Minnesota

Scenic Minnesota
Minnesota is known for its picturesque parks and beautiful lakes, which draw thousands of visitors each year. More than 12,000 lakes and hundreds of miles of rivers and streams are a paradise for sail boaters, water skiers, wind surfers, paddlers, swimmers, and whitewater rafters. Winter in Minnesota offers the opportunity to play in the snow on skis, skates, snowboards, sleds, snowmobiles, snowshoes, and dog sleds.

One national park (Voyageurs National Park), two national forests (Superior and Chippewa), and many state parks and forests provide excellent facilities for outdoor activities. More than 90,000 acres of metro area parks offer miles of paths for hiking, biking, running, in-line skating, and cross-country skiing. The state has developed over 250 miles of bike trail along former railroad beds with more miles of paved rail-to-rail bikeways than any other state. Minnesota also has more than 450 golf courses, known for their park-like quality and natural scenery.

Sports
Professional sports such as hockey, baseball, basketball, and football are a vital part of life in Minnesota, and collegiate sports are also very popular. The University has one of the finest intramural sports facilities in the country. U of M family medicine residents and faculty participate as physicians in local, collegiate, professional athletics and the USA Soccer Cup Tournament.

The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, run annually in October, is known as the most beautiful urban marathon in America.

Arts and Entertainment
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has more than 80 professional theater companies, with the best-known being the Guthrie Theater. The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center and its outdoor sculpture garden, the Weisman Art Museum, and hundreds of privately owned galleries make this a regional center for visual arts. The Science Museum, the Minnesota Children’s Museum, and the Minnesota History Center offer exhibits that appeal to the whole family.

The musical arts flourish with two world-class orchestras, community orchestras and chamber groups, and scores of jazz, rock, folk, blues, and country western music clubs.

We Wish You Were Here
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