Business Trip to the Twin Cities? Top Things to Do in 2025
▼ Summary
– Minnesota has significant tech history including developing the first supercomputer, hosting early tech companies, and contributing the gopher protocol to the internet.
– The Twin Cities metro area of 3.76 million residents hosts a diverse tech industry spanning medtech, fintech, AI, and agriculture, with multiple Fortune 500 companies.
– Twin Cities tech workers embrace work-life balance through outdoor activities across all seasons and utilize the climate-protected skyway system connecting downtown areas.
– The region offers varied accommodation options including luxury hotels like the Four Seasons and historic properties like The Saint Paul Hotel in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
– Numerous coworking spaces, coffee shops, and restaurants cater to tech professionals with amenities supporting both work and networking needs.
Planning a business trip to Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2025 offers a unique opportunity to experience a region with a rich technological heritage and a vibrant contemporary business scene. The Twin Cities boast a formidable tech legacy, having nurtured industry pioneers like Cray Research and Control Data Corporation, while the University of Minnesota contributed the early gopher protocol, a foundational element of the modern internet. Today, this metro area of nearly 3.8 million people is a hub for medtech, fintech, artificial intelligence, and agtech, hosting major corporations such as 3M, Best Buy, and UnitedHealth Group.
The local culture deeply values work-life balance, with residents fully embracing all four seasons. During summer, it’s common to see professionals on video calls while walking their dogs around the city’s beautiful chain of lakes or enjoying a patio happy hour. When winter arrives, you’ll find dedicated commuters on cross-country skis or fat-tire bikes using the area’s extensive trail systems. For those less enthusiastic about the cold, the ingenious downtown skyway system, a Minnesota innovation, provides a climate-controlled network connecting offices, shops, and residences.
Where to Stay
While Minneapolis presents a more modern skyline, significant business activity also thrives in St. Paul. Your accommodation choice depends on which city hosts your meetings and your personal style preferences.
Downtown Minneapolis
For travelers with generous expense accounts or those looking to indulge, the Four Seasons stands out as the premier luxury option. As Minnesota’s sole five-star hotel, this property opened in 2022 and has quickly become renowned for its exclusive atmosphere and exceptional amenities. The hotel features Mara, a fine-dining establishment helmed by acclaimed local chef Gavin Kaysen, while its rooftop transforms into a Nordic-inspired winter oasis complete with saunas and private dining spaces.
Situated in the fashionable North Loop district, Hewing Hotel provides a boutique experience with well-appointed meeting rooms and a popular rooftop bar offering stunning city views. The bustling lobby serves as an ideal spot for informal work sessions, and the location places you steps away from top-tier restaurants, speakeasies, and entertainment venues.
Architecture and history enthusiasts will appreciate the Emery Hotel, housed within a beautifully preserved landmark building dating back to 1929. Following an extensive 2024 renovation, this luxury property now blends historic charm with modern comforts and business facilities. Its direct connection to the skyway system provides easy access to cultural landmarks like Orchestra Hall and the State Theatre.
Downtown St. Paul
The Celeste St. Paul offers a truly unique lodging experience within a creatively repurposed convent. This 71-room boutique hotel preserves much of its original character with church-themed meeting spaces, providing both quirky charm and practical networking amenities in the heart of St. Paul.
Describing itself as “one of the nation’s premier historic hotels,” the Saint Paul Hotel commands an elegant presence in the city’s compact downtown core. Its proximity to sports arenas, theaters, and concert venues makes it a favorite among convention attendees and visitors. The hotel’s vibrant restaurant and bar frequently host local celebrities, athletes, and performers after events.
Where to Work
For flexible workspace solutions, the Twin Cities offer several excellent options. Fueled Collective, originally launched as COCO, pioneered the local coworking scene with Google-backed entrepreneurship programs. Though their St. Paul location has closed, two Minneapolis campuses continue to provide meeting spaces, private offices, and resources for various professional needs.
The Coven made regional headlines in 2018 by establishing the first coworking spaces specifically designed for women, nonbinary, and transgender professionals. With five locations throughout the metro area, these franchises offer coworking areas, meeting rooms, drop-in desks, and community programming, with day passes available for visitors.
Health-conscious professionals might prefer Life Time Work, which integrates luxury coworking with premium fitness facilities. This Minnesota-based company has three local locations featuring ergonomic workstations, healthy snacks, and access to fitness amenities, perfect for combining a business presentation with a pickleball match.
For those with existing memberships, WeWork maintains two convenient downtown Minneapolis locations approximately two miles apart. Alternatively, Workbox provides another national chain option with industrial-chic decor, a rooftop terrace, fitness center, and direct skyway access.
Where to Get Your Coffee
Spyhouse Coffee Roasters operates six cafés across the Twin Cities that have become favorites among technology professionals. Known for ample seating, plentiful power outlets, and reliable Wi-Fi, their North Loop location proves particularly convenient due to its proximity to coworking spaces, hotels, and entertainment venues.
With 292 locations in Minnesota alone, Caribou Coffee serves as a familiar and comfortable spot for informal meetings and remote work. Be sure to specify which location you’re meeting at, as multiple shops sometimes operate within close proximity.
In St. Paul, Can Can Wonderland combines a coffee shop with a restaurant, bar, pinball arcade, and art gallery. This eclectic space near the light-rail station and Union Depot transportation hub provides numerous nooks perfect for focused work or casual meetings.
Wesley Andrews began as a bicycle shop before evolving into a specialty coffee micro-roaster with an Up North aesthetic. Located near downtown and the airport, it offers quality Wi-Fi alongside expertly crafted beverages.
The charming Café Cerés in Minneapolis’ emerging Whittier neighborhood focuses on bringing beauty to the community through craft coffees and Japanese-style teas, creating a serene environment for productive work sessions.
Where to Eat
Owamni continues to draw well-deserved attention three years after winning the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Chef Sean Sherman, an Oglala Lakota member, creates extraordinary Indigenous cuisine without colonial ingredients like dairy, cane sugar, or wheat flour. The restaurant’s planned 2026 relocation to the Guthrie Theater will make dinner-and-show combinations particularly appealing.
Manny’s Steakhouse perfectly embodies the classic American steakhouse experience. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top ten steakhouses by Zagat, this establishment draws celebrities, technology executives, and local business leaders with its impeccable red meat selections, cocktails, and desserts.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, Matt’s Bar offers an authentic dive-bar experience and serves the legendary Jucy Lucy, a cheeseburger with molten cheese sealed inside the patty. While several establishments claim to have invented this Minneapolis classic, Matt’s delivers the most genuine atmosphere and arguably the most satisfying version.
(Source: Wired)