Mill City Museum offers a wide variety of walking tours and pub crawls that bring Minneapolis history to life. All tours depart from Mill City Museum unless otherwise noted.

Tour prices include museum admission. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 612-341-7555.

Minneapolis History Pub Crawl: Old Saint Anthony
Dates: Tuesdays, June 3, June 17, July 8, and 29
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Fee: $25/$20 for MNHS members.

Discover Minneapolis' oldest neighborhoods and satisfy your thirst with a history pub crawl of the east bank on the Mississippi River.

The town of St. Anthony began in 1849, several years before its neighbor Minneapolis across the river. Although annexed by Minneapolis in 1872, the area's unique character and history remained distinct. Hear about the people who lived and worked there and about the historic flour mills, churches, red light districts, Victorian residences, pubs, immigrant enclaves, commercial centers, breweries and more. The tour is on an air-conditioned bus and includes stops at a number of historic sights, including two watering holes housed in historic buildings.

The tour includes three blocks of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. Tours are held rain or shine. Ages 21 and up only. Drink purchases are not included in the tour price. Drink specials will be made available at participating locations.

What: Railroad History Tour
When: Sundays, June 8, July 6, July 20, Aug. 24 and Sept. 7
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members.

Beginning with the arrival of Minnesota’s first rail line in 1862, Minneapolis boomed in population. Flour milling, lumber production and warehousing took off as a rail network extended throughout the Upper Midwest. Take a guided tour to discover the impact of railroads on the Mill City, visiting railroad landmarks such as the Stone Arch Bridge, Milwaukee Road Depot, and the Minneapolis Eastern Railway engine house and trestle. Along the way find clues to the vanishing railroad landscape and learn about the future of Twin Cities rail.

The tour includes 1.5 miles of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Tours are held rain or shine.

Minneapolis History Pub Crawl: Washington Avenue
Dates: Tuesdays, June 10, June 24, July 15 and Aug. 12
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Fee: $25/$20 MNHS members.

Discover Minneapolis' rich history and satisfy your thirst with a history pub crawl along Washington Avenue. Travel down this busy thoroughfare and hear about the importance of railroads, warehousing, flour milling, immigration, entertainment and vice to the story of Minneapolis. An air-conditioned bus will take participants through the neighborhoods along Washington Avenue from 35W to Plymouth Ave. N., with stops at a number of historic sights, including two watering holes housed in historic buildings.

The tour includes two blocks of moderately paced walking. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. Tours are held rain or shine. Ages 21 and up only. Drink purchases are not included in the tour price. Drink specials will be made available at participating locations.

What: Engineering the Falls: History Player William de la Barre Tour
When: Saturdays and Sundays, June 14, July 12, Aug. 3, Aug. 31 and Sept. 20
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members.

Take a walking tour of St. Anthony Falls led by costumed History Player William de la Barre, the Austrian engineer who spent half a century developing Minneapolis flour milling and waterpower. Participants will visit the Minneapolis Riverfront, the west-side milling district and the Stone Arch Bridge, and hear about the many ways the falls has changed over the years.

The tour includes one mile of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Tours are held rain or shine.

What: Minneapolis Riverfront Tour
When: Saturdays and Sundays, June 15, June 28, July 5, Aug. 9, Sept. 14 and Sept. 28
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members.

Walk the Minneapolis riverfront and learn about its dramatic past and bright future. Participants will visit the historic district at St. Anthony Falls, which was once the milling center of the world and is now a growing cultural, recreational and residential neighborhood. A guide from Mill City Museum will lead visitors onto the Stone Arch Bridge for a spectacular view of the falls, the historic buildings surrounding it and downtown Minneapolis, and tell stories of the people who have worked and lived in the area and how it has changed over the years.

The tour includes one mile of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Tours are held rain or shine.

What: Historic Main Street Tour
When: Saturdays and Sundays, June 22, July 13, Aug. 10 and Sept. 13
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members.

Stroll through Minneapolis’ oldest neighborhood with a Mill City Museum guide, and learn about the rich past and exciting future of historic Main Street. The tour will highlight life in the village of St. Anthony, changes along Main Street throughout the years, and such landmarks as the 1855 Upton Block, 1858 Martin and Morrison Building, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the Pillsbury A Mill and the Chalybeate Mineral Springs.

This tour begins and ends at Pracna Restaurant, 117 Main Street S.E. The tour includes one mile of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. Tours include admission to Mill City Museum and are held rain or shine.

What: Riverfront Quest Family Tour
When: Saturdays, June 21, July 19 and Aug. 16
Time: 1 p.m. (Bookmaking 1 to 1:30 p.m., Tour 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.)
Cost: $11 adults, $9 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17; $2 discount for MNHS members age 6-17; free for MNHS member adults and seniors.

Try out questing with a family-focused tour of the Minneapolis riverfront outside Mill City Museum. A Quest is a community treasure hunt that guides people through, and teaches them to see, a unique part of their community. This quest includes solving rhyming riddles and searching for hidden boxes with pictures to place in a quest journal that participants can make before the tour. Journal materials and admission to Mill City Museum are included in the tour cost. The tour is designed for ages 6–11, but can be enjoyed by all ages. Adults and seniors must be accompanying a child.

The tour includes one mile of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Tours are held rain or shine.

About Mill City Museum

Built within the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, a National Historic Landmark, the award-winning Mill City Museum chronicles the flour milling industry that fueled the growth of Minneapolis. The story comes to life through the eight-story Flour Tower, Water Lab, Baking Lab and other hands-on exhibits.

The museum is located at 704 S. Second St. in Minneapolis. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The site is also open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August. For more information, call 612-341-7555 or visit www.millcitymuseum.org.

The Society’s calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.