Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (must see)

The Basilica of Saint Mary, one of the finest Neoclassical Beaux-Arts creations in the U.S., was quite the million-dollar project. Archbishop John Ireland tapped Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, a French-trained architectural wizard fresh off designing the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair, to give the building its flair. Masqueray, a Renaissance and Baroque enthusiast, got to work in 1907. But between World War I stretching resources thin and Masqueray’s untimely passing in 1917, it wasn’t until 1926 that the Basilica reached its full glory. Pope Pius XI later crowned it the first Basilica in North America, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

This architectural wonder is admired for three main reasons: its stellar design and Baroque influence, its role in Minnesota’s religious history, and, of course, its groundbreaking status as the first U.S. basilica. Inside, visitors can marvel at the dazzling stained-glass windows (completed in 1924) and a permanent art collection filled with sculptures and paintings.

But to most Minneapolitans, the Basilica is also home to something a bit less traditional: the Basilica Block Party, the city’s beloved late-summer celebration of alt-rock and community spirit.