25 Bob Dylan landmarks to visit in Minnesota
Do you want to walk in the steps of rock's most revered lyricist? This guide traces Bob Dylan's early life in his home state, and also key moments later in his career. Some of the landmarks have changed, but many are still standing.
May 24, 2016 at 4:01PM
1. The three eras of Dylan kaleidoscopic mural, corner of 5th St. and Hennepin Av. S., painted in 2015.
2. Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., which Dylan and his brother owned as an investment from 1979-'88. Dylan performed there for multiple nights in 1992 and 2014.
3. Metrodome site, 900 S. 5th St., where Dylan played his biggest Minnesota concert ever in front of 50,000 people in 1986, along with the Grateful Dead and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Now the site of U.S. Bank Stadium.
4. Minneapolis Auditorium site, 1301 2nd Av. S., where Dylan performed in 1965. Now the site of the Minneapolis Convention Center.
5. Gray's Drugstore, 327 14th Av. SE., where Dylan lived in a Dinkytown apartment upstairs by the back alley. Now the site of Loring Pasta Bar.
6. 10 O'Clock Scholar, corner of 5th St. and 14th Av. SE., where Dylan performed during his days as a fledgling Minneapolis folkie. Now a parking lot.
7. Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity house, 915 University Av. SE., where Dylan lived briefly while attending the University of Minnesota. Now the site of Alpha Chi Omega.
8. Northrop auditorium, U of M, where Dylan performed the night Barack Obama was first elected in 2008 and said, "It looks like things are going to change now."
9. Sound 80 studio, 2709 E. 25th St., where Dylan and some Minnesota musicians re-recorded half of his "Blood on the Tracks" album in December 1974. Now the home of Orfield Labs.
10. Purple Onion, 722 N. Snelling Av., St. Paul, which was a pizza place where a young Dylan performed. Now the site of a Hamline University bookstore.
11. His mother's house, 2088 Bayard Av., St. Paul. Dylan dined here.
Duluth
12. St. Mary's Hospital, 407 E. 3rd St., where Robert Allen Zimmerman was born.
13. Childhood home, 519 N. 3rd Av. E. The Zimmerman family lived on the second floor.
14. Nettleton Elementary School, 108 E. 6th St., where Bobby attended kindergarten.
15. Duluth Armory, 13th Av. E. and London Road, where he saw Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Dion on Jan. 31, 1959.
16. Bayfront Park, S. 5th Av. W., where he performed in 1999 (with Paul Simon and said "You know, I was born up on the hill over there") and 2013.
Hibbing
17. The Zimmerman family home, 2425 7th Av. E.
18. Hibbing High School, where he performed on the auditorium stage and the principal notoriously pulled the plug on Zimmerman's noisy rock band.
19. Hibbing City Memorial Building, 400 E. 23rd St., where Zimmerman's band, the Golden Chords, famously performed in the Little Theater in the basement.
20. Androy Hotel, 2010 5th Av. E., where his bar mitzvah party was held.
21. Zimmerman's Furniture and Electric, 5th Avenue, just off Howard Street, where Abe Zimmerman, Bob's father, worked.
22. Lybba Theater, 2135 1st Av., his uncle's movie theater, where Bob saw lots of films. It was named for his maternal grandmother, Lybba Edelstein. Now the site of Sunrise Deli.
23. Braman Music, 208 E. Howard St., where Bob took guitar lessons. Now the site of Ohana Therapeutic Massage.
24. Hibbing Bowling Center, 1929 5th Av. E., where Bob's team, the Gutter Boys, bowled.
25. Collier's Barbeque, 1928 E. 4th Av., where Bob's group the Golden Chords performed.
![BRIAN PETERSON • brianp@startribune.com Duluth, MN 6/30/2011 ] Duluth Travel Story - Away from the lake. Bob Dylan's first home, the second story of this yellow duplex at 513 N. 3rd St. Duluth.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ZV4XW4BAZJJZ7XXPVV57Q7SGZI.jpg?&w=712)
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