'll walk past the Mill Ruins Park and while you walk, you'll hear a little about it.

Upper St. Anthony Lock and Dam

You'll walk past St Anthony Lock and Dam and hear a bit about it, how it was used and why it is permanently closed.

St. Anthony Falls

While you walk, you can see where St Anthony Falls would have been if the dam wasn't built. You'll also hear a bit about the falls.

Nicollet Island

The tour ends in Nicollet Island at the Nicollet Island Pavilion. While you walk there, you'll learn a bit about Nicollet Island and who it was named after.

Show 4 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (59)

Francis_W

Jul 2024

The audio tour was great. The narrator was local and really added to the history. The quality of the audio was excellent.

Rebecca_C

Jun 2024

Interesting voice over. Great to get some history of the area. Easy to use and clear directions given. Would say ending felt quite abrupt.

Car M

Nov 2023

First time to downtown Minneapolis and thought this tour would give us the lay of the land. It was very informative, the walk easy enough, interesting history but I think would be better in the summer when there is more going on in the park area. It was pretty desolate in November. You really only need to pay for one person and everybody else will just listen in on your phone with a little speaker. I paid for four adults and we ended up walking in couples and at our own pace. The guy’s voice was a little monotone, but he did have some good stories. You really don’t even need to go into the bookstore. It’s just a starting point for the app to recognize where you are. Not sure why you needed to book ahead of time. That was quite ridiculous.