Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a free public art park beside the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is best known for Spoonbridge and Cherry, a huge spoon that holds a bright red cherry over a pond. Opened in 1988, it is one of the best-known outdoor sculpture parks in the United States.

The story behind it

The garden was created by the Walker Art Center, the contemporary art museum next door, as a place to show large works outdoors. Its centrepiece, Spoonbridge and Cherry, was made by the married artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Oldenburg was famous for taking ordinary objects and blowing them up to monumental size, and a spoon and a cherry are about as ordinary as it gets.

The spoon curves over the pond like a bridge, and the cherry's stem sends up a thin spray of water. The garden holds many other works, including Frank Gehry's Standing Glass Fish, which sits in the glass-roofed Cowles Conservatory. The park has a playful reputation, and it has become a favourite spot for local picnics and photos.

What to look for

• Look at the spray of water rising from the cherry's stem, which gives the sculpture a lively, fountain-like touch.
• Walk around the pond to see how the spoon's long handle and deep bowl change shape from each angle.
• Step into the Cowles Conservatory to find Frank Gehry's Standing Glass Fish, a large fish built from glass panels.
• Notice the footbridge that links the garden to the neighbourhood across the road, and the church dome that rises close by in the skyline.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 30 to 60 minutes to wander the paths and see the main works without hurrying.
• Morning or late afternoon gives softer light for photos and usually fewer people around the spoon.
• The garden itself is free to enter, but check current opening hours before you go, as they vary through the year.
• The Walker Art Center is right beside it, and Loring Park is a short walk away, so you can easily build a longer outing.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Loring Park, Minneapolis takes you on foot through the Loring Park area, where the garden is one stop on a longer route. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It suits anyone who likes a mystery theme. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Minneapolis is a good pick for families with children. You walk from stop to stop, hear about each place as you reach it and solve a puzzle on the spot, so younger visitors have a reason to look closely rather than just pass through. One ticket covers the whole group.