2009 FOI Summit Meet Minneapolis

2009 FOI Summit

A Small Selection of Minneapolis Sites

We've selected a few sites that we hope will help you as you decide where to go and what to do while in Minneapolis (in addition to attending the conference, of course.) In no way is this intended as a definitive list, but merely some sites we found informative and helpful.

NFOIC is not responsible for any of the content you'll find on these sites, their opinions are not necessarily ours, and we do not intend a link as an endorsement.

General Interest
Dining
Lodging
Museums
Performing Arts and Music
Sports and Recreation
Media
Downtown Minneapolis and Riverfront
Government Sites

Minneapolis skyline

General Interest

These sites have a lot of good information for weary travellers and tourists as well as local folks and those familiar with Minneapolis.

National Weather Service and Wunderground.com — Rain or shine, these folks keep you informed, but Dude Weather will keep you entertained.
Meet Minneapolis — Official Convention and Visitors Association. Official site of Minneapolis, MN tourism. Book your Minneapolis hotel online, get Mall of America information and search the events calendar. Plan your complete getaway today.
The Minneapolis Connection — You want to know where you are, don't you, historically speaking? This, from the Hennepin County Library, "covers all aspects of the city's history and includes books, photographs, high school yearbooks, archival and manuscript collections, periodicals, maps, and thousands of files of newspaper clippings."
Minneapolis.com — Much about Minneapolis.
Minneapolis on the Map — We did the Google so you don't have to.
Minneapolis via Wikipedia — Some good introductory information and loads of links.

Dining

Minneapolis is a city of great restaurants. Since we can't hope to list them all, the following are directories, not individual restaurants.

Standard dining guides include the Twin Cities Dining Guide, the Minneapolis Restaurant Guide, and the Dining Guide Network.
City Pages — There are restaurant listings, but also a blog and a "Best of Minneapolis " section.
MplsStPaul Magazine —See a cool video feature on the best new restaurants, which includes Black Sheep Pizza.
Local food-related blogs — Jeremy Iggers blogs about local spots at the Twin Cities Daily Planet.
tc foodies — where Twin Cities foodies meet.
Mill City Market — On Saturday visit this beautiful urban farmers market from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. for food and handcrafts from local restaurants, farmers, and artists. You will be near many walking trails along the river; don't miss the Stone Arch Bridge.

Lodging

Yes, we have a wonderful place to stay. If you've not seen this information elsewhere on our site, don't overlook it this time.

Conference participants are responsible for making their own reservations.
Hotel reservations must be received on or before Monday, May 18, 2009 in order to receive the NFOIC-discounted rate of $119.00 per night.
You may use this link to reserve your hotel room at the special rate. Once there, the code already is entered in the appropriate field; all you need do to begin the reservation process is personalize your arrival and departure dates (and number of guests) to fit your needs and click Find to begin the registration process.
Your registration confirmation will provide this and other information regarding hotel reservations.

Museums

Minneapolis Institute of Art — The new wing recently added to the museum makes it even harder to take in all the fine works. You might want to concentrate on Asian art or paintings and sculpture (including Rembrandt's Lucretia). Interesting current exhibits include From Rembrandt to Matisse: Selected Works on Paper and Swiss Graphic Design: Precision and Presence.
Minnesota Historical Society — Includes a calendar of events and information on historic sites statewide.
The Museum of Russian Art — It is the only museum in North America dedicated exclusively to the preservation and presentation of Russian art and artifacts. Many of the paintings are monumental in scale and color and impact, interesting as social documents and art works.
Walker Art Center — You shouldn't leave the city without seeing the iconic Cherry and Spoon Sculpture in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Walker is a world-class modern art museum with provocative exhibits.
Weisman Art Museum — When this Frank Gehry-designed museum opened up on the University of Minnesota Campus, people either loved it or hated it (a cut-up tin-can on the river!). A visit to the museum is always rewarding; the permanent collection is strong in American modernism and the primary special exhibits have interesting themes. In June you can see Looking Into Likeness: Portraits at the Weisman and Surface Quality.

Performing Arts and Music

The Twin Cities has too many venues, too many performances, and too much music to list individually. Check out opportunities for the days you visit with the Events Calendar at the Secrets of the City website.

Cedar Cultural Center — A great venue for world and roots music.
Guthrie Theater — Even if you don't attend a performance, it is worth visiting the building for a drink and walking out on the "endless bridge " over the river.
Minnesota Orchestra — Tchaikovsky fans may want to come to Minnesota early or stay longer.
Intermedia Arts Minnesota — The site features links to Minnesota theater companies, a calendar of performances, and more.
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra — A Midsummer Night's Dream plays in early June at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.

Sports and Recreation

Minnesota Twins — Official site of the Minnesota Twins.
Minnesota Saints — Baseball, minor league style, and with a pig mascot. Check out last year's winning mascot name.
Minnesota Thunder — Don't forget soccer.
Hike! — Check out the trails at Trails.com

Media

Minneapolis is blessed with many media outlets.

Instead of trying to list them all ourselves, we'll give you one link that contains many links, and the folks who put the list together should get the credit, anyway.

From Wikipedia — We can't be sure it's all-inclusive, but it is extensive.

Downtown Minneapolis and Riverfront

Minneapolis has a vibrant downtown; following are some of the ins and outs, as well as some of the folks who are working in its behalf.

Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program — The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program is an innovative effort to bring residents into the priority-setting process of their city. It is based on the belief that the empowerment of residents and the mobilization of untapped resources, energy and creativity can make our progressive vision of the future a reality.
Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association — The Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association (DMNA) exists to promote the common good and general welfare of the residents, businesses, and employees of Downtown Minneapolis.
Downtown Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization — The TMO exists to promote congestion mitigation strategies and advocate for environmentally sound transportation policies to assure the continuous and orderly growth of Downtown Minneapolis and the region.
Minneapolis Downtown Council — Your guide to downtown Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Riverfront District — This Minneapolis neighborhood draws historical flair from a past in flour milling, while exuding trend-setting panache among hip hangouts and eateries along the beautiful riverbanks. A dual landscape, the Riverfront celebrates the past with national landmarks, historic districts and museums – yet anticipates the future with innovative theater, tours and events.

Government Sites

Infrastructure, public safety, transportation, and the like.

City of Minneapolis — The official site of the city of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis City Council — The official site of same.
Department of Public Works — Links to projects, layouts, online services, etc.
Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program Projects — Every city needs at least one.
Minnesota North Star — The official site of the state of Minnesota.