Morning Activities

Down in History Tours (2 hour)
Tour guides toting Tommy guns give Saint Paul gangster tours and take visitors to famous gangster crime sites, hide-a-ways, speakeasies and gathering spots, many of which have changed little since the 1930s. Stops include Ma Barker’s home, Dillinger’s apartment, nightclubs and locations of infamous robberies, shoot-outs and murders.

Wabasha Street Caves (45 minutes)
Once the site of the famous nightclub, “The Castle Royal,” a popular haunt of infamous gangsters in the ’30s and is where many of the big bands played. This once speakeasy, now is available for public activities, including historic cave tours and evenings of big band music.

Afternoon Activities

Landmark Center/Rice Park Landmark Center (1 hour)
Landmark Center is the restored Old Federal Courts Building (100 years old). Site of the infamous “Gangster Trials,” the Landmark Center now houses the American Association of Woodturners, Schubert Museum of Musical Instruments and more. Tour the beautiful courtrooms where the trials were held and hear the tall tales that brought Racketeering to a halt. Don’t forget a stop in the breathtaking atrium on the way out.

Shopping on Grand (1-4 hours)
This quaint avenue is great for shopping, dining or relaxing at one of the outdoor cafes. Grand Avenue boasts a very unmall-like appeal with many antique shops and unique homes. Start your stroll at any of the following major restaurant/retail clusters and wander along in either direction: Grand & Dale, Grand & Victoria or Grand & Lexington.