As the longest skyway in the world, it offers shopping, food, and most importantly, transportation between buildings without having to step outside.

The Minneapolis skyways connect the second or third floors of various office towers, hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, and retail stores to the Nicollet Mall shopping district, the Mayo Clinic Square, and the sports facilities at Target Center, Target Field and U.S. Bank Stadium. Several condominium and apartment complexes are skyway-connected as well, allowing residents to live, work, and shop downtown without having to leave the skyway system.

The city's first skyways were planned by real estate developer Leslie Park in the early 1960s and built by Crown Iron Works Company of Minneapolis. Sensing pressure from indoor shopping malls such as Southdale Center, Park wanted to create a similar environment in Downtown Minneapolis that would offer a climate-controlled space and a way for pedestrians to move from building to building. He built two skyways connecting the  newly constructed Northstar Center building to the Northwestern Bank Building and the Roanoke Building. The skyway to the Northwestern Bank Building was built in 1962 and the skyway to the Roanoke Building followed the next year. The second skyway still remains in use today and is the system's oldest segment.

The system grew to 7 total segments by 1972, though many of the skyways remained disconnected from one another. The construction of the IDS Center in 1974 helped to unify the system. The building featured skyways in all four directions as well as a spacious atrium area  called the Crystal Court, allowing it to act as a central hub for the entire system.In 2016, the U.S. Bank Stadium became connected to the Minneapolis skyway via a mixed-use development of office buildings and apartment complexes in Downtown East, Minneapolis.