Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
F Scott Fitzgerald Sights & Summit Ave
STREET
The Great Gatsby
author F Scott Fitzgerald is St Paul's most celebrated literary son. The
Pullman-style apartment at
481 Laurel Ave
is his birthplace. Four blocks away, Fitzger-
ald lived in the brownstone at
599 Summit Ave
when he published
This Side of
Paradise
. Both are private residences. From here stroll along Summit Ave toward the
cathedral and gape at the Victorian homes rising from the street.
Literature buffs should grab the
Fitzgerald Homes and Haunts
map at the visitor cen-
ter to see other footprints.
Landmark Center
MUSEUM
(
www.landmarkcenter.org
; 75 W 5th St; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Thu, 10am-5pm Sat,
noon-5pm Sun)
Downtown's turreted 1902 Landmark Center used to be the federal court-
house, where gangsters such as Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis were tried; plaques by the various
rooms show who was brought to justice here. In addition to the city's visitor center, the
building also contains a couple of small museums.
noon-4pm Sun-Fri)
has a brilliant collection of old pianos and harpsichords - some tickled
by the likes of Brahms and Mendelssohn - as well as old manuscripts and letters from
famous composers. The club plays free chamber-music concerts Thursday at noon from
October to April. A free wood-turning museum (it's a decorative form of woodworking)
is also on the 2nd floor.
Mississippi River Visitors Center
INTERPRETIVE CENTER
( 651-293-0200;
www.nps.gov/miss
;
9:30am-5pm Sun-Thu, to 9pm Fri & Sat)
The
National Park Service visitor center occupies an alcove in the science museum's lobby.
Stop by to pick up trail maps and see what sort of free ranger-guided activities are going
on. Most take place at 10am on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday in summer. In winter
the center hosts ice-fishing and snowshoeing jaunts.
Science Museum of Minnesota
MUSEUM
( 651-221-9444;
www.smm.org
;
120 W Kellogg Blvd; adult/child $13/10; 9:30am-9:30pm, re-
duced hours in winter)
Has the usual hands-on kids' exhibits and Omnimax theater ($8 ex-
tra). Adults will be entertained by the wacky quackery of the 4th floor's 'questionable
medical devices.'
Cathedral of St Paul
CHURCH
