PUBLIC TOURS
ALL IS BRIGHT HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR
Don't let this cold and crazy winter stop you from having fun, Minnesota! Let's be bold, embrace the cold and make your holidays brighter in the Twin Cities' only open-air fun bus. We have holiday lights, music, AND Santa as your chauffeur! It's a perfect outing for families. Choose your date and time slot to book the bus for your private party! Tours last 30 minutes.
Be Bold!
Be Brave!
BYOB!
- Bring your own blanket
- Bring your own beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
- Bring your own brood
TOUR INFORMATION
2024 Dates
- 4:45pm, 5:30pm, 6:15pm, 7:00pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm, 9:15pm each night
- Thursdays - Dec 5, 12, 19
- Fridays - Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, 20
- Saturdays - Nov 30, Dec 7, 14, 21
- Sundays - Dec 1, 8, 15, 22
Price
- $185 for the entire bus exclusively for your group up to 13 guests (that's only $14 per person for a full bus!)
- DOT rules and regulations allow 13 guests maximum on this bus, no matter the age; infants and children must be included in total guest count
Location
- Begins and ends at Drkula’s (6710 Cahill Ave, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076). Park in the north parking lot and use the north entrance; follow the signs to our festive staff.
Overview
No matter the season, Minnesotans embrace the outdoors. Our Bold North winters are no exception! Be bold, get out, have fun. Enjoy the spirit of the holidays with this custom, one-of-a-kind tour. Treat yourself to the magic of the season by viewing beautiful light displays in a fun, safe way. Embrace the cold in the Twin Cities’ only open-air fun bus. With a covered top and open sides, it’s the perfect way to view twinkling lights along brightly decorated streets. The crisp air, holiday music, and beautiful lights make it perfect for families! This unique private tour is sure to get you in the spirit of the season – so please join us for some festive fun! We’ll make your holidays brighter!
Good to Know
- Bus holds 13 guests in the back; driver is isolated in separate, enclosed cab
- We pick you up at the starting location and travel local neighborhood streets at slow speeds for the 30-minute tour (no highways!)
- Dress warmly! This is an open-air bus!
- Alcoholic beverages are allowed; must be 21+ years old
What's Included
- Clean, safe, decorated open-air fun bus for your private party
- Professional driver, dressed as Santa, on a pre-planned route with many holiday lights
- Our festive holiday music playlist or yours!
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FESTIVE HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR
Treat yourself to the magic of the holidays by viewing beautiful light displays on this cozy 2.5-hour tour! Ride in a comfortable coach bus while viewing twinkling lights and nibbling peppermint candy canes. With Santa at the wheel and sing-along-able music, it’s fun for the whole family!
TOUR INFORMATION
2024 Dates
- 5:00pm and 8:00pm each night
- Thursdays - Dec 5, 12, 19
- Fridays - Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, 20
- Saturdays - Nov 30, Dec 7, 14, 21
- Sundays - Dec 1, 8, 15, 22
Price
- $450 for the entire bus exclusively for your group up to 14 guests (that's only $32 per person for a full bus!)
- DOT rules and regulations allow 14 guests maximum on this bus, no matter the age; infants and children must be included in total guest count
Location
- Convenient pick-up and drop-off at Lucky's 13 Pub (located in Comfort Inn Plymouth-Minneapolis, 3000 Harbor Ln N, Plymouth, MN 55447); offers free parking
OVERVIEW
Treat yourself to the magic of the holidays by viewing beautiful light displays on this cozy 2.5-hour tour! You'll ride in comfort in your warm, heated coach bus while viewing twinkling lights and nibbling peppermint candy canes. With Santa at the wheel and sing-along-able music, it’s fun for the whole family! Bus’s perimeter seating provides 360* viewing and easy conversation. (Feel free to wear your ugly sweater! We know you have one!) The brightly decorated streets of the Twin Cities are sure to get you in the spirit of the season – so please join us for some festive fun!
GOOD TO KNOW
- Alcoholic beverages are allowed on the bus; must be 21+ years old to consume
- Contact us for larger bus, handicap accessible bus, alternate pick-up / drop-off locations, etc. Pricing will vary based on customization.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Clean, safe, decorated enclosed bus for your private party
- Professional and fun driver dressed as Santa
- Our festive holiday music playlist or yours!
- Pre-set holiday lights route
MINNEAPOLIS LANDMARK BUS TOUR
Featuring not only the sights, but also the sounds of Minneapolis (in a unique way which only Experience the Twin Cities can present). Join us for an unforgettable experience touring distinctive landmarks from Minneapolis's past, present and exciting future. (Note: the open-air bus will be used for this tour!)
Tour Information
2024 Dates
- Public Tour: 9am-10:30am & 10:45am-12:15pm Fridays & Saturdays (Jun - Aug)
- Private Tour: Select your own day and time! Contact us for availability and booking.
Price
- Public Tour: $48 per person
- Private Tour: Varies depending on number of guests and size of vehicle booked
Location
- Tour begins and ends at the Minneapolis Visitor Center (505 Nicollet, Minneapolis, MN 55402). Meet right outside the main entrance.
Sights
- Mississippi Riverfront
- Sculpture Garden
- Walker Art Museum
- Stone Arch Bridge
- St Anthony Falls
- Basilica of St Mary
- Mary Tyler Moore Statue
- Nicollet Island
- Iconic buildings - IDS & Foshay
- Guthrie Theater
- Mill City Museum
- Prince landmarks
- Bob Dylan Mural
- Sports Stadiums - USBank, Target Field, and Target Center
- Much more!
Overview
Featuring not only the sights, but also the sounds of Minneapolis (in a unique way which only Experience the Twin Cities can present). Join us for an unforgettable experience touring distinctive landmarks from Minneapolis's past, present and exciting future. From world-famous murals to the largest river in the United States, you'll see why Minneapolis is known as "the City by Nature." A relaxing 90-minute bus ride, our Minneapolis Landmark Bus Tour is excellent for visitors, locals and families alike!
HISTORIC CATHEDRAL HILL & SUMMIT AVENUE WALKING TOUR
Religion and riches and mansions…oh my!
Dominating the skyline, the majestic Cathedral of Saint Paul stands proudly as gateway to the city’s most scenic and historic neighborhood. Here the Victorian era’s movers and shakers, immigrants and servants, and priests and industrialists created a slice of St Paul which defined the golden age. Stroll past stately mansions on Summit Avenue and learn how residents such as James J Hill, F Scott Fitzgerald, and Cass Gilbert created the city’s colorful past. Includes a sweet treat along the way.
Tour Information
2024 Dates
- Public Tour: 9am-11am Saturdays & 10am-12pm Thursdays (Jun - Sep)
- Private Tour: Select your own day and time! Contact us for availability and booking
Price
- Public Tour: $45 per person
- Private Tour: Varies depending on number of guests
Location
- Begins and ends at the Cathedral of Saint Paul (239 Selby Ave, St Paul, MN 55102) at the foot of the grand staircase (east side facing Summit Ave and Cathedral Hill Park)
Highlights
- See relics of St Paul’s Gilded Age as you walk through the Hill District
- Stroll America’s longest uninterrupted street of Victorian mansions
- Learn the stories of how servants, industrialists, early settlers, Catholics, and prominent architects created what Mark Twain called “the last great city of the east”
- Stand in awe in the shadow of railroad baron James J Hill’s palatial home
- View the majestic Cathedral of Saint Paul
- See the former residence hotel where F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Ma Barker stayed
- Historic buildings and some of the city’s best, trendy, and popular restaurants
- View downtown and the State Capitol from atop one of St Paul’s famous hills
- Researched and accurate historical facts
Includes
- The expertise of a fun and knowledgeable Tour Guide
- A sweet treat along the way
Overview
Religion and riches and mansions…oh my!
Dominating the skyline, the majestic Cathedral of Saint Paul stands proudly as gateway to the city’s most scenic and historic neighborhood. Here the Victorian era’s movers and shakers, immigrants and servants, and priests and industrialists created a slice of St Paul which defined the golden age. It includes stately mansions along Summit Avenue, where it was fashionable to see and to be seen, as well as green spaces, Mississippi River overlooks, and repurposed historic buildings with secret tales to tell. Learn the stories of James J Hill, F Scott Fitzgerald, Cass Gilbert, Ma Barker, and more famous, wealthy, and notorious figures from our capital city’s colorful past.
GANGSTERS, BOOTLEGGERS, & FEDS
WANTED! You! To discover the seedy side of Prohibition Era St Paul!
“If you were looking for a guy you hadn’t seen for a few months, you usually thought of two places — prison or St. Paul.” - Alvin “Creepy” Karpis
In the 1930s St Paul was known as a “crooks haven”, a safe place for criminals to hide or reside under the knowing gaze of the city police force. During this 2-hour tour, your guide brings the past to life as you walk the same streets that made our capital city so attractive to gangsters and bank robbers, bootleggers and kidnappers. Discover how dirty cops, Prohibition, and the Great Depression combined to create a St Paul for sinners and see where many were eventually brought to justice.
Includes a drink in a former notorious gambling den and speakeasy AND popcorn from a St Paul institution that got its start during the gangster days.
Tour Information
2024 DATES
- Public Tour: 3pm-5pm Fridays (Jun - Sep)
- Private Tour: Select your own day and time! Contact us for availability and booking
PRICE
- Public Tour: $45 per person
- Private Tour: Varies depending on number of guests
LOCATION
- Begins at Science Museum of Minnesota (120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102) outside main entrance on Kellogg Blvd; ends on St Peter Street
Highlights
- Hear how St Paul became a safe haven city, opening the door for many of America's most wanted criminals to hide out during prohibition and beyond
- Learn about Prohibition and its Minnesota connections
- Visit sites where hideouts and speakeasies and gangsters mixed in with ordinary businesses and citizens
- Munch on popcorn from a St Paul institution that got its start during the gangster days
- Have a drink in a former notorious gambling den and speakeasy
- See where bootleggers and other notorious gangsters faced the music in federal court
- Walk in the footsteps of the likes of John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Doc Barker, "Creepy" Karpis, Bugs Moran, J Edgar Hoover and more
- Researched and accurate historical facts
Includes
- A choice of our signature Bootlegger cocktail, craft beer, wine or MN made Lift Bridge Root Beer Soda at a revitalized gangster’s hangout – drink where the gangsters drank!
- The same tasty popcorn that gangsters enjoyed before going to the pictures – this historic shop is a real treat!
- Knowledgeable tour guide
Overview
WANTED! You! To discover the seedy side of Prohibition Era St Paul!
“If you were looking for a guy you hadn’t seen for a few months, you usually thought of two places — prison or St. Paul.” ~Alvin “Creepy” Karpis
In the 1930s St Paul was known as a “crooks haven”, a safe place for criminals to hide or reside under the knowing gaze of the city police force. Police profited off the nefarious activities of infamous criminals John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson, “Machine Gun" Kelly, the Barker-Karpis Gang, “Scarface” Al Capone, and many more. Your guide brings the past to life as you walk the same streets that made our capital city so attractive to gangsters and bank robbers, bootleggers and kidnappers. Below your feet lie miles of dank, disused tunnels once the network for transporting illicit beer and liquor. Sip your included cocktail at a modern-day speakeasy located in a former notorious gambling den. Discover how dirty cops, Prohibition, and the Great Depression combined to create a St Paul for sinners and see where many were eventually brought to justice.