City: Minneapolis, MN

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (612) 230-6400

Address: 4801 Minnehaha Ave. South

Description: This historic, heavily used, and recently refurbished 193-acre regional park gives visitors little wonder where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow got the inspiration to write his epic poem Song of Hiawatha, which was inspired by accounts the poet had read about Minnehaha Falls, though he never actually visited them. On-site tributes to Longfellow include a scale replica of the poet’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, house and a fine sculpture of the brave Hiawatha holding Minnehaha in his arms.The impressive falls are the primary destination point for most park visitors, with several wonderful overlooks and steps that take you to the base of the falls. From the bottom, you can pick up the Minnehaha Trail and follow it and the river to the Lower Glen area of Minnehaha Park. There you’ll find a wide, open field, old stone bridges that cross the water at regular intervals, limestone cliffs, and areas of restored prairie and undeveloped wetlands. Throughout the park are statues, plaques dedicated to historic events, and historic buildings, including the historic Minnehaha Depot, built in 1875 to serve as a recreational gateway for visitors to the falls and as a departure point for soldiers from nearby Fort Snelling, and the Col. John H. Stevens House, which is open to visitors Memorial Day weekend through mid-September.