Minneapolis Skyway System

The Minneapolis Skyway System is an enclosed, climate-controlled pedestrian network that connects 80 city blocks in downtown Minneapolis at the second-floor level, running through and between buildings for a total of about 11 miles. In January, when temperatures can drop to -25°C, it is possible to walk from the Convention Center to the Government Center to Orchestra Hall without stepping outdoors.

The system is free to use and technically open 24 hours, though many of the building sections it passes through have independent hours. The most useful segment for visitors runs from the Convention Center through the retail core to the Target Center arena. The Skyway is a genuine urban phenomenon — there is nothing quite like it in any other American city — and walking it in a blizzard is a memorable experience.

things to do sight
A story
The Skyway was conceived in the 1960s as a way to make downtown Minneapolis economically competitive with suburban shopping malls that were drawing retail away from the city centre. The first two blocks opened in 1962; the system grew to its current 80 blocks over the following decades. Studies have repeatedly shown that the Skyway, by concentrating pedestrian traffic off the street, has contributed to the decline of street-level retail downtown — a problem the city has been trying to address since the 1990s.