5 Fun Facts about the Twin Cities:
• The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis was cited as one of the 10 most visited art museums in the country, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden located right outside the museum is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country.
• Minneapolis was named the “Funnest U.S. City” in a Money magazine feature by game maker, Cranium, Inc. Minnesotans weren’t surprised when they read some of the reasons for the high ranking, among them being the large number of theaters in Minneapolis. In fact, Minneapolis ranks second only to New York City in the total number of live theater seats per capita, the number of theaters in the area, and the number of symphony concerts per year. The Twin Cities are also home to numerous outdoor parks, and Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city in the country. In addition, with over 10,000 lakes in the state, Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline—more than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined.
• The Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in the country. The Mall covers 4.2 million square feet and holds more than 400 stores inside. Moreover, avid shoppers will be happy to hear that, in the spirit of convenience, there is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota.
• Masking and scotch tape, Cream of Wheat cereal, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick pancake mix, Aveda beauty products, Green Giant vegetables, and HMOs were
all invented in Minnesota.
• Minnesotans love entertainment! Thirty-nine major motion pictures have been filmed or produced in Minnesota since 1990, including Mighty Ducks and Mighty Ducks II, Fargo, Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, and Feeling Minnesota. In addition, the climate-controlled Metrodome is the only facility in the country to host a Super Bowl, a World Series, and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship.