Andy K.
Yelp
This is a classic spot for anyone to hit in Minneapolis, tourist or local, if you want to see an iconic sculpture while also taking in other art forms from artists of all different backgrounds.
The highlight of the Sculpture Garden, of course, is the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture. No matter what time of year it is, it's almost guaranteed that you'll see a long line of people lined up to take selfies with the famous landmark, so be prepared to wait and be more than a little patient if you want to get a good shot of you and the sculpture without a lot of interference in the background. If anything, just be ready to settle with a selfie that will have a lot of things going on in the background, such as numerous other people taking selfies, dogs running around and getting excited about being outside, or people lounging around on picnic blankets, talking and eating and enjoying the weather.
There's a lot more to offer than just the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture though--there's numerous winding paths between many different art pieces/sculptures, and they're pretty varied. You have artwork from Indigenous artists representing their local/Minnesotan history; colorful pieces like the big Blue Rooster sculpture that's becoming arguably as famous as the Spoonbridge and Cherry; and many whimsical pieces that play music or make certain sounds depending on how it is touched or how the wind blows on it. Long story short, there's art here for everyone, even little kids who might otherwise be bored walking around a sculpture garden, so bring the whole family!
Another major bonus of this place is that it is dog-friendly. They encourage you to bring your dog with you and wander along the paths, and it's the perfect outdoor activity in the Spring or Fall if you're looking to get out with Fido and still want to get some local culture in. A word of warning though--my girlfriend and I went one time at the end of July and it was brutal, about 90 degrees outside, and super packed. My dog became anxious from the high number of people around (we went on a Saturday like rookies), and the heat, combined with virtually no shade, caused him to start to breathe pretty heavily. There's not a lot of shade along the pathways, so if you're going to bring your dog, make sure he/she has a lot of water available (we brought a doggie water bottle with us) and try to visit when the sun isn't directly above you without any kind of cloud cover.
Parking is one other thing that can be a bit of a headache here--you have to pay for it at a kiosk, and when we went last time, several of them were broken, meaning you had to either download the parking app that the kiosk also worked with, or you had to wait in a long line while most of the parking lot all converged on the one kiosk that was working near the front of the parking lot. Basically, if you can find a time when it's not the weekend, parking shouldn't be bad, but beware otherwise, as you could be circling for a good 10 minutes for a spot and then take another 10 just to pay for the spot.