Minnesota's Top 40 Tourist Attractions, Ranked By Attendance

MINNESOTA — Where are the most popular places to visit in the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Explore Minnesota, the state's tourism promotion office, announced 2017 attendance figures Wednesday for major attractions and events statewide.

From the nation's largest mall to stadiums, museums, zoos, parks, big events and more, the top 40 most-visited tourist attractions in the state can be viewed below:

• This Is The Most Beautiful Place In Minnesota

The top 40 attractions by attendance are:

1. Mall of America, Bloomington (40,000,000)

2. Chain of Lakes Regional Park, Minneapolis (7,063,500)

3. Como Park, St. Paul (5,367,400)

4. National Sports Center, Blaine (4,100,000)

5. Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, Minneapolis (2,782,800)

6. Mississippi Gorge Regional Park, Minneapolis/St. Paul (2,734,300)

7. Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center & Park, Duluth (2,526,322)

8. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul (2,200,000)

9. Target Field, Minneapolis (2,131,787)

10. Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis (2,051,000)

11. Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul (1,997,320)

12. Grand Casino, Hinckley (1,810,550)

13. Nakomis-Hiawatha, Minneapolis (1,800,400)

14. Grand Casino, Mille Lacs (1,406,904)

15. Elm Creek Park Reserve, Maple Grove (1,385,800)

16. U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (1,351,289)

17. Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley (1,300,000)

18. Phalen Regional Park, Saint Paul (1,259,800)

19. Target Center, Minneapolis (1,200,000)

20. Lilydale-Harriet Island Regional Park, Saint Paul (1,122,800)

21. Hyland Lake Park Reserve, Bloomington (1,056,700)

22. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (1,035,328)

23. Gooseberry Falls State Park (831,374)

24. Minneapolis Institute of Art (782,663)

25. Fort Snelling State Park, Saint Paul (699,709)

26. Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul (668,714)

27. Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Jordan (650,000)

28. Hennepin Theatre Trust, Minneapolis (590,897)

29. Minnesota Children's Museum, Saint Paul (561,400)

30. Surly Brewing, Minneapolis (561,380)

31. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska (560,000)

32. Itasca State Park, Park Rapids (545,483)

33. Tettegouche State Park, Silver Bay (472,470)

34. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Saint Paul (436,734)

35. Cabela's, Owatonna (405,000)

36. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Two Harbors (400,922)

37. Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis (400,000)

38. Jay Cooke State Park, Carlton (385,070)

39. Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls (375,058)

40. Temperance River State Park, Schroeder (303,358)

In addition to the statewide list, Explore Minnesota also broke down the attractions into the state's tourism regions outside of the Twin Cities metro.

Regional highlights for northeast, central, northwest and southern include:

Northeast

1. Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center & Park, Duluth

2. Grand Casino, Hinckley

3. Gooseberry Falls State Park, Two Harbors

4. Tettegouche State Park, Silver Bay

5. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Two Harbors

Central

1. Grand Casino Mille Lacs, Onamia

2. Sibley State Park, New London

3. Lake Carlos State Park, Carlos

4. Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, Crosby

5. Maplewood State Park, Pelican Rapids

Northwest

1. Itasca State Park, Park Rapids

2. Lake Bemidji State Park, Bemidji

3. WE Fest, Detroit Lakes

4. Buffalo River State Park, Glyndon

5. Sanford Center, Bemidji

Southern

1. Cabela's, Owatonna

2. Mayo Civic Center, Rochester

3. Minneopa State Park, Mankato

4. Flandrau State Park, New Ulm

5. Whitewater State Park, Altura

"These attendance figures are impressive. They contribute to Minnesota's $15.0 billion tourism economy in a big way, and support jobs all over the state," John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota, said in a statement.

"Minnesota offers an endless array of things to see and do, and this list goes to show that people are exploring our state's great indoor and outdoor attractions."

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