Minneapolis is a shamelessly good city for kids, and the best part is how much of it is free. Waterfalls, a sculpture garden with a giant spoon in it, a world-class art museum that never charges admission, and a river you can walk across on a nineteenth-century railroad bridge — all of it before you have spent a dollar.
Here is our list, from a company that drives families around this city for a living.
1. Minnehaha Falls
A 53-foot waterfall inside the city limits, with a park around it, a creek to follow downstream and limestone stairs kids will run up and down until they are done. Minnehaha Regional Park is free, open year-round, and genuinely spectacular after a rainy week. In winter the falls freeze into an ice cave, which is arguably better.
2. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Free, open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, and home to Spoonbridge and Cherry, which is exactly what a four-year-old thinks public art should be. The Sculpture Garden sits right beside the Walker Art Center, so you can pair a free run-around with a ticketed museum visit if the weather turns.
3. The Minneapolis Institute of Art
General admission at Mia is always free — no tickets, no timed entry for the permanent collection. There are mummies, suits of armour, and period rooms you can walk into. It is closed on Mondays and open late on Thursdays. For a rainy afternoon with children it is very hard to beat.
4. Mill City Museum
Built inside the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, right on the river. The Flour Tower elevator ride is the bit kids remember. Adult admission is $15, and it is worth knowing that Mill City Museum sells tickets on site only — there are no advance sales — so arrive with a little slack in the schedule. It is at 704 South 2nd Street.
5. The Bakken Museum
A STEM museum in a lakeside mansion on the west shore of Bde Maka Ska, celebrating fifty years in 2026. Ben Franklin electricity demonstrations, a Frankenstein exhibit, and hands-on rooms built for exactly the age that touches everything. The Bakken is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours to 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month. Admission is $14 for adults, $10 for children 4–17, and free for under-3s. Parking is free, which downtown is not.
6. The Stone Arch Bridge and the riverfront
Walk out over the Mississippi on a former Great Northern railway bridge and look back at the only true waterfall on the whole river. Combine it with the Mill Ruins and St. Anthony Main and you have an easy afternoon that costs nothing. Our best Minneapolis landmarks list has the rest of them.
7. A trolley ride (yes, really)
We are biased, but hear us out: for small children the vehicle is the attraction. Our narrated scenic tour covers the lakes, the riverfront and the landmarks in one loop, sitting down, with someone else driving — which after a morning of chasing a toddler around a waterfall is its own kind of holiday. Older kids who like big old houses tend to love the Gilded Age Mansion Tour. If you are travelling with several families, we also do group tours and private rentals.
All our tours depart from the Pillsbury Mansion, home of the Pillsbury Club — so the pick-up point is itself worth a look.
Where to put everybody at night
Families do better in places with a bit of room. 300 Clifton is a historic mansion bed and breakfast in Loring Park with distinct guest rooms, a garden hot tub and a movie room — and every direct booking comes with a $20 Pillsbury Club dining voucher and a $20 trolley voucher, per stay. If you are in town for longer — a relocation, a work posting, a summer — Oakland’s on 9th does furnished month-to-month studios downtown with full kitchens and free laundry, which with kids is not a small thing.
If it rains, or if the budget is tight
We have you covered on both: the best things to do in Minneapolis on a rainy day and the best free things to do in Minneapolis.
More lists worth stealing from
- Best Minneapolis family activities
- Best Minneapolis parks
- Best Minneapolis museums
- Best ice cream and dessert in Minneapolis
- Everything else: things to do in Minneapolis
Book the easy part
Let someone else drive for an hour. Check the calendar of tours and pick a departure — it is the thing to do in Minneapolis when everyone’s legs have run out.
Keep reading: Where Can You Book a Holiday Lights Trolley for a Group or Office Party in Minneapolis?