The Minneapolis Aquatennial, the city's annual summer celebration, offers 10 days of free activities for the whole family. You'd be a fool to miss the best moment of the summer party: the fireworks. Forget what you know about fireworks displays, because this one will blow any previous ideas out of the water. It's one of the biggest fireworks performances in the country and lasts a good 25 to 30 minutes. The shells are shot off the Third Avenue bridge, and there's no bad spot along the downtown riverfront to catch the fireworks as they light up the skyline and the Mississippi River below. Be sure to arrive early for a good spot, and spread out a comfy blanket so you can lay back and enjoy the show. Traffic can be a nightmare, so we recommend cycling there and leaving the car at home. But whatever the hassles of getting to the show, you'll leave realizing why you love this Midwestern city so much.