The #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers will mosey on up to Minneapolis this weekend to take on Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium (where Brett Favre played his last NFL game) for their third road game of the season. The Cornhuskers come into the bout at 5-1 off a bye week and the Gophers come in at 1-5 after a loss last week against Purdue.

Sarah Harris of the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District says Minneapolitans are excited for the wave of Husker fans coming in for the matchup against the University of Minnesota.

“I can’t help but say ‘Go Gophers,’ even though I’ll be watching the game with a die-hard native of Omaha who moved here 20 years ago,” she says.

The flour mills (including General Mills and Pillsbury) that once lined the Mississippi, have been replaced with towering sky scrapers where Fortune 500 hundred companies like Target, Xcel Energy, Ameriprise Financial, and PepsiAmericas call home.

“Downtown Minneapolis is an active and vibrant city every day of the year,” Sarah says. “Residents, world class venues and Fortune 500 companies are located in downtown because it is the crossroads of commerce, natural amenities, and entertainment vibe. From professional sports, world-renowned theater, music, clubs, and restaurants to our natural amenities (e.g., the Mississippi River), everyone’s interests can be met in downtown.”

Sarah says Husker fans should be on the lookout for their downtown ambassadors who will be available throughout the greater downtown area. These ambassadors will be adorned with bright green and blue jackets and act as city concierges to help make Husker fans feel at ease as they navigate downtown. Some of the things fans can ask them include:

• Directions to the city’s sights & attractions
• Suggestions for things to do
• Assistance with public transportation options
• Assistance with lost & found items
• Assistance with first aid
• Questions about Minneapolis

The Husker faithful who are making the 435 mile trek should be sure to pack at least a light jacket as the high for Saturday is 61 with a low of 47.

Those looking for something to do tonight and tomorrow in Minneapolis before the game, check out this downtown event calendar or this city-wide event calendar. For more information on downtown Minneapolis including a list of downtown restaurants, click here.

Photo by Raymond Page

As we did the past few weeks with Fresno, Seattle, Laramie, Madison and Columbus we continue to look at the cities of our Husker competitors to see how Lincoln sizes up. Below is a comparison of the city of Lincoln and the city of Minneapolis and their respective downtowns.