St. Paul, MN

A sprawling Italian-American market and eatery on West Seventh, with cafeteria-style plates, giant pizza slices, and an imported-goods market. Skip the long downstairs line and head upstairs to the ristorante, or grab cannoli from the market on your way out.

A railcar-style diner on the National Register, serving greasy-spoon breakfast since the WPA era. It is cash-and-grill-counter culture, so sit at the stools and order a malt.

A scratch-made breakfast and brunch spot in Lowertown with a bakery case of cinnamon rolls. It is counter-order with a bakery up front, so grab rolls for later; weekend mimosas and walleye tacos are the move.

Creative, sustainably-sourced New American tasting plates and cocktails in an unlikely Payne Avenue spot on the East Side. Book the chef's tasting menu and ask about the off-menu animal-of-the-week specials; vegan and vegetarian dishes get equal care.

A neighborhood pub on Payne Avenue with a signature burger and house-sauced wings on a brick-and-ivy patio. The ivy-walled back patio is the East Side's best-kept secret; come for the pulled-bacon eggs Benedict at weekend brunch.

A late-night Korean drinking-den on Payne Avenue with refined and wildly original Korean dishes. Open into the night with the full menu late; the fryer is entirely gluten-free, and the Reaper wings are the dare order.

Contemporary American fine dining in a historic Cathedral Hill building, with one of the Twin Cities' most beloved cobblestone-and-string-lights patios. The half-block patio is the reason to come in summer; request a table away from the greenery in high humidity.

Focused Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian small plates and one of the city's best wine lists, near Grand Avenue. A perennial best-of pick; go for the patatas bravas, shrimp al ajillo, and honey cake, and trust the somm on a Southern-European pour.

A Grand Avenue supper-club institution serving casual-elegant American classics in clubby rooms. Ask for a booth in the front rooms and order the popovers; the bar pours a serious old-fashioned in a genuine post-Prohibition room.

A cafeteria-style spot on Grand Avenue with seasonal soups and salads, but the real reason is the legendary three-layer turtle cake. Grab a tray for the soups, then get the cake; the attached wine bar serves wood-fired pizza at night.

Super-premium ice cream in house-made malted waffle cones, a Grand Avenue fixture. There is a malted-milk ball tucked in the bottom of every hand-rolled cone to stop drips; expect a line in summer and hundreds of rotating flavors.

House-baked breads and signature flappers, massive yeasted pancakes, for breakfast and brunch. Everything is made to order, so plan to wait on weekends; the biscuits and the apple-walnut-brie flappers are the locals' picks.

A West Seventh scratch-kitchen breakfast institution with a koi-pond backyard patio. Skip the uneven dinner and come for breakfast on the hidden garden patio; it is a longtime morning hangout for West End regulars.

Montanara-style deep-fried-then-baked pizza in the West End off West Seventh. Start with the fried-dough appetizer and try the Crab Rangoon pizza, then save room for the small but excellent dessert list.

Family-run, made-to-order Thai and Lao cooking downtown on Wabasha. Many locals call the pad thai the best in the Cities; sauces are made in-house from family recipes, so ask for it Lao-style spicy.

A French brasserie and oyster bar by Rice Park in a historic building. Hit the oyster bar at happy hour, or splurge on the tableside duck; the wine list runs deep.

Family-run authentic Cambodian cooking on University Avenue near Frogtown. There is no liquor license, so order bubble tea; the papaya salad, curry soups, and Tam Yam noodle soup are the dishes regulars come back for.

A long-running University Avenue pho standby, a repeat best-Vietnamese winner. It seats only a few dozen and fills fast at lunch, so come off-peak for the pho; banh mi is a weekend-only special.

An indoor Hmong market with a food court of Lao, Thai, and Hmong stalls off Como Avenue. Get the stuffed chicken wings and Lao-style papaya salad, then browse the produce stalls for finds you will not see elsewhere.

A French-Hmong patisserie on Dale Street with small-batch Paris-style croissants and tarts. It is open mornings only and pastries sell out, so go early; the passion-fruit raspberry tart and pistachio escargot are the cult favorites.

A loop along both bluffs of the Mississippi Gorge with two river crossings, mixing paved and dirt sections. Watch for bald eagles overhead; it is best in the warmer months.

An easy, very popular paved loop around Como Lake with separate walking and biking lanes, plowed all winter. Pair a lap with the free conservatory and zoo right in Como Park.

A scenic paved loop around Lake Phalen on the East Side, with separated walking and biking paths most of the way. There is a swimming beach and picnic grills along the route.

An easy loop through floodplain forest and lakes along the Mississippi, the city's largest natural park. It feels remote despite being in the city; the boardwalk along Crosby Lake is the highlight, but expect mud after rain.

A family path to a small waterfall with depression-era stonework on the Mississippi. The falls are not well signed, so follow the stream downhill from the upper picnic area; it connects directly to Crosby Farm next door.

A wooded loop in the largest mountain-bike trail system inside a major U.S. city, about five miles east of downtown. The local crew maintains excellent singletrack, but bring a map since signage in the ravines is sparse.

A loop through a reclaimed industrial site beneath sandstone cliffs near Lowertown, a Dakota sacred site with interpretive kiosks. It connects to the paved regional trail if you want to go farther.

A riverfront science museum with a giant Omnitheater dome screen and a dinosaur hall. The Omnitheater's near-wraparound dome beats a standard big-screen; buy tickets at the box office to dodge the per-ticket online fee.

A free century-old zoo with a sea-lion show and a marine habitat, alongside the glass conservatory in Como Park. Admission is free with a suggested donation; time your visit to the sea-lion show, a long-running city tradition.

A Smithsonian-quality interactive Minnesota history museum near the Capitol. Plan a few hours; the rotating traveling exhibits and the immersive weather room are the locals' favorites, and the cafe is a solid lunch.

A hands-on downtown children's museum with a multi-story climbing structure. Best for kids under about nine; enter via the skyway level and head straight for the four-story climber before the crowds.

A Rice Park performing-arts hall hosting Broadway tours, opera, and the chamber orchestra. There is not a bad seat in the house; the chamber-orchestra concerts in the intimate hall are the insider pick over the big musicals.

St. Paul's oldest theater, named for F. Scott Fitzgerald, a longtime home of a famous public-radio variety show. It is an intimate, ornate room with great acoustics, though there is no elevator to the balcony.

A restored vaudeville house turned concert venue with deliberately faded grandeur. The general-admission floor packs in, so arrive early for a spot; the room and acoustics make it the best mid-size venue in town.

Home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, regularly rated among the league's best arenas for atmosphere. The crowd noise is the draw, so catch a Wild game if you can; sightlines are good even in the upper bowl.

Artist-designed indoor mini-golf, a retro arcade, and a full bar in a converted warehouse. The eighteen-hole course was built by local artists; come for first-Friday drag shows, and check in for golf early since lines back up at the bar.

St. Paul's flagship craft brewery, often called the godfather of Twin Cities craft, with a riverside taproom. The taproom has a little river-walk patio and usually a food truck; the brewery tour includes sample tokens.

A Hamline-Midway taproom known for hazy IPAs and fruited sours in an airy, plant-filled space. It shares a building with the artist-designed mini-golf, so you can combine the two; come for the rotating IPA and a strawberry-rhubarb sour.

A French-Renaissance cathedral with a towering copper dome crowning Cathedral Hill, one of the city's defining landmarks. Free weekday tours cover the dome and shrines; pair it with the mansion across the street for a half-day on the hill.

A marble-domed capitol designed by Cass Gilbert, freshly restored and open for free tours. The highlight is heading out near the gilded horse statues above the entrance, so time a hourly guided tour.

A railroad baron's Richardsonian Romanesque mansion, the largest home on Summit Avenue, sometimes called Minnesota's Downton Abbey. The guided tour shows off the hand-carved woodwork and skylit art gallery.

The longest stretch of intact Victorian mansions in the country, running miles down to the Mississippi, where F. Scott Fitzgerald once lived. Walk the Cathedral Hill end for the grandest Gilded-Age homes, best in fall color.

A Romanesque former federal courthouse on Rice Park, now an arts and culture hub with a soaring atrium. It is free to wander, and guided tours dig into the gangster-era trials once held in the restored courtrooms.

A glass-domed Victorian conservatory in Como Park, with a sunken garden, palm dome, and bonsai house. Free with a suggested donation; the winter music series and seasonal flower shows are when locals go.

Sandstone caves below the river bluff that were a prohibition-era speakeasy and gangster casino. The historic cave tour points out unsolved gangland bullet holes; come on swing-dance nights for live big-band music in the cave.

Ancient Native American burial mounds on a Mississippi bluff, a sacred site with the best skyline-plus-river view in the city. Treat the mounds as the sacred sites they are and stay on the marked paths.

A small landmark park ringed by the Landmark Center, the Ordway, and the central library, with bronze Peanuts characters honoring the city's native cartoonist. It is loveliest lit up during the winter carnival.