Minneapolis's observation deck

The short answer: Minneapolis has one deck that matters: Foshay Museum & Observation Deck (447 ft, from $18). The verdict below tells you whether it fits your visit.

Minneapolis has exactly one observation deck and it hides inside a hotel. The Foshay Tower — a 1929 Art Deco obelisk modelled on the Washington Monument, the tallest building in the Midwest for 43 years — keeps a genuinely open-air deck on its 31st floor, reached through a museum floor telling the gloriously doomed story of the man who built it.

How to choose in Minneapolis

There is no alternative to weigh it against: the IDS Center's deck became offices in the 1980s. Know two things before you go — you buy at the W Hotel front desk, and the last two flights from museum to deck are stairs with no lift.

Open right now in Minneapolis

Civic decks close on weekends, some decks open only two afternoons a week, and one opens at 2pm for thirty minutes. This board reads each deck's schedule in Minneapolis local time.

DeckHeightFromTypeThrill factorBest for
Foshay Museum & Observation Deck 447 ft $18 open-air ★ open-air — true open-air decks this old are nearly extinct (this and Smith Tower are the class), the museum floor tells the gloriously doomed story of Wilbur Foshay (fortune, tower, Sousa fanfare, prison), and being surrounded by taller glass towers makes the view oddly intimate

All Minneapolis decks on the map

See Minneapolis from above — bookable

Minneapolis's decks are only part of the view. These are the helicopter flights, skyline cruises and sightseeing runs that put the city below you — booked through Viator, which earns this site a commission at no cost to you.

Prices last checked 2026-08-18.

The full verdicts

Foshay Museum & Observation Deck 447 ft · 31st (open-air), museum on 30th floor · from $18 · open-air A genuinely open-air 31st-floor deck with fixed telescopes atop the 1929 Foshay Tower — the Washington Monument-shaped Art Deco obelisk that was the Midwest's tallest building for 43 years.

Minneapolis observation decks — quick answers

1 public observation deck: Foshay Museum & Observation Deck. Each has a full guide here with current prices, hours, and an honest verdict.

Foshay Museum & Observation Deck at 447 ft (31st (open-air), museum on 30th floor).

Foshay Museum & Observation Deck, from $18. Prices shift with season and time slot — sunset always costs more, and booking online always beats the walk-up window.