List of museums in Minnesota
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
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.
Current museums[edit]
| 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
|
