Minnesota History Center

Reviews

• EW

  EJ Wolf

  Jul 2, 2026
  2.0
  Not handicap friendly. Very long walks from parking, and once you're in the door, the long long hallways never end. If you're looking for the history of Minnesota, this center isn't where you'll find it. But if you're looking for foreign culture, they seem to specialize in that. In fact, I've been quizzed by staff about whether the foreign culture displays improved my impressions of that culture. I didn't realize that's what Minnesota taxpayers want to pay for...a MN history center specializing in foreign culture advocacy. The class I took there was openly hostile to my physical handicap. Pretty disappointing. The center expects individuals to get out of the way of large children's groups on tour. I had to wait until all of the kids finished their tour to see what I came to see, and even then their noise made it difficult to enjoy my experience. As a taxpayer, I guess my role is to pay for this facility so that kids can enjoy it, foreign cultures benefit from its advocacy, and able-bodied patrons and kids can see it. Never mind my using it. I just have to pay for it.
• LS

  linda slattengren

  Jun 30, 2026
  5.0
  A fantastic showing if Will Steger's Crossing Antarctica and his solo excursions with him and a Q&A followed. Amazing explorer if now disappearing icescape! Get his book! Love the beautiful History Center
• TH

  Todd Hoatson

  Jun 27, 2026
  4.0
  We didn't come for the exhibits; we came for a private event. The facilities were well-suited for the gatherings and the staff were very hospitable. It's a very nice building with attractive architecture. Getting there was only slightly hindered by street construction in the area.
• SK

  Sha Kno

  Jun 21, 2026
  5.0
  My son and I had an absolutely wonderful experience at the museum. The exhibits were engaging, and the staff was incredibly friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable. I especially want to give a huge shout-out to Isaac and Shaun. We had an unexpected emergency when my iPhone suddenly became inaccessible, and it was our only means of communication and getting home. Instead of simply pointing us in the right direction, Isaac and Shaun went above and beyond. They helped troubleshoot the issue, searched for solutions online, and even printed instructions for us to follow. Thanks to their patience and kindness, we were able to resolve the phone issue and relax and fully enjoy our visit. Their willingness to help turned a very stressful situation into a positive experience. Thank you, Isaac and Shaun, for your exceptional customer service and genuine care. You made our day, and we are incredibly grateful!
• LL

  Lexi LeVasseur

  Jun 15, 2026
  4.0
  Went here on Sunday 6/14. Getting there was pretty straightforward once you're through all of the construction. Parking was easy and clearly marked (Parking is $6 and you can pay by card). Once you park, there are signs that guide you to the entrance. When you walk in, you will see a cafe on the right (More on the cafe later in the review. We walked up to the ticket booth and told the workers that we purchased tickets online, they asked for the name, and then gave us wristbands and told us where everything was located. We first stopped at the gift shop - it was just like any other gift shop you have ever been to. Minnesota themed items, books, toys, stuffed animals, magnets, pens, clothing, etc. It was basic, but the items were very reasonably priced. Unfortunately, we did not get anything, but it was still fun to walk around. We then went to the Then and Now portion of the museum. It was pretty fun! You get to try to start a Model T, go into an immersive mining experience, and look at a ton of artifacts from back in the day. I had a great time lol. The mining experience was so fun as well! You get to try drilling into the rock, poke at the rock to see if there is any lose items (there was when I did it and I ran out of the little area with my hands above my head, LOLL), and you get to blow things up... So all in all. Yeah, do it! We then went to the Native section, that was super cool too. There were a ton of old photos in the back, which we looked at for a fair amount of time, before looking at all of the clothing on display. We then went to the "Specialty" section. This was really disappointing. There was just two pages from a MN constitution, and it was a democratic and a republican copy that you can't really read because the writing is so faded. That was the only thing in the specialty section. I was pretty sad about that. 1 star docked for this. We then went on to probably my favorite of all of them - the Greatest Generation section. This. Was. SPECTACULAR! You start off by looking at old artifacts, and toys, then you can make your own ice cream (Fake ice cream), behind a old style bar counter, and listen to when the world changed on the radio (when war started). From there, you walk through and see a ton of clothing from the war, and then the tank. That was cool. You can touch that, and then there was the plane. This will give you chills. You sit down on the actual seats the paratroopers used during the war. You then listen to a few stories from survivors, and enter the experience. Once in flight, you hear yelling from the back of the plane. It really sounded like someone was back there - it fooled me. You then hear paratroopers jumping, and then you are shot down, and you crash land into a building. In the weather permitting section, you are able to experience a tornado, this was pretty cool too. They actually have a little set up through the window where wind blows and a tree falls down. It makes it all the more realistic. We stopped at the cafe on the way out. Their prices were great. We had the salad bar, with a fountain drink (spent $23 total for 2 heaping salads, and a endless amount of barqs rootbeer). The salads were AMAZING! All in all, it was worth the $15 ticket price. And I will likely be back at some point.

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