We often forget just how colorful the Twin Cities get when summer rolls in. Most of the time, our sister cities are blanketed in snow under gray, overcast sky. But underneath all the dreariness, lies hundreds of brilliantly painted murals.

Photographer Mark Allan Peterson has taken it upon himself to document every outdoor mural in Minneapolis, and so far he’s shot over 550. That’s a lot of murals to sift through, so we’ve done the leg-work and picked out some favorites.

Here’s 30 of the hottest outdoor Minneapolis murals.

East Lake Street

(419 East Lake St.)

East Lake St. houses some of the most supportive and vibrant communities in Minneapolis. It’s also home to some of the city’s coolest looking murals, like this wonderfully pink mural on 419 East Lake St. that transports us to a place made of cotton candy.

(207 East Lake St.)

(211 East Lake St.)

The bike is unfortunately not part of the mural.

(323 East Lake St.)

(1600 East Lake St.)

West Broadway

(328 West Broadway Ave.)

Community leaders in North Minneapolis have made some really fantastic pushes to bring more artwork to their streets, including refurbishing storefronts and adding more murals painted by local Northsiders. Truly some of the most beautiful murals in the city are on the northside.

(1102 West Broadway Ave.)

A creative use of windows.

(1108 West Broadway Ave.)

(1808 Emerson Ave. N)

Nordeast

(311 13th Ave. NE)

Over the last couple decades, Northeast Minneapolis has built a reputation as one of the leading areas for the arts in the entire state of Minnesota, so it comes as no surprise that the murals there are as diverse as they are captivating.

(311 13th Ave. NE)

This particular mural is no longer there since the 331 painted over it. But as long as there’s documentation, the mural lives on.

(339 13th Ave. NE)

(1029 University Ave. NE)

It’s clear who’s doing most of the paddling.

(400 Lowry Ave. NE)

(1528 Marshall St. NE)

Southeast, south, and beyond

(501 Cedar Ave.)

So many murals, so much awesome. Minneapolis has so many paint-splattered buildings that it’s hard to categorize them all by region. Sometimes, you just have to enjoy them as a whole.

(116 East 26th St.)

(227 East 26th St.)

(15th Ave. SE)

(50 Bedford St. SE)

Faded, but cool.

(107 West 28th St.)

Amazing.

(418 13th Ave. SE)

(1101 3rd St. S)

(1312 East Franklin Ave.)

(2501 Chicago Ave. S)

(2801 Nicollet Ave. S)

(3019 Minnehaha Ave.)

(2501 Lyndale Ave. S)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, anyone? That would be the disembodied brain villain Krang.

(3007 Lyndale Ave. S)

(3209 Snelling Ave. S)

God bless America.

Editor’s note: We don’t know most of the artists who have done these murals, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to know. If you recognize any murals and know who painted them, please tell us in the comment section below!

Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.