United States · Minnesota · Minneapolis
Near North, Minneapolis — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Near North is a Minneapolis neighbourhood shaped by Black community history, its museums, and old worker houses.
About Near North
Where to stay in Near North
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Most beds sit a short ride from downtown Minneapolis. Near North itself keeps a residential grain, so many visitors base themselves toward the busier avenues and walk in for its museums. Choose your block by what you want first: heritage streets, a quiet stay, or quick transit back across the river toward the city core.
About Near North
What are the main landmarks in Near North?
The neighbourhood's draws are small and specific. St. Mary's Cathedral rises as a built landmark, while the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery carries the district's community memory through its exhibits, records, and rotating shows for a wide public audience. The Firefighters Hall and Museum keeps old engines and gear.
Two smaller collections round it out. The James J. Fiorentino Museum and the John Lohmar House hold local history close to the street.
What is the history of Near North?
Near North grew as a working district of Minneapolis. Its houses came first. The John Lohmar House survives as one marker of that early settlement, when tradespeople and their families filled the blocks between the river and the growing city grid, and later waves reshaped who lived here.
Over the decades the area became central to Black community life, a story the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery now gathers and tells.
Where is Near North?
Near North spreads across roughly five square kilometres on the near side of Minneapolis, a compact grid of residential blocks and small museums set within the wider city.
Good for
More areas in Minneapolis
Updated July 2026