![Approaching the visitor center through the SMM lobby.](https://i0.wp.com/openrivers.lib.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_4172-e1706803762323.jpg?fit=330%2C248&ssl=1)
A Tour of the Mississippi River Visitor Center
The Minnesota National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) is a 72-mile National Park Service unit along the Mississippi River as it flows through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. MNRRA is an open secret in the Twin Cities, and it is not widely known as a national park, even by people who live and work within its borders.