the diversions of a great metropolis are nearby
Downtown Minneapolis, with its many theaters, restaurants and musical venues, and all the excitement that a big city has to offer, is just a short LRT or bike ride away from Five15.
Minneapolis has nearly as many live theaters per person as New York City. The renowned Guthrie Theater, in a Jean Nouvel building on the Mississippi River, and the cluster of theaters that forms the Hennepin Avenue Theater District, are a short ride from Five15. The District includes historic and architecturally significant theaters, the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, and the famous First Avenue music club, which has fostered musical acts—from avant-garde to mainstream—for many years, and has been a stepping stone for many prominent artists.
Orchestra Hall is the home of the internationally renowned Minnesota Orchestra. Its Sommerfest of daily musical events takes place each year both indoors and outdoors at Peavey Plaza, in front of Orchestra Hall. Nicollet Mall—the “spine” of downtown Minneapolis—is in the middle of a cluster of gourmet restaurants, cheery pubs, glittering nightspots, and performing arts venues. During the warmer months, the Mall bustles with energy from the thousands of people enjoying its many outdoor and rooftop dining choices.
In downtown St. Paul, also an easy LRT ride away, the Ordway Center for Performing Arts provides the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance, and vocal artists on its Music Theater stage, which is the home of the renowned St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Opera. Also in St. Paul, the nationally-renowned Penumbra Theater has thrived since 1976 by staging outstanding works that build on the African American experience.
Minneapolis has three famous art museums, all close to Five15. The Weisman Art Museum, in an iconic Frank Gehry building overlooking the Mississippi River on the University of Minnesota
East Bank, is dedicated to modern art, but it also has a distinguished Native American pottery collection. A short drive or bike ride leads to the Walker Art Center, one of the nation’s best modern art museums, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, a crown jewel of the Minneapolis park system. The Sculpture Garden includes the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture and the Cowles Conservatory, which provides year-round displays of seasonal and tropical gardens. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, with wings designed by Kenzo Tange and Michael Graves, has
rich collections of European and American fine art from different periods, and one of the finest collections of Asian art in the country.