Historic Adventures

List all 26 sites

Alexander Ramsey House

Built for Minnesota’s controversial first territorial governor, this residence—one of the nation’s best-preserved Victorian-era homes—will immerse you in 1870s life and the spirit of the times through special events and holiday programs.

• Over 14,000 original furnishings
• Museum store

265 S. Exchange St.
St. Paul, MN 55102
Google Map of Alexander Ramsey House
Admission & Hours: 651-296-8760

Alexander Ramsey House website

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Birch Coulee Battlefield

Guideposts pinpoint the US and Dakota positions at the site of one of the hardest-fought battles in the US-Dakota War of 1862.

• Self-guided prairie trail
• Markers with accounts of the battle by an Army captain and a Mdewakanton (Dakota) soldier

Jct of Renville Cty Hwy 2 and Hwy 18
Morton, MN 56270
Google Map of Birch Coulee Battlefield
Admission & Hours: Free, dawn to dusk. 800-657-3773

Birch Coulee Battlefield website

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Charles Lindbergh House and Museum

A national historic landmark. Explore the complicated legacy of the celebrated aviator as you tour his childhood home, view historic flight footage, browse museum exhibits, and sit in a replica of Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” cockpit.

• Guided house tours & events
• Exhibits on Lindbergh’s aviation, inventions, environmental activism & political controversy
• Riverside walking trail
• Museum store

1620 Lindbergh Drive S.
Little Falls, MN 56345
Google Map of Charles Lindbergh House and Museum
Admission & Hours: 320-616-5421

Charles Lindbergh House and Museum website

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Comstock House

Learn the story of the pioneering Comstocks and their impact on history as you tour their 1883 family home, which showcases ornate Queen Anne and Eastlake furniture and tapestries.

• Guided tours & seasonal events
• Managed by The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County

506 Eighth St. S.
Moorhead, MN 56560
Google Map of Comstock House
Admission & Hours: 218-291-4211

Comstock House website

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Folsom House

Tour the meticulously restored 1855 New England style home of W.H.C. Folsom—Maine transplant turned lumber baron and Minnesota state senator.

• American Empire & Louis XV Revival furniture
• St. Croix River views
• Historic Angel Hill District location
• Managed by Taylors Falls Historical Society

272 West Government Street
Taylors Falls, MN 55084
Google Map of Folsom House
Admission & Hours: 651-465-3125

Folsom House website

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Forest History Center

Meet lumberjacks, climb a 100-ft. 1930s fire tower, board the floating cook shack, and enjoy nature programs and events at this interactive logging camp.

• Blacksmith, cook, lumberjacks & draft horses
• Exhibits on ecology & forestry
• Timber harvester simulator
• GeoTrack program
• Walking/ biking/XC ski trails
• Museum store

2609 County Road 76
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Google Map of Forest History Center
Admission & Hours: 218-327-4482

Forest History Center website

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Fort Ridgely

Interpretive ground markers and exhibits tell the tale of this 1853 military outpost, which saw combat during the US-Dakota War of 1862.

• Reconstructed foundations of 1853 fort
• Commissary building restored by the Veterans Conservation Corps
• Managed by Nicollet County Historical Society
• State Park vehicle permit required

72404 County Road 30
(Located within Fort Ridgely State Park, off MN Hwy. 4)
Fairfax, MN 55332
Google Map of Fort Ridgely
Admission & Hours: 507-628-5591

Fort Ridgely website

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Harkin Store

Step into an authentic general store, just as it was in 1871. Play a game of checkers by the stove and enjoy views of the Minnesota River from the front porch. Programs every Sunday, May–mid-Oct.

• Costumed guides
• Museum store
• Managed by Nicollet County Historical Society

66250 County Road 21
New Ulm, MN
Google Map of Harkin Store
Admission & Hours: 507-628-5591

Harkin Store website

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Historic Forestville

A new 45-minute tour will illuminate the 1853–1910 history of this site as you visit the historic house, office, store, garden, and barn. Explore questions about the choices and changes that faced the inhabitants of this area—from ancient peoples to today’s residents. Round out the visit with a game of croquet or horseshoes on the lawn.

• Special events
• Museum store
• State Park vehicle permit required

21899 County Road 118
(Located within Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park)
Preston, MN 55965
Google Map of Historic Forestville
Admission & Hours: 507-765-2785

Historic Forestville website

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Historic Fort Snelling

A national historic landmark. Explore the voices and stories of the men, women, and children who crossed paths here over the centuries—from the Dakota, Ojibwe, and enslaved and free African Americans, to fur traders, immigrants, soldiers, and veterans.

• Costumed history players and non-costumed interpreters
• Demonstrations of historical games, skills & military tactics
• Self-guided & theme tours
• Activity stations
• Exhibits
• Programs & events
• Dred & Harriet Scott’s 1836–1840 living quarters
• Museum store

200 Tower Ave.
(Adjacent to Fort Snelling State Park)
St. Paul, MN 55111
Google Map of Historic Fort Snelling
Admission & Hours: 612-726-1171

Historic Fort Snelling website

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James J. Hill House

A national historic landmark. Explore upstairs and downstairs life in Minnesota’s Downton Abbey—a 36,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion built for James J. Hill, railroad titan and empire-builder.

• Guided tours, art exhibits & special events
• Original stained glass, woodwork & chandeliers
• Museum store

240 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55102
Google Map of James J. Hill House
Admission & Hours: 651-297-2555

James J. Hill House website

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Jeffers Petroglyphs

Older than Stonehenge. Find sacred Native American rock carvings of buffalo, turtles, thunderbirds, and humans in a native prairie setting.

• Estimated 5,000 carvings up to 7,000 years old
• Tallgrass prairie including over 300 species of prairie plants
• Special events
• Guided tours
• Museum store

27160 County Road 2
Comfrey, MN 56019
Google Map of Jeffers Petroglyphs
Admission & Hours: 507-628-5591

Jeffers Petroglyphs website

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Lac qui Parle Mission

Explore exhibits and artifacts illuminating the history of this reconstructed 1835 mission, where the first Dakota dictionary, grammar, and gospel were completed.

• Chapel built in 1940s by Works Progress Administration (WPA)
• Managed by Chippewa County Historical Society

Jct of Chippewa County Hwy. 13 and County Rd. 32
Montevideo, MN 56265
Google Map of Lac qui Parle Mission
Admission & Hours: 320-269-7636

Lac qui Parle Mission website

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Lower Sioux Agency

Learn about the causes of the US-Dakota War of 1862 through special programs and exhibits, in the place where the war’s first attack took place.

• Exhibit on Dakota culture
• Minnesota River trails
• Museum store
• Managed by Lower Sioux Indian Community

32469 Redwood County Hwy. 2
Morton, MN 56270
Google Map of Lower Sioux Agency
Admission & Hours: 507-697-8673

Lower Sioux Agency website

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Marine Mill

Interpretive signs guide you through the story of Minnesota’s first commercial sawmill, built in 1839.

• Scenic walking trail above sawmill foundation ruins and views of Mill Stream and falls
• Managed by the City of Marine on St. Croix

Judd Street
Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047
Google Map of Marine Mill
Admission & Hours: Free, dawn to dusk. 651-433-3636

Marine Mill website

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Mill City Museum

A national historic landmark. Built within the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill, this fun, interactive museum invites the whole family to ride the Flour Tower elevator, experience hands-on fun in the Water & Baking Labs, and enjoy rooftop views of the Mississippi River, St. Anthony Falls, and lock and dam.

• Award-winning short film, Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat!
• Special events
• Exhibits
• Museum store & café

704 South 2nd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Google Map of Mill City Museum
Admission & Hours: 612-341-7555

Mill City Museum website

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Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post

Explore Ojibwe culture and history through videos, exhibits, demos, and activities at this interactive museum, and shop for a wide selection of Native American art by local and regional artists in the adjacent 1930s trading post.

• Traditional Ojibwe garden
• Tour of Four Seasons Room, with life-sized dioramas
• Museum store

43411 Oodena Dr.
Onamia, MN 56359
Google Map of Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post
Admission & Hours: 320-532-3632

Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post website

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Minnehaha Depot

Visit “The Princess,” an authentic 1875 gingerbread-style train depot built along the first Minneapolis-to-Chicago rail line—located within walking distance of the famed Minnehaha Falls.

• Managed by the Minnesota Transportation Museum

Minnehaha Park
(Hwy 55 & Minnehaha Parkway)
Minneapolis, MN 55417
Google Map of Minnehaha Depot
Admission & Hours: 651-228-0263

Minnehaha Depot website

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Minnesota History Center

This action-packed museum stimulates your curiosity about Minnesota stories, people, and history through permanent and changing exhibits, programs, and events.

• Exhibits include Then Now Wow and Minnesota’s Greatest Generation
• Concerts, lectures & other events
• History learning stations & history players
• Museum store & café

345 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102
Google Map of Minnesota History Center
Admission & Hours: 651-259-3000

Gale Family Library at the Minnesota History Center

Research your family history and much more at this important library and repository of state archives. Free and open to the public.
Hours: 651-259-3300

Minnesota History Center website

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Minnesota State Capitol

Tour a newly restored masterpiece by influential architect Cass Gilbert, featuring the second-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world.

• State Senate, House & Supreme Court chambers
• Civil War & Spanish- American War flags
• Decorative & fine art throughout building
• Monuments on Capitol Mall
• Guided tours

75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Google Map of Minnesota State Capitol
Admission & Hours: 651-296-2881

Minnesota State Capitol website

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Snake River Fur Post

Formerly North West Company Fur Post. Meet a voyageur and other costumed interpreters, visit an Ojibwe encampment, and try out wood carving or other traditional skills. This museum and reconstructed 1804-era trading post focus on the intersection of voyageurs, fur traders, and Ojibwe culture.

• Guided tours
• Exhibits on the fur trade
• Demonstrations
• Snake River heritage trails
• Museum store

12551 Voyageur Lane
Pine City, MN 55063
Google Map of Snake River Fur Post
Admission & Hours: 320-629-6356

Snake River Fur Post website

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Oliver Kelley Farm

A national historic landmark. See, touch, do, and taste as you learn the story of Minnesota farming, food, and agriculture—past and present.

• Modern Farm Lab, fields & barn
• Learning Kitchen
• 1860s farmstead, fields & garden
• Heritage & modern breeds of farm animals
• 2.5-mile Mississippi River trail
• Museum store

15788 Kelley Farm Rd.
Elk River, MN 55330
Google Map of Oliver Kelley Farm
Admission & Hours: 763-441-6896

Oliver Kelley Farm website

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Sibley Historic Site

Explore the many faces of the state’s first governor, Henry Sibley, a fur trader who lived at this site. Through events and seasonal guided tours, you can explore four of Minnesota’s oldest surviving buildings and learn about Mendota’s past.

• Managed by Dakota County Historical Society

1357 Sibley Memorial Hwy.
Mendota, MN
Google Map of Sibley Historic Site
Admission & Hours: 651-452-1596

Sibley Historic Site website

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Split Rock Lighthouse

A national historic landmark. One of Minnesota’s best-known landmarks, this North Shore icon was built after a rash of 1905 shipwrecks. Enjoy spectacular Lake Superior views and photo opportunities, plus guided tours of the restored lighthouse and keeper’s home.

• Film & exhibits, including an exhibit on Lake Superior shipwrecks
• Costumed guides
• Museum store

3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Rd.
Two Harbors, MN 55616
Google Map of Split Rock Lighthouse
Admission & Hours: 218-226-6372

Split Rock Lighthouse website

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Traverse des Sioux

At this centuries-old Minnesota River crossing—the site of the 1851 US-Dakota land treaty—you can walk trails and view exhibits on the treaty, Dakota culture, and the fur trade.

• Adjacent to the Treaty Site History Center
• Managed by Nicollet County Historical Society

1851 N. Minnesota Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
Google Map of Traverse des Sioux
Admission & Hours: 507-934-2160

Traverse des Sioux website

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W. W. Mayo House

Tour the handbuilt 1859 home and furnishings of the first Dr. Mayo of Mayo Clinic fame and his medical practice—a home later owned by a founder of Minnesota Valley Canning (Green Giant).

118 N. Main St.
Le Sueur, MN 56058
Google Map of W. W. Mayo House
Admission & Hours: 507-665-3250

W. W. Mayo House website