Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Spoonbridge

The Spoonbridge and Cherry is the reason many people come. Conceived by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, the husband-and-wife team known for turning everyday objects into monumental sculpture, it takes the form of an enormous white spoon whose bowl bridges a small pond, with a bright red cherry perched on the tip. Water sprays from the cherry's stem when the fountain runs, and the surface of the spoon was designed to look wet and gleaming.

Since it was unveiled the piece has become shorthand for Minneapolis, appearing on postcards, magnets, and countless photographs. Part of its appeal is scale and whimsy, a common kitchen object blown up to the size of a building and set among flowers and lawns. It anchors the whole garden, and no visit is complete without walking up to the pond to see just how big the spoon really is.

The garden is an extension of the Walker Art Center, one of the country's leading contemporary art museums, which sits right next door. While the Walker itself is a ticketed indoor museum, the sculpture garden is open and free, a rare thing for a collection of this quality. Works are set on broad lawns and within hedged garden rooms, so wandering the paths feels like moving through a series of outdoor galleries.

The collection ranges widely, from abstract steel forms to figurative and conceptual pieces, and it changes over time as works are added and rotated. Interpretive signs help explain the art, but the garden also rewards simple wandering. Families, students, and downtown workers use it as a park as much as a museum, which is part of its charm, a place where world-class art is woven into the daily life of the city.

The sculpture garden sits at a hinge point in Minneapolis, between downtown, Loring Park, and the leafy neighborhoods to the south. A landmark footbridge arcs over the freeway to connect it with Loring Park and the wider city, part of the Twin Cities' famous chain of parks and green space. From within the garden the downtown skyline rises to the east, and the contrast of sculpture, lawn, and towers is part of the experience.

This land, like all of Minneapolis, lies within the homeland of the Dakota people, whose name for this country, Mni Sota Makoce, gives Minnesota its name. The nearby Mississippi River and the falls at its heart were long central to Dakota life. The garden is an easy anchor for exploring the city on foot, close to museums, parks, and the lakes that give Minneapolis its character.

Spring and summer are the garden's fullest seasons, when the trees leaf out, the flower beds fill in, and the Spoonbridge fountain runs and mists in the warm air. Long summer evenings are a favorite time, when the light turns golden on the sculptures and the skyline glows behind them. The lawns fill with visitors and picnickers.

Fall brings crisp air and turning leaves that set off the sculptures, and quieter paths as the crowds thin. Winter drains the fountain and often blankets the garden in snow, turning the white spoon and its red cherry into a stark, striking scene against the cold sky. Even in the depths of a Minnesota winter, the garden stays open and rewards a bundled-up walk.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, in Minneapolis, is one of the largest and most beloved urban sculpture parks in the country, a beautiful outdoor garden filled with modern and contemporary sculptures. Its most famous work is the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry, a giant sculpture of an enormous spoon topped with a bright red cherry that arches over a pond, a beloved symbol of the city. Adjacent to a major art center, the free garden lets visitors wander among dozens of striking artworks amid landscaped grounds. With its celebrated sculptures, the iconic Spoonbridge, and free access, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden offers a delightful destination in Minnesota.

The Spoonbridge and Cherry is the iconic centerpiece of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, a giant, whimsical sculpture depicting an enormous spoon whose bowl arches over a pond, topped by a huge, bright red cherry, with water spraying from the cherry's stem. Created by renowned artists, this playful, oversized work has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Minneapolis and a favorite photo spot. Its scale and whimsy delight visitors of all ages. Seeing the beloved Spoonbridge and Cherry in person is a highlight of a visit to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in Minnesota.

Yes, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public, welcoming visitors to stroll the grounds and enjoy dozens of sculptures, including the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry, at no charge, a gift to the community that makes world-class art accessible to all. The garden is generally open daily during daytime hours as an outdoor space. Its free, welcoming access is part of its appeal. This easy, no-cost access lets anyone enjoy the celebrated art and landscaped grounds, making the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden a treasured public destination in Minnesota.

Late spring through fall offers the most pleasant weather to stroll the garden and enjoy the sculptures amid green, landscaped grounds, with summer lush and fall colorful, though the garden can be visited year-round, and the sculptures, including the Spoonbridge and Cherry, take on striking beauty even under snow. Daytime offers the best viewing. For the most comfortable weather and greenest setting, aim for late spring through fall, though the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a rewarding stop any season in Minnesota.

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, adjacent to a major art center, within reach of St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, Minnehaha Falls, the Foshay Tower, and across the river the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Como Park Zoo in St. Paul. That makes the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden a delightful stop to combine with St. Anthony Falls, Minnehaha Falls, and the other attractions of the Twin Cities on a visit to Minnesota.