Minneapolis

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

More Photos
pitchypatchy
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
8
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5
Editor Pick

Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

  • January 18, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by travellingdave from Calgary, Alberta
Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, an 11 acre park located on the grounds of the Walker Art Center, is the perfect place to come and relax on a warm summer day. Here, you’ll find some of Minneapolis’ most famous landmarks.

The park is located west of the downtown core, just off of I-94 at exit 231. To get here, exit onto Lyndale Avenue South, and turn right onto Vineland Place west. If you’re coming from downtown, take Hennepin Avenue south to Lyndale Ave, and turn onto Vineland.

The park can also be accessed from the Loring Park neighborhood by the rather nice pedestrian Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, that crosses over busy I-94. From here, you’ll be able to take a good number of photos of downtown Minneapolis and the skyline, as well as the Basilica of St. Mary, before heading into the camera-happy sculpture gardens.

There is no fee to enter the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, so once you arrive feel free to hop right in. Metered parking is ample on Vineland Pl., and is just a short walk from the Garden itself. Begin your walk around this excellent park by following the crowds (or the well-trodden paths on the slow days) to see the most popular sculptures.

The main highlight and most popular sculpture is perhaps Minneapolis’ best known landmark, the Spoonbridge and Cherry. This sculpture was built by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, and is considered to be the centerpiece of the park. Several families of ducks and geese make their homes in the shallow ponds surrounding the Spoonbridge and Cherry, which make photographs extra fun.

Don’t miss the odd-shaped stick sculpture next to the Spoon and Cherry, which looks like a window being raised on four slilts. Here, one can center the Minneapolis skyline perfectly in "the window" and create a very nice photograph of downtown, the Spoon and Cherry, and the window structure all at the same time.

Another highlight to the park is the impressive swinging sculpture, which basically consists of a large board suspended in the air by four massive cables attached to adjoining wooden beams. The board is quite popular with the kids, who jump on it and try to balance themselves on the artwork. It’s great fun for us adults, too. Unlike what you might expect, the board does not swing gracefully, but is erratic and rigid, making the balancing act quite a challenge!

On your way out of the Sculpture Garden, don’t miss the greenhouse, which houses some interesting plant life. It’s located next to the parking area, near the entrance to the park. It’s a good place to cap off your visit to this excellent park.

No food or drink is available on site most of the time, but the occasional snack cart can be found. But, it’s best to bring your own.

To learn more about the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden visit: http://garden.walkerart.org

From journal Mingling in Minneapolis

Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

  • November 12, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Sask99 from Melville, Saskatchewan
The sculpture garden is excellent. There are 40 huge outdoor sculptures. There is a big (and I mean BIG) spoon with a cherry on it that makes a great background picture that they use in their advertising. It is free of charge. We walked from the Nicollet Mall through Loring Park and took a bridge over the I-94. It is a bit of a hike from the mall, but fairly easy to get to. Right beside the sculpture garden was the Cowles Conservatory that houses some nice plants. The conservatory (also free) had very clean bathrooms when we were there.

From journal Week in Minnesota

Editor Pick

The Walker Art Gallery

  • August 26, 2001
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Overlander from Muscat, Oman
The Walker Art Gallery

The building itself is worth the trip. Inside it's rather like being inside a gigantic white marble monolith. Built on some six, slightly different levels, you flow from one exhibition hall to another.

Perhaps best known for its eclectic assortment of pieces, the Walker features modern art, a modest-sized but meaty collection with works by Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella, Richard Serra, and other modernists. Founded in 1879 by lumberman T.B. Walker, the museum has evolved from a small private gallery into a well-known, internationally-respected gallery.

Always check out the special exhibitions. The last time I was there, they had mounted a show about home design over the past 50 or 60 years.

The Scupture Garden
By no means miss the sculpture garden, which is across Vineland Place from the main museum. Besides gawking at the humorous-looking "Spoon and Cherry" at the edge of the little lake, make sure you go into the hot house, where there is an extraordinary lead and glass fish some 25 feet high in the middle of a tropical garden.

From journal Minneapolis a.k.a. "The Minneapple"

Sculpture Garden

  • November 1, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Tulipano from Bari, Italy
The outdoor sculpture garden, part of the larger Walker Art Center, is a good way to introduce kids (and yourself) to the joys of art. It's outside, so bundle up if it's the winter.

Some of the exhibits change periodically, but the most famous piece, Spoon Bridge with Cherry, a gigantic spoon bridge with a cherry, is the one you'll want to be sure to see. It's in part famous because some people have enjoyed some 'spooning' of their own on the bridge.

Another interesting work is the bridge that connects the Sculpture Garden to the city park on the other side. It contains a long quote that you can read as you walk along the bridge.

If art museums feel too stuffy to you, but you like art, the Sculpture Garden is great fun. You can run, yell, and touch, and no one gets mad at you.

From journal Minneapolis, Home Sweet Frigid Home

Walker Art Center

  • October 18, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by pitchypatchy from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
If you like contemporary art in a great urban setting, this place rocks! Check out the amazing bottle sculpture in the lobby and their film & video program.

From journal Playin' Hooky in the Twin Cities

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5

Compare Minneapolis Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Minneapolis Travel Deals