This list of museums in Minnesota encompasses museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Non-profit and university art galleries are also included.
Private museums which are not regularly open to the public and virtual museums which exist only online are not included.
Dassel History Center & Ergot Museum==Current museums==
| Name | Image | Town/City | County | Region | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1852 Town House School |  | Taylors Falls | Chisago | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | The 1852 schoolhouse, the oldest public school in Minnesota. Operated by the Taylors Falls Historical Society |
| 1914 Historic Town Hall Museum |  | Eagan 44°49′6.7″N 93°10′3.5″W / 44.818528°N 93.167639°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Features local history displays as well as history talks and events. Operated by the Eagan Historical Society.[1][2][3] |
| 3M Museum |  | Two Harbors 47°1′15.2″N 91°40′16.2″W / 47.020889°N 91.671167°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Industry | Honors the early days of the 3M corporation in the office building in which it was founded in 1902. Operated by 3M and the Lake County Historical Society.[4] |
| 3R Landmark School Museum |  | Lonsdale | Rice | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Originally built in 1908, the former two-story public schoolhouse was the old school for Independent School District # 76. The first floor of this two story building is a museum; the second floor is preserved as the original school room. It is under the care of the City of Lonsdale. |
| Adams Area History Center |  | Adams 43°33′56″N 92°43′8.5″W / 43.56556°N 92.719028°W | Mower | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Adams Area History Center is located in the historic First National Bank of Adams located on Main Street in Adams, Minnesota and is home to a variety of collections and research materials. Operated by the Adams Area Historical Society.[5][6] |
| Afton Historical Museum |  | Afton 44°54′9″N 92°46′58.5″W / 44.90250°N 92.782917°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Period displays, artifacts, and photographs of local history and agriculture, plus a research library. Operated by the Afton Historical Society in an 1868 church building.[7] |
| Aitkin County Historical Society Depot Museum |  | Aitkin 46°31′53.5″N 93°42′27.5″W / 46.531528°N 93.707639°W | Aitkin | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Rotating displays of Aitkin County heritage, including Mississippi riverboats and Native American culture. Housed in a 1916 train station.[8] |
| Aitkin County Historical Society Log Museum |  | Aitkin 46°31′53.5″N 93°42′29.5″W / 46.531528°N 93.708194°W | Aitkin | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Period displays of Aitkin County's pioneer days, plus early industrial and agricultural artifacts.[9] |
| Akeley Paul Bunyan Historical Museum |  | Akeley 47°0′13″N 94°43′50″W / 47.00361°N 94.73056°W | Hubbard | Central Minnesota | Local history | Opened in 1984, the museum contains artifacts and photographs from Akeley's early days as home to the largest sawmill in Minnesota. Operated by the Paul Bunyan Historical Society.[10] |
| Alexander Faribault House |  | Faribault 44°17′27.7″N 93°16′1.5″W / 44.291028°N 93.267083°W | Rice | Southeast Minnesota | Historic house | 1853 house of fur trader and town founder Alexander Faribault, with artifacts from the Faribault family and contemporaneous settlers. Operated by the Rice County Historical Society.[11] |
| Alexander Ramsey House |  | Saint Paul 44°56′29.5″N 93°6′15.5″W / 44.941528°N 93.104306°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1868 mansion of early Minnesota governor and founding figure Alexander Ramsey. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[12] |
| Aliveo Military Museum |  | Red Wing 44°33′53.5″N 92°31′59.5″W / 44.564861°N 92.533194°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Military | Military artifacts and relics from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War to the current Middle-East Wars.[13][14] |
| Amador Heritage Center |  | Almelund 45°29′30.5″N 92°47′7″W / 45.491806°N 92.78528°W | Chisago | Twin Cities Metro | Local history, open-air | The Amador Heritage Center was established in 1978. Local memorabilia and replica structures housed in a 1910 school, with an adjacent collection of historic buildings.[15] |
| American Museum of Asmat Art |  | Saint Paul 44°56′32″N 93°11′27″W / 44.94222°N 93.19083°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Gallery on the art and culture of the Asmat people of southwestern Papua, Indonesia. Housed at the University of St. Thomas.[16] |
| American Swedish Institute |  | Minneapolis 44°57′18.5″N 93°15′57″W / 44.955139°N 93.26583°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | Art and cultural center dedicated to Swedish and Swedish American heritage, housed in a 1908 mansion.[17] |
| Ames-Florida-Stork House |  | Rockford 45°5′12.5″N 93°43′54.5″W / 45.086806°N 93.731806°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1861 house with period furnishings charting its ownership by three families. Operated by the Rockford Area Historical Society.[18] |
| Andrew Peterson Farmstead |  | Waconia 44°51′50″N 93°43′30″W / 44.86389°N 93.72500°W | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Agriculture | The Andrew Peterson Farmstead is a farm east of Waconia, Minnesota. Peterson worked substantially with the development of apple trees. His farm was one of the first research stations for what would become the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Owned and operated by the Carver County Historical Society.[19][20] |
| Andrew John Volstead House |  | Granite Falls 44°48′33″N 95°32′24″W / 44.80917°N 95.54000°W | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | Home of U.S. Congressman Andrew Volstead from 1894 to 1930. Operated by the Granite Falls Historical Society.[21] |
| Anoka County History Center |  | Anoka 45°11′59″N 93°23′15″W / 45.19972°N 93.38750°W | Anoka | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Exhibits on Anoka County's history and people. Operated by the Anoka County Historical Society in a 1965 library.[22] |
| Ard Godfrey House |  | Minneapolis 44°59′11.7″N 93°15′20.5″W / 44.986583°N 93.255694°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | Oldest surviving frame house in Minneapolis, built in 1849. Operated by the Woman's Club of Minneapolis.[23] |
| Arv Hus Museum |  | Milan 45°6′41″N 95°54′42″W / 45.11139°N 95.91167°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Features the work of Norwegian rosemalers, a mural by Augsburg artist Phillip Thompson and other local history and culture displays.[24] |
| Atwater Area Historical Society and Museum |  | Atwater 45°8′14″N 94°46′52″W / 45.13722°N 94.78111°W | Kandiyohi | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Vintage photographs and objects, plus a collection of military uniforms.[25] |
| Augsburg Art Galleries | Minneapolis 44°57′56.5″N 93°14′29″W / 44.965694°N 93.24139°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Gage Family Art Gallery, Christensen Center Art Gallery, and Student Art Gallery at Augsburg University displaying work by contemporary artists as well as students, alumni, and faculty.[26] | |
| August Schell Museum of Brewing |  | New Ulm 44°17′20.5″N 94°26′58″W / 44.289028°N 94.44944°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Food | History of Minnesota's oldest brewery, family-owned since 1860.[27] |
| The Bakken |  | Minneapolis 44°56′18″N 93°16′16.5″W / 44.93833°N 93.271250°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Science | World's only museum and research library devoted to the medical uses of electricity and magnetism, established by pioneering biomedical engineer Earl Bakken. Housed in a 1928 mansion.[28] |
| Bally Blacksmith Shop |  | Grand Marais 47°45′2.5″N 90°19′58.5″W / 47.750694°N 90.332917°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Bally Blacksmith Shop, was built in 1911 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In 2013 the Cook County Historical Society acquired the building and operates it as a museum. Grand Marais, Minnesota, USA.[29][30] |
| Baudette Depot Museum |  | Baudette 48°42′57.5″N 94°36′0.5″W / 48.715972°N 94.600139°W | Lake of the Woods | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | The Baudette Depot, built by the Canadian National Railways in 1923, features displays on the history of train travel and of the depot.[31][32] |
| BC Ness Mahnomen County History Museum |  | Mahnomen 47°18′57.16″N 95°58′5.47″W / 47.3158778°N 95.9681861°W | Mahnomen | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Mahnomen County Historical Society, the museum contains a country school, an old kitchen, and agricultural artifacts dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.[33][34] |
| Becker County Museum |  | Detroit Lakes 46°49′8″N 95°51′0″W / 46.81889°N 95.85000°W | Becker | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Museum and research library of Becker County history, operated by the Becker County Historical Society.[35] |
| Bell Gallery |  | Minneapolis 44°58′24″N 93°14′35″W / 44.97333°N 93.24306°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | History | The Bell Gallery was moved from Wilson Library to the ground floor of the Elmer L. Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota, East Bank Campus. The gallery features exhibits on a variety of historical topics developed at Elmer L. Andersen Library.[36] |
| Bell Museum of Natural History |  | Falcon Heights 44°59′28″N 93°11′16″W / 44.99111°N 93.18778°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Natural history | The state's official natural history museum, established in 1872 for research and display of the state's plants and animals. Operated by the University of Minnesota, the museum is home to world renowned wildlife dioramas, the first discovery room in North America, and state-of-the-art digital planetarium. The museum opened a new building on the U of M St. Paul Campus in 2018.[37] |
| Beltrami County History Center |  | Bemidji 47°28′3.3″N 94°52′57″W / 47.467583°N 94.88250°W | Beltrami | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits and archives of Beltrami County history. Operated by the Beltrami County Historical Society in a 1912 train station.[38] |
| Benton County Historical Society and Museum |  | Sauk Rapids 45°35′27″N 94°9′53.5″W / 45.59083°N 94.164861°W | Benton | Central Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits and archives of Benton County history.[39][40] |
| Bertha Museum |  | Bertha 46°16′0.3″N 95°3′57.7″W / 46.266750°N 95.066028°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and memorabilia housed in a 1904 bank.[41][42] |
| Betsy-Tacy Houses |  | Mankato 44°9′20″N 94°0′25″W / 44.15556°N 94.00694°W | Blue Earth | Minnesota River Valley | Biographical | Facing childhood homes of Maude Hart Lovelace and her best friend, fictionalized by the author in her Betsy-Tacy series. Operated by the Betsy-Tacy Society.[43] |
| Big Honza's Museum of Unnatural History |  | Montgomery 44°25′15.4″N 93°34′51″W / 44.420944°N 93.58083°W | Le Sueur | Minnesota River Valley | Amusement | Humorous museum of oversized items credited to a made-up local folk hero.[44] |
| Big Stone County Museum |  | Ortonville 45°17′49″N 96°25′55″W / 45.29694°N 96.43194°W | Big Stone | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Displays of Big Stone County history, including historical buildings and an international gallery of 500 waterfowl specimens.[45] |
| Blackduck History and Art Center | Blackduck 47°43′52″N 94°32′56″W / 47.73111°N 94.54889°W | Beltrami | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Contains a library, a military display, and recreations of a one-room school, general store, and drug store. Established in 2006.[46][47] | |
| Bloomington Center for the Arts |  | Bloomington 44°49′33″N 93°18′9″W / 44.82583°N 93.30250°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Arts center colocated in Bloomington City Hall. Features two art galleries. The Inez Greenberg Gallery is the larger of the two galleries and is typically used for group shows. The Atrium Gallery is located on the upper level of the center and is used for solo shows.[48] |
| Blue Earth County History Center and Museum |  | Mankato 44°9′39.5″N 94°0′7″W / 44.160972°N 94.00194°W | Blue Earth | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Exhibits on Blue Earth County history, including Dakota heritage, Mankato's classic Front Street, and author Maud Hart Lovelace. Operated by the Blue Earth County Historical Society.[49] |
| B'nai Abraham Museum and Cultural Center |  | Virginia 47°31′6.5″N 92°32′11″W / 47.518472°N 92.53639°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Ethnographic | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the former B'nai Abraham Synagogue provides a history of Virginia's Jewish community and is local venue for summer musical and cultural events.[50][51] |
| Bois Forte Heritage Museum |  | Tower 47°49′34″N 92°20′57″W / 47.82611°N 92.34917°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Native American | Heritage of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, including outdoor displays of a birchbark wigwam and a tipi.[52] |
| Borgstrom House Museum | Upsala 45°48′34.5″N 94°34′20″W / 45.809583°N 94.57222°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Local history | Memorabilia of a Swedish American community—including a 1928 REO Speed Wagon firetruck—displayed in a 1913 house. Operated by the Upsala Area Historical Society.[53][54] | |
| Bricelyn Museum |  | Bricelyn | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Housed the former First Baptist Church of Bricelyn the museum houses collections on local history and is maintained by the Bricelyn Area Historical Society. |
| Brown County Museum |  | New Ulm 44°18′47″N 94°27′37″W / 44.31306°N 94.46028°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Exhibits on Brown County history, including local Century Farms, artist Wanda Gág, and the Dakota War of 1862. Operated by the Brown County Historical Society in an ornate 1910 post office.[55] |
| Bruentrup Heritage Farm |  | Maplewood 45°2′7″N 93°0′32″W / 45.03528°N 93.00889°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Includes 11 buildings dating back to 1891 on a 22-acre prairie. Exhibits include a display of farm equipment and exhibits on milking and of early Maplewood history, including Gladstone and the 3M corporation.[56] |
| Bunnell House |  | Homer 44°1′20.3″N 91°33′34.6″W / 44.022306°N 91.559611°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | 1850s Carpenter Gothic house of an early settler, interpreting pioneer life; operated by the Winona County Historical Society.[57] |
| Burschville School |  | Corcoran 45°7′24.5″N 93°37′31.1″W / 45.123472°N 93.625306°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | 1894 one-room schoolhouse operated by the North Hennepin Pioneer Society |
| Cahill School and Minnehaha Grange Hall |   | Edina 44°54′38.5″N 93°20′58.6″W / 44.910694°N 93.349611°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Open-air | 1864 schoolhouse and 1879 Grange hall used as activity space by the Edina Historical Society.[58] |
| Cannon Falls Historical Museum |  | Cannon Falls 44°30′29.4″N 92°54′12″W / 44.508167°N 92.90333°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and research material, operated by the Cannon Falls Area Historical Society in an 1888 fire station[59] |
| Canton Depot Museum |  | Canton | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Built in 1879 by the Caledonia, Mississippi and Western Railroad Company the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. [60] |
| Carlton County History and Heritage Center |  | Cloquet 46°43′17″N 92°27′32″W / 46.72139°N 92.45889°W | Carlton | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on Carlton County history.[61] Operated by the Carlton County Historical Society in a 1920 library. |
| Carver County Historical Society Museum |  | Waconia 44°50′56.7″N 93°47′41.6″W / 44.849083°N 93.794889°W | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Contains five galleries on Carver County history, a gallery on local veterans, and a research library.[62] |
| Cass County Museum |  | Walker 47°6′5″N 94°34′40″W / 47.10139°N 94.57778°W | Cass | Central Minnesota | Local history | Displays on Cass County history, including the fur trade, lumbering, transportation, and early pioneers, plus a large collection of Ojibwe artifacts and a 1912 schoolhouse; operated by the Cass County Historical Society.[63] |
| Cass Lake Museum and Lyle's Logging Camp |  | Cass Lake 47°22′56″N 94°36′31″W / 47.38222°N 94.60861°W | Cass | Central Minnesota | Industry, local history | Displays on Cass County history, including the fur trade, lumbering, transportation, and early pioneers, plus a large collection of Ojibwe artifacts and a 1912 schoolhouse; operated by the Cass County Historical Society.[63] |
| Chanhassen Historic Village Hall |  | Chanhassen 44°51′42.4″N 93°31′51.6″W / 44.861778°N 93.531000°W | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | The building, built in 1898, and owned by the City of Chanhassen recently is occupied by the Chanhassen Historical Society for use as a museum. Before that the building has housed the Chanhassen Chamber of Commerce, a library, antique store and book store in addition to being a township governmental building.[64][65] |
| Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site |  | Little Falls 45°57′35″N 94°23′13″W / 45.95972°N 94.38694°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Biographical | Boyhood home of aviator Charles Lindbergh, with exhibits in an adjacent visitor center; operated by the Minnesota Historical Society within Charles A. Lindbergh State Park.[66] |
| Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum |  | Little Falls 45°57′15″N 94°23′25″W / 45.95417°N 94.39028°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on Morrison County history, including Native American artifacts, local business and industry, and personal and household items; operated by the Morrison County Historical Society.[67] |
| Charles H. Burwell House |  | Minnetonka 44°56′29″N 93°26′53″W / 44.94139°N 93.44806°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1883 Victorian house of a prominent mill manager; operated by the Minnetonka Historical Society. |
| Chaska History Center |  | Chaska 44°47′14.5″N 93°36′6.5″W / 44.787361°N 93.601806°W | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Exhibits and research collections on town history. Operated by the Chaska Historical Society in an 1890 livery stable.[68] |
| Children's Discovery Museum | Grand Rapids 47°12′23″N 93°31′47″W / 47.20639°N 93.52972°W | Itasca | Northeast Minnesota | Children's | Contains interactive educational exhibits and a large display of dolls.[69] Adjacent to the Judy Garland Museum.[70] | |
| Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota |  | Mankato 44°9′43″N 94°0′49″W / 44.16194°N 94.01361°W | Blue Earth | Minnesota River Valley | Children's | Contains interactive exhibits[71] |
| Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center |  | Grand Marais 48°10′7.5″N 90°52′51″W / 48.168750°N 90.88083°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Interprets the natural and cultural history of the Gunflint Trail area. Operated by the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and Superior National Forest in a 1930s resort lodge.[72] |
| Rush City Museum |  | Rush City | Chisago | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | The museum features exhibits on the county's history, including its early settlement by Swedish immigrants, its agricultural past, and the development of resort communities around Chisago Lakes. Former home to the North Chisago Historical Society before merger with the Chisago Historical Society. [73] |
| Christie House Museum |  | Long Prairie 45°58′26″N 94°51′51″W / 45.97389°N 94.86417°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Historic house | 1901 Queen Anne house of an influential local family, with original furnishings and memorabilia.[74] |
| Church of the Good Shepherd Museum |  | Blue Earth 43°38′12″N 94°6′2″W / 43.63667°N 94.10056°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Built in 1872 the former Episcopal church building is listed on the NRHP and is maintained by the Faribault County Historical Society for concerts, events and tours.[75] |
| City of Baseball Museum | Saint Paul | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Located along the third-base side of CHS Field the museum showcases the evolution of the game through five eras in St. Paul. It also features a "Black Pioneers" exhibit highlighting the contributions of African-American ballplayers who were from St. Paul or played in the city. | |
| Clarissa Community Museum |  | Clarissa 46°7′46.4″N 94°57′2″W / 46.129556°N 94.95056°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Local history | Museum of town's early history.[41] |
| Clearwater County History Center |  | Shevlin 47°31′46″N 95°15′39″W / 47.52944°N 95.26083°W | Clearwater | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Rotating exhibits and research collections on Clearwater County history; operated by the Clearwater County Historical Society in a 1911 school with additional historical buildings on the grounds.[76] |
| Clinton Depot |  | Clinton 45°27′35″N 96°26′14″W / 45.45972°N 96.43722°W | Big Stone | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Local memorabilia including war mementos, agricultural equipment, and railroad artifacts housed in an 1885 train station.[77] |
| Cokato Museum & Gust Akerlund Studio |  | Cokato 45°4′31.5″N 94°11′26″W / 45.075417°N 94.19056°W | Wright | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Local history museum and the Upper Midwest's only surviving early-20th-century photography studio, with much of its original equipment.[78] |
| Cokato Temperance Hall Museum |  | Cokato Township 45°7′22.3″N 94°11′39″W / 45.122861°N 94.19417°W | Wright | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Now a museum, the Cokato Temperance Hall was a historic clubhouse built in 1896 to serve as an alcohol-free social center in a rural Finnish American community. Maintained by the Cokato Finnish American Historical Society.[20] |
| Cold Spring Area Historical Society Museum | Cold Spring 45°27′21.5″N 94°25′47.5″W / 45.455972°N 94.429861°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | The museum maintains collection and exhibits on the surrounding area.[60] | |
| Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing |  | South St. Paul 44°51′40.5″N 93°1′43.6″W / 44.861250°N 93.028778°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Military | The Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing is home to six aircraft, a large motor pool fleet, and a unique collection of World War II artifacts that are on display at Fleming Field in South Saint Paul.[79] |
| Comstock House |  | Moorhead 46°52′8.5″N 96°46′3″W / 46.869028°N 96.76750°W | Clay | Northwest Minnesota | Historic house | 1883 Victorian house of an influential family, including politician and businessman Solomon Comstock and his daughter, pioneering female educator Ada Comstock. Managed by the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and the Minnesota Historical Society.[80] |
| Cook County History Museum |  | Grand Marais 47°44′56.5″N 90°19′58″W / 47.749028°N 90.33278°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on Cook County history, operated by the Cook County Historical Society in the Grand Marais Light keeper's house.[81] |
| Cottonwood County Historical Museum |  | Windom 43°51′52″N 95°7′5″W / 43.86444°N 95.11806°W | Cottonwood | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Displays on Cottonwood County history from precontact Native Americans to the early 20th century, plus an art gallery and research library; operated by the Cottonwood County Historical Society.[82] |
| Croft Mine Historical Park |  | Crosby 46°29′30″N 93°57′7″W / 46.49167°N 93.95194°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Mining | Interprets an underground iron mine on the Cuyuna Range active 1916–1934, with original equipment and structures, vintage photographs, and guided tours of a simulated mine.[70] |
| Cuyuna Range Museum |  | Crosby 46°29′1″N 93°57′0.5″W / 46.48361°N 93.950139°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Local history | Local history, history of the Cuyuna Iron Range, and area railroads. Operated by the Cuyuna Iron Range Heritage Network. |
| Cross River Heritage Center |  | Schroeder 47°32′36.5″N 90°53′49.5″W / 47.543472°N 90.897083°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits and period rooms relating to settlement around the Cross River, plus a research archive. Operated by the Schroeder Area Historical Society in a 1929 Tudor Revival inn.[83] |
| Crosslake Historic Log Village | Crosslake 46°40′5″N 94°6′35″W / 46.66806°N 94.10972°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Open-air | Collection of historical and replica log buildings, including several homesteader cabins, a saloon, a tourist cabin, and a 1923 town hall with local artifacts displayed inside. Operated by the Crosslake Area Historical Society.[84][85] | |
| Crow Wing County Historical Society Museum |  | Brainerd 46°21′19.5″N 94°12′13″W / 46.355417°N 94.20361°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits of Crow Wing County history, including logging, railroads, mining, and early home life, housed in a 1917 sheriff's residence/county jail.[86] |
| Cycling Museum of Minnesota |  | Minneapolis 45°0′48.4″N 93°14′51.5″W / 45.013444°N 93.247639°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Transportation | Museum on the history, impact, and future promise of cycling.[87] |
| Dakota City Heritage Village |  | Farmington 44°37′40″N 93°8′55″W / 44.62778°N 93.14861°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Open-air | 22 historical and replica buildings depicting a typical Dakota County village of the year 1900, plus a museum of agriculture and pioneer life; operated by a non-profit organization on the Dakota County Fairgrounds.[88] |
| Darwin Twine Ball Museum |  | Darwin 45°5′47″N 94°24′36″W / 45.09639°N 94.41000°W | Meeker | Minnesota River Valley | Novelty | Home of the biggest ball of twine wrapped by one person, measuring 13 feet (4.0 m) in diameter and 17,400 pounds (7,900 kg).[89] |
| Dassel History Center & Ergot Museum |  | Dassel 45°5′10.5″N 94°18′28.5″W / 45.086250°N 94.307917°W | Meeker | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on local contributions to agriculture and medicine—including the transformation of ergot from plague to drug—and farmer-turned-politician Magnus Johnson. Operated by the Dassel Area Historical Society in a 1937 agricultural laboratory.[90] |
| Dawson Bank Museum |  | Dawson | Lac qui Parle | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | The Dawson Bank Museum is a bank operating inside of the former First National Bank Building in Dawson, Minnesota featuring an archive and collections of local area history. |
| Denler Art Gallery | Roseville 45°2′18″N 93°10′13″W / 45.03833°N 93.17028°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Gallery at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul displaying work by national, local, and student artists.[91][92] | |
| Dinehart-Holt House |  | Slayton 43°59′6″N 95°45′19″W / 43.98500°N 95.75528°W | Murray | Southwest Minnesota | Historic house | 1891 Victorian house of early leading citizens of Slayton. Managed by the Murray County Historical Society.[93] |
| Dodge County Historical Society Museum |  | Mantorville 44°4′6.5″N 92°45′20″W / 44.068472°N 92.75556°W | Dodge | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts displayed in an 1869 church, with two adjacent historical structures.[70][94] |
| Dorothy Molter Museum |  | Ely 47°54′10″N 91°50′2″W / 47.90278°N 91.83389°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Biographical | Museum and historic cabins dedicated to longtime wilderness resident Dorothy Molter and the heritage of the Boundary Waters.[95] |
| Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Depot Museum |  | Two Harbors 47°1′8″N 91°40′12″W / 47.01889°N 91.67000°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Displays on the development of Lake County, with a focus on iron mining, railroads, logging, and commercial fishing. Operated by the Lake County Historical Society in a 1907 train station.[96] |
| Duluth Art Institute |  | Duluth 46°46′53″N 92°6′15″W / 46.78139°N 92.10417°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Art | Visual arts organization dating to 1871, offering rotating exhibitions by regional artists as well as workshops at the Duluth Depot and Lincoln Branch Library.[97] |
| Duluth Children's Museum |  | Duluth 46°45′29″N 92°7′58.5″W / 46.75806°N 92.132917°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Children's | Nation's fifth-oldest children's museum, established in 1930.[98] |
| Duluth Depot |  | Duluth 46°46′53″N 92°6′15″W / 46.78139°N 92.10417°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Multiple | 1892 train station housing the Duluth Art Institute, Lake Superior Railroad Museum, St. Louis County Historical Society Museum, and several performing arts organizations.[99] |
| Eagle Bend Museum and Library |  | Eagle Bend 46°9′54″N 95°2′9″W / 46.16500°N 95.03583°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and memorabilia, in a building shared with the Eagle Bend Public Library.[41] |
| East Polk Heritage Center |  | Fosston 47°34′18″N 95°44′30″W / 47.57167°N 95.74167°W | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts displayed in an 1887 house and a replica log cabin, plus a restored schoolhouse.[100] |
| Eder School House |  | Oakdale 45°0′43.3″N 92°57′56.5″W / 45.012028°N 92.965694°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Education | One-room schoolhouse active 1888–1920. Moved to Oakdale Nature Preserve in 2004 and operated by the Washington County Historical Society.[101] |
| Edina History Museum | Edina 44°52′33.5″N 93°20′40.5″W / 44.875972°N 93.344583°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits of town history, plus a research library. Operated by the Edina Historical Society.[102][103] | |
| Edna G. Tugboat |  | Two Harbors 47°1′0.8″N 91°40′21.4″W / 47.016889°N 91.672611°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Great Lakes tugboat in service 1896–1981. Operated by the Lake County Historical Society.[104] |
| Ed's Museum |  | Wykoff 43°42′24.8″N 92°16′5″W / 43.706889°N 92.26806°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Americana | Former grocery store displaying the belongings of local character and lifelong hoarder Ed Krueger, including toys, packaging, magazines, player piano rolls, and a dead cat, all willed to the city and organized by the Wykoff Progressive Club and operated by the Wykoff Area Historical Society.[105][106] |
| Eidem Homestead |  | Brooklyn Park 45°8′13″N 93°20′12″W / 45.13694°N 93.33667°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Living history | Turn-of-the-20th-century living history farm with a Victorian farmhouse, barn, and live animals. Managed by the city of Brooklyn Park.[107] |
| Ely Art & Heritage Center |  | Ely 47°54′42″N 91°51′40″W / 47.91167°N 91.86111°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Multiple | Art exhibits and historical displays, operated by Ely Greenstone Public Art within a former mining complex.[108] |
| Ely–Winton History Museum |  | Ely 47°54′19″N 91°50′14″W / 47.90528°N 91.83722°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Displays on local history, including the Ojibwe, voyageurs, logging, mining, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Housed on the campus of Vermilion Community College.[109][110] |
| Esko Historical Society Museum |  | Esko 46°42′24″N 92°21′54″W / 46.70667°N 92.36500°W | Carlton | Northeast Minnesota | Open-air | Seven historic buildings, including an 1878 gristmill, 1897 one-room school, and Finnish-style log farm structures, plus vehicles including a horse-drawn schoolbus and a 1938 Caterpillar D8 snowplow.[111] |
| End O' Line Railroad Park & Museum |  | Currie 44°4′29″N 95°39′54″W / 44.07472°N 95.66500°W | Murray | Southwest Minnesota | Open-air | Railroad and frontier life, with vintage locomotives and rolling stock, an original railway turntable, historical buildings, and a model train layout. Operated by Murray County.[112] |
| Etta C. Ross Memorial Library Museum |  | Blue Earth 43°38′18.3″N 94°5′54.4″W / 43.638417°N 94.098444°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Local records and artifacts housed in a 1904 library. Operated by the Faribault County Historical Society.[113] |
| Eugene Saint Julien Cox House |  | St. Peter 44°19′56.5″N 93°57′42″W / 44.332361°N 93.96167°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | Restored 1871 Italianate house of a founder and early leader of St. Peter. Operated by the Nicollet County Historical Society.[114] |
| Evansville Historical Foundation |  | Evansville 46°0′15″N 95°41′1″W / 46.00417°N 95.68361°W | Douglas | Central Minnesota | Open-air | Historical and replica buildings, including two 19th-century houses, a country schoolhouse, 1892 log cabin, a sod house, pioneer church, and a town hall, with some indoor exhibits and a research library.[115] |
| Excelsior–Lake Minnetonka Historical Society Museum |  | Excelsior 44°54′6″N 93°34′1″W / 44.90167°N 93.56694°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | History of the south Lake Minnetonka area, including the 1893 racing scow Onawa and exhibits on the Excelsior Amusement Park in operation 1925–1974. Housed in a former train station.[116] |
| Fagen Fighters WWII Museum |  | Granite Falls 44°45′7″N 95°33′28″W / 44.75194°N 95.55778°W | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota River Valley | Military | Celebrates the veterans of World War II with a collection of fully operational military aircraft and vehicles, plus murals, statues, and other art.[117] |
| Farmamerica |  | Waseca 44°4′56″N 93°37′2″W / 44.08222°N 93.61722°W | Waseca | Southeast Minnesota | Agriculture | Minnesota's agricultural heritage, featuring an 1850s farm, 1930s farm, visitor center, antique tractors and machinery, and several historical buildings. Also known as the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center.[118] |
| Fillebrown House |  | White Bear Lake 45°5′6″N 93°0′11″W / 45.08500°N 93.00306°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1879 lakeside cottage, operated by the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society.[119] |
| Fillmore County History Center Museum |  | Fountain 43°44′18″N 92°8′15″W / 43.73833°N 92.13750°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Artifacts from Fillmore County history, including agricultural equipment, women's and children's clothing, period displays, two Bernard Pietenpol airplanes, and a one-room schoolhouse. Operated by the Fillmore County Historical Society.[120] |
| Finland Minnesota Heritage Site |  | Finland 47°24′7″N 91°11′49″W / 47.40194°N 91.19694°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Open-air | Exhibits and historical structures interpreting the pioneer heritage of eastern Lake County. Operated by the Finland Minnesota Historical Society on an 1890s homestead.[121] |
| Finn Creek Open Air Museum |  | New York Mills 46°27′16″N 95°19′55″W / 46.45444°N 95.33194°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Open-air | Local Finnish American heritage represented by original and relocated structures on a 1900 farmstead, including a smoke sauna, sawmill, and town hall.[122] |
| Firefighters Hall & Museum |  | Minneapolis 45°0′35″N 93°15′16.5″W / 45.00972°N 93.254583°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Firefighting | Historical vehicles, equipment, displays, and a research library on firefighting in Minnesota.[123] |
| Fish House & Tug the Neegee |  | Grand Marais 47°44′52″N 90°20′33″W / 47.74778°N 90.34250°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Replica 1930s fish house and drydocked 35-foot (11 m) fishing tug built 1935–36. Operated by the Cook County Historical Society in partnership with the City of Grand Marais.[124] |
| Fishing Hall of Fame of Minnesota |  | Baxter 46°21′27″N 94°14′52″W / 46.35750°N 94.24778°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Sports | Photos and memorabilia commemorating individuals and corporations significant in the development of recreational fishing in Minnesota. Operated by a non-profit organization within a Gander Mountain store.[125] |
| Fitger's Brewery Museum |  | Duluth 46°47′33″N 92°5′25″W / 46.79250°N 92.09028°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Food | Memorabilia of Minnesota's most successful brewery, in operation 1881–1972. Housed within the historic brewery complex, which is now a mall.[126] |
| Folsom House |  | Taylors Falls 45°24′2″N 92°39′15″W / 45.40056°N 92.65417°W | Chisago | Central Minnesota | Historic house | 1855 house of lumber magnate W.H.C. Folsom, with many of its original furnishings. Operated by the Taylors Falls Historical Society.[127] |
| Fond du Lac Reservation Cultural Center and Museum | Cloquet 46°42′49″N 92°30′51″W / 46.71361°N 92.51417°W | Carlton | Northeast Minnesota | Native American | Fond du Lac Cultural Center & Museum has several examples of Ojibwe cultural artifacts, arts & crafts, and traditional home life.[128] | |
| Forest City Stockade |  | Forest City 45°11′44″N 94°27′47″W / 45.19556°N 94.46306°W | Meeker | Minnesota River Valley | Local history, open-air | Reconstruction of a stockade built during the Dakota War of 1862, with a two-story museum and replica pioneer buildings.[129] |
| Forest History Center |  | Grand Rapids 47°13′47″N 93°33′54″W / 47.22972°N 93.56500°W | Itasca | Northeast Minnesota | Industry | Human history of Minnesota's forests, interpreted via a visitor center, early-20th-century logging camp, 1930s U.S. Forest Service station, nature trails, and environmental programs. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[130] |
| Fort Belmont |  | Jackson 43°38′13″N 95°0′17″W / 43.63694°N 95.00472°W | Jackson | Southwest Minnesota | Military | Recreated 1860s pioneer fort, plus other historic and replica structures including a sod house, blacksmith shop, farmhouse, and 1902 church. Indoor exhibits feature historical vehicles, early music boxes, and dolls.[131] |
| Fort Ridgely |  | Fairfax 44°27′11″N 94°44′4″W / 44.45306°N 94.73444°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | Military | Indoor exhibits in a reconstructed building and foundation ruins of a frontier U.S. Army fort in service 1853–1867, site of the Battle of Fort Ridgely in 1862. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[132] |
| Freeborn County Historical Museum |  | Albert Lea 43°39′35.5″N 93°21′35.5″W / 43.659861°N 93.359861°W | Freeborn | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | History of Freeborn County, with period displays and a 19th-century pioneer village.[133] |
| Fridley History Center |  | Fridley 45°5′11.8″N 93°15′19.6″W / 45.086611°N 93.255444°W | Anoka | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Artifacts and displays of town history. Operated by the Fridley Historical Society in a 1931 schoolhouse.[134] |
| Gallery of Wood Art |  | Saint Paul 44°56′44″N 93°5′50″W / 44.94556°N 93.09722°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Exhibits a variety of contemporary art made from wood, plus educational displays and vintage lathes. Operated by the American Association of Woodturners in Landmark Center.[135] |
| Gammelgården Museum of Scandia |  | Scandia 45°15′6″N 92°48′28″W / 45.25167°N 92.80778°W | Washington | Central Minnesota | Ethnic | Interprets Swedish immigration to Minnesota, particularly in the years 1850–1880, through historical buildings and artifacts.[136] |
| George Stoppel Farmstead |  | Rochester | Olmsted | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | The farmsted is composed of the main house, barn, smokehouse and several hand-dug caves. The farmstead was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was acquired 1976–1978 by the History Center of Olmsted County. |
| Giants of the Earth Heritage Center |  | Spring Grove 43°33′38″N 91°38′18″W / 43.56056°N 91.63833°W | Houston | Southeast Minnesota | Ethnic | Local memorabilia and archival material. Offers genealogical and genetic genealogy research assistance.[137] |
| Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life |  | Falcon Heights 44°59′35″N 93°11′17″W / 44.99306°N 93.18806°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Open-air | 1849 farmstead with original, relocated, and replica buildings, plus replica Dakota dwellings and gardens; operated by the Ramsey County Historical Society.[138] |
| Gideon H. Pond House |  | Bloomington 44°48′48″N 93°16′16.8″W / 44.81333°N 93.271333°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1856 house with replica 1852 wing, owned by Gideon Hollister Pond, early missionary to the Dakota. Operated by the city of Bloomington in Pond–Dakota Mission Park.[139][140] |
| Giiwedinong Treaty Rights and Culture Museum |  | Park Rapids 46°55′17″N 95°3′32″W / 46.92139°N 95.05889°W | Hubbard | Central Minnesota | Native American | Indigenous-led museum to the lands, waters, cultures, treaty rights, and art of the Northern Midwest. Opened in 2023 in a former library.[141] |
| Gilfillan Estate |  | Morgan 44°27′46″N 94°59′40″W / 44.46278°N 94.99444°W | Redwood | Minnesota River Valley | Agriculture, historic house | Large 1882 farm with an ornate farmhouse, outbuildings, and antique machinery. Operated by the Redwood County Historical Society.[142] |
| Glensheen Historic Estate |  | Duluth 46°48′54.5″N 92°3′6.5″W / 46.815139°N 92.051806°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Historic house | 39-room mansion built 1905–08 for entrepreneur Chester Congdon, with much of its original contents and furnishings. Operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth.[143] |
| Goldstein Museum of Design |  | Falcon Heights 44°59′6.5″N 93°11′0.4″W / 44.985139°N 93.183444°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Research collection and rotating exhibit space dedicated to applied arts such as clothing, pottery, and graphic design. Operated by the University of Minnesota's College of Design.[144] |
| Goodhue County History Center |  | Red Wing 44°33′33″N 92°32′36.7″W / 44.55917°N 92.543528°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Permanent and temporary exhibits on Goodhue County history, including Native Americans, natural history, daily life, and special events. Operated by Minnesota's oldest county historical society, established in 1869.[145] |
| Gopher State Railway Museum |  | New Prague 44°34′59″N 93°34′57″W / 44.58306°N 93.58250°W | Scott | Southeast Minnesota | Railroad | Collects, preserves, restores, displays, and operates railroad equipment and artifacts. Collections include the Great Northern office car "Manitoba" which was used as a private car by James J Hill.[146][147] |
| Gordon Parks Gallery |  | Saint Paul 44°57′28.5″N 93°4′31.3″W / 44.957917°N 93.075361°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Teaching gallery at Metropolitan State University featuring works by Gordon Parks and diverse rotating exhibits.[148] |
| Grand Portage National Monument |  | Grand Portage 47°57′45″N 89°41′5″W / 47.96250°N 89.68472°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | History | Reconstructed North West Company trading post and modern visitor center interpreting Ojibwe heritage and the North American fur trade. Operated by the National Park Service.[149] |
| Grant County Museum and Veterans' Memorial Hall |  | Elbow Lake 45°59′38.3″N 95°58′33″W / 45.993972°N 95.97583°W | Grant | West Minnesota | Local history | Displays of Grant County history, including paleontology, Native American and pioneer artifacts, and military memorabilia, plus a restored log cabin and one-room school. Operated by the Grant County Historical Society.[150][151] |
| Great Lakes Aquarium |  | Duluth 46°46′44.5″N 92°6′0″W / 46.779028°N 92.10000°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Aquarium | Aquarium displaying freshwater species from the Great Lakes region and the Amazon River, including birds and otters, plus exhibits on physical sciences.[152] |
| Green Giant Museum |  | Blue Earth 43°39′5″N 94°5′45″W / 43.65139°N 94.09583°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Industry | Largest collection of Jolly Green Giant memorabilia in the world. History of the canning factory.[153] |
| Greyhound Bus Museum |  | Hibbing 47°26′18″N 92°56′22″W / 47.43833°N 92.93944°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Transportation | Origins of Greyhound Lines, a local enterprise that grew into the world's largest bus company. Features 17 vintage buses including the founders' original 1914 Hupmobile.[154] |
| Grimm Farm Historic Site |  | Laketown Township 44°53′5″N 93°43′1″W / 44.88472°N 93.71694°W | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Agriculture | 1859 farm of Wendelin Grimm, who developed the first winter-hardy alfalfa in North America, enabling widespread dairy farming in the Upper Midwest. Operated by Three Rivers Park District within Carver Park Reserve.[155] |
| Gustaf Anderson House History Museum |  | Lindstrom 45°23′23.9″N 92°50′33.4″W / 45.389972°N 92.842611°W | Chisago | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1890 house of a prosperous immigrant family, with period furnishings. Operated by the Chisago County Historical Society.[156] |
| Haehn Museum |  | St. Joseph 45°33′47″N 94°19′15″W / 45.56306°N 94.32083°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Religious | Exhibits on the history and influence of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, with 4,000 artifacts dating back as far as 1857. Part of Saint Benedict's Monastery.[157] |
| Harkin Store |  | West Newton 44°23′13″N 94°35′56″W / 44.38694°N 94.59889°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | History | 1870s general store with much of its original merchandise on display. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[158] |
| Hay Lake School and Erickson Log Home |   | Scandia 45°13′54″N 92°49′13″W / 45.23167°N 92.82028°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house, school | 1868 homesteaders' cabin and 1896 school. Operated by the Washington County Historical Society.[159] |
| Headwaters Science Center | Bemidji 47°28′20″N 94°52′54″W / 47.47222°N 94.88167°W | Beltrami | Northwest Minnesota | Science | Science and technology exhibits with an emphasis on hands-on activities for all ages.[160] | |
| Hennepin History Museum |  | Minneapolis 44°57′36.5″N 93°16′21″W / 44.960139°N 93.27250°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on Hennepin County history. Operated by the Hennepin County Historical Society in a 1919 mansion.[161] |
| Hennepin Overland Museum |  | Minneapolis 44°56′2″N 93°14′8″W / 44.93389°N 93.23556°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) HO scale model railroad.[162] |
| Heritage Gallery |  | Minneapolis 44°58′30.5″N 93°13′39.5″W / 44.975139°N 93.227639°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Education | Permanent and rotating exhibits on University of Minnesota students, faculty, and alumni. Housed in the McNamara Alumni Center.[163] |
| Heritage House Victorian Museum |  | Rochester 44°1′34″N 92°27′53.5″W / 44.02611°N 92.464861°W | Olmsted | Southeast Minnesota | Historic house | 1875 wood-frame house which was moved to Central Park and restored.[164] |
| Heritage Museum and Wind Power Learning Center | Lake Benton 44°15′38.2″N 96°17′16.5″W / 44.260611°N 96.287917°W | Lincoln | Southwest Minnesota | Industry, local history | Exhibits on local history and wind power, a major resource in the Buffalo Ridge area.[165] | |
| Heritage Village |  | East Grand Forks 47°56′41″N 97°1′0″W / 47.94472°N 97.01667°W | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Historical and replica buildings, with tours and living history demonstrations.[166] |
| Hermantown History Center |  | Hermantown 46°48′29″N 92°14′2″W / 46.80806°N 92.23389°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in the city's first city hall building, the museum features local history exhibits including a Veterans Hall, recreation of an Ice Cream Parlor and a historical display on the city's Jackson Project Homes, "subsistence homesteads" that were built in 1937 as part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.[167][168] |
| Herreid Military Museum |  | Luverne 43°39′24.5″N 96°12′24.5″W / 43.656806°N 96.206806°W | Rock | Southwest Minnesota | Military history | Focus on the military histories of the men and women from Rock County and the surrounding region.[169] |
| Hewitt Museum |  | Hewitt 46°19′39.7″N 95°5′2.5″W / 46.327694°N 95.084028°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and memorabilia housed in a 1911 school building. Operated by the Hewitt Historical Society.[170] |
| Hibbing Historical Museum |  | Hibbing 47°25′24″N 92°56′14″W / 47.42333°N 92.93722°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits of city history, including scale models of Hibbing in 1893 and 1913, a fully furnished replica house, and logging and mining displays.[171] |
| Highpoint Center for Printmaking |  | Minneapolis 44°56′55″N 93°17′29″W / 44.94861°N 93.29139°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Two galleries with rotating exhibits of local, national, and international printmaking.[172] |
| Hill-Annex Mine State Park |  | Marble 47°20′9″N 93°16′1″W / 47.33583°N 93.26694°W | Itasca | Northeast Minnesota | Mining | Tours of an open-pit iron mine active 1913–1978, with exhibits and period rooms in a former clubhouse building. Operated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.[173] |
| Hillstrom Museum of Art |  | St. Peter 44°19′28″N 93°58′14″W / 44.32444°N 93.97056°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | Art | Permanent and rotating displays of international, national, regional, student, and faculty art. Part of Gustavus Adolphus College.[174] |
| Hinckley Fire Museum |  | Hinckley 46°0′54″N 92°56′36″W / 46.01500°N 92.94333°W | Pine | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Interprets the devastating Great Hinckley Fire of 1894 and the subsequent rebuilding of the town and conversion from lumber to agriculture. Housed in an 1895 train station.[175] |
| Hinkly House Museum |  | Luverne | Rock | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | A restored Victorian mansion built in 1892 by R.B. Hinkly, a prominent local businessman and one of Luverne's founders. Owned and operate by the Rock County Historical Society. |
| Historic Chippewa City |  | Montevideo 44°56′23″N 95°43′38″W / 44.93972°N 95.72722°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | Open-air | Replica of a late-19th-century village with 24 buildings, including log cabins, a church, shops, and a one-room schoolhouse. Operated by the Chippewa County Historical Society.[176] |
| Historic Forestville |  | Preston 43°38′34″N 92°12′54″W / 43.64278°N 92.21500°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Living history | Living history demonstrations themed to 1899 in and around an original general store, attached residence, farm buildings, gardens, and bridge. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society within Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park.[177] |
| Historic Fort Snelling | .jpg) | Fort Snelling 44°53′34″N 93°10′51″W / 44.89278°N 93.18083°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Military | Restored frontier Army fort constructed at a key river junction in the 1820s, and associated with Native American history, the fur trade, Dred Scott, the Dakota War of 1862, and the World Wars. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[178] |
| History Center of Olmsted County |  | Rochester 44°0′23″N 92°30′36″W / 44.00639°N 92.51000°W | Olmsted | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | The history center maintains interpretive exhibits detailing history of Olmsted County, and operates a research library. Its campus includes the George Stoppel Farmstead and other pioneer buildings.[179][180] |
| History Museum of East Otter Tail County |  | Perham 46°35′44″N 95°34′14″W / 46.59556°N 95.57056°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Local history | Displays on local domestic, economic, and social life, including Native American artifacts, the Otter Tail River, area towns, quilting, and the early tourist trade. Housed in an 1887 stone church and operated by the History, Arts & Cultural Association of East Otter Tail County.[181] |
| Hjemkomst Center |  | Moorhead 46°52′40″N 96°46′43″W / 46.87778°N 96.77861°W | Clay | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits on Clay County history, plus full-size replicas of Norway's Hopperstad Stave Church and the Gokstad ship. Operated by the Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County.[182] |
| Hmong Cultural Center Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°57′21.5″N 93°6′57″W / 44.955972°N 93.11583°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | Run by the Hmong Cultural Center, the center also provides citizenship and English classes and classes related to the Hmong folk arts tradition.[183] |
| Hmong Museum | Saint Paul | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | The museum self-identifies as a "museum without walls" and partners with local cultural organizations to do pop up exhibits and to provide cultural programming.[184] | |
| Hoċokata Ti | Shakopee 44°45′31″N 93°27′51″W / 44.75861°N 93.46417°W | Scott | Twin Cities Metro | Native American | Hoċokata Ti [ho-cho-kah-tah-tee] is the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s (SMSC) cultural center and gathering space for the Community’s tribe members. It contains a 3,805-square-foot public exhibit, Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake.[128] | |
| Holz Farm | .jpg) | Eagan 44°47′16″N 93°6′56″W / 44.78778°N 93.11556°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Agriculture, living history | Family farm interpreting rural life from the Great Depression to World War II. Operated by the city of Eagan.[185] |
| Hooper-Bowler-Hillstrom House |  | Belle Plaine 44°37′35.7″N 93°45′56″W / 44.626583°N 93.76556°W | Scott | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1871 house furnished to depict three periods of Belle Plaine history—1850s–60s, Victorian Era, and early 20th century—while local memorabilia is on display in the carriage house. Operated by the Belle Plaine Historical Society.[186] |
| Hopkins Historical Society Museum |  | Hopkins 44°55′32.5″N 93°25′1.5″W / 44.925694°N 93.417083°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Local memorabilia and archival material on such topics as the Minneapolis-Moline tractor company, Czech American history, homes and businesses, and Hopkins' long-running Raspberry Festival.[187] |
| Hormel Historic Home |  | Austin 43°40′13″N 92°58′37″W / 43.67028°N 92.97694°W | Mower | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Period displays, artifacts, and photographs of the Hormel family in original 1871 home. Also an event center and sponsor of arts activities including annual concert series and piano competition. |
| Houston County Historical Society Museum |  | Caledonia 43°38′3″N 91°29′4″W / 43.63417°N 91.48444°W | Houston | Southeast Minnesota | Local history, open-air | Local history collections including farm equipment and photographs, plus historic buildings on the grounds including an 1862 church, 1878 one-room schoolhouse, and 1880 log cabin.[188] |
| Hubbard County Historical Museum |  | Park Rapids 46°55′11″N 95°3′53.5″W / 46.91972°N 95.064861°W | Hubbard | Central Minnesota | Local history | Period rooms—such as a Victorian parlor and one-room schoolhouse—and exhibits of local artifacts like vintage clothing, military memorabilia, and communication equipment displayed in a 1900 county courthouse.[189] |
| Independence Town Hall Museum | Independence 44°59′14.48″N 93°34′24.23″W / 44.9873556°N 93.5733972°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Pioneer-era artifacts housed in a former town hall. Operated by the Western Hennepin County Pioneer Association.[190] | |
| Inga Geving Museum |  | Thief River Falls 48°6′31″N 96°11′19″W / 48.10861°N 96.18861°W | Pennington | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Pennington County Historical Society, the museum is housed on the grounds near the Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village and features exhibits on local county history.[191][192] |
| International Owl Center |  | Houston 43°45′47″N 91°34′03″W / 43.76306°N 91.56750°W | Houston | Southeast Minnesota | Natural history | The International Owl Center is an education center dedicated to owls, and is home to the International Festival of Owls.[193][194] |
| International Wolf Center |  | Ely 47°54′21″N 91°49′40″W / 47.90583°N 91.82778°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Natural history | Education and research facility dedicated to wolves, with exhibits, programs, and a 1.25-acre (0.51 ha) habitat with live wolves.[195] |
| Iron Range Historical Society Research Museum |  | McKinley 47°30′43.33″N 92°24′39.28″W / 47.5120361°N 92.4109111°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Archive of local history materials, including photographs and law enforcement accessories. Housed in the WPA-built City Hall in McKinley, Minnesota.[196] |
| Isanti County Historical Society Heritage Center |  | Cambridge 45°34′37″N 93°11′33″W / 45.57694°N 93.19250°W | Isanti | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Local history collections and archives, adjacent to an 1872 log cabin and other historical buildings.[197] |
| Itasca Heritage Center |  | Grand Rapids 47°14′3″N 93°31′44″W / 47.23417°N 93.52889°W | Itasca | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Itasca County Historical Society, includes exhibits about the woolly mammoth, Judy Garland and the Gumm family, paper industry, Native Americans, pioneers[198] |
| In Their Own Words | Perham 46°35′55.89″N 95°34′53.68″W / 46.5988583°N 95.5815778°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Military | Interactive exhibits and oral histories of soldiers, prisoners of war and the effects of war on communities.[199] | |
| Jackson County Historical Museum |  | Lakefield 43°40′41″N 95°10′30″W / 43.67806°N 95.17500°W | Jackson | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Jackson County Historical Society[200][201] |
| James J. Fiorentino Museum | Minneapolis | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Technology | Also known as the Cuckoo Clock Museum, it is a museum in the North Loop neighborhood that houses a large private collection of cuckoo clocks as well as other items such as phonographs and vintage musical instruments and geologic specimens. | |
| James J. Hill House |  | Saint Paul 44°56′42″N 93°6′32″W / 44.94500°N 93.10889°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | Gilded Age mansion of railroad magnate James J. Hill, completed in 1891. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[202] |
| Jasper Museum |  | Jasper | Rock | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | A local history museum owned and operated by the Jasper Area Historical Society and located in the historic Poorbaugh Building since 1981. It features exhibits of the local history of the area.[203] |
| Jeffers Petroglyphs |  | Comfrey 44°5′26″N 95°3′28.5″W / 44.09056°N 95.057917°W | Cottonwood | Southwest Minnesota | Native American | Rock outcrop bearing some 4,000 Native American petroglyphs carved in a period spanning 7,000 to 250 years ago, plus a visitor center with exhibits. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.[204] |
| John Lind House |  | New Ulm 44°18′44.5″N 94°27′42.5″W / 44.312361°N 94.461806°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Former home of Governor John Lind, the 14th Governor of Minnesota and the first Swedish-born American to serve in the U.S. Congress.[60] |
| John H. Stevens House |  | Minneapolis 44°54′50″N 93°12′35″W / 44.91389°N 93.20972°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1849 house of Minneapolis pioneer John H. Stevens, site of much early civic activity. Hauled to its current location in Minnehaha Park in 1896 by teams of schoolchildren.[205] |
| Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery |  | Grand Marais 47°44′58.5″N 90°20′8″W / 47.749583°N 90.33556°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Art | Gallery featuring the art of settler Anna Johnson (1881–1944), plus rotating exhibits of local, regional, and national artists. Operated by the Cook County Historical Society.[206] |
| Joseph R. Brown Minnesota River Center |  | Henderson 47°44′58.5″N 90°20′8″W / 47.749583°N 90.33556°W | Sibley | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Displays include a replica tipi and 1850s land office, and a topographical map of the Minnesota River, plus exhibits on town founder Joseph R. Brown and riverboats. Housed in an 1879 courthouse.[207] |
| J.R. Watkins House |  | Plainview 44°10′0.4″N 92°10′12.8″W / 44.166778°N 92.170222°W | Wabasha | Southeast Minnesota | Historic house | Home from 1868 to 1885 of J.R. Watkins, founder of what is now Watkins Incorporated. Displays include period furnishings and Watkins' early products.[208] |
| Judy Garland Museum |  | Grand Rapids 47°12′21.8″N 93°31′47″W / 47.206056°N 93.52972°W | Itasca | Northeast Minnesota | Biographical | Childhood home of actress and singer Judy Garland, displaying memorabilia from her life and the film The Wizard of Oz.[209] |
| Julian H. Sleeper House |  | Saint Paul 44°56′21.5″N 93°7′43″W / 44.939306°N 93.12861°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Gilded Age decorative arts displayed in an 1884 home, exhibited by the owner by appointment. Collection was formerly the basis of the Gowie-Nonnand House Museum in New Haven, Connecticut.[210] |
| Kanabec History Center |  | Mora 45°52′27″N 93°18′28″W / 45.87417°N 93.30778°W | Kanabec | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Indoor and outdoor displays, including an Ojibwe wigwam, 1906 kitchen, telecommunications gear, several historic schoolhouses, a replica 1904 fire hall, and a 1950s caboose.[211] |
| Kandiyohi County Museum |  | Willmar 45°7′37″N 95°2′11″W / 45.12694°N 95.03639°W | Kandiyohi | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Local history displays in a former train station, plus an 1880 schoolhouse, 1893 farmhouse, and a 1923 steam locomotive.[212] |
| Karl Oskar House |  | Lindstrom 45°22′7.5″N 92°49′24.9″W / 45.368750°N 92.823583°W | Chisago | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | Swedish pioneer home that was the inspiration for author Vilhelm Moberg's The Emigrants series. Operated by the Lindstrom Historical Society in Ki-Chi-Saga Park.[213][214] |
| Karpeles Manuscript Library Duluth Museum |  | Duluth 46°47′46″N 92°5′15″W / 46.79611°N 92.08750°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | History | Rotating exhibits in a 1912 church building, one of 14 national locations of the world's largest private collection of notable manuscripts and documents.[215] |
| Katherine E. Nash Gallery | .JPG) | Minneapolis 44°58′9″N 93°14′32″W / 44.96917°N 93.24222°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) gallery devoted to exhibiting visual arts by local, regional, national, and international artists. Operated by the University of Minnesota Department of Art.[216] |
| Kensington Historical Museum | Kensington 46°46′37″N 95°41′41″W / 46.77694°N 95.69472°W | Douglas | West Minnesota | Local history | Displays and research material on local history, including the discovery of the Kensington Runestone and purported Viking exploration of North America. Operated by the Kensington Area Heritage Society.[217] | |
| Khmer Legacy Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°57′4″N 93°9′35″W / 44.95111°N 93.15972°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | Displays and research material on Cambodian history and culture[218] |
| Kittson County History Center and Museum |  | Lake Bronson 48°44′6″N 96°39′36″W / 48.73500°N 96.66000°W | Kittson | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Displays of pioneer artifacts, machinery, and antique vehicles, plus historic structures including a log cabin, schoolhouse, church, and caboose. Operated by the Kittson County Historical Society.[219] |
| Knute Nelson House |  | Alexandria 45°52′41″N 95°21′59.5″W / 45.87806°N 95.366528°W | Douglas | West Minnesota | Historic house | Home of Norwegian American politician Knute Nelson (1843–1923), Minnesota's only foreign-born governor, who later served 28 years as a U.S. Senator. Operated by the Douglas County Historical Society.[220] |
| Koochiching County and Bronko Nagurski Museum |  | International Falls 48°36′12″N 93°24′31″W / 48.60333°N 93.40861°W | Koochiching | Northeast Minnesota | Local history, sports | Displays on the area's Native American, fur trade, and economic history, plus an annex devoted to early NFL star Bronko Nagurski.[221] |
| Kremer House Library and Museum |  | Minnesota Lake 43°50′34″N 93°49′58″W / 43.84278°N 93.83278°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | 1902 Queen Anne house with local historical items and a library.[54] |
| La Crescent History Center and Apple Museum |  | La Crescent 43°49′35″N 91°18′20″W / 43.82639°N 91.30556°W | Houston | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Located in a former house, the museum contains historic items from the community and the area's apple industry. Operated by the La Crescent Area Historical Society.[222][3] |
| Lac qui Parle History Center |  | Madison 45°0′23″N 96°11′45″W / 45.00639°N 96.19583°W | Lac qui Parle | Minnesota River Valley | Open-air | Museum complex with local history displays, a 3,000-piece salt and pepper shaker collection, and farm equipment, plus an 1870s log cabin, 1880s schoolhouse, 1933 gas station, and the writing study of Minnesota poet laureate Robert Bly. Operated by the Lac qui Parle Historical Society.[223] |
| Lac qui Parle Mission |  | Montevideo 45°1′25.5″N 95°52′5.4″W / 45.023750°N 95.868167°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | History | Reconstructed 1835 mission where the first Dakota language dictionary and Bible were compiled. Operated by the Chippewa County Historical Society.[224] |
| Lake of the Woods County Museum |  | Baudette 48°42′40″N 94°35′8″W / 48.71111°N 94.58556°W | Lake of the Woods | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Displays on county topics ranging from natural history to tourism, including the Baudette Fire of 1910, plus a collection of agricultural equipment and replica buildings such as a homestead, general store, and blacksmith shop. Operated by the Lake of the Woods County Historical Society.[225] |
| Lake Superior Railroad Museum |  | Duluth 46°46′53″N 92°6′14″W / 46.78139°N 92.10389°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Railroad | Displays a large collection of locomotives, rolling stock, and other railroad equipment, plus regional history exhibits. Housed in the Duluth Depot and offering excursions on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.[226] |
| Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center |  | Duluth 46°46′47.5″N 92°5′32.5″W / 46.779861°N 92.092361°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Interprets the shipping heritage on the upper Great Lakes, with scale and full-size model ships and exhibits on the Duluth Ship Canal and Aerial Lift Bridge. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.[227] |
| The Landing – Minnesota River Heritage Park |  | Shakopee 44°48′13″N 93°29′12″W / 44.80361°N 93.48667°W | Scott | Twin Cities Metro | Living history | Historical buildings and living history demonstrations depicting the settlement of the lower Minnesota River Valley from the 1840s to the 1890s. Operated by Three Rivers Park District.[228] |
| Landmark Center |  | Saint Paul 44°56′44″N 93°5′50″W / 44.94556°N 93.09722°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Multiple | 1902 federal courthouse restored as a cultural venue, with galleries on the history of the building as well as the AAW Gallery of Wood Art, Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments, and Ramsey County Historical Society Gallery.[229] |
| Lanesboro Historical Museum |  | Lanesboro 43°43′14″N 91°58′38″W / 43.72056°N 91.97722°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Displays of local history and artifacts and an oral history phone booth.[230][231] |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum |  | Walnut Grove 44°13′27″N 95°28′20″W / 44.22417°N 95.47222°W | Redwood | Minnesota River Valley | Biographical | History of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family in Walnut Grove with historical and replica buildings, plus memorabilia from stars of the Little House on the Prairie TV series and a 250-item doll collection.[232] |
| Lawshe Memorial Museum |  | South St. Paul 44°53′30″N 93°2′13″W / 44.89167°N 93.03694°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Houses 25,000 objects and 20,000 photographs related to Dakota County history, plus an extensive research library. Operated by the Dakota County Historical Society.[233] |
| LeDuc Historic Estate |  | Hastings 44°43′44.5″N 92°51′7″W / 44.729028°N 92.85194°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | Gothic Revival mansion of a Civil War quartermaster completed in 1866, restored for tours and events. Operated by the Dakota County Historical Society.[234] |
| Legacy of the Lakes Museum |  | Alexandria 45°53′24.5″N 95°22′45.7″W / 45.890139°N 95.379361°W | Douglas | West Minnesota | Maritime | The museum opened in 2004, and moved to their current site in 2006, building an expansion in 2008. The museum features exhibits on the regional heritage of elegant lake resorts, boating, and fishing.[235] |
| Le Sueur County Historical Society Museum |  | Elysian 44°12′3.5″N 93°40′26″W / 44.200972°N 93.67389°W | Le Sueur | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Local history exhibits including Green Giant, veterinary medicine, agriculture, art, military service, and early buildings like schools, a post office, and a drug store. Operated by the Le Sueur County Historical Society in a former school.[236] |
| Lincoln County Pioneer Museum |  | Hendricks 44°30′19″N 96°25′57″W / 44.50528°N 96.43250°W | Lincoln | Southwest Minnesota | Open-air | Interprets pioneer history in the late-19th and early-20th century, with four historical buildings—a train station, school, church, and house—plus exhibits on topics like military service, agriculture, and sports.[237] |
| Linden Hill Historical Event Center |  | Little Falls 45°58′15″N 94°21′59″W / 45.97083°N 94.36639°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Historic house | Tours of Weyerhaeuser mansion tell the stories of the Musser and Weyerhaeuser families and the history of Little Falls' lumbering era.[238] |
| Longfellow House |  | Minneapolis 44°54′57.5″N 93°12′49.5″W / 44.915972°N 93.213750°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | A 1907 replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, operating as an interpretive information center run by the Minneapolis Park Board. |
| Lower Sioux Agency Interpretive Center |  | Sherman Township 44°31′36″N 94°57′31″W / 44.52667°N 94.95861°W | Redwood | Minnesota River Valley | Native American | History center and open-air museum on Dakota life before, during, and after the Dakota War of 1862. Co-managed by the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation and the Minnesota Historical Society.[239] |
| Lund–Hoel House |  | Canby 44°42′42″N 96°16′22″W / 44.71167°N 96.27278°W | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | Eclectic Victorian mansion—built in 1891 and expanded in 1900—belonging to a colorful land speculator, mayor, and bank president.[240] |
| Lyon County Museum |  | Marshall 44°26′54.5″N 95°47′21.5″W / 44.448472°N 95.789306°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | History of Lyon County from its original Dakota inhabitants onward, including a 1950s soda fountain counter and exhibits on the pop culture of the 1960s. Operated by the Lyon County Historical Society.[241] |
| Mantorville Log House |  | Mantorville 44°4′3.2″N 92°45′18.2″W / 44.067556°N 92.755056°W | Dodge | Southeast Minnesota | Historic house | The building was the cooper for the historic brewery in Mantorville. Displays feature the cooper's tools and brewery items. The upper floors are furnished in mid-1800's.[242] |
| Marshall Area Fine Arts Council | Marshall 44°26′53.3″N 95°47′22.7″W / 44.448139°N 95.789639°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Art | Gallery with changing exhibits showcasing established and emerging regional artists.[243] | |
| Martin County Historical Society Pioneer Museum |  | Fairmont 43°39′6″N 94°27′32.5″W / 43.65167°N 94.459028°W | Martin | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Permanent and changing exhibits of county history, including Fairmont Railway Motors, local music, early vehicles, pioneer housewares, fashions, and military mementos.[244] |
| Maynard History Museum |  | Maynard 44°54′27″N 95°28′10.3″W / 44.90750°N 95.469528°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Maynard History Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Maynard State Bank.[137] |
| Dr. William W. Mayo House |  | Le Sueur 44°27′43.7″N 93°54′54″W / 44.462139°N 93.91500°W | Le Sueur | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | 1859 house owned successively by Mayo Clinic founder William Worrall Mayo and three generations of the Cosgrove family who founded Green Giant. Managed by the Ney Nature Center.[245] |
| Mayowood |  | Rochester 43°59′28″N 92°31′19″W / 43.99111°N 92.52194°W | Olmsted | Southeast Minnesota | Historic house | The 23,000-square foot, thirty-eight room mansion was built in 1911 by Dr. Charlie and Edith Mayo. Now 10 acres, it was once a 3,300-acre country estate, the mansion has seen many changes over the years. Mayowood is filled with furnishings from two generations of the Mayo family's extensive travels. Owned by Mayo Clinic with tours conducted by the History Center of Olmsted County.[246][247][248] |
| McIntosh Heritage & Arts Center | McIntosh 47°38′9″N 95°53′19″W / 47.63583°N 95.88861°W | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Local history resources and artwork.[249] | |
| McLeod County Museum & Gallery |  | Hutchinson 44°53′38.5″N 94°23′47″W / 44.894028°N 94.39639°W | McLeod | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Displays on the history of McLeod County's nine communities, rotating exhibits, woodcarvings celebrating pioneer women, and the artwork of wildlife painter Les Kouba. Operated by the McLeod County Historical Society.[250] |
| Meeker County Historical Society Museum and G.A.R. Hall |  | Litchfield 45°7′45″N 94°31′35″W / 45.12917°N 94.52639°W | Meeker | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Museum containing Native American and pioneer artifacts and an 1868 log cabin, attached to an 1885 Grand Army of the Republic hall with period furnishings and Civil War memorabilia.[251] |
| Melrose Area Museum |  | Melrose 45°40′20.5″N 94°48′23.5″W / 45.672361°N 94.806528°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | Memorabilia of the area's military, business, domestic, sports, and religious history, plus a large photographic collection. Housed in a 1953 convent.[252] |
| Menahga Area Historical Society Museum | Menahga | Wadena | Central Minnesota | Local history | Their exhibits include, tools and equipment in logging and farming from the late 1800s to early 1900s, replicas of an early 1900s kitchen, parlor, and school setting. They also have a restored 1925 model T.[60] | |
| Milaca Museum |  | Milaca | Mille Lacs | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in the former WPA constructed Milaca City Hall, the museum offers local history displays and maintains an archive and library of local history documents. Operated by the Milaca Area Historical Society.[60] |
| Mill City Museum |  | Minneapolis 44°58′43.5″N 93°15′26″W / 44.978750°N 93.25722°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Industry | Interactive exhibits on the Minneapolis milling industry and its connections to the Mississippi River and the city's development. Operated by the Minnesota Historical Society in the ruins of an 1880 mill.[253] |
| Mille Lacs County Historical Society Depot Museum |  | Princeton 45°34′10″N 93°35′17″W / 45.56944°N 93.58806°W | Mille Lacs | Northeast Minnesota | Railroad | Preserved buildings and vehicles including a 1902 train station, 1856 schoolhouse, 1924 firetruck, and various train cars.[254] |
| Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post |  | Onamia 46°10′36″N 93°45′21″W / 46.17667°N 93.75583°W | Mille Lacs | Northeast Minnesota | Native American | Exhibits on the history, handicrafts, and contemporary life of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, with a restored 1930s trading post. Jointly operated by the band and the Minnesota Historical Society.[255] |
| Millersburg Schoolhouse Museum |  | Millersburg 44°25′38.3″N 93°19′39.7″W / 44.427306°N 93.327694°W | Rice | Southeast Minnesota | Education | Restored one-room schoolhouse. Operated by the Christdala Church Preservation and Cemetery Association.[256] |
| Milwaukee Road Heritage Center |  | Montevideo 44°56′29.5″N 95°43′21.5″W / 44.941528°N 95.722639°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | Railroad | Heritage of the Milwaukee Road railway in western Minnesota, with variety of rolling stock, a 1901 depot, 1913 turntable, and a model train layout depicting the year 1953.[257] |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design Galleries |  | Minneapolis 44°57′25″N 93°16′29″W / 44.95694°N 93.27472°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Several public galleries and a sculpture garden providing rotating exhibition space for student work.[258] |
| Minneapolis Institute of Art |  | Minneapolis 44°57′31″N 93°16′26″W / 44.95861°N 93.27389°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Monumental art museum containing 89,000 works spanning 20,000 years and all six inhabited continents, ranging from indigenous American and African art to contemporary work, decorative arts, and a substantial Asian collection.[259] |
| Minneapolis Sculpture Garden |  | Minneapolis 44°58′12″N 93°17′20.5″W / 44.97000°N 93.289028°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | 11-acre (4.5 ha) greenspace with 40 outdoor sculptures from the adjacent Walker Art Center's collection. Managed jointly by the Walker and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.[260] |
| Minnehaha Depot |  | Minneapolis 44°54′51″N 93°12′40.8″W / 44.91417°N 93.211333°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | 1875 train station in Minnehaha Park, with delicate "gingerbread" architecture and interior exhibits. Owned by the Minnesota Historical Society and operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.[261] |
| Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery | Minneapolis 44°59′29″N 93°18′29″W / 44.99139°N 93.30806°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | The Museum's purpose is to preserve, record and highlight the achievements, contributions and experiences of African Americans in Minnesota and is carried out through exhibits, workshops and events that educate and inform the public about the history, culture, and art of African Americans in Minnesota.[262] | |
| Minnesota Air National Guard Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°53′34″N 93°12′16″W / 44.89278°N 93.20444°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Military | History of the Minnesota Air National Guard, with 21 restored military aircraft from World War II to the present, ejection seats, flight simulators, engines, and weaponry, plus historical displays and documents. Operated by a non-profit on the grounds of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station.[263] |
| Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame Museum |  | St. Cloud 45°33′43″N 94°9′23″W / 45.56194°N 94.15639°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Sports | Memorabilia from Minnesota's numerous minor league, town, school, and club baseball teams. Housed in the River's Edge Convention Center.[264] |
| Minnesota Children's Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°56′52″N 93°5′49″W / 44.94778°N 93.09694°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Children's | |
| Minnesota Discovery Center |  | Chisholm 47°28′43″N 92°53′46″W / 47.47861°N 92.89611°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Mining | Exhibits on Iron Range industry, immigration, geology, and local-born governor Rudy Perpich, plus trolley tours of an open-pit mine, historic and replica buildings, and a research library. Formerly Ironworld Discovery Center.[265] |
| Minnesota Fishing Museum |  | Little Falls 45°58′39″N 94°22′25″W / 45.97750°N 94.37361°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Sports | Minnesota's fishing heritage interpreted through dioramas, a freshwater aquarium, and 10,000 artifacts including fishing tackle through the years and antique boat motors.[266] |
| Minnesota History Center |  | Saint Paul 44°56′59″N 93°6′20″W / 44.94972°N 93.10556°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | History | Main museum of the Minnesota Historical Society, with permanent and changing exhibits on the history of Minnesota, a research library, and event spaces.[267] |
| Minnesota Machinery Museum | Hanley Falls 44°41′31″N 95°37′10″W / 44.69194°N 95.61944°W | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota River Valley | Agriculture | Interprets rural life with a collection of tractors, farm implements, gas engines, automobiles, railroad memorabilia, and folk art housed in five buildings of a former school.[268] | |
| Minnesota Marine Art Museum |  | Winona 44°3′34.5″N 91°39′27″W / 44.059583°N 91.65750°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Art | Art museum specializing in works inspired by water, from traditional marine art to contemporary art, including paintings by Emanuel Leutze, Winslow Homer, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O'Keeffe.[269] |
| Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center |  | Bloomington 44°47′45″N 93°20′50″W / 44.79583°N 93.34722°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | History | The Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center consists of the Col. James B Ladd Museum and the Charles W. Nelson Library. The museum is 3,700 SF in six galleries and showcases the history of Masonry in Minnesota. Operated by the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Society, formerly the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society.[270] |
| Minnesota Military Museum |  | Little Falls 46°4′51″N 94°20′51″W / 46.08083°N 94.34750°W | Morrison | Central Minnesota | Military | Interprets Minnesota's military history from its frontier forts to the present, and the experiences of Minnesotans in all branches of service. Operated by the Military Historical Society of Minnesota on the grounds of Camp Ripley.[271] |
| Minnesota Museum of American Art |  | Saint Paul 44°56′49″N 93°5′24″W / 44.94694°N 93.09000°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Houses a 4,000-piece collection of American artwork and studio crafts, including numerous pieces by Minnesota artists Paul Manship, George Morrison, and Wing Young Huie. Currently located in the Pioneer Building.[271] |
| Minnesota Museum of Mining |  | Chisholm 47°29′20″N 92°53′28″W / 47.48889°N 92.89111°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Mining | 15-acre (6.1 ha) museum to the mining industry of the Iron Range and its workers, with indoor exhibits, original heavy equipment, a rock and mineral collection, a replica town, and a simulated underground mine.[272] |
| Minnesota Music Hall of Fame |  | New Ulm 44°18′47.5″N 94°27′42″W / 44.313194°N 94.46167°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Music | Memorabilia and photographs honoring major contributors to Minnesota's music scenes, including Bob Dylan, Prince, Whoopee John Wilfahrt, Harold Loeffelmacher, the Andrews Sisters, Judy Garland, as well as ethnic music like polka.[273] |
| Minnesota Newspaper Museum |  | Falcon Heights 44°58′58.5″N 93°10′4″W / 44.982917°N 93.16778°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | History | Publishes a newspaper on old press machinery as a public demonstration during the Minnesota State Fair |
| Minnesota Pioneer Park | Annandale 45°15′19″N 94°6′38″W / 45.25528°N 94.11056°W | Wright | Twin Cities Metro | Open-air | Pioneer heritage of Central Minnesota depicted through an 1884 log cabin, 1886 church, 1886 train station, 1886 caboose, 1892 town hall, replicas of a sod house and typical small town businesses, and indoor exhibits.[274] | |
| Minnesota State Capitol |  | Saint Paul 44°57′19″N 93°6′8″W / 44.95528°N 93.10222°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | History | 1905 capitol building interpreted through tours led by the Minnesota Historical Society.[275] |
| Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum |  | Owatonna 44°5′22″N 93°14′18″W / 44.08944°N 93.23833°W | Steele | Southeast Minnesota | History | Exhibit hall and campus tours of Minnesota's only state-run orphanage, home to over 10,000 children from 1886 to 1945.[276] |
| Minnesota Streetcar Museum |  | Minneapolis 45°55′39.3″N 93°18′34″W / 45.927583°N 93.30944°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Transportation | Heritage streetcar organization with restored trams operating on the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in Minneapolis and another in Excelsior, plus a collection of artifacts and documents on streetcar history in Minnesota.[277] |
| Minnesota Territorial Pioneers Cabin |  | Falcon Heights 44°58′45″N 93°10′15.3″W / 44.97917°N 93.170917°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Minnesota Territorial Pioneers, whose members trace their ancestry to the pioneers who settled in the Minnesota Territory before the state of Minnesota was admitted to the union in 1858, operate a museum during the Minnesota State Fair.[278][279] |
| Minnesota Transportation Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°57′45″N 93°5′44″W / 44.96250°N 93.09556°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Transportation | 50 vintage train cars, classic buses, and interactive displays on regional transportation history in a 1907 roundhouse, plus various rides and tours.[280] |
| Minnesota Veterinary Historical Museum |  | Falcon Heights 44°58′57″N 93°11′2″W / 44.98250°N 93.18389°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Medical | Instruments, documents, and other memorabilia depicting the progress of veterinary medicine in Minnesota and the pioneering individuals behind it. Operated by the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota–St. Paul Campus.[281] |
| Mitson House Museum |  | Canton 43°31′56.7″N 91°55′48″W / 43.532417°N 91.93000°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Built in 1882, the former residence is now serves as a museum for the Canton Historical Society.[60] |
| Moose Lake Agate and Geological Center |  | Moose Lake 46°26′9″N 92°44′10″W / 46.43583°N 92.73611°W | Carlton | Northeast Minnesota | Geology | Exhibit hall on Lake Superior agates (the state gemstone) and the geology of Minnesota. Operated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Moose Lake State Park.[282] |
| Moose Lake Area Historical Society and Fires of 1918 Museum |  | Moose Lake 46°27′14″N 92°46′7″W / 46.45389°N 92.76861°W | Carlton | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | 1907 train station and adjacent building housing permanent and rotating exhibits, including the 1918 Cloquet Fire, railroads, a 1920s kitchen, local church memorabilia, and vintage clothing.[283] |
| Mountain Lake Heritage Village | Mountain Lake 43°56′6″N 94°55′5″W / 43.93500°N 94.91806°W | Cottonwood | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Buildings and items relating to homes, churches, schools, agriculture, and various other businesses.[60] | |
| Mower County Historical Society |  | Austin 43°39′38″N 92°59′25″W / 43.66056°N 92.99028°W | Mower | Southeast Minnesota | Open-air | Historic buildings—including a one-room schoolhouse and the original 1892 home of Hormel—plus indoor exhibits and a research library.[284] |
| Murray County Historical Museum |  | Slayton 43°59′1″N 95°45′22″W / 43.98361°N 95.75611°W | Murray | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Maintains a 10,000-strong collection of local heritage items, including vital records, antique agricultural equipment like a Caterpillar Sixty, and an 1872 log cabin.[285] |
| Museum of Lake Minnetonka |  | Excelsior 44°54′13″N 93°33′57″W / 44.90361°N 93.56583°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Maritime | Steamboat that operated on Lake Minnetonka from 1906 to 1926, when it was scuttled, but rediscovered and salvaged in 1980 and now restored for regular heritage cruises.[286] |
| Museum of Russian Art |  | Minneapolis 44°54′12″N 93°16′34″W / 44.90333°N 93.27611°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | North America's only museum dedicated to the art of Russia, with a core collection of 20th-century Realist paintings plus varied temporary exhibits. Housed in a 1935 Spanish Colonial Revival church building.[287] |
| National Eagle Center |  | Wabasha 44°23′3″N 92°1′53″W / 44.38417°N 92.03139°W | Wabasha | Southeast Minnesota | Natural history | Live rehabilitated eagles and eagle, wildlife, and conservation exhibits |
| Nibi Washkesh Deer Creek Museum | Deer Creek 46°23′27″N 95°19′17.5″W / 46.39083°N 95.321528°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Local history | Operating since 1999, the museum is currently located in the building that was the original Deer Creek Fire Hall built in 1906 and features displays on local history.[288][289] | |
| Nisswa History Center and Pioneer Village |  | Nisswa 46°31′20″N 94°17′26″W / 46.52222°N 94.29056°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Open-air | Buildings and gardens representing local life at the turn of the 20th century, plus a restored train station and caboose. Operated by the Nisswa Area Historical Society.[290] |
| Nelimark Homestead Museum |  | Embarrass 47°39′45″N 92°11′48″W / 47.66250°N 92.19667°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Open-air | Operated by SISU Heritage, the site includes historic log buildings and displays on the area's Finnish American heritage.[291] |
| Nemeth Art Center |  | Park Rapids 46°55′11″N 95°3′53.5″W / 46.91972°N 95.064861°W | Hubbard | Central Minnesota | Art | Displays a permanent collection of 42 European paintings dating back to the 16th century, plus seasonal exhibits of contemporary art. Housed in the former Hubbard County Courthouse.[292] |
| New Brighton History Center |  | New Brighton 45°4′45″N 93°11′49″W / 45.07917°N 93.19694°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | An 1887 railroad depot museum of railroad artifacts, historical pictures, area maps, caboose, railroad work cart, baggage carts and mail cart, operated by the New Brighton Historical Society.[293] |
| New York Mills Regional Cultural Center | New York Mills 46°31′7.2″N 95°22′32″W / 46.518667°N 95.37556°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Art | Rural art and culture center, changing art exhibits, and the Great American Think-Off.[294] | |
| Nobles County Heritage Center |  | Worthington 43°37′18″N 95°35′18″W / 43.62167°N 95.58833°W | Nobles | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Nobles County Historical Society, it is housed in the former Nobles County Armory Building and features a research center as well as a permanent and variety of temporary exhibits and maintains a collections of documents, manuscripts, photographs and three-dimensional objects.[295] |
| Nobles County Pioneer Village |  | Worthington | Nobles | Southwest Minnesota | Open-air | Pioneer Village contains roughly 40 restored and replicated structures reflecting aspects of life from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Included are churches, a bank, general store, rural schoolhouse, hospital, railroad depot, caboose, saloon and several houses, offices and trade shops. Operated by the Nobles County Historical Society.[296] |
| North Beltrami Heritage Center |  | Kelliher | Beltrami | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | North Beltrami Heritage Center was established in 2000 and is located in the city's Old Auditorium building. In addition to displays the Heritage Center has a sculpture garden that was added along the north side and east end of the building incorporating historical farming equipment, scrap-metal sculptures created by local students.[297][47] |
| North American Bear Center |  | Ely 47°53′55″N 91°53′15″W / 47.89861°N 91.88750°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Natural history | Exhibits on the natural history of North American bears and North Woods wildlife, with live American black bears in a 2.5-acre (1 ha) natural enclosure.[298] |
| North Oaks Farm |  | North Oaks 45°5′33″N 93°6′33″W / 45.09250°N 93.10917°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Agriculture | Preservation of the history and remaining buildings of railroad industrialist, James J. Hill's North Oaks Farm. Operated by the Hill Farm Historical Society. |
| North St. Paul Historical Society Museum |  | North St. Paul 45°0′54.4″N 92°59′11.7″W / 45.015111°N 92.986583°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Promotes awareness of the area through historical artifacts.[299] |
| North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum |  | Tofte 47°34′34″N 90°49′53.5″W / 47.57611°N 90.831528°W | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Industry, maritime | Exhibits celebrating the people and technology that established commercial fishing on the harsh North Shore of Lake Superior. Operated by the Tofte Historical Society.[300] |
| North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting |  | North St. Paul 45°0′52″N 92°59′15″W / 45.01444°N 92.98750°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Scouting | Collection of over 150,000 items on the history of scouting in the Upper Midwest.[301] |
| Northfield Historical Society Museum |  | Northfield 44°27′21″N 93°9′37.5″W / 44.45583°N 93.160417°W | Rice | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in the last bank Jesse James tried to rob.[302] |
| Northwest Airlines History Center |  | Bloomington | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Northwest Airlines History Center is located on the third floor of the Crowne Plaza Aire hotel in Bloomington and features exhibits that highlight the history of Northwest Airlines, which merged with Delta Airlines.[303][304] |
| M.T. Gunderson Home |  | Kenyon | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | The house museum serves as the location of the Kenyon Area Historical Society. The house is fully furnished from the time period when the house was built in 1895. |
| Old Home Town Museum |  | Stephen 48°26′59.5″N 96°52′47.5″W / 48.449861°N 96.879861°W | Marshall | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | A 1916 foursquare house, early farm tools, a replica stagecoach, and a doll collection.[305] |
| Old Town Hall History Museum |  | Bloomington 44°49′8″N 93°18′33″W / 44.81889°N 93.30917°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Operated by the Bloomington Historical Society.[306] |
| Oliver Kelley Farm |  | Elk River 45°15′27″N 93°32′16″W / 45.25750°N 93.53778°W | Sherburne | Twin Cities Metro | Agriculture, living history | 1860s working farm |
| Osakis Area Heritage Center | Osakis 45°52′5.5″N 95°9′7″W / 45.868194°N 95.15194°W | Douglas | West Minnesota | Local history | Collection includes family and county histories, maps, photographs, and newspapers.[307] | |
| Otter Tail County Historical Museum |  | Fergus Falls 46°17′3″N 96°5′44″W / 46.28417°N 96.09556°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits include dioramas and period rooms featuring area natural history, Native Americans, European settlement, agriculture and farm life, and a recreation of a 1910s Main Street.[308] |
| Owatonna Arts Center | Owatonna 44°5′22″N 93°14′20″W / 44.08944°N 93.23889°W | Steele | Southeast Minnesota | Art | Located on the campus of the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children (see separate entry above) | |
| Paisley Park |  | Chanhassen | Carver | Twin Cities Metro | Biographical | A guided tour takes you through Prince’s private estate and production complex including the studios where Prince recorded and produced music, his private NPG Music Club, soundstage, and concert hall. |
| Pavek Museum of Broadcasting |  | St. Louis Park 44°56′20.5″N 93°20′37″W / 44.939028°N 93.34361°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Technology | Vintage radio and television equipment |
| Paynesville Area Museum |  | Paynesville 45°22′53″N 94°42′12″W / 45.38139°N 94.70333°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | Two buildings with local history displays plus two restored buildings: an old country school and a church. Operated by the Paynesville Area Historical Society.[309] |
| Pequot Lakes Area Historical Society Museum |  | Pequot Lakes 46°36′13″N 94°18′51″W / 46.60361°N 94.31417°W | Crow Wing | Central Minnesota | Local history | The museum is located on the lower level of the historic Cole Memorial Building. Museum exhibits are lifestyle memorabilia from the early 1930s to 1940s. Exhibits also showcase different site buildings including an old schoolhouse, a general store, and an old theater. A military section that contains past artifacts from both the First and Second World Wars is also exhibited.[310][311] |
| Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village |  | Thief River Falls 48°6′31″N 96°11′19″W / 48.10861°N 96.18861°W | Pennington | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Operated by the Pennington County Historical Society, replica early 20th century village including two railroad depots, one-room schoolhouse, church, log houses, general store, two-story Victorian house, blacksmith shop and barber shop. |
| Peterson Station Museum |  | Peterson 43°47′11″N 91°49′57″W / 43.78639°N 91.83250°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and research material in an 1877 train station, relocated from abandoned rail line (now part of the Root River State Trail) to Mill Street, the village's main thoroughfare[312] |
| Phelps Mill |  | Underwood 46°22′50″N 95°49′14″W / 46.38056°N 95.82056°W | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | Industry | Turn-of-the-20th-century flour mill is open for seasonal self-guided tours.[313] |
| Pickwick Mill |  | Pickwick 43°58′49.4″N 91°29′48.2″W / 43.980389°N 91.496722°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Industry | Built from 1856 to 1858 it is one of the oldest flour mills found in southeast Minnesota. It is open for tours from May to October.[314][315] |
| Pine County History Museum |  | Askov 46°11′19.83″N 92°46′19.83″W / 46.1888417°N 92.7721750°W | Pine | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Pine County Historical Society the museum and is housed in a former high school building. They operate the Little Mermaid Cafe within the building. The museum collections include five pump organs and a wooden 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis. The museum includes a library containing biographies of Pine County residents, and township records.[316][317] |
| Pine Island Area History Center |  | Pine Island 44°12′22″N 92°38′47.5″W / 44.20611°N 92.646528°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Pine Island Historical Society |
| Pine River Depot Museum |  | Pine River | Cass County | Central Minnesota | Local history | Built in 1895 as a railroad depot, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the museum tells the story of the greater Pine River area. Operated by the Heritage Group North, Inc.[318][137] |
| Pipestone County Museum |  | Pipestone 44°0′0.2″N 96°19′3″W / 44.000056°N 96.31750°W | Pipestone | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits on local firefighting, railroad, and World War I history. Operated by the Pipestone County Historical Society in a former city hall, with a circa-1880 one-room schoolhouse off-site.[319] |
| Pipestone National Monument |  | Pipestone 44°0′48″N 96°19′31″W / 44.01333°N 96.32528°W | Pipestone | Southwest Minnesota | Native American | Site where many Native American tribes have long quarried catlinite for ceremonial pipes, with interpretive trails, indoor exhibits, and live demonstrations by native craftspeople. Operated by the National Park Service.[320] |
| Plainview Area History Center |  | Plainview 44°9′51.5″N 92°10′18″W / 44.164306°N 92.17167°W | Wabasha | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in a former church[321] |
| Plank Museum and Visitor Center |  | Fort Snelling | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Military | Part of the Historic Fort Snelling complex, it is housed in a rehabilitated 1904 cavalry barracks and contains exhibit spaces and galleries, meeting rooms, and classrooms. It expands the history of Fort Snelling beyond the 1820s fort.[322][323] |
| Plymouth History Museum |  | Plymouth 45°1′19.5″N 93°27′42.5″W / 45.022083°N 93.461806°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Housed in the former 1885 Plymouth Town Hall, the museum offers local history displays and maintains an archive of local history objects and documents. Operated by the Plymouth Historical Society.[324][3] |
| Polaris Experience Center |  | Roseau 48°50′41″N 95°46′9″W / 48.84472°N 95.76917°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Industry | The 5,600 square foot Polaris Experience Center offers exhibits such as the second snowmobile ever made in 1956 and activities for visitors to learn more about the company, Polaris Industries (manufacturer of snowmobiles, ATVs, motorbikes and other vehicles), its history, and its growth throughout the years. |
| Polish Cultural Institute and Museum |  | Winona 44°3′2.7″N 91°37′40.8″W / 44.050750°N 91.628000°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Ethnic | Preserves and interprets the 150-year history of Kashubian Americans. Housed in an 1890 office building.[325] |
| Polk County Museum |  | Crookston 47°45′55″N 96°35′47″W / 47.76528°N 96.59639°W | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Operated by the Polk County Historical Society, includes museum with period room displays, household items, general store, doctor's office, barbershop, communications center (telephone and switchboard center), an 1870 log house, two room prairie house, blacksmith shop, a one-room school house and a church |
| Pope County Museum & History Center |  | Glenwood 45°38′31″N 95°23′10″W / 45.64194°N 95.38611°W | Pope | West Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Pope County Historical Society |
| Pottery Museum of Red Wing |  | Red Wing 44°33′47.5″N 92°33′31″W / 44.563194°N 92.55861°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Pottery | Examples of Red Wing Pottery, operated by the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation. Housed in Pottery Place Annex, Red Wing, MN. |
| Prairie Village |  | Ada 47°17′44″N 96°31′40″W / 47.29556°N 96.52778°W | Norman | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Operated by the Norman County Minnesota Historical Society, 12 historic buildings that tell the story of the county's beginning[326][327] |
| Preston Open Air History Museum |  | Preston | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Open-air | The site is home to a 1902 Milwaukee Elevator Co. grain building, a restored 1939 Milwaukee Road boxcar, and a 1951 caboose and consists of interpretive signage telling about the connection of agriculture, the railroad, and its significance to Preston. Operated by the Preston Historical Society.[328][329] |
| Prospect House & Civil War Museum |  | Battle Lake | Otter Tail | West Minnesota | House museum | Built in 1882 the house museum features the Civil War Museum in the lower level. |
| Probstfield Farm |  | Moorhead | Clay | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Probstfield Farm is the site of the oldest standing home in the Red River Valley. The farm features several historic buildings, working antique tractors and machinery.[60] |
| Proctor Area Historical Society Museum |  | Proctor | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | The museum building originally was the Duluth, Missabe & Northern (DM&N) car shop superintendent's office and was moved from the Proctor rail yard to it current location in 2011. The museum features the Proctor area and its railroad history with rotating historical exhibits and a scale model of the DM&IR railroad.[330][331] |
| Purcell-Cutts House |  | Minneapolis 44°57′33.3″N 93°18′3″W / 44.959250°N 93.30083°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | 1913 Prairie School style house, operated by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
| Ramsey County Historical Society Gallery |  | Saint Paul 44°56′45″N 93°5′49.5″W / 44.94583°N 93.097083°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Located in the North Lobby of the Landmark Center |
| Rapidan Area Museum |  | Mankato | Blue Earth County | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | The 5,000-square-foot museum is housed in the former St. John Lutheran Church built in 1951. The museum features eight exhibits showcasing the local history of the area. Additionally, the museum offers a versatile "Heritage Hall" utilized for various programs and meetings.[332] |
| Rapidan Depot Museum |  | Mankato | Blue Earth County | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Located in a Milwaukee depot building. Built in 1906, the building consists of three rooms—waiting, office and freight room. The building was moved in 1958 to a nearby farm and used for storage until it was moved back to Rapidan in May 2002 and restorated by the Rapidan Heritage Society for use as their museum.[333][47] |
| Raptor Ridge Museum | Spicer | Kandiyohi | Minnesota River Valley | Natural history | Private collection of Native American artifacts, dinosaur bones and fossils, seashells, butterflies, rocks and minerals[334] | |
| Red River History Museum |  | Shelly 47°27′29″N 96°48′59″W / 47.45806°N 96.81639°W | Norman | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Includes 3 working looms, exhibits on local doctors, schools, military uniforms and old toys, operated by the Norman County Historical Society in a former school[326][327] |
| Northwest Minnesota Sugarbeet Museum |  | Crookston 47°45′41″N 96°35′43″W / 47.76139°N 96.59528°W | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Agriculture | Sugarbeet and agriculture related equipment and memorabilia |
| Red Wing Marine Museum |  | Red Wing 44°33′51″N 92°32′34″W / 44.56417°N 92.54278°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Industry | A collection of boat motors manufactured by a notable local company in operation 1902–1979, plus rotating exhibits on boat and river history, housed in an 1884 waterworks.[335] |
| Red Wing Shoes Museum |  | Red Wing | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Industry | The museum features hands on displays, a Wall of Honor, and a Norman Rockwell gallery featuring original art from 1960s footwear ads. On display is the world's largest boot over 20' high.[336] |
| Redwood County Museum |  | Redwood Falls 44°32′39.5″N 95°8′3″W / 44.544306°N 95.13417°W | Redwood | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Operated by the Redwood County Historical Society, includes period rooms, artifacts of local history and culture |
| R. D. Hubbard House |  | Mankato 44°9′42″N 94°0′18″W / 44.16167°N 94.00500°W | Blue Earth | Minnesota River Valley | Historic house | Victorian period house, operated by the Blue Earth County Historical Society |
| Renville County Historical Museum |  | Morton 44°33′20″N 94°59′2″W / 44.55556°N 94.98389°W | Renville | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Operated by the Renville County Historical Society[337][338] |
| Rice County Museum of History |  | Faribault 44°18′37.5″N 93°16′24″W / 44.310417°N 93.27333°W | Rice | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Rice County Historical Society, exhibits include a Main Street business display, notable residents, natural history, military history, Sellner Manufacturing |
| Richfield History Center and Bartholomew House |  | Richfield 44°52′40″N 93°17′18″W / 44.87778°N 93.28833°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history, historic house | Offers local history displays and tours of the city's oldest house, built in 1852 for Riley Bartholomew. Operated by the Richfield Historical Society.[339] |
| Robbinsdale Historical Museum |  | Robbinsdale | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | In 1998 the Robbinsdale Historical Society moved into the old Robbinsdale Library building. The museum showcases an array of artifacts, photographs, and documents telling the story of Robbinsdale.[340][341] |
| Rochester Art Center |  | Rochester 44°1′17″N 92°27′30″W / 44.02139°N 92.45833°W | Olmsted | Southeast Minnesota | Art | Changing exhibits of contemporary art |
| Rock County Historical Museum |  | Luverne 43°39′14″N 96°12′20″W / 43.65389°N 96.20556°W | Rock | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Local history exhibits housed in a former auto showroom. The Rock County Historical Society also manages original and replica buildings at the county fairgrounds and an 1892 house.[342] |
| Rollingstone Luxembourg Heritage Museum |  | Rollingstone 44°5′51″N 91°49′4″W / 44.09750°N 91.81778°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts of a Luxembourg American community, housed in a 1900 municipal hall.[343] |
| Roseau County Museum and Interpretive Center |  | Roseau 48°50′48″N 95°45′42″W / 48.84667°N 95.76167°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Roseau County Historical Society |
| Roseau Pioneer Farm and Village | Roseau 48°50′59″N 95°49′6″W / 48.84972°N 95.81833°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Includes over 15 historic buildings | |
| Rourke Art Museum |  | Moorhead 46°52′25″N 96°46′17″W / 46.87361°N 96.77139°W | Clay | Northwest Minnesota | Art | Works from around the world and many traditions |
| Runestone Museum |  | Alexandria 45°53′25″N 95°22′41″W / 45.89028°N 95.37806°W | Douglas | West Minnesota | Open-air | Includes Kensington Runestone, pioneer period rooms, Minnesota natural history dioramas, early photos, Norse history, Native American exhibit, and restored Fort Alexandria with school and general store |
| Rural America Arts Center |  | Plainview | Wabasha | Southeast Minnesota | Art | Started in 2004 the center is home to the Greenwood Prairie Art Gallery. Throughout the year it features exhibits of visual artwork by regional painters, sculptors, drawing artists, and photographers.[344] |
| Rural Heritage Museum |  | St. Charles 43°58′11″N 92°4′18″W / 43.96972°N 92.07167°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Open-air | Historic schoolhouse, log cabin, and log barn, plus an exhibit building with local artifacts. Operated by the Winona County Historical Society at the county fairgrounds.[345] |
| Rural School Museum |  | Pine City | Pine | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | The schoolhouse was built in 1908. In 1972 was restored and moved to Pine City and is used as museum. One week school sessions take place in June and are open to children in grades one to eight. The children study reading, writing and arithmetic from textbooks dating back to the 1890’s.[346] |
| Rushford Depot Museum |  | Rushford | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Built in 1867 by the Southern Minnesota Railroad Rushford Depot is the oldest two-story railroad station remaining on its original site. |
| St. Francis Xavier Church |  | Chippewa City | Cook | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | St. Francis Xavier Church. Constructed in 1895 in the Ojibwe community of Chippewa City, Minnesota it is listed on the NRHP. Operated by the Cook County Historical Society.[347][30] |
| St. James Historical Society & Museum | St. James 43°58′48.5″N 94°37′36″W / 43.980139°N 94.62667°W | Watonwan | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Museum of local artifacts and adjacent 1883 church.[348] | |
| St. Joseph Area Historical Society Museum | St. Joseph | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | The museum consists of photos, tools, postcards, clothes, and other antiquities that show the progression of the local area.[60] | |
| St. Louis County Historical Society Museum | | Duluth 46°46′53″N 92°6′15″W / 46.78139°N 92.10417°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Part of the Duluth Depot |
| St. Peter State Hospital Museum |  | St. Peter 44°18′19.5″N 93°58′40″W / 44.305417°N 93.97778°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | Medical | On the grounds of the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center and residing in the old 1866 administration building of the "Minnesota Hospital for the Insane", the St Peter State Hospital Museum showcases the history of Minnesota's first and oldest state hospital which opened in 1866 to serve the mentally ill and mentally ill and dangerous. Exhibits also display the history of Minnesota's state hospital system.[349][350] |
| Sand Hill Settlement |  | Climax | Polk | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | The 1871 homestead of Ole O. Estenson, a pioneer in the Red River Valley. The homestead includes the Estenson’s barn and cabin. Operated by the Sand Hill Settlement Historical Society.[351] |
| Sandstone History and Art Center |  | Sandstone | Pine | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in a former historic commercial building, the museum has displays on 1894 fire, quarries, railroads, Native Americans in Sandstone area. The facility also contains a research center.[352][353] |
| Sauk Centre Area Historical Society Museum |  | Sauk Centre 45°44′5.6″N 94°57′8.5″W / 45.734889°N 94.952361°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and research material housed in a 1904 Carnegie library.[354][355] |
| Saum Schools |   | Battle Township 47°58′35″N 94°40′34″W / 47.97639°N 94.67611°W | Beltrami | Northwest Minnesota | Education | The one-room log school built was in 1903. It was replaced by a 1912 two-story frame schoolhouse and operated as one of Minnesota's first consolidated schools until it closed in 1960. The building is operated as a museum and community center by the Saum Community Club, Inc.[356][357] |
| Schech Mill |  | Caledonia 43°40′2″N 91°34′50″W / 43.66722°N 91.58056°W | Houston | Southeast Minnesota | Industry | Late-19th-century working watermill |
| Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments |  | Saint Paul 44°56′44″N 93°5′50″W / 44.94556°N 93.09722°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Music | Located in the Landmark Center, historic music instruments, letters and other documents of music history |
| Schwanke Car, Tractor and Truck Museum | .jpg) | Willmar 45°5′40.5″N 95°2′43″W / 45.094583°N 95.04528°W | Kandiyohi | Minnesota River Valley | Transportation | Private collection of tractors, cars, trucks, gas engines, gas pumps, signs and more |
| Science Museum of Minnesota |  | Saint Paul 44°56′33″N 93°5′55″W / 44.94250°N 93.09861°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Science | |
| Settler's Square Museum |  | Warren 48°12′0″N 96°45′37″W / 48.20000°N 96.76028°W | Marshall | Northwest Minnesota | Open-air | Operated by the Marshall County Historical Society, depicts an 1880s street with store fronts, antique farm machinery and the UFO Sheriff's car of Marshall County |
| The Shed | Warroad 48°54′49″N 95°19′45.5″W / 48.91361°N 95.329306°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Automobile | Open by appointment, collection of classic and muscle cars, automotive, sports and music memorabilia | |
| Sherburne History Center |  | Becker 45°24′51″N 93°53′25″W / 45.41417°N 93.89028°W | Sherburne | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | |
| Sibley County Historical Society Museum |  | Henderson 44°31′41″N 93°54′38″W / 44.52806°N 93.91056°W | Sibley | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Located in the 1880s August F. Poehler House |
| Sibley Historic Site |   | Mendota 44°53′16″N 93°9′58″W / 44.88778°N 93.16611°W | Dakota | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | American Fur Company trading post, homes of Henry Hastings Sibley and Jean-Baptiste Faribault, operated by the Minnesota Historical Society |
| Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home |  | Sauk Centre 45°44′14.2″N 94°57′26.5″W / 45.737278°N 94.957361°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Biographical | Boyhood home and museum about author Sinclair Lewis |
| Sleepy Eye Depot Museum |  | Sleepy Eye 44°17′54″N 94°43′25″W / 44.29833°N 94.72361°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | The Museum displays historical artifacts related to the city's founding, as well as notable city events and figures. Next to the museum there is a granite monument marking the burial site of the town's namesake, Chief Ish Tal Ha Ba or Sleepy Eyes. Operated by the Sleepy Eye Area Historical Society.[358][359] |
| Snake River Fur Post |  | Pine City 45°49′17″N 93°0′41″W / 45.82139°N 93.01139°W | Pine | Northeast Minnesota | Living history | Reconstructed post from the winter of 1804-05 |
| Somali Museum of Minnesota |  | Minneapolis 44°56′55″N 93°15′11″W / 44.94861°N 93.25306°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Ethnic | Somali and East African heritage |
| Soudan Underground Mine State Park |  | Breitung Township 47°49′10″N 92°14′30″W / 47.81944°N 92.24167°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Mining | Tours of Minnesota's oldest, deepest and richest iron mine |
| Springfield Museum | Springfield | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | The Springfield Museum is home to the Springfield Area Historical Society's collection of historical artifacts, records, and other information.[360][65] | |
| SMSU Art Museum | Marshall 44°27′17″N 95°45′33″W / 44.45472°N 95.75917°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Art | Part of Southwest Minnesota State University, two galleries and displays around campus[361] | |
| SMSU Museum of Indigenous Americans | Marshall 44°27′23″N 95°45′34″W / 44.45639°N 95.75944°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Art | Part of Southwest Minnesota State University, Native American artifacts including pottery, artwork, baskets, projectile points[362] | |
| SMSU Natural History Museum | Marshall 44°27′21″N 95°45′37″W / 44.45583°N 95.76028°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Natural history | Part of Southwest Minnesota State University, plants and animals of southwest Minnesota[363] | |
| Spam Museum |  | Austin 43°40′10″N 92°58′28″W / 43.66944°N 92.97444°W | Mower | Southeast Minnesota | Food | A museum about Spam owned and operated by the Hormel Company. |
| Spirit of Peace Indian Museum | Pipestone | Pipestone | Southwest Minnesota | Native American | Exhibits on the local history of quarrying and making ceremonial pipes. Dakota-owned and operated.[364] | |
| Split Rock Lighthouse |  | Two Harbors 47°12′0″N 91°22′1″W / 47.20000°N 91.36694°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Includes the original tower and lens, the fog signal building, the oil house, and the three keepers' houses |
| Spring Valley Methodist Church Museum |  | Spring Valley 43°41′17″N 92°23′34.7″W / 43.68806°N 92.392972°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Housed in former church attended by the family of Laura Ingalls Wilder, local history exhibits, operated by the Spring Valley Community Historical Society |
| Stans Historical Museum |  | Shakopee 44°47′48″N 93°31′39″W / 44.79667°N 93.52750°W | Scott | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Permanent and rotating exhibits on Scott County history, including the Dakota people and Shakopee-born government official Maurice Stans, and the 1908 Stans home. Operated by the Scott County Historical Society.[365] |
| Starbuck Depot and Museums |  | Starbuck 45°36′42″N 95°31′50″W / 45.61167°N 95.53056°W | Pope | West Minnesota | Local History, Open-Air | The campus consists of a depot museum, a schoolhouse museum, a turn-of-the-century threshing kitchen, Skoglund Building - formerly the office of the Standard Lumber Company, and a historic marker at the site where the world's largest lefse was created.[366][329] |
| Minnesota State Fair History & Heritage Center |  | Falcon Heights 44°58′53″N 93°10′34″W / 44.98139°N 93.17611°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | History | History of the Minnesota State Fair[367] |
| Stearns History Museum |  | St. Cloud 45°32′51″N 94°12′9″W / 45.54750°N 94.20250°W | Stearns | Central Minnesota | Local history | Two-story museum of Stearns County history, established in 1982 within a 100-acre (40 ha) park.[368] |
| Steele County History Center |  | Owatonna 44°4′7″N 93°13′4″W / 44.06861°N 93.21778°W | Steele | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | The history center features a rotating exhibit hall, genealogy research room, event center, meeting rooms and a gift shop;adjacent to the Village of Yesteryear.[369] |
| Stevens County Historical Museum |  | Morris 45°35′8.5″N 95°55′4″W / 45.585694°N 95.91778°W | Stevens | West Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Stevens County Historical Society |
| Stone House Museum |  | Marine on St. Croix 45°12′0.4″N 92°46′17.8″W / 45.200111°N 92.771611°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Local artifacts housed in an 1872 building constructed as a town hall and jail.[370] |
| Swensson Farm Museum |  | Montevideo 44°52′44″N 95°35′32″W / 44.87889°N 95.59222°W | Chippewa | Minnesota River Valley | Agriculture | 17-acre (6.9 ha) farmstead of an innovative Swedish immigrant, with a 22-room brick farmhouse and 1880s barn. Operated by the Chippewa County Historical Society.[176] |
| Swift County History Museum |  | Benson 45°18′37″N 95°36′55″W / 45.31028°N 95.61528°W | Swift | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Interprets local history with period rooms, themed exhibits, model buildings, and displays by decade up to the 1990s. Operated by the Swift County Historical Society.[371] |
| Terrace Mill |  | Sedan 45°30′39″N 95°19′15″W / 45.51083°N 95.32083°W | Pope | West Minnesota | Open-air | Includes 1903 flour mill, 1870s log cabin, cottage with Scandinavian furnishings and folk art, located in the Terrace Mill Historic District |
| Todd County Historical Museum |  | Long Prairie 45°58′26″N 94°51′34″W / 45.97389°N 94.85944°W | Todd | Central Minnesota | Local history | Education and research center on Todd County history[372] |
| Toimi Community School | Brimson 47°23′59″N 91°45′22″W / 47.39972°N 91.75611°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Local History | A historic one-room school house with attached teacherage built in 1909 by Finnish immigrants that settled in Northern Minnesota. | |
| Tower Train Museum |  | Tower 47°48′16″N 92°16′45″W / 47.80444°N 92.27917°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Railroad | Housed in a 1916 former passenger railroad depot listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it includes a 1910 Duluth and Iron Range Railway class K-1 2-8-0 (number 1218) steam locomotive, and displays on mining, logging, early settlments as well as historical documents relating to Tower-Soudan and Lake Vermilion area. Operated by the Tower-Soudan Historical Society.[373] |
| Traverse County Historical Society Museum |  | Wheaton 45°48′16.5″N 96°30′0.5″W / 45.804583°N 96.500139°W | Traverse | West Minnesota | Local history | Includes replicas of a meat market, a dentist's office, home living quarters and a general store[374] |
| Treaty Site History Center |  | St. Peter 44°20′56″N 93°57′1″W / 44.34889°N 93.95028°W | Nicollet | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Operated by the Nicollet County Historical Society, includes exhibits about the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux |
| Tri River Pioneer Museum |  | Plummer 47°54′39″N 96°2′23.5″W / 47.91083°N 96.039861°W | Red Lake | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Tri River Museum was established in 2006 to preserve the history and artifacts of the Tri River area which includes the Clearwater River, Red Lake River, and the Lost River.[375][30] |
| Tweed Museum of Art |  | Duluth 46°49′7″N 92°5′4″W / 46.81861°N 92.08444°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Art | Part of University of Minnesota Duluth, strengths in American landscape painting |
| Twin City Model Railroad Museum |  | Saint Paul 44°57′39″N 93°11′8″W / 44.96083°N 93.18556°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | |
| Twin Valley Heritage & Art Center | Twin Valley 47°15′39.5″N 96°15′30.7″W / 47.260972°N 96.258528°W | Norman | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Local history, rotating art gallery and information center | |
| Two Harbors Light Station |  | Two Harbors 47°0′50.5″N 91°39′50″W / 47.014028°N 91.66389°W | Lake | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Minnesota's oldest operating lighthouse, completed in 1892. Managed by the Lake County Historical Society, offering tours, exhibits, and bed & breakfast accommodations.[376] |
| Two Rivers Gallery | Minneapolis 44°57′47″N 93°15′9″W / 44.96306°N 93.25250°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art, Native American | Operated in the Minneapolis American Indian Center the gallery provides a space for emerging Native artists to exhibit work.[128] | |
| Ulen Museum | Ulen 47°4′46.7″N 96°15′34″W / 47.079639°N 96.25944°W | Clay | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Displays of memorabilia from the mid to late 19th century in pioneer cabin rooms.[60] | |
| United States Hockey Hall of Fame |  | Eveleth 47°28′17″N 92°31′43″W / 47.47139°N 92.52861°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Sports | |
| Vasa Museum |  | Vasa 44°30′14″N 92°43′22.5″W / 44.50389°N 92.722917°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Early area Swedish heritage[377] |
| Verndale Museum | Verndale 46°23′59.3″N 95°0′40.2″W / 46.399806°N 95.011167°W | Wadena | Central Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Verndale Historical Society, open by appointment | |
| Virginia Area Historical Society Museum |  | Virginia 47°31′44.5″N 92°32′51.5″W / 47.529028°N 92.547639°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Includes exhibits on the logging era, Virginia's two major fires, and the trolley line |
| Village of Yesteryear |  | Owatonna 44°4′7″N 93°13′4″W / 44.06861°N 93.21778°W | Steele | Southeast Minnesota | Open-air | A recreated village of 15 furnished buildings and structures reminiscent of the late 19th century. The centerpiece of the village is the Dunnell Mansion built in 1868. Placed around a central park encircled by a boardwalk. Operated by the Steele County Historical Society.[369] |
| Voyageurs National Park |  | International Falls 48°35′5″N 93°9′40″W / 48.58472°N 93.16111°W | Koochiching | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | Museum in visitor center at Rainy Lake Visitor Center, interpretive exhibits at Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center |
| Wabasha County Historical Museum |  | Reads Landing 44°24′4.5″N 92°4′46″W / 44.401250°N 92.07944°W | Wabasha | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Wabasha County Historical Society in the Reads Landing School |
| Wadena County Historical Society Museum |  | Wadena 46°26′52″N 95°7′56″W / 46.44778°N 95.13222°W | Wadena | Central Minnesota | Local history | |
| Wakefield House Museum |  | Blue Earth 43°38′20″N 94°5′52″W / 43.63889°N 94.09778°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | House museum | Built in 1868 by James B. Wakefield, one of Blue Earth’s original founders, the Wakefield House is now the county historical museum. Operated by the Faribault County Historical Society.[153] |
| Walker Art Center |  | Minneapolis 44°58′5″N 93°17′19″W / 44.96806°N 93.28861°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Contemporary art museum with adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden |
| Wanda Gág House Interpretive Center and Museum |  | New Ulm 44°18′51″N 94°27′56.3″W / 44.31417°N 94.465639°W | Brown | Minnesota River Valley | Biographical | Home of artist Anton Gág and children's author Wanda Gág |
| Warden's House Museum |  | Stillwater 45°3′42″N 92°48′27″W / 45.06167°N 92.80750°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Historic house | Turn-of-the-20th-century home used by 13 prison wardens from 1853 to 1914, operated by the Washington County Historical Society |
| Warroad Heritage Center |  | Warroad 48°54′25″N 95°19′3″W / 48.90694°N 95.31750°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Local history | Exhibits include fishing, industry, ranching, boating, Native Americans and transportation[378] |
| Waseca County Historical Society Museum |  | Waseca 44°4′43.3″N 93°30′12.6″W / 44.078694°N 93.503500°W | Waseca | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts housed in an early-20th-century church building.[379] It includes a research library in the Philo C. Bailey House across the street. |
| Washburn-Zittleman House Museum | Spring Valley 43°41′15.5″N 92°23′35.5″W / 43.687639°N 92.393194°W | Fillmore | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Includes turn of the 20th century furnishing, quilts, toys, period kitchen, agriculture machinery, operated by the Spring Valley Community Historical Society | |
| Washington County Courthouse |  | Stillwater 45°3′6″N 92°48′27″W / 45.05167°N 92.80750°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Historic site | Tours by appointment or self-guided |
| Washington County Heritage Center | Stillwater 45°2′20.5″N 92°49′18″W / 45.039028°N 92.82167°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Features exhibits on local history, and logging. Explores both the history of Stillwater and the broader story of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley. | |
| Wasioja Civil War Recruiting Station |  | Wasioja 44°4′45.6″N 92°49′9.3″W / 44.079333°N 92.819250°W | Dodge | West Minnesota | Military | Built in 1855 to serve as a law office and bank, it was converted into a Civil War recruiting station in 1861. Many of the recruits from the station served in Company C of the Second Minnesota Regiment. Operated by the Dodge County Historical Society, it as the only remaining American Civil War recruiting station in Minnesota.[380] |
| Watkins Museum & Store |  | Winona 44°2′59″N 91°37′41.5″W / 44.04972°N 91.628194°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Industry | Vintage products, advertising, and other memorabilia from the 150-year history of Watkins Incorporated, housed in the company's 1911 headquarters building.[381] |
| Watonwan County Historical Center |  | Madelia 44°2′45″N 94°25′22″W / 44.04583°N 94.42278°W | Watonwan | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Contains horse-drawn farm equipment, an original post office and log cabin, a recreated drug store, and information on the capture of the Younger Brothers. Operated by the Watonwan County Historical Society.[382] |
| Wayzata Depot |  | Wayzata 44°58′11.5″N 93°30′59″W / 44.969861°N 93.51639°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | Operated by the Wayzata Historical Society |
| Weisman Art Museum |  | Minneapolis 44°58′23″N 93°14′14″W / 44.97306°N 93.23722°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Art | Art museum with permanent collections of American modernism, Koren furniture, and Mimbres pottery. Operated by the University of Minnesota in a 1993 building designed by Frank Gehry.[383] |
| Wells Depot Museum |  | Wells 43°44′46″N 93°43′37″W / 43.74611°N 93.72694°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | The 1903 depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 2010 and features a collection of area history and historical items including railroad, military and genealogy.[60] |
| Westbrook Heritage House Museum |  | Westbrook 44°2′23″N 95°26′7″W / 44.03972°N 95.43528°W | Cottonwood | Southwest Minnesota | Local history | Restored 1900 depot with local history exhibits and a log cabin from the late 19th century.[384] |
| West Concord Historical Society |  | West Concord 44°8′55″N 92°54′4″W / 44.14861°N 92.90111°W | Dodge | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | The historical society shares the former West Concord High School building with Community Center. The building, built in 1902 with a 1936 addition, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[385][386] |
| West Riverside Museum |  | Cambridge 45°34′59″N 93°14′44″W / 45.58306°N 93.24556°W | Isanti | Twin Cities Metro | Open-air | Operated by the Isanti County Historical Society, includes restored 20th century schoolhouse, 1859 Edblad Pioneer Log Home |
| West Hennepin History Center |  | Long Lake 44°59′14″N 93°34′24″W / 44.98722°N 93.57333°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | History | Located in the Western Hennepin County Pioneer Building, a former school building, the museum has four main display rooms - Victorian Room, General Store Room, Textile Room and Music Room. The lower level contains their archives. Operated by the Western Hennepin County Pioneers Association.[387][3] |
| Westonka History Museum | Mound 44°56′4″N 93°39′35″W / 44.93444°N 93.65972°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | The museum occupies levels 4 & 5, in the Centennial Building, the museum offers local histories of the Minnetrista, Mound, Spring Park, Navarre/Orono, and Minnetonka Beach communities as well as a history of the Tonka Toys Corporation, formerly in Mound, MN. Operated by the Westonka Historical Society.[388][3] | |
| Wheels Across the Prairie Museum |  | Tracy 44°14′17″N 95°38′8″W / 44.23806°N 95.63556°W | Lyon | Southwest Minnesota | Open-air | Includes car barn, post office, schoolhouse, train depot, chapel, church, blacksmith shop and pioneer exhibits. |
| White Bear Lake Armory Museum |  | White Bear Lake 45°5′6″N 93°0′38″W / 45.08500°N 93.01056°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Military | The White Bear Lake Armory is the site of the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society offices and Resource Library. The armory was built in 1922 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[389][390] |
| White Bear Lake Depot Museum |  | White Bear Lake 45°5′6″N 93°0′38″W / 45.08500°N 93.01056°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Railroad | Contains exhibits of railroad and local history by the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society. |
| White Bear Town Hall Museum |  | White Bear Lake 45°5′38.5″N 93°3′4″W / 45.094028°N 93.05111°W | Ramsey | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | The White Bear Town Hall was designed in 1885 by architect Cass Gilbert and served as the center of government for White Bear Township until 2011. Since then it has undergone a rehabilitation project and is now a museum operated by the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society.[391][390] |
| Wilkin County Museum |  | Breckenridge 46°15′53″N 96°35′5″W / 46.26472°N 96.58472°W | Wilkin | West Minnesota | Local history | Operated by the Wilkin County Historical Society,[392] The building originally was a Masonic Temple but was donated to Wilkin County Historical Society in 1977. The museum has eight rooms furnished with antiques including a 1920s kitchen, a small chapel and a historic bank lobby. |
| William A. Irvin |  | Duluth 46°46′58″N 92°5′50″W / 46.78278°N 92.09722°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Maritime | Retired lake freighter with a 14,000-ton cargo capacity and luxury passenger quarters, in service 1938–1978.[393] |
| Winnebago Area Museum |  | Winnebago 43°46′3″N 94°9′56″W / 43.76750°N 94.16556°W | Faribault | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Houses one of the largest privately held Native American artifacts collections in the state |
| Winona County History Center |  | Winona 44°3′9″N 91°38′21″W / 44.05250°N 91.63917°W | Winona | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Three floors of exhibits—including a replica prehistoric rock shelter, J.R. Watkins' original desk, and children's exhibits—plus an art gallery. Operated by the Winona County Historical Society in a 1915 armory and modern addition.[394] |
| Wm. S. Marvin Training and Visitor Center | Warroad 48°54′55.5″N 95°19′48″W / 48.915417°N 95.33000°W | Roseau | Northwest Minnesota | Industry | History and manufacture of Marvin Windows and Doors | |
| Winthrop Community Historical Society Museum | Winthrop 44°32′31″N 94°21′46″W / 44.54194°N 94.36278°W | Sibley | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | Houses a growing collection of artifacts and documents from local residents and businesses.[395] | |
| Wirtanen Pioneer Farm | Markham 47°18′45″N 92°14′39″W / 47.31250°N 92.24417°W | St. Louis | Northeast Minnesota | Local history | The museum is a 40-acre farm originally homesteaded by Eli Wirtanen in 1904. A house, animal barn, hay barns, sauna, and guesthouse are on the farmstead. The home is an example of Finnish log construction.[60] | |
| Woodbury Heritage House and Gardens |  | Woodbury 44°54′17″N 92°56′36″W / 44.90472°N 92.94333°W | Washington | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Built in 1870 it is one of the oldest structures still standing in Woodbury. It is operated by the Woodbury Heritage Society. The gardens contain over 100 different kinds of plants including those grown on farms by the early settlers of Woodbury.[60] |
| The Works |  | Bloomington 44°49′38″N 93°17′11″W / 44.82722°N 93.28639°W | Hennepin | Twin Cities Metro | Science | Technology, engineering and hands-on science |
| Wright County Heritage Center |  | Buffalo 45°12′19″N 93°51′48″W / 45.20528°N 93.86333°W | Wright | Twin Cities Metro | Local history | Operated by the Wright County Historical Society |
| Yellow Medicine County Historical Society and Museum |  | Granite Falls 44°48′12.2″N 95°32′45″W / 44.803389°N 95.54583°W | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota River Valley | Local history | [396] |
| Zumbrota Area Historical Society Museum |  | Zumbrota 44°17′38″N 92°40′6.3″W / 44.29389°N 92.668417°W | Goodhue | Southeast Minnesota | Local history | Local artifacts and memorabilia housed in a renovated 1924 City Hall/Fire Department. |
Regions defined
- Northwest Minnesota Region
Counties: Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Grant, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau
- Northeast Minnesota Region
Counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Clearwater, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Mille Lacs, Pine, Saint Louis
- West Minnesota Region
Counties: Douglas, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin
- Central Minnesota Region
Counties: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Morrison, Stearns, Swift, Todd, Wadena
- Minnesota River Valley Region
Counties: Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Swift, Yellow Medicine
- Twin Cities Metro Region
Counties: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, Wright
- Southwest Minnesota Region
Counties: Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, Watonwan
- Southeast Minnesota Region
Counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Winona
Defunct museums
- Amdal House Museum, Lake Park, MN, was sold in 2015 and the collections of the Lake Park Area Historical Society moved to a new location.
- Arches Museum of Pioneer Life, Lewiston. Collection transferred to the Rural Heritage Museum in St. Charles.[57]
- Arrowhead Bluffs Museum, Wabasha. Closed in October 2011. Displayed hunting trophies, antique rifles, and Native American artifacts.[397]
- Baseball Museum, Minneapolis. Baseball memorabilia collected by a Minnesota Twins equipment manager and displayed in a souvenir shop near the Metrodome. Closed in 2015.[398]
- College of Visual Arts Gallery, Saint Paul. Gallery space of the former College of Visual Arts, which closed in 2013.
- Grand Mound History Center, near International Falls.[399][400] Interpreted the prehistoric Grand Mound.
- The Le Sueur Museum in Le Sueur, Minnesota, United States, was sold by the Le Sueur County Historical Society in January 2018 to the dairy cooperative Agropur Inc. which in has applied for a permit to demolish the building.[401][402]
- Mikkelson Collection, Willmar.[403] Collection auctioned off in 2012.[404]
- Midwest Music Museum, Bloomington. Was located at the Mall of America,[405] no current information.
- Minnesota African American Museum, Minneapolis. Started in October 2012 in the historic Coe Mansion but never fully opened to the public. It was to display exhibits surrounding Minnesota's African-American community.[406][407]
- Minnesota State Fair History Museum was replaced with the Minnesota State Fair History & Heritage Center which opened in 2014.[408]
- Monongalia Historical Museum, New London, Minnesota housed in the former Lebanon Church. The Monongalia Historical Society vacated the building in November 2013. The building was demolished in June 2014.[409]
- Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, Minneapolis. Closed in 2002 and collection transferred to the Science Museum of Minnesota.[410]
- Planes of Fame East Air Museum, Eden Prairie. A WWII aviation museum that housed a collection of 30+ historic, flyable airplanes. Closed in 1997. Most airplanes transferred to the Palm Springs Air Museum.
- Rifle Sport Gallery, Minneapolis. An underground art space open 1985-1988 on Block E.
- Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center, Sauk Centre. Property sold for development in 2016, collection moved to Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home and temporary storage.[411]
- Soderlund Pharmacy Museum, St. Peter. Medical instruments, pharmacological products, and show globes, plus a 1911 soda fountain, housed in a working drugstore. Closed as of 2014.[412]
- Spicer's Classic Car Museum, Chisholm. No current information.
- Story Lady Doll & Toy Museum, Albert Lea.[413] When it closed in 2010, the collection was moved to the Freeborn County Historical Museum.[414]
- TRACES Center for History and Culture, Landmark Center, Saint Paul. Interpreted the prisoner of war experience, closed November 2008.[415]
- Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis, MN was permanently closed along with 11 of 12 Wells Fargo History Museums around the country in 2020.[416][417]
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Museums in Minnesota.
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