Epic Travel → North America → The Midwest → Minnesota → Mill Ruins Park

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Entry is free (although if you’re driving, you’ll have to pay to park) and the park is open daily from 6am – midnight. For additional info visit the park’s website here.

What’s Nearby?: St. Anthony Falls, Sculpture Garden, Minnehaha Park

Immediately adjacent to St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, the Mill Ruins Park offers a fascinating glimpse into the engineering marvels of the past that built Minneapolis into a thriving metropolis. The Stone Arch Bridge was built in 1883 to provide transport for farmers to carry their crops of wheat to the flour production mills in town. The canals and tailraces now visible at the Mill Ruins park are all vestiges of this 19th century golden era of industry, when they comprised the largest direct-drive water-powered facility in the world and gave rise to companies that continue to thrive today, like Pillsbury, General Mills, and Xcel Energy. The walls and water-power features had long been buried under sand and gravel, but are now exposed, providing a fascinating contrast with the modern skyline of downtown above.

Epic Travel → North America → The Midwest → Minnesota → Mill Ruins Park