Designed for children four months to 10 years old, this museum features four permanent galleries and two others hosting traveling exhibits. Visitors are encouraged to use all of their senses to explore the many things there are to see and do. They can be in the spotlight on the sound stage, crawl through the maze of tunnels in the giant ant hill, create a thunderstorm, operate a huge crane and much more. Activities and performances by singers, dancers, jugglers and storytellers take place daily. This is truly a place where 'learn to play, play to learn' is more than just a phrase. There is free entry on every 3rd Sunday of the month.
This museum and library is the first of its kind in the world. Located inside a historic mansion, The Bakken is a fun place to learn about the history of electricity and electromagnetism to its present use and form. It is home to a massive collection of articles, journals and scientific instruments related to this field. Many of the permanent exhibits are interactive; experience a jolt from a century-old electric machine or perhaps a visit to the Frankenstein's Laboratory will make your day. Other interesting spaces here are Ben Frankin's parlor and the library's luscious gardens. The Bakken makes for a great day out with family.
Built into the bluffs on the Mississippi River, this 370,000-square-foot museum features a hall of human biology and a large screen, 415-seat theater that supplements the museum's exhibits of dinosaurs and fossils. Rotating exhibits on everything from holograms to the human heart keep the crowds returning. The William McKnight-3M Omnitheater screens a varying selection of films. The state's longest reptile, a 40-foot steel iguana, guards the main entrance.
The Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life compares the lives of Minnesota Pioneers with those of the Dakotah Indians who lived in the region. Costumed interpreters give tours of the site, which includes a 19th Century farm house, a unique one-room school house, barns, farm animals, a replica sod house, Dakotah tipi and artifacts, bark lodge, pioneer and Dakotah gardens, and more.
For all those model railroad buffs out there, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum is the place to go. Miniature replicas of the American trains of the '30s, '40s, and '50s, perfect down to the last detail, chug along the tiny tracks and stations, to the delight of both young and old alike. Tour groups are also welcome.
Travel back in history at the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. This attraction preserves the history of the electric railway in the region with two functioning railway lines and a number of restored and operating streetcars. The rail lines provide the ultimate streetcar experience, but the museum is a hub of history and education, with historical artifacts to remember the past.
Very few historical buildings have the versatility of serving as residential quarters, a beauty shop, a coal storage house and a prison room. Although the timeline of all of these forms differs, the Round Tower located in the Fort Snelling State Park is a historical marvel. Built around 1820, this tower is one of the oldest standing buildings in Minnesota and perhaps the best known in the Fort Snelling State Park. It was speculated that this three-storied building was built as a last-ditch defense in the Winnebago War of 1827. Later, its defunct state was transformed into a makeshift residential quarters by a Fort Snelling electrician, before being relinquished to the state to be preserved as a museum property. The tower is open for tours from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
Designed for children four months to 10 years old, this museum features four permanent galleries and two others hosting traveling exhibits. Visitors are encouraged to use all of their senses to explore the many things there are to see and do. They can be in the spotlight on the sound stage, crawl through the maze of tunnels in the giant ant hill, create a thunderstorm, operate a huge crane and much more. Activities and performances by singers, dancers, jugglers and storytellers take place daily. This is truly a place where 'learn to play, play to learn' is more than just a phrase. There is free entry on every 3rd Sunday of the month.
Travel back in history at the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. This attraction preserves the history of the electric railway in the region with two functioning railway lines and a number of restored and operating streetcars. The rail lines provide the ultimate streetcar experience, but the museum is a hub of history and education, with historical artifacts to remember the past.
This museum and library is the first of its kind in the world. Located inside a historic mansion, The Bakken is a fun place to learn about the history of electricity and electromagnetism to its present use and form. It is home to a massive collection of articles, journals and scientific instruments related to this field. Many of the permanent exhibits are interactive; experience a jolt from a century-old electric machine or perhaps a visit to the Frankenstein's Laboratory will make your day. Other interesting spaces here are Ben Frankin's parlor and the library's luscious gardens. The Bakken makes for a great day out with family.
The Goldstein Museum of Design was founded by sisters Harriet and Vetta Goldstein with the focus of object-centered learning. In collaboration with the College of Design, the museum becomes a looking glass for the community for art and design. The museum is known for hosting regular art exhibitions and installations, with interesting displays across industries and categories. Some of the artwork that was showcased included ceramics such as Tiffany metalwork, traditional Pueblo pottery and historic Navajo rugs and blankets. The museum contains a staggering 29,000 objects, with a growing collection.
The Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life compares the lives of Minnesota Pioneers with those of the Dakotah Indians who lived in the region. Costumed interpreters give tours of the site, which includes a 19th Century farm house, a unique one-room school house, barns, farm animals, a replica sod house, Dakotah tipi and artifacts, bark lodge, pioneer and Dakotah gardens, and more.