ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota native John O’Sullivan has traveled the world. Now, he’s returned home and gone viral on social media for sharing stories of Twin Cities history.
“I’ve always had this dream of giving tours in the places I grew up, in the place that raised me,” O’Sullivan said. “We have an incredible story here.”
O’Sullivan’s One Minute Tours on TikTok show off the rich history of the Twin Cities, and have gained a huge following on social media. Many of the videos come from walking tours he offers twice a day.
There’s an 11 a.m. tour, which snakes through St. Paul, exploring the architecture of the city and telling the story of the making of Minnesota. There's also a 3 p.m. "Booze Makes History Better" tour which takes the edge off with an educational bar crawl through Minneapolis.
The Mankato native returned home last year after spending 12 years travelling, living, and giving tours in 26 countries. O’Sullivan says his love for history and connection to the state make for plenty of social media material. “It’s often said the St. Paul is the last great city east of the Mississippi and Minneapolis is the first great American city west of the Mississippi,” he said.
O’Sullivan keeps things light on the walking tour, maximum group size is 12 and he encourages mingling. The first ten minutes of the tour are spent learning about all the other people on the tour.
So far, O’Sullivan is finding tour-takers are a 50-50 split between out-of-towners and locals. “Maybe Minnesotans haven’t felt the permission to look into their own history," he mused. "We certainly don’t like to talk about ourselves too much.
“By the end we hope everyone is having a great conversation and hopefully making friends,” he said.
For more information about Twin Cities tours, you can check out O’Sullivan's company Depot Adventures here, and you can always give him a follow on social media.
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