by Berit Thorkelson

Minnesota's Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway holds a grand distinction. It's the country's very first and only national scenic byway totally located in a major urban area. All fifty-five miles of the pretty road wind through Minneapolis, which more than two-and-a-half-million folks call home.

Such a big population demands urban offerings, and here that means Minneapolis-style restaurants, shopping and hotels, plus world-class theaters and museums, many right along your driving route. The thing is, such metropolitan draws do not require sacrificing the natural vistas one expects from a designated byway-the green parkways and lakes and the Mississippi River look just as impressive with a shiny steel-and-glass skyline in the background.

The Grand Rounds tracks right through downtown's warehouse district, which gained new life in the mid-two-thousands. Here, the squat, round, twilight-blue glass-and-metal building that's home to the renowned Guthrie Theater shines as one of the downtown riverfront's jewels. Founded in the early sixties as a way to create quality, world-class theater far from the commercialism of Broadway, year after year the Guthrie stays true to its mission. Even if you don't make a show, check out its Endless Bridge. Cantilevered nearly two-hundred feet, the view of the Mississippi's St. Anthony Falls, and the aptly named Stone Arch Bridge, can't be beat.

It's a popular pedestrian bridge now, connecting downtown to the strip of restaurants and pubs in the Village of St. Anthony, but those solid stone arches used to support the weight of train cars trading wheat for flour in the mills along the river. In fact, right next to the Guthrie, the Mill City Museum is built into the brick ruins of an historic flour mill, where it relates the story of the industry that built Minneapolis in way that includes an explosion and an eight-story ride. Frequent events here are dynamic and eclectic, often involving baking, history, river walks or outdoor concerts.

City gems like these are set all along the route, waiting to be discovered-an upscale neighborhood restaurant there. You could easily spend an entire morning checking out the shops in the six compact blocs of Linden Hills neighborhood, nestled between Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, for example, or exploring the contemporary and early 20th century American art inside the Weisman-you can't miss the twisting, silvery Frank Gehry-designed hunk of stainless steel catching the sunlight along the Mississippi River Gorge. Actually, all of Minneapolis' big attractions are relatively near your route-Nicollet Mall shopping, the Walker Art Center, Orchestra Hall, and much, much more. Of course they are. Natural beauty within easy reach of first-rate city amenities is the specialty the Grand Rounds, America's first-and only-scenic drive done city-style.