Foshay Tower
Foshay Tower
4.5
Speciality MuseumsPoints of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural Buildings
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
After recent renovation, our museum and observation deck are now open seven days a week from 12:00pm-9:00pm. Weather permitting, both will be open year round.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
292 reviews
Excellent
140
Very good
113
Average
28
Poor
9
Terrible
2
Laura
Duluth, MN40 contributions
May 2021
You access this in the lobby of the W Hotel. Get a keycard to the museum floor. Very well put together small museum. Interesting history. Then, you take the stairs up one flight to the observation deck. The building is so swallowed up by larger buildings, it's amazing to think it used to be the tallest. Fun to take your time and try to spot landmarks.
Written May 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dmittleman
Palm Beach Gardens, FL1,413 contributions
Aug 2021
An elevator whisks you up to the top floor where a small (and somewhat dusty) museum reviews the history of the building. I wish it had been a bit more organized. Another flight of stairs brings you to the outside viewing deck for marvelous views of Minneapolis and the surrounding countryside. Of note, this is free for people staying at the W Minneapolis (the front desk did not tell us this so ask).
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
freespiritmn
Minneapolis, MN60 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
We went into the elevator and pressed the button for the 30th floor. Nothing happened. So, we went to the registration counter of the W Hotel. The staff person told us that the observation deck was not open due to repairs and they did not know when or if it would open again. However, their website indicates that the observation deck IS open - so this was a major disappointment having driven over 45 miles to walk on the observation deck.
We were told that the museum was open, and that we could go with the other people on the elevator who also were headed to the museum. By the time we got there, the elevator doors had closed. So, we waited for the next one.
So, we tried pressing the button again for the 30th floor. Nothing happened. We went back to the registration desk and the staff person gave us the plastic card we needed to access the floor. Why he didn't give it to us initially is beyond me.
At any rate, we went up to the 30th floor and were shocked that when the elevator doors opened that it was completely dark and had no lighting. The people who had gone on the elevator before us said that they wanted to go back down because it was too dark and scary.
We wanted to at least see something about the Foshay Tower, so we each used our cell phone flashlights to see the displays. The staff at the W did not mention that there was no lighting or light switches that we (nor could the previous guests) could find.
The displays had interesting information that we didn't know about those involved with the construction of it or the court proceedings. It would have been substantially better had the lights been on so we could adequately see and read the displays.
We were told that the museum was open, and that we could go with the other people on the elevator who also were headed to the museum. By the time we got there, the elevator doors had closed. So, we waited for the next one.
So, we tried pressing the button again for the 30th floor. Nothing happened. We went back to the registration desk and the staff person gave us the plastic card we needed to access the floor. Why he didn't give it to us initially is beyond me.
At any rate, we went up to the 30th floor and were shocked that when the elevator doors opened that it was completely dark and had no lighting. The people who had gone on the elevator before us said that they wanted to go back down because it was too dark and scary.
We wanted to at least see something about the Foshay Tower, so we each used our cell phone flashlights to see the displays. The staff at the W did not mention that there was no lighting or light switches that we (nor could the previous guests) could find.
The displays had interesting information that we didn't know about those involved with the construction of it or the court proceedings. It would have been substantially better had the lights been on so we could adequately see and read the displays.
Written July 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cenzt
Ohio19,295 contributions
Oct 2022
Good trip. We arrived at approximately 12:30 pm and made our way inside the hotel to buy our tickets. Parking was a bit tricky to come by, and we had to park a block away on the street because their wasn’t anything closer. We made our way inside the building, bought our tickets and received a special key card that took us to the observation deck. There was a small room at the top of the tower, that contained numerous pictures and old newspaper articles relating to the tower. The observation tower consisted of 360 degree views of downtown Minneapolis, with several binoculars in the corners of the tower.
Tip: I recommend spending 15 minutes here if you truly want to see everything.
Tip: I recommend spending 15 minutes here if you truly want to see everything.
Written December 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandon
Pittsburgh, PA976 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This was a surprise bonus we found in the city. Just to clear up some confusion, the easiest way to get tickets is to go into The W hotel and ask the front desk. None of the online sites work. Once you get up to the top, there is a little memorabilia room that gives the history of the hotel. Then you go out to the deck. It's a great view and the telescopes on each corner work surprisingly well. A quick trip to see just how beautiful the city is.
Written May 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard G
West Norriton, Pennsylvania, United States7 contributions
Aug 2022 • Solo
The building shown in this photo is not Foshay Tower. It is Capella Tower which is taller than the Foshay Tower. Foshay Tower was built around 1930 while Capella Tower was built in 1992. You can tell by the style of architecture between those two eras. Capella Tower is one of three tallest skyscrapers in Minneapolis. The other two are the Wells Fargo Tower and the IDS Center, very heady companions within a few feet height among the three towers.
Written November 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
crystalia
Las Vegas, NV92 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We both really wanted to see the observation tower. However.. The W lobby is pretty but pretentious. I didn't get to see the Prohibition Bar, Living Room was empty - too early. Went up to Tower, elevator was fast & average size (should fit a wheelchair). Don't get off before the 30th floor even if it looks cool or you have to go back down & up again. First, you come into a museum about the Foshay and creator. It's interesting. Then you have to climb about 20 steps, it is NOT wheelchair accessible or recommended for anyone with limited mobility. I am chronically ill & it took me a long time. The views are nice, maybe worth the fee. However, the viewing area is only 1 person wide and is in dreadful disrepair. There are telescopes off each corner. I didn't try them, but the step up did help get better views. Literally sending a maintenance person up there to clean, patch & paint for 1 shift would make a world of difference.
Written June 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy B
Apple Valley, MN220 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
You know how you see something, sometimes every day for years and just keep going? That's how my friends and I were regarding The Foshay Tower (8th & Marquette) in downtown Minneapolis. The Art Deco tower, finished in 1929 just in time for the Great Depression, was commissioned/built by Wilbur Foshay, a businessman/entrepreneur, and designed after the Washington Monument. The building is now W Minneapolis - The Foshay, and you can get tickets in the lobby ($10 at the time of writing) and then you take the quasi-express elevator, with a special card key, to the 30th floor. There is a little museum, with artifacts from the golden days of the Foshay, including gold plated bathroom fixtures, the sheet music from a composition that Foshay commissioned from John Philip Sousa, the directory of tenants, and the pardons from two U.S. Presidents for Foshay himself, who had his own pyramid scheme going. We spent maybe around 20 minutes just walking through it and looking at 'old' Minneapolis. There are two flights of steps up to the observation deck. I thought we'd be looking out windows, but we were outside, in the beautiful late afternoon sun, looking out over downtown. It's not the tallest building anymore, but we loved walking around, getting a bird's eye view of the construction that will dominate our lives for the next months or years, depending on where we looked. There is a bar, called Prohibition, in the hotel, but we opted for Keys (where one of our friends treated us all to the largest rice krispy treats), also attached and accessible through the door on the left. We all agreed we had a great time doing something some of us had never done or hadn't done in years. There are limited hours of operation (11-5) and it is closed most of January and February, and since we're in Minnesota, I suppose that's not the worst thing (the schedule information on Trip Advisor is different than the website, so double check). Check that off the bucket list.
Written June 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Weinacht
Risor, Norway181 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
Back in the day, the Foshay Tower was the tallest building in Minneapolis. It was the first and for many years, actually from 1929 until 1972, the only skyscraper in Minneapolis. I remember it well, because as a Norwegian I had the occational errand to the Norwegian consulate which was situated there, a visit that was usually followed by a visit to Peter's grill. Alas, now they are both gone, and the Foshay Tower has now turned into a hotel, the W Minneapolis - The Foshay hotel. However, the rather grand Art Deco building still has retained many of its features of former splendor, such as Italian marble, hand wrought iron and gold-plated door knobs. Even if the building has dwindlet somewhat in comparison with the many newer and taller buildings that has been built since I left Minneapolis, there is one feature that I can really recommend: The View. The observation deck on the 30th floor is well worth a visit. I was there again this January, before they closed it due to severe cold, and the view was definately worth the money. ($5 for seniors). By the way, the ticket also gives you admission to the museum, you will find a nice little bit of Minneapolis history and of course about the tower itself.
Written January 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shai M
11 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
The foshay was something quick to do while we was in the area, it was a nice experience to learn about the history and gave a beautiful view
Written October 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was told the observation tower is not one to the public. Is it
Written October 10, 2017
Yes, it is. At least it was in May for a $10 admission fee.
Written October 11, 2017
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