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TravelTips24 : North America : United States of America : Midwest : Minnesota : Twin Cities : Saint Paul

Saint Paul

Saint Paul (or St. Paul) is the capital city of the US state Minnesota. With Minneapolis it forms the "Twin Cities".

Travel to Saint Paul & Visa Requirements

See the Twin Cities page for more information.

By train

  • Midway Station - Amtrak, 730 Transfer Road, [1]. Station hours: Daily 06:00 AM - 12:30 AM. Closed between 12:31 AM - 5:59 AM. Ticketing hours: Daily 06:30 AM - 11:30 PM. Amtrak's "Empire Builder" stops daily from Chicago, Seattle, or Portland.  edit

Tours & Getting around Saint Paul

Rent a car

By public transit

Bus service in Saint Paul is not quite as reliable as it is in Minneapolis, with a few exceptions. The 54 runs fairly often between downtown Saint Paul and the airport via West 7th Street. The 16 also runs regularly along University Avenue, connecting the downtowns of both cities. The 84 runs frequently along Snelling Avenue.

Saint Paul attractions and sightseeing

  • Minnesota Museum of American Art, 50 W Kellogg Boulevard, ☎ +1 651 266-1030, [2]. Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat: 11 am - 4 pm; Thurs: 11 am - 8 pm; Sun: 1 pm - 5 pm; Mon: closed. The MMAA is committed to representing the great cultural, racial, socioeconomic and regional diversity of American art and artists – past, present, and emerging. Free admission.  edit
  • Summit Avenue. Noted for its historic mansions. This neighborhood is also remarkable in its connection to the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was born in Saint Paul. edit
    • James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Ave(near the Saint Paul Cathedral), ☎ +1 651 297-2555, [3]. The house is open W-Sa 10:00AM-3:30PM, Su 1:00PM-3:30PM. The art gallery is open W-Sa 10:00AM-4:00PM, Su 1:00PM-4:00PM. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for children ages 6-17, and free for children under 6 years. If you just want to visit the art gallery, admission is only $2.  edit
  • Grand Avenue. Runs parallel to Summit one block to the south. Noted for its multitudes of shops, although chain stores are increasing their presence at an alarming rate. edit
  • Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, ☎ +1 651 296-2881(statecapitol@mnhs.org), [4]. Open M-F 9:00AM-4:00PM, Sa 10:00AM-3:00PM, Su 1:00PM-4:00PM. Groups of ten or more need to reserve tours two weeks in advance. General tours are free.  edit
  • Como Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, ☎ +1 651 487-8200, [5]. Winter hours (October - March): 10 - 16:00, Summer hours (April - September): 10 - 18:00. The zoo ''may'' occasionally close earlier. The zoo does not close on any holidays. Admission: Como Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory are free, but the zoo asks that visitors consider making a voluntary donation of $2 for an adult and $1 for a child.  edit
  • Wabasha Street Caves, ☎ +1 651 224-1191, [6]. Tour these sandstone caves, which had been home to gangsters and speakeasies in the 1920s. edit
  • Landmark Center, 75 W 5th St, ☎ +1 651 292-3233, [7]. Originally built as a post office and a federal courthouse, this historical building now houses galleries and exhibits. edit

Saint Paul city tours

Music and Performing Arts

  • A Prairie Home Companion Radio Show, 10 East Exchange Street(Fitzgerald Theater), ☎ +1 651 290-1200(fitzgerald@mpr.org, fax: +1 651 290-1195), [8]. A dedicated piece of Americana A Prairie Home Companion is the brainchild of American humorist Garrison Keillor. The radio show calls the Fitzgerald Theater [9] home, but the show can often be found on the road too. Contact information is for the Fitzgerald Theater.  edit
  • The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, [10].  edit

Festivals

  • Saint Paul Winter Carnival, ☎ +1 651 223.4700(info@winter-carnival.com), [11]. Takes place in January. Events take place in Downtown and Como Park. Noted for the annual Ice Palace.  edit
    Grand Avenue in Saint Paul
    Grand Avenue in Saint Paul
  • Grand Old Day, Grand Avenue, [12]. Takes place along Grand Avenue on the first Sunday in June. Free parking is available at the University of St. Thomas north and south lots located on Summit and Cretin or Grand and Cretin. Free shuttle buses are available to event visitors.  edit
  • Irish Fair of Minnesota, (Harriet Island, Cross over Wabasha Street bridge and you’ll see the park on your right.), (info@irishfair.com), [13]. Takes place in August at Harriet Island, just south of Downtown.  edit
  • Minnesota State Fair, Address, ☎ +1 651 288-4400, [14]. Takes place from mid-August through Labor Day and is one of the largest state fairs in the US. The main entrance to the State Fairgrounds is located at 1265 Snelling Avenue N., but you will first have to drive to one of the lots outside of the fairgrounds. As an alternative, you could take a bus. Metro Transit routes 3 and 84 stop near the fairgrounds, and they also operate shuttles during the fair that offer non-stop service to the fairgrounds from various park-and-ride lots located throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Admission: Adults (13-64): $9; Seniors (65 & over): $8; Children (5-12): $8. Children (under 5): Free. Parking costs $9.  edit

Learn

Private

  • College of Visual Arts, [15].
  • Macalester College, [16].
  • University of St. Thomas, [17].
  • Hamline University, [18].
  • College of St. Catherine, [19].
  • Concordia University, [20].
  • Bethel University, [21].

Public

  • Metropolitan State University, [22]
  • Saint Paul College, [23]

Saint Paul souvenirs & shopping

  • First Grand Avenue Liquors, 918 Grand Avenue(Grand Ave. and Milton. One block west of Victoria), ☎ +1 651 227-7039, [24]. 9-8 M-Th; 9-10 Fri. & Sat. Closed Sundays. Small family-owned liquor store that has a walk in cooler, tons of great micro/indie brews, 80+ types of scotch, and an excellent wine selection. Good deals as well as hard-to-find liqueurs. edit
  • Eclipse Records, 1922 University Ave W(east of Prior), ☎ +1 651 645-7724, [25]. Saint Paul's only independent record store. Also hosts all-ages gigs.  edit

Saint Paul Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • Cafe Latte, 850 Grand Ave.(Corner of Grand and Victoria), ☎ +1 651 224-5687, [26]. Cafeteria style restaurant with a great selection of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Don't leave without trying one of their decadent desserts, especially the Turtle Cake. edit
  • Red's Savoy Inn(Savoy's), 421 7th St E(Downtown St. Paul, right off of 52), ☎ +1 651 227-1437, [27]. The best Pizza in MN. There are other locations, but the original Downtown location is best. If you go past dinner time on a Friday or Saturday night, expect to wait 30+ minutes to sit down at 1-2 hours for your pizza, and the parking lot will almost certainly be full. If however you come on a weekday or during the non-rush times, you can sit right down and have your pizza in 30 minutes or less. The pizza is thin crust, the sauce is spicy, and the cheese is plentyful. The three best pizzas are the plain ol' cheese, which is cheap, and delicious, the sausage adds more spice to the pizza, and the special comes loaded an inch thick with toppings.$10-20 per pizza.  edit
  • Fasika Restaurant, 510 Snelling Ave N(one block north of University), ☎ +1 651 646-4747, [28]. 11:00am-Midnight. This is an Ethiopian wonder. You can get spicy lentil or lamb dishes served without utensils on top of a very edible sponge bread. A sure destination for an adventurous, spice-friendly diner. It is open late.$6-$11.  edit
  • Black Sea Restaurant, 737 Snelling Ave N, ☎ +1 651 917-8832. Cheap Turkish food. It's about one block south of nearby Hamline University.$6-$11.  edit
  • Khyber Pass, 1571 Grand Ave, ☎ +1 651 690-0505, [29]. Afghani cuisine.
    Restaurant on Grand Avenue
    Restaurant on Grand Avenue
     edit
  • Green Mill Restaurant & Bar, 57 Hamline Ave S(Hamline and Grand), ☎ +1 651 698-0353, [30]. There are many locations in the Twin Cities as well as some throughout Minnesota and surrounding states, but it all started here. They tout themselves as "Minnesota's most awarded pizza". Order your deep-dish Il Primo with the Walleye Strips and a pitcher of fresh beer right when you sit down because the pizza takes 30+ minutes to cook. Family-friendly. $7-$17.  edit
  • Pizza Lucé, 1183 Selby Ave, ☎ +1 651 288-0816, [31]. 11AM-1AM daily. The famed Minneapolis pizza mini-chain has now come to the capital city. edit
  • El Burrito Mercado, 175 Cesar Chavez St, ☎ +1 651 227-2192, [32]. Mexican supermarket, deli, and cafeteria on the West Side. edit

Saint Paul nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

  • The Artists' Quarter, 408 Saint Peter Street(in the Hamm Building on the corner of St Peter and 7th Place Mall), ☎ +1 651 292-1359, [33]. A nice jazz place in downtown. edit
  • Turf Club, 1601 University Ave W(just west of Snelling in the Midway district), ☎ +1 651 647-0486, [34]. The Turf is one of the better venues in the Twin Cities to see local bands, and sometimes the occasional touring band. Cover charges on live music nights are usually no more than $5. edit
  • Big V's, 1567 University Ave W(just east of Snelling in the Midway), ☎ +1 651 645-8472, [35]. This is a dive bar a block east of the Turf Club. Attracts many of the same local bands that play at the Turf.  edit

Saint Paul cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

Budget

Mid-range

  • Holiday Inn, 175 W 7th St, +1 651 225-1515, [36].
  • Holiday Inn, 2201 Burns Ave., +1 651 731-2220, [37].
  • Holiday Inn Express, 1010 Bandana Blvd West, +1 651 647-1637, [38].

Splurge

  • Saint Paul Hotel, 350 Market Street, +1 651 292-9292, toll-free +1 800 292-9292, [39].
  • Crowne Plaza Hotel, 11 East Kellogg Boulevard, +1 651 292-1900, [40].

Get out

This page was last edited at 20:07, on 4 September 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Elizabeth Johanneck, Andrew Haggard, Drew Lietzow, Evan Prodromou and Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) Eco84, Nmk829 and Jonboy, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

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