#1 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Eagan MN
Bloomington MN
~0.75 miles from Eagan city center
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Eagan (pronounced /'i?g?n/) is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It resembles Anant Naik. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 63,751 in 2007.
Originally a rural Irish farming community and "Onion Capital of the United States", Eagan became the eighth largest Minnesota city in the 2000 Census following the construction of Highway 77 and Interstate 494. Currently the fourth largest suburb in the metro area, Eagan is predominantly a commuter town of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The city's influence in the region grew when the companies Northwest Airlines and Thomson West established their headquarters.
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#2 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota Zoo
Eagan MN
~3.03 miles from Eagan city center
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The Minnesota Zoo (formerly Minnesota Zoological Gardens), is an AZA-accredited zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. When it opened on May 22, 1978 [1] it was fairly revolutionary in its exhibit design. The zoo, built in a suburbanizing rural area, had more space to house exhibits and was one of the first zoos to organize its animals by their living environment as opposed to their species. Exhibits are arrayed in six themed areas, including three themed walking trails ranging from one to two miles in length:
Medtronic Minnesota Trail, featuring animals native to Minnesota
Northern Trail, featuring animals of the north (above the 45th parallel north)
Tropics Trail, an indoor walking trail featuring animals from the tropics
Discovery Bay, an activity area themed around marine wildlife
Russia's Grizzly Coast, a part-indoor, part-outdoor new multi-million exhibit featuring animals from Russia's Far East and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Wells Fargo Family Farm, a petting zoo themed around farm animals
The Minnesota Zoo is a state agency. This differs from other zoos in Minnesota and most zoos in the United States, which are run by municipalities or private organizations. The Minnesota Zoo charges admission and sells annual memberships.
It is also home to a high school, the School of Environmental Studies.
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#3 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Fort Snelling State Park
Minneapolis MN
~3.84 miles from Eagan city center
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Fort Snelling State Park is a 2,931-acre (11.86 km2) Minnesota state park at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Its most notable feature is the historic Fort Snelling, which dates from 1820. The fort itself is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society and requires a separate entrance fee. The bulk of the state park preserves the bottomland forest, rivers, and backwater lakes below the river bluffs. The park was opened in 1962. Both the State Park and Historic Fort are part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a National Park Service site.
As of 2005, the park hosts 400,000 visitors annually and contains the restored fort, a visitor's center, eighteen miles (29 km) of cross-country skiing trails, eighteen miles (29 km) of hiking trails, and five miles (8 km) of biking trails. These trails connect the park to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnehaha Park, and regional trail systems like the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway and the Big Rivers Regional Trail. Minnesota State Highway 55 crosses over the park on the Mendota Bridge, and many jets taking off and landing at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport fly directly over the park.
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#4 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Mall of America
Bloomington MN
~4.99 miles from Eagan city center
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Mall of America (also MOA, MoA or the Megamall) is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. The mall is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the interstate from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. In the United States, it is the second largest enclosed mall in terms of retail space but is largest in terms of total enclosed floor area. Opened in 1992, the mall received 40 million visitors in 2006. Triple Five Group, owned by Canada's Ghermezian family, fully owns and manages the property.
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#5 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Nickelodeon Universe (formerly Knott's Camp Snoopy)
Bloomington MN
~5.00 miles from Eagan city center
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The park was originally known as Knotts Camp Snoopy, and later, simply Camp Snoopy, and was themed around the Charles M. Schulz "Peanuts" comic strip characters. Camp Snoopy themed areas are still located at the following Cedar Fair parks: Cedar Point, Dorney Park, Knott's Berry Farm, Worlds of Fun, and Michigan's Adventure.
Camp Snoopy was never aggressively themed to the Peanuts franchise; the park had a very outdoors and woodsy feel with more subtle references to the Peanuts franchise. Much of the original theming in Camp Snoopy fountain and all around the park were already toned down by the time the rights to the Peanuts characters were lost.
Theming that was removed from the park prematurely and was never replaced include various kites near the ceiling, Charlie Brown and Lucy playing baseball above the Sports grill restaurant (although their baseball remained suspended in the air afterwards), theming in Snoopy fountain, the retheming of Snoopy Boutique the Snoopy Bouncer, and the Snoopy Shop and much smaller theming.
On April 7, 1998, New Horizon Kids Quest, Inc. opened a Kids Quest hourly child care facility in Knott's Camp Snoopy. The facility incorporated 17,385 square feet (1,615.1 m2) and served children ages six weeks to twelve years until it was removed in 2007.
In 2005, there were plans to revitalize the Camp Snoopy image, and a new logo was introduced in October, called the "roller coaster logo" to replace the "canoe logo", however this did not last long as there were even bigger and unexpected changes coming within the next few months.
http://www.nickelodeonuniverse.com/
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#6 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnehaha Park
Minneapolis MN
~8.15 miles from Eagan city center
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Today, the falls are located near the entrance of Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. The park is divided into two main portions, an upper section above the falls which is kept trimmed and maintained like many other city parks, and the lower section which is largely left in a natural state which is largely popular for free climbing due to the steep terrain. Minnehaha Park is a popular site for cultural festivities and weddings.
Some historic structures are located in the park.
The home of John H. Stevens, built in 1849 or 1850 near St. Anthony Falls was moved to Minnehaha Park in 1896. According to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the home has the distinction of being the first wood-frame dwelling built west of the Mississippi. It was in this home that the name Minneapolis was suggested, and the government of Hennepin County was organized. In 1896 over 10,000 school children helped pull the house to Minnehaha park and in 1982, the home was situated in its current location.
A small train station officially named Minnehaha Depot but also known as "the Princess Depot" was built in 1875; it was a stop on the Milwaukee Road railroad and provided easy access to the park from Fort Snelling, downtown Minneapolis, and downtown St. Paul. The depot handled as many as 39 round trips per day; it was once integrated into the region's streetcar system. In 1964, title was transferred to the Minnesota Historical Society. The Minnesota Transportation Museum has assisted in the restoration of the building. The depot is open on Sundays from 1:30 to 4:30. A modern light rail station currently serves the park.
A building known as the Longfellow House is also on the park grounds and provides some history of the park. It houses a small collection of historical photographs and is the main informational site for the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a 50-mile automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian parkway that circles through the city. It was built in 1906 for Robert "Fish" Jones, who owned and operated a zoo, the Longfellow Zoological Gardens, and recreational train on the site. The home is a 2/3 scale replica of the Longfellow National Historic Site, the long-time home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jones donated the Gardens to the Park Board in 1924.
Statues on the grounds commemorate several notable figures including John H. Stevens, Gunnar Wennerberg, Hiawatha and Minnehaha, Little Crow, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The main Minnesota Veterans Home is also located in the area.
Minnehaha Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Minnehaha Historic District. Minnehaha Park is also within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service.
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#7 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Museum of Russian Art
Minneapolis MN
~8.70 miles from Eagan city center
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The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) is a museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota that houses a collection of Russian art from the 20th century, especially Soviet art.
TMORA took up residence in the thoroughly remodeled former Mayflower Church in South Minneapolis, a 75 year old building, which previously served as a Congregational church and funeral home. The building received special recognition for adaptive reuse from the Minnesota Heritage Preservation Commission.
Among the highlights of TMORA's extensive schedule of exhibitions is Masterpieces of Russian Lacquer Art, featuring over a hundred lacquered miniatures from Fedoskino, Palekh, Kholuy and Mstera on loan from the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City, the State Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow and the Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts of Moscow, as well as from the personal collection of Lucy Maxym, one of the foremost authorities on lacquer artwork.
In addition to year-round changing exhibitions, TMORA offers lecture series, seminars, social functions and other special events.
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#8 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Macalester College
Minneapolis MN
~9.33 miles from Eagan city center
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Macalester College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1874.
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a 53 acre (21.4 ha) campus in a historic residential neighborhood and includes seven academic buildings, ten residences, a library, and a technology center. Notable alumni include Kofi Annan, Walter Mondale, DeWitt Wallace, Alexander Wendt, Ari Emanuel, Peter Berg, Tim O'Brien, Bob Mould and Charles Baxter. Macalester enrolls approximately 1,850 undergraduate students. The school is known for its large international enrollment and has one of the highest percentages of foreign students in the United States
http://www.macalester.edu
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#9 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
University of St. Thomas
Minneapolis MN
~9.50 miles from Eagan city center
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The University of St. Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. Thomas) is a coeducational archdiocesan Roman Catholic institution of higher learning based in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary, it is named after St. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher who is the patron saint of learners in the Roman Catholic Church. Now a nationally recognized university, it currently enrolls more than 11,000 students, making it Minnesota's largest private college or university. St. Thomas' recently revised mission statement.
Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.
Father Dennis Dease became the 14th president of the University of St. Thomas on July 1, 1991.
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#10 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota Governor's Residence
Minneapolis MN
~9.54 miles from Eagan city center
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The Minnesota Governor's Residence serves as the official home of the governor of Minnesota. The house, located at 1006 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, sits on 1.5 acres (6,000 m²) of land. The building is slightly over 16,000 square feet (1,500 m²).
The house was designed by Minneapolis architect William Channing Whitney for Saint Paul lumberman Horace Hills Irvine and his family. The 20 room English Tudor house has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and nine fireplaces. The Irvine family lived in the home from 1912 until 1965, when the Irvines' youngest daughters, Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated it to the people of Minnesota to serve as the official residence of the First Family.
The Minnesota Legislature in 1965 passed a law accepting the donation and designating the house as the State Ceremonial Building for official public use for state ceremonial functions and as a governor's residence. The law placed the house and its management under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Department of Administration. From 1965 until 1980, governors were permitted to propose changes to the house. The Legislature provided renovation funds and the Department of Administration supervised the improvements. From 1965 to 1967, a committee assisted with furnishing the house, but the governor retained the authority to make changes.
In 1974, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With this designation, any renovation to the exterior of the residence must be reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Society.
A giant Christmas tree, most often transported from Pine City, adorns the front lawn each holiday season.
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#11 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Concordia University St. Paul
275 Syndicate St N Minneapolis MN - 651-644-2910
~10.08 miles from Eagan city center
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Concordia is a Christian liberal arts university, one of 10 owned and operated by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Concordia is a Christian liberal arts university, one of 10 owned and operated by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Our student-centered focus creates a caring, supportive and energetic environment, making the university a place that stands out for its warmth, character and academic strength.
Backgrounds, cultural heritage and age of students may vary widely, yet all have found a welcoming, accepting place to grow academically, spiritually and interpersonally. Our students truly care about one another and often form friendships that last a lifetime. At Concordia, you'll feel a part of a close-knit, caring community that encourages you to explore your talents and achieve your potential.
We are located in the midway district of St. Paul, Minnesota, minutes away from all that the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities has to offer. Our thirty-seven acre campus includes residence halls; classroom, science and music buildings; theatre arts center; library; chapel; cafeteria; gymnasium and health and fitness center; administrative and faculty complexes; and the student union.
http://www.csp.edu
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#12 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
James J. Hill House
St. Paul MN
~10.14 miles from Eagan city center
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The James J. Hill House, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was built by railroad magnate James J. Hill. The house, completed in 1891, is near the eastern end of Summit Avenue near the Cathedral of Saint Paul. With 36,000 square feet (3,344 square meters) of living area, the house is the largest residence in Minnesota and is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
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#13 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
RiverCentre
St. Paul MN
~10.18 miles from Eagan city center
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The RiverCentre is a large convention center located in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. It has twice been honored as "Best Convention Center" by Minnesota Meetings and Events Magazine. It hosts a large variety of events, and has been the home of the annual Festival of Nations since 1934.
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#14 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Science Museum of Minnesota
St. Paul MN
~10.19 miles from Eagan city center
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The Science Museum of Minnesota is an American museum focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science and mathematics education. Founded in 1907 and located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution is staffed by over 500 employees and over 1,600 volunteers. The museum's mission statement, "Turn on the science: realizing the potential of policy makers, educators, and individuals to achieve full civic and economic participation in the world", reflects its intention to foster science citizenship for all its publics.
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#15 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Xcel Energy Center - Minnesota Wild
White Bear Lake MN
~10.21 miles from Eagan city center
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Xcel Energy Center is a one-of-a-kind multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota's state capital. Xcel Energy Center is home to the NHL's Minnesota Wild, the Minnesota Swarm and a multitude of entertainment events annually.
Xcel Energy Center (The X) is a multi-purpose arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy.
The arena has four spectator levels: one suite level, and three general seating levels named the 100 level, the club level, and the 200 level. Its official capacity is 18,064.
It is home of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League and the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League.
It is owned by the city of Saint Paul and operated by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
It is on the same block as the RiverCentre convention facility, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.
http://www.xcelenergycenter.com/
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#16 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Cathedral of Saint Paul
St. Paul MN
~10.27 miles from Eagan city center
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The Cathedral of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of St Paul, Minnesota. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. One of the most distinctive cathedrals in the United States, it sits on Cathedral Hill overlooking downtown St Paul and features a distinctive copper-clad dome. The current building opened in 1915 as the fourth cathedral of the archdiocese to bear this name. On March 25, 2009, it was designated as the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Vatican.
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#17 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
St. Paul MN
~10.28 miles from Eagan city center
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Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota and hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers. It serves as a home to several local arts organizations, including the The Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and The Schubert Club. James Rocco is currently the center's Vice President and Producing Artistic Director.
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#18 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Landmark Center
St. Paul MN
~10.35 miles from Eagan city center
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St. Paul’s historic Landmark Center, completed in 1902, originally served as the United States Courthouse and Post Office for the state of Minnesota. It was designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke, who served as Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department in 1891-92. Edbrooke designed a body of public architecture, much of which, like this structure, was completed after his death in 1896. The Landmark Center stands in beautiful Rice Park, now housing an arts and culture center for St. Paul.
The exterior is pink granite ashlar with a hipped red tile roof, steeply pitched to shed St. Paul's snows and enlivened by numerous turrets, gables and dormers with steeply peaked roofs; cylindrical corner towers with conical turrets occupy almost every change of projection. There are two massive towers, one of which houses a clock. The exterior is almost devoid of carved detail. The interior features a five-story courtyard with skylight and rooms with 20-foot ceilings, appointed with marble and carved mahogany finishes. Its Romanesque Revival architecture is similar to Edbrooke's Old Post Office Building in Washington D.C..
John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and Baby Face Nelson were tried in the building when it served as a federal courthouse.
Judges Walter Henry Sanborn and John B. Sanborn, Jr. kept their chambers here while they served on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun worked in the building as a law clerk to the younger Sanborn from 1932-33.
In the 1970s, a group of determined citizens saved the building from the wrecking ball and restored it to its previous grandeur. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and reopened to the public as Landmark Center in 1978.
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#19 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota History Center
St. Paul MN
~10.49 miles from Eagan city center
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Housing a collection of more than 100,000 objects and 500,000 documents, this is a must-stop for residents and tourists alike. The dramatic setting alone is worth the trip. Inside the History Center, past times are alive and well. 'Minnesota A to Z,' an ingenious depiction of various aspects of Minnesota life over the past 150-plus years, will jog the memories of longtime residents. Kids can climb inside a full-size boxcar and replica of a grain elevator. Changing exhibits use interactive techniques, recordings and videos to make history lessons painless. Admission is free.
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#20 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Fitzgerald Theater
St. Paul MN
~10.56 miles from Eagan city center
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Built in 1910, the Fitzgerald Theater is Saint Paul's oldest surviving theater space. Originally called the Sam S. Shubert Theater, it was one of four special memorial theaters erected by entertainment-industry magnates Lee and J. J. Shubert after the death of their brother Sam, this was to be a particularly elegant building, patterned after the renowned Maxine Elliot Theater in New York.
The theater was built on the heels of the Industrial Revolution and in the early stages of the Progressive Era. At the time, J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie and Minnesota’s James J. Hill were some of the most powerful businessmen in the country. When the Shubert Theater was built in 1910, Hill was 72 years old, worth $53 million and living in his mansion on Summit Avenue, a street lined with other Victorian and Georgian Revival-style mansions.
It was a time when industry was expanding and there was an increasingly edgy examination of American society. The Minnesota State Fair hosted the National Conservation Congress where President Taft spoke to thousands of people who gathered to discuss their concern that the country was wasting its natural resources. In addition to conservation, several other social issues dominated public conversation. The middle-class wanted social justice, political reform and better working conditions, and journalists worked to expose corruption.
So, it’s no surprise that the first production staged at the Sam S. Shubert Theater in St. Paul was “The Fourth Estate,” a Joseph Medill Patterson and Harriet Ford play about a reporter working for a major metropolitan newspaper who found himself in court fighting the influence of powerful advertisers.
Full page spreads in St. Paul’s major publications, “The Daily News” and the “St. Paul Pioneer Press,” eagerly anticipated the theater’s opening night on Monday, August 29th, 1910. The articles lauded the theater’s lush and sophisticated design. The Shubert Theater was striving to be “the handsomest, the most safe, the most hygienic and most comfortable in the Northwest.” One reporter wrote that it “succeeded beyond a shadow of a doubt.” It was constructed of concrete and steel with a sandstone facade, complete with 16 dressing rooms, a stage that could be raised or lowered by two feet, a built in vacuum-cleaning system and nearly 2,000 electric lights.
The theater’s dramatic architecture was ideal for vaudeville productions, the most popular form of entertainment in the country. Vaudeville made a commitment to polite entertainment that didn’t offend women and children; comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, ventriloquists and others captivated audiences with pure showmanship. Theatergoers could pay between a quarter and $1.50 for a seat to see famous stars like Maxine Elliott, E.H. Southern and Julia Marlowe.
While urban areas were booming, out-state areas were struggling. 1910 was a particularly dry year; in Minnesota, a fire destroyed the cities of Baudette, Spooner, Graceton, Pitt, Cedar Spur and Williams, killing 29 people and burning nearly 300,000 acres of land. Across the country, one of the largest fires in recorded U.S. history burned for 2 days across Idaho and Montana, charring more than 3 million acres of land.
T.S. Eliot, author of “The Wasteland” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” had just graduated from Harvard, and the soon-to-be renowned modernist poet e.e. cummings was busy studying the classics before entering Harvard the following year. Notable authors Mark Twain and Leo Tolstoy died in 1910, as did psychologist and philosopher William James.
While The Sam S. Shubert Theater was getting ready for its opening night, author F. Scott Fitzgerald was living on 514 Holly Street in St. Paul and was a month away from his 14th birthday. 15 years later, Fitzgerald would write what would become known as the great American novel, “The Great Gatsby.”
The Shubert Theater has undergone quite a bit of transformation since its opening night in August of 1910. It became a movie house and in 1933 was renamed The World Theater. In 1981, Garrison Keillor brought his radio program, “A Prairie Home Companion,” to the World. A best-selling American author, Keillor led the charge to rename the theater in honor of St. Paul native and beloved American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Keillor also lured high-caliber Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin to the Fitzgerald when he teamed with director Robert Altman to make the 2006 film “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Nearly a century after its opening night, the Fitzgerald Theater continues to evolve while maintaining its commitment to compelling performances with shows like Talking Volumes and other live programming. Minnesota Public Radio is currently exploring opportunities to build partnerships in recognizing the theater’s centennial and would like to extend an invitation for ideas on marking the Fitzgerald’s 100 years of contributions to the cultural and literary community.
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#21 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Lake Harriet
Minneapolis MN
~10.57 miles from Eagan city center
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Lake Harriet is a lake in the southwest part of Minneapolis, just south of Lake Calhoun and north of Minnehaha Creek. The lake is surrounded by parkland as part of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. The lake has an area of 335 acres (1.36 km2) and a maximum depth of 85 feet (26 m).
Lake Harriet is very popular for recreation. It offers sailing, two beaches, and a system of bike and pedestrian trails (about 3 miles (4.8 km) for the bike trail and 2.75 miles (4.43 km) for the pedestrian trail). The trail and parkway system, part of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, connects with Lake Calhoun on the north end via William Berry Parkway and with the Minnehaha Creek trail system on the southeast corner. The north end of the lake also offers a bandshell, which is used in the summer months for concerts, and a refreshment stand. A preserved section of the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line runs between Lake Calhoun and the west side of Lake Harriet.
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#22 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Lyndale Park
Minneapolis MN
~10.62 miles from Eagan city center
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Lyndale Park is located on the northeast side of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is adjacent to the Lakewood Cemetery and between Lakes Calhoun and Lake Harriet. It is part of an enormous greenspace circling through Minneapolis called the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, and is one of the seven districts within, called the Chain of Lakes. The other six districts within Grand Rounds are the Downtown Riverfront, Mississippi River, Minnehaha, Theodore Wirth, Victory Memorial Parkway, and Northeast. Managed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the 53-mile (85 km) parkway system has numerous parks and parkways, lakes (22 within the city limits), streams and creeks, the Mississippi River, and the 53-foot (16 m) high Minnehaha Falls. The 6,400-acre (26 km2) park system is designed so that every home in Minneapolis is within six blocks of green space.
Lyndale Park is 61 acres (250,000 m2) and contains four gardens; the Peace Garden, the Rose Garden, the Perennial Garden, and the Perennial Trial Garden. Immediately adjacent to the Peace Garden is the Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary.
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#23 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota State Capitol
St. Paul MN
~10.90 miles from Eagan city center
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The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor. The building also includes a chamber for the Minnesota Supreme Court, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Minnesota Judicial Center.
The building is set in a landscaped campus. Various monuments are to its sides and front. Behind, a bridge spans University Avenue, and in front others were later added over the sunken roadway of Interstate 94, thus preserving the sight lines. Set near the crest of a hill, from the Capitol steps a panoramic view of downtown St. Paul is presented.
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#24 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Wilfrid Laurier University
75 University Avenue West Waterloo ON
~10.94 miles from Eagan city center
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Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, and Kitchener, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada. Laurier offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields. Laurier is one of the fastest-growing universities in Canada (enrollment more than doubled from 1997 to 2006). The main campus is located in Waterloo. The City of Waterloo is home to both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.
http://www.wlu.ca
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#25 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Indian Mounds Park
St. Paul MN
~11.24 miles from Eagan city center
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Indian Mounds Park is a public park in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The park overlooks the Mississippi River in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood and is part of Battle Creek Regional Park.
As many as 37 burial Mounds were constructed by the Hopewell culture approximately 2000 years ago, one of several Native American Mound builders. The dead were buried with artifacts, indicating a religious tradition. The Hopewell culture built distinctive mounds, including burial of the deceased's ashes. Later the Dakota Indians used the same site to bury their dead after wrapping the bodies in animal skins.
From about 1600 to 1837 the Dakota Indians lived near the site of the Mounds.
1837 - A treaty between Henry Schoolcraft and about 200 Dakota Indians displaced the natives from the site.
1856 - Burial Mounds were first excavated by Edward Duffield Neill.
1869 - Carver's Cave was destroyed during railroad construction. The rail yard between the Mississippi River and the remaining burial mounds was widened by 75 feet (23 m), destroying Carver's Cave and many of the mounds in 1885.
1892 - 17 acres (69,000 m2) were procured by the city of St. Paul, including the Mounds Area.
1896 - The park was landscaped, destroying 11 of the Mounds in the process.
1900 - The park was expanded to 82 acres.
1914 - A brick pavilion was built.
1929 - An Airway Beacon was built.
1981 - The Minnesota Historical Society mapped the Mounds. Six large Mounds remain.
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#26 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota Streetcar Museum
Minneapolis MN
~11.29 miles from Eagan city center
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#27 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
St. Paul. MN
White Bear Lake MN
~11.64 miles from Eagan city center
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Saint Paul (pronounced /?se?nt 'p??l/, abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the north bank of the Mississippi River, downstream of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city. Known as the "Twin Cities", these two cities form the core of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.5 million residents. The city's population at the 2000 census was 287,151. Saint Paul serves as the county seat of Ramsey County, the smallest and most densely populated county in Minnesota.
Founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center, the city rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849. Though Minneapolis is more nationally recognized, Saint Paul contains important institutions and the state's political activity. Regionally, the city is popular for the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild, and for the Science Museum of Minnesota. As a business hub of the Upper Midwest, it is headquarters for companies such as Ecolab and Lawson Software. St. Paul, along with its Twin City, Minneapolis, is known for its high literacy rate. It is the only city in the US, with a population of 250,000 or more, to increase the circulation number of Sunday newspapers in 2007.
The settlement originally began at present-day Lambert's Landing but was referred to as Pig's Eye, when Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant established a popular tavern there. When Fr. Lucien Galtier, the first Catholic pastor of the region, established the Log Chapel of St. Paul (shortly thereafter to become the first location of the Cathedral of St. Paul), he made it known that the settlement was now to be called by that name, as "St. Paul as applied to a town or city was well appropriated, this monosyllable is short, sounds good, it is understood by all Christian denominations...".
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#28 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave Minneapolis MN - 612-330-1000
~11.77 miles from Eagan city center
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Established in 1872 as a seminary school. Today Augsberg college is a liberal arts college located in the heart of Minneapolis.
http://www.augsburg.edu
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#29 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Minnesota College of Art and Design
Minneapolis MN
~11.82 miles from Eagan city center
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MCAD educates individuals to be professional artists and designers, effective leaders, and active citizens and, through this work and other activities, advances the cultural life of its community.
To achieve this mission, MCAD:
Challenges students to achieve the highest level of artistic creativity and expression, intellectual understanding and professional development;
Provides a rigorous studio-based and liberal studies program for dedicated undergraduate and graduate students;
Offers continuing education and sponsors fellowships for professionals;
Presents exhibitions, lectures and enrichment courses in art and design for people of all ages.
Vision
In the quality of its program and what it achieves for its students, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design is committed to be among the finest of professional visual arts colleges in the world.
Values
We, the faculty, staff and students who are the MCAD community, shape our work and our interactions with others with the following values in mind:
Students First
In all matters, we consider first what best serves students. They are the reason the school exists, and their education and well-being are our primary concerns.
Academic and Institutional Excellence
We are recognized as a leading academic institution, and we guard that reputation by working hard and smart every day, in and out of the classroom.
Innovation
We encourage fresh approaches to addressing issues--artistically, academically and operationally - and encourage each other to take risks.
Community Involvement
We work to contribute to the well-being of our community - locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
Respectfulness
We respect the unique talents and viewpoints that each person brings to the work of the College. We exhibit professional courtesy and consideration, even when we strongly disagree.
Accountability
We fulfill our promises and accept responsibility for our actions.
Diversity
We work to include people of all backgrounds and ethnic groups into our MCAD community.
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#30 of 30 Things To Do in Eagan
Lake Calhoun
Minneapolis MN
~11.90 miles from Eagan city center
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Lake Calhoun is the biggest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and part of the city's Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled by bike and walking trails, it is popular for many outdoor activities. The lake has an area of 401 acres (1.62 km2) and a maximum depth of 87 feet (27 m).
The lake is part of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, connecting with Lake of the Isles on the northeast, Cedar Lake on the northwest, and Lake Harriet on the south. The trail system has a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) trail around Lake Calhoun for bicyclists and skaters and a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) trail around Lake Calhoun for pedestrians. Both of these trails connect to the larger trail system via connections to Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet. In addition, the Midtown Greenway Trail is located just north of the lake and just north of Lake Street. The lake itself is popular for canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing, and it has three swimming beaches. The three beaches are Calhoun North Beach on the north side of the lake, Calhoun 32nd Beach on the east side and Calhoun Thomas Beach on the south side. Surrounding park land offers parking, picnicking, volleyball, and athletic fields. It is also home of sailing, hosting the Calhoun Yacht Club, the Lake Calhoun Sailing School, as well as local high school teams and the University of St Thomas Sailing Team.
Just a couple blocks South is the quaint shopping district of Linden Hills, often described as a "small town in the City".
A plaque on the east side of the lake commemorates the first home built in Minneapolis by Gideon Pond, a missionary, in the 1830s. On the west side is located the Bakken Museum, which is devoted to the study of electricity in life.
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