Minnehaha Falls on Independence Day

Our last stop in the Twin Cities was Minnehaha Falls.  We happened to visit on July 4th.  It was a zoo.  Take my advice and never go to Minnehaha Falls on July 4th!  It was a nice day and it seemed like everyone in Minneapolis thought it would be a great day to go to Minnehaha Falls.

The Falls were named by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous New England poet.  He mentions Minnehaha in one of his more famous poems, The Song of Hiawatha.   They drop 53 feet, and are quite picturesque.  I had to dodge the crowds to get a good picture or two.  Seriously, the falls are nice, but it's not worth dodging the crowds on a summer holiday to see them.


One final thing, the residential streets just north of the park have "Parking Permitted" signs for the first block or two.  We nearly parked there, but asked an officer what exactly the "Parking Permitted" signs mean, as they are very ambiguous (just like the "Fine for Parking" signs I've seen elsewhere). He told us that you need a parking permit to park there.  Good to know.  We parked somewhere else.  Apparently the residents were tired of park visitors parking in front of their homes so they encouraged the city to enforce a parking by permit only zone. 
Seriously Minneapolis! You can do better then that!  If you ever change the signs, please put up ones with different wording, such as "Parking by permit only".  If I had parked and gotten a ticket, I would have protested it.  "Parking Permitted"...hmm..does that mean "Parking Allowed" or "You need a permit to park here"?  Any half decent lawyer (or even a normal person with common sense) could easily point out the double meaning that the signs currently convey. 



Nearest City: Minneapolis, MN
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 30+ minutes
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Minnehaha Falls Regional Park