Minnehaha Falls is a 53-foot waterfall where Minnehaha Creek drops into the Mississippi River gorge in the southeastern part of the city, surrounded by one of Minneapolis's oldest parks. The falls are striking in every season: vigorous in spring snowmelt, curtained by vegetation in summer, and transformed into a curtain of ice in winter that visitors are permitted to walk behind (when conditions are safe).
The surrounding Minnehaha Park includes the Longfellow House (a replica of the poet's Cambridge home, built in 1906), statue of Hiawatha and Minnehaha, and miles of trails along the river gorge. The park is accessible by the Blue Line light rail (Minnehaha Station) — an easy day trip from downtown without a car. The falls and gorge look best in morning light.