Make the most of the remainder of summer and take a historic tour throughout the state! Get your Ticket to History at any Minnesota Historical Society site (or online) and visit 5 of the selected 8 sites by Sept. 10 to automatically win a fun History Matters prize. You’ll also be entered to win the grand prize, a two-night stay at Lutsen Resort and a personal tour of Split Rock Lighthouse.
 It’s almost time for the Great Minnesota Get Together! This year at the State Fair, after enjoying a corn dog or two, visit the Society in the Historic J.V. Bailey House by the Space Tower. We’ll be looking for nominations of people, places, things and events that have shaped our state for our MN150 exhibit, which will open at the History Center in 2007 in honor of the state’s 2008 sesquicentennial. If you are unable to stop by, nominations are also being accepted online and by phone at 651-297-7955 until Oct. 1.
Use the coupon below to visit “Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust,” a History Center exhibit on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum through Oct. 15. The accompanying lecture series, “The Holocaust: A Minnesota Testimony,” presents “Civil Rights After World War II” on Aug. 27. A panel of historians and activists will speak about the state’s response to the war and the movements launched in its wake. Register online or by phone at 651-296-4975.
Enjoy Minnesota’s all-too-short summer by exploring the state on walking tours of historic nature trails and urban areas. Reservations are required for many tours; please call the individual site to register.
Tour one of St. Paul’s most historic neighborhoods, see stately Victorian houses, and learn about the architects who built them and families who lived there, on Summit Avenue Walking Tours, leaving from the Hill House each Saturday (at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) through Oct. 1.
Irvine Park was once a premiere St. Paul neighborhood and home to Minnesota’s first territorial governor, then a forgotten and run-down part of the city. Now, it's been restored to its charming original 19th-century appearance. Guided tours begin at the Ramsey House on Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 16 at 10:30 a.m.
Walk the Stone Arch Bridge to see spectacular views of St. Anthony Falls and the milling district, hear stories of people who worked and lived in the neighborhood, and learn how it’s changed from the milling capital of the world to a growing recreational and cultural area. Mill City Museum admission is included in the fee; tours leave from the museum each Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. through Sept. 24.
 See downtown Mendota, one of the state’s oldest settlements, and hear how the town evolved from its beginnings as a fur trade center. Tours leave the Sibley House Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. (future tours run Sept. 17 and Oct. 15).
Bring your families and four-legged friends to the Sibley House at 10 a.m. on Sept. 9 and Oct. 14 for a River History Walk to learn about the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and their importance to the fur trade.
The State Capitol offers daily free guided tours of the Cass Gilbert-designed building, and on Saturdays, visitors encounter a costumed historical character, participate in a special activity or view a theatrical performance. Purchase self-guided brochures for touring the Capitol Mall and its sculptures, flower gardens and plaques dedicated to war veterans and noted Minnesotans.
On guided nature walks from the Lindbergh House on Aug. 27 from 1 to 5 p.m., see how Charles Lindbergh’s childhood home on the Mississippi River in Little Falls influenced his love for nature and environmentalism.
The Minneapolis riverfront offers a new draw to the area – the Mill City Farmers Market, held each Saturday morning through Oct. 21. After browsing the selection of local organic produce and gourmet foods, visit Mill City Museum, have breakfast at Spoonriver, and tour the new Guthrie Theater.
Led by Brenda Langton, chef and owner of Cafe Brenda and Spoonriver, the market is a collaborative effort between Langton, Mill City Museum, Farm in the City, and local businesses. The market is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the plaza at Chicago Ave. and 2nd Ave. S., between Mill City Museum and the Guthrie.
Says Split Rock Lighthouse site manager Lee Radzak: “Split Rock is photographed from every conceivable direction, day and night, summer and winter. People take pilgrimages here just to shoot the lighthouse. We have volunteers whose primary task is to take pictures of families in front of the lighthouse with their cameras. In this photo, photographer Erik Hildebrandt uses the lighthouse as a backdrop for the Duluth Air Show.” Browse more than 117,000 historic images from the Society's collections.
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